Recently a band sent me a package containing sand. Over the years I have been sent a lot of things by artists and their reps who’ve wanted to get my attention. Bubble Yum, Hershey’s Kisses, leopard-print condoms, purple panties, even a drawing of a hand giving me the finger. This package, though, was loaded with sand –– that’s right, somebody thought it would be a cute idea to put a bunch of sand into a CD mailer and send it to the editors of a magazine they were hoping would want to write about them. (Well, you got your wish!)

Seconds after opening the package –– a single blip before I realized what was happening –– tiny infinitesimal grains of grit were suddenly everywhere. My floor, my desk, my Everything Bagel. The senders wanted to get my attention and that is exactly what occured. My initial response was in the nature of “WTF!” (Kind of like my reaction when during the 2002 anthrax freakout a band sent me a package full of white powder. In that instance, a U.S. Gov’t. Hazmat Team responded to the problem, much to the band’s regret.)

So, back to the Sand Band: Buried inside the package –– this paper pouch from which an acre and a half of beachfront property was steadily sifting down –– was a CD and press materials. According to these materials, the band wanted the editors of the magazine to hear the music and “be transported, as if to a private desert island paradise.” They’d even tossed in a couple tiny seashells to complete the effect.

I was not happy.

In the end, though, any revenge I had envisioned was suddenly rendered unnecessary. In fact, it provided me with a huge laugh. Point being, even if I had wanted to listen to their music, it was impossible –– the jewel case that these musical geniuses had put in the package was not shrink-wrapped; so not only was the outside of the case encrusted with sand, but the CD inside was completely frosted over with the stuff. This unplayable Compact Disc looked just like a big-ass inedible sugar cookie.

I’m thinking some of you out there reading this have either sent or received over-the-top packages at one time or other. If so, I’d like to hear about it. Did this sort of stunt help the band get attention or did it hurt the band?

Tags: anthraxstupid musician tricks, music submissions, pranks

This entry was posted on Friday, March 27th, 2009 at 4:07 pm and is filed under Blogs, Mark Nardone's Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.