I have overheard the damnedest stuff while working in coffee shops. I’ll be writing away while the person at the next table is bellowing into his phone that of course we’re going to win the contract, we’ve paid off the right people and it’s in the bag, and if Martin doesn’t think so then no wonder Martin doesn’t realize he’s history as soon as he finishes documenting his code.
Or Well, then, I guess you’ll just have to lie your face off, won’t you? Come on, it’s a radio reporter, for Christ’s sake. Dumb as a brick and half as good-looking, or he’d be on TV instead.
Or Nobody, I mean nobody, can know we’re remaking [name of movie redacted]. Okay? Cos otherwise the lawyers are all over it, and we’re sitting around with our thumbs up our asses for the next three years.
Or I just crop “Noise to Signal” off the top of the cartoon, slap my own name on it and bam: I’m a cartoonist. Of course it’s legal – that’s what a Creative Commons license is for.
Or Hold on a moment while I move – I think the guy at the next table is eavesdropping.
I mean, really.
P.S. – We’re back! Thanks for waiting. You, especially, for gently reminding me.
3 Comments
I’m assuming the NtS reference is comedic licence – because otherwise that would be awesome.
Public transport is another good venue for notable eavesdropping. I’ve sat behind a movie producer who rattled through the “nobody saw this coming” catches at the end of half a dozen popular movies that I hadn’t watched yet. I’ve sat in front of people I didn’t know telling awesome gossip about people I do know.
These days though, almost everyone’s got earphones in so there’s less over-hearing going on. Although maybe that makes people more loose-lipped.
Ok, the movie producer loudly dishing out spoilers – that’s obnoxious. (I say this as the guy who ruined both The Empire Strikes Back and The Purple Rose of Cairo for the same friend on two different occasions.)
I’ll admit the NtoS plagiarist is
a bald-faced liecomedic license. The movie remake people, though, them I overheard, in a crowded Blenz, no less. And the movie has yet to come to fruition, although lord knows there are a million ways for a film project to die.Maybe the movie remake thing’s just subversive marketing – stand in a crowded coffee shop & talk loudly about their awesome movie project for 10 minutes, then move to next coffee shop. End of day, check twitter for viral explosion 😀
Ever read Gibson’s Pattern Recognition? There’s a character in there who’s paid to create grassroots buzz about products like that… chat to people in bars & say “hey… you know what’s really cool…”
For the record, I think you’re right – loose lips. But you never know…