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The Great Flamingo Caper of 2001 Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures. It was just after midnight on Music Row, the lights were all out, the "Suits" had long-since gone home. Only one back-room studio was filled with the sounds of a lone, singer. The final vocal tracks were being laid down, on what would be the Greatest Never-Heard "Country" song ever written. It's a sad truth, these days, that if a song has any kind of soul, or invokes any kind of emotion, the major labels won't touch it. They've once-again grown comfortable with the current trend, forgetting that even this trend was kick started by someone taking a chance, playing something different from what everyone else was doing. Sony, being one of, if not the Biggest label to take residence on Music Row, launched a promotion for the new Billy Ray Cyrus single, "Burn It Down". They put up Pink Plastic Flamingos, across the front of their building, & others were spotted on lawns up & down 16th Avenue. ZiggyDale Zigfreid stepped from behind the microphone, walked out into the brisk night air & couldn't help but notice these Pink Flamingos. Conversation soon led to "What does it take to get Noticed, in this town..?" &, "Why won't they listen..?" "Burn It Down", being a song about a man who's pushed to the extreme, of burning down the trailer park he lives in, & shooting the Pink Flamingos in the front yard struck a whole different chord with those having that conversation. ZiggyDale had just finished cutting "Freebird Trailer Park" & suddenly there was a new realization, "If Sony can promote Billy Ray's song about destroying a trailer park, they can promote mine, about having fun in one!!" Without hesitation he yanked the nearest lawn ornament from the ground, "It's okay with Sony for Billy Ray to shoot these things, it must be okay for me to cut one in two...." By morning, ALL of the Flamingos were gone. The promotion wasn't over, the plastic birds had been "Taken Hostage". There was a note, left on Sony's front door, attached to the now-headless body of one of the Flamingos. The note read, "If you want the rest of your Flamingos returned, unharmed, you will listen to my music & give us Airplay". An advanced-copy of ZiggyDale's new CD, "Only Rebel Child", was placed on the door, next to the martyred bird. On the morning after, there were faxes sent out, one to Sony/Monument, one to "Carl P.", at 103.3, & copies came to ZiggyDale. They included a picture of the Head, from the Flamingo left on Sony's door, & a warning, "The First one had to suffer so you would know we ARE serious!!!....Sony was given an advance copy of ZiggyDale Zigfreid's new CD, If we don't hear "Freebird Trailer Park" played on 103.3, we will be forced to eXecute one Flamingo a day...When we hear the song, the Flamingos will return..." All ZiggyDale wanted was for Sony to listen to his songs, but obviously, would never know if the CD was heard, unless it actually got Radio Play. By the end of the day Nashville was abuzz with talk of these missing Flamingos, but no one knew who, how, or why..? Now, We're into Day Two, & a second fax has gone out. The message is similar, only now there are pictured, two heads, one from the first Flamingo, & a second, with an additional message, "Apparently you chose to ignore our warnings, & another Flamingo has paid the price..." Make No mistake, ZiggyDale's message is Loud & Clear: that while the current state of Country Music remains in Desperate Times, ZiggyDale, has proven that he is a man willing to take Desperate Measures. FOOT NOTE: THE RECORD WAS NOT PLAYED AND ALL THE FLAMINGOS WERE RETURNED TO SONY'S FRONT YARD....HEAD LESS!! TAKE THAT NASHVILLE! ZIGGYDALE ZIGFREID Check out the artist's website: http://www.ziggydale.com Track List: 1. Mama Tried 2. Freebird Trailer Park 3. Lookin' For the Light 4. Missin Me 5. 1902 6. Atlanta's Burning Down 7. Bible & a Bus Ticket Home 8. Daddy's Honky-tonk 9. Werewolf 10. Got a Bump? Got a Joint? Got a Beer? Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
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