LiquidAssets.tv Blog

You forget sometimes - especially in a profession that involves a fair amount of bottom time - that the United States of America is so loud. So busy. I suppose I should have expected that the largest consumer dive show in the country would be busy, but I guess I just wasn’t ready for how rowdy it would be. Rowdy. Noisy.

And it was a grand noise. It was the welcome din of thousands of people converging on a single location, all united by a common passion. What you get at Beneath The Sea is a great mix of leathered, salty northeast wreck divers and wide-eyed paradise seekers, hungry for the next blue-water getaway. Vendors, manufacturers and resort operators that won’t drop a dime to go to another show anywhere in the country are always here. It’s as much to do with the fact that there are more people at this show than any other as it is that this part of the country have very, very discriminating tastes.

Due to a timely-last minute cancellation, 2 years after its theatrical premiere I was able to debut Still On Her Keel for the BTS audience. It was the first room that I went into cold, and most people were visibly pissed off that instead of a presentation about shipwrecks of the Orient they were getting a Boston rocker in a jean jacket and aviators trying to collectively kiss their ass. Let’s just say it started as, um, a tough crowd. How far can you coast on charm? Apparently right up until you step foot in New Jersey.

Luckily for me, the story of the Chester Poling and the men who explored her is a tale that transcends baseball team allegiances, because by the end of the hour I had suitably impressed the masses and earned the respect of the toughest audience in the country. We all left the room in a flurry of handshakes and well wishes. In the end, sometimes it’s better to just shut up and show your film. I’ll definitely make note of that for next year.

I hinted at some pretty interesting sidebars that will be going on each week during production on the TCEXII. I’m happy to say that as a result of a few high-powered (i.e., Aaron stayed far away) meetings while at Beneath The Sea, we’re about a week or two away from announcing them formally. Suffice it to say the video, the photo and the radio people will be happy.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, Liquid Assets are obsessed with revealing the unknown places within the known. In the spirit of always trying to get in on a secret or discover the next “thing,” we drank deeply at the well of New York City nightlife while we were in town and I’m glad we did. I found a great new blues singer at the Bottom Line club in the East Village and discovered a brand new drink at a Korean restaurant on the Upper West Side. I would also highly recommend you hit up the Rodeo Bar next time you’re in town. Those of you from the great state of Texas will feel particularly at home.

A pilgrimage to Ground Zero reminded me how important it is for us to learn from history and also what a blessing it is to watch beauty literally rise from ashes. A look at the plans for the new park that will blanket the site of the Twin Towers is simply amazing. May the hushed reverence that still surrounds the perimeter continue past its architectural completion.

On behalf of everyone at Liquid Assets … you know what? Nevermind. Screw ‘em. If they want to thank you, let them write their own blog.

Thank you, New York, for making a Boston kid feel at home. Thanks for staying up late. Thank you, New Jersey, for taking care of me and giving me a place to rest my head. Thank you, Connecticut, for not being stuck up for once and buying me a few rounds of Jager.

Pennsylvania, were you there? I thought I saw you on the show floor a few times. You’ve lost weight, baby. You look great.

We’ll be back next year. I can’t wait. Either way, you have my number.

Listening to: The Cult - Live At Irving Plaza