Jason Brown: "I want to make an impact"

karne said:

Really? I thought it was quite obvious that she was saying goodbye to a loved one at the start of the program, and then something dreadful happens, and she gets a phonecall telling her if her loved one is alive. It was super obvious, didn't need explaining. (DIDN'T NEED VOICEOVERS EITHER AVERBUKH.)

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To me, as obvious as the story line was, it seemed more obvious still after someone explained it to me.

TontoK said:

Dick Button's commentary on Brian Boitano's 1994 USNats LP featured this gem:

"These moves represent the pioneer's love of the land that he sees in front on him."

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But then again, what else would that Aaron Copeland music be about?

"Land stretchin' out so far and wide;
Keep Manhattan just gimmee the countryside."

Referring this thread back to Jason....

(Since we now thankfully have another thread for general comments on musical interpretation)

I think it would be very difficult even for a performer as skilled as Jason to skate two characters on the ice. Personally, for Hamilton, I hope he picks Aaron Burr and sticks to it.

In general, I don't care if the skating is tangentially related to the program (look, a sad clown!) or literal (look, a sad clown!) as long as the program works on its own merits. I do recall that *Jason* has said that it helped him with Riverdance once he had fixed in his mind what the program was about. And I am for whatever helps a skater skate his best, and if coming up with a character, developing a story, or humming "I'm a little teapot" helps, then go for it.

el henry said:

Referring this thread back to Jason....

(Since we now thankfully have another thread for general comments on musical interpretation)

I think it would be very difficult even for a performer as skilled as Jason to skate two characters on the ice. Personally, for Hamilton, I hope he picks Aaron Burr and sticks to it.

In general, I don't care if the skating is tangentially related to the program (look, a sad clown!) or literal (look, a sad clown!) as long as the program works on its own merits. I do recall that *Jason* has said that it helped him with Riverdance once he had fixed in his mind what the program was about. And I am for whatever helps a skater skate his best, and if coming up with a character, developing a story, or humming "I'm a little teapot" helps, then go for it.

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I don't have a problem with Jason "channeling" a character in program development if it helps him with interpretation.

And I also side with you that a program must stand on its own merits, without regard to a storyline.

So I think we've argued ourselves into agreement.

Mathman said:

But then again, what else would that Aaron Copeland music be about?

"Land stretchin' out so far and wide;
Keep Manhattan just gimmee the countryside."

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Mathman, I pretty sure that's not Aaron Copland.

But, your point is taken.

I wonder if skaters/coaches/publicists put these little tales out there so commentators will have something to fill in the airtime.

Tavi... said:

In the interview Jason mentioned that in this year's programs, he gets to play a character and to create a character. My understanding is that he's playing a character in the SP (existing show/book/music) and creating one in the long (new music).

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You're right! It's funny how quickly that bit flew out of my head.

For me the opening of the SP doesn't work because it seems like he's trying to show the conversation between Burr and Hamilton, who are standing around talking in the play. I understand why they wanted to include that part - to explain - but so far it doesn't work for me. So it will be interesting to see what they do with that.

On the other hand, I think the st sq at the end is great and works really well.

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Clearly I need to watch the clips again. Also, the entire program will be more revealing.

well, I had an intention to post some thought here, but got distracted in the process and totally forgot to post after watching whole Jason's interview

I think that two base perspectives to gather from that interview are: Jason's general approach towards skating shining through his every experience/history he shared and upcoming season/programs perspective.

As for the first one - I totally see where Jason is coming from talking about skating, competing, developing in all that. He's all about animation and individual personality input in every aspect of his skating, there is such a strong sense of integration between Jason and so many elements: his team, coaches, programs, music, training, competitions. He truly wants to come as he is, with all he has to offer towards people, staying positive about further development, not necessary achieving most titles or being always the best (which is really important for me as a viewer). I very much appreciate the fact that the interview shows Jason's perspective on things going on and places him as a centre point - it really helps to see the full landscape of Jason's mentality, personal approach and how he understands skating.

What I love about this understanding is how passionate he's about skating in general - I see no reservations, no 'buts', just positive anticipation and being very conscious about where he stands now and how he wants to move forward. And cherry on the top for me? Jason's definition of 'moving forward', developing is not bound to and all about winning. He's very much aware about quadness and quads meaning in competition, at the same time - I hope that he won't take a bait and push himself too much with quad pressure just to humour people around. For me - as I have non-quad centric view on Men's figure skating, being at odds with majority probably, but being aware that competitions became quad-centric in terms of results - there is nothing wrong or bad with Jason and his approach towards his technical content. What is wrong however is how some people's opinions are shaping Jason as unambitious skater with no stable quad in tally, which makes him to be seen as no competitor and worthless skater. There is no one definition of a 'good skater' and one definition of 'development' or 'success' so please let all have their respective ones, without a) making Jason's 'not having currently a quad' situation into imperative of having no worth as a skater and b) not telling a) as a God's truth. Jason - as he already shown - refuses to define himself and his skating based solely on his results in competitions, refuses to fit into certain image a lot of people have created in their minds on a successful male figure skater. I very much applaud his approach and the way he promotes his skating - and skating in general - as a place to be yourself and express yourself, to take a lot and give even more (totally aside of quads thing).

His positivity, openness, eagerness and animation when he talks about skating, competition, interaction, the process of making programs, his team really shows honesty and passion, which then put me at ease. I totally get that this kind of approach is not everyone's cup of tea, but there is no point of denying that Jason truly is a living proof and a brand of his skating. He always expects, hopes, anticipates, never assumes or judges things I think - and that's where his confidence and strengths come from. so much maturity despite being so young. There is a dream, an aim of being at upcoming Olympics, he's very vocal and animated about it, but he never assumes that he will be there or more - that he has a right to be there. He's going in his own speed and philosophy, accepting that he's not Yuzuru or Nathan, or some other skater. He's being Jason, which obviously works for him. I wish some people would get it as quickly as Jason did it.

And about upcoming season/programs - for me, both musical choices and program choices are very promising and complimentary to Jason's personality and aesthetics. In both these concepts I feel there is a space to capitalize on all qualities and abilities Jason already has and to grow even more as a performer. I have no doubt that he'll mold and own those concepts/music to himself, his vision and style, it's just to early to judge and put a stamp for me on a program. It's good for Jason to come out that early with SP presentation - despite people's opinions, reservations towards it already, I think this is only beneficiary for Jason in regards to upcoming season - skating programs in front of smaller or bigger public, judges before 'real' season starts sure will give him a food for thought and will help him to 'feel out' the dynamics of music and choreography and where to place himself inside of all that. Also, as for SP, I think it is twice harder to take on music/theme you're personally attached to, a theme you forced out for 2 past seasons to make it happen - and there is a risk in using 'Hamilton' as a competition program Platform in general, because I personally feel that Jason wants 'Hamilton' to stay as 'Hamilton', if you know what I mean. He truly wants to have his own place in that story, to live it up on ice and bring it to the people - he has a platform and a vision, and wants to carry the message/vibe taken from it. I do think that Jason will possibly pursue the idea of taking off from more literal interpretation of 'Hamilton' as a play and making it into personal interpretation/expression of the music/theme thorough the program. What I do feel for know is that this is a very exciting prospect to see Jason's version of 'Hamilton' on ice and - regardless if you will like the program or not - there will be undisputed performance quality value in it, because if there's a thing Jason has in plenty, it is being a committed performer no matter what.

FS should be a nice balance to 'Hamilton' SP I think. It will be probably more 'personally insightful' and 'deeper' in terms of bond created not only between music and skater, but also between performance/program and audience (judging especially from last season 'Piano' OST FS). The magnifying thing is definitely the fact that there will be a piece composed especially for Jason - personally, I do think that this whole FS concept as for 'personalized' music and choreography going with it is a testament of Jason's growth and development. He challenges himself a lot in my view by this FS, because - with all respect to Jason's amazing and unique performance abilities and qualities - up to this point he had quite few music/themes which were powerhouses themselves, pieces with so much impact and pull to captivate audiences and carry on the performance (Prince, Riverdance, Bond theme, Piano), and now he will be able to build something individual and to make it stand out solely on its own, powered by his skating and persona. I really cannot wait to see how it will look like and more - how it will resonate within me, because this is my thing with Jason to sense his skating with not only visual perception, but other senses too, along with emotional reception.

^^^I loved that Jason was part of the stand ovation that Nathan got at Nats after his long program. Such good sportsmanship and positivity towards FS in general. As NoNameFace said, Jason obviously loves this sport. And not just one aspect of it, but the whole process.

NoNameFace said:

He's going in his own speed and philosophy, accepting that he's not Yuzuru or Nathan, or some other skater. He's being Jason, which obviously works for him. I wish some people would get it as quickly as Jason did it.

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Something new I heard in this interview is that Jason credits learning to be himself at a young age, because of his ponytail and getting so much criticism about it, pressure to cut his hair. Figure skating is a judged sport, so they have to come to terms with being judged and criticized. As Jason pointed out, he's a people pleaser, so his natural inclination might be to take it to heart. Instead, it made him dig in, be stubborn, figure out if and why it was important to him. For whatever reason, believing in his own hair was close to his heart and his identity.

I think it would be great if other skaters would get this as quickly as Jason did ... but they're children when they're coming up, and they're being encouraged from every angle to take constructive criticism and use it to go forward.

with all respect to Jason's amazing and unique performance abilities and qualities - up to this point he had quite few music/themes which were powerhouses themselves, pieces with so much impact and pull to captivate audiences and carry on the performance (Prince, Riverdance, Bond theme, Piano), and now he will be able to build something individual and to make it stand out solely on its own,

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Exactly. This is a facetious comparison only, but I'm reminded of powerhouse writer/actor Carl Reiner. He wrote a sitcom based on his own life and filmed a pilot playing the part that he wrote for himself. The show was canceled or rejected; part of the criticism was that Carl Reiner wasn't suited to play the leading role! And if you watch the pilot, it's clear the criticism was right. Dick Van Dyke was brilliant in the role ... and many of the bits and jokes in the Dick Van Dyke show pilot were the same as those in the original pilot.

I realize that someone composed the music for Jason, he didn't compose it himself. Still, I have a little nervousness about the whole thing. If anyone can pull it off, it's Jason, mostly because of the way he emotionally engages with his music and audiences.

skylark said:

I think it would be great if other skaters would get this as quickly as Jason did ... but they're children when they're coming up, and they're being encouraged from every angle to take constructive criticism and use it to go forward.

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I did an acting workshop with Olympia Dukakis where she talked about always evaluating your own performance before you take in external criticism so you can filter it and have it make more sense to you. I've tried to pass this on to my daughter with her skating. It makes sense because you often hear conflicting criticisms and the answer is often to go with the ones that "fit" you the best. Personally, I think it helps you use the criticisms better, better they resonate more. (Example: you might have felt that something was off, but not be able to pinpoint why. Then when someone voices his/her opinion, it clicks with you, because you've already given it some thought.)

bevybean said:

^^^I loved that Jason was part of the stand ovation that Nathan got at Nats after his long program. Such good sportsmanship and positivity towards FS in general. As NoNameFace said, Jason obviously loves this sport. And not just one aspect of it, but the whole process.

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Jason's sportsmanship is, for me, one of his most endearing qualities. Jason fans already know this story: I forget the comp, whether it was a GP or Worlds, but Jason was skating after Han Yan in the SP. Hanee had a great skate. As Han was coming off the ice, and Jason was preparing to get on the ice to skate, Jason extended his hand and shook Hanee's hand in congratulations. This was not on the medal stand, or "backstage" at the rink, but *right before Jason was about to skate himself*, he congratulated a competitor.

For me, that is the essence of a competitive athlete, whether it be skater, football player, or marathon runner. I have no tolerance for the idea that being a "great" competitor is concentrating on me and nobody else but me, and devil take the hindmost. I'll take Jason's attitude every day of the week. Every time.

Please please please goldenskate, tell me you have a Max or Josh interview coming. I mean, Nagasu, Zhou, Jason...you were there...and we know Max was right there in at least one of these...

*begging emoji*

el henry said:

Jason's sportsmanship is, for me, one of his most endearing qualities. Jason fans already know this story: I forget the comp, whether it was a GP or Worlds, but Jason was skating after Han Yan in the SP. Hanee had a great skate. As Han was coming off the ice, and Jason was preparing to get on the ice to skate, Jason extended his hand and shook Hanee's hand in congratulations. This was not on the medal stand, or "backstage" at the rink, but *right before Jason was about to skate himself*, he congratulated a competitor.

For me, that is the essence of a competitive athlete, whether it be skater, football player, or marathon runner. I have no tolerance for the idea that being a "great" competitor is concentrating on me and nobody else but me, and devil take the hindmost. I'll take Jason's attitude every day of the week. Every time.

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it is only a confirmation that Jason is being the same person whether he competes or outside the rink - his competitive power, strength, potential are all coming from such attitude and approach towards the sport in general. His competitiveness is not defined by amount of quads succeeded, nor by what place someone got - it is sourced from great respect and appreciation of good skating and 'deep' skating, or just skating speaking to him visually or emotionally. And moreover - Jason seems so empowered by others' good skates, his enthusiasm for other skaters is just infectious. Seeing Jason, there's always that distinct feeling for me of being there for the sport, to carry the good spirits and positivity inside all this race and competition, it is really great to see.

NoNameFace said:

it is sourced from great respect and appreciation of good skating and 'deep' skating, or just skating speaking to him visually or emotionally. And moreover - Jason seems so empowered by others' good skates,

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And to take this back to the poster who loved that Jason was part of the ovation for Nathan: I love it that Jason found something to applaud and stand up for in Nathan Chen's skating, unlike many goldenskate posters. He appreciates emotional power in skating, and using great music, even when it isn't done exactly the way Jason himself employs it.

skylark said:

And to take this back to the poster who loved that Jason was part of the ovation for Nathan: I love it that Jason found something to applaud and stand up for in Nathan Chen's skating, unlike many goldenskate posters. He appreciates emotional power in skating, and using great music, even when it isn't done exactly the way Jason himself employs it.

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If I saw *emotional* power in Nathan's programs, I'd applaud as well. But I don't, and if that makes me deaf, dumb and blind, so be it. But we have lots of other threads to debate Jason v. Nathan, so let's just agree to disagree. (not to mention the incredible reappearing "Jason v. Vincent for worlds" argument)

He applauds because he's Jason. He'd applaud even if he hated the program (which I'm sure he doesn't). And that is admirable:yes:

el henry said:

If I saw *emotional* power in Nathan's programs, I'd applaud as well. But I don't,..

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I think we have to face up to the fact that men's figure skating is a different animal than it was, oh, say a year and a half ago. Vincent Zhou (age 16) just landed 2 quads in the SP and 4 (attempting 5) in the LP. I think we will have to start regarding men's figure skating as an X-game, like half-pipe snow boarding.

I think the best we can do, as fans, is to keep pushing for a "balanced technical program" -- i.e., don't forget the spins, step sequences and moves in the field.

Mathman said:

I think we have to face up to the fact that men's figure skating is a different animal than it was, oh, say a year and a half ago. Vincent Zhou (age 16) just landed 2 quads in the SP and 4 (attempting 5) in the LP. I think we will have to start regarding men's figure skating as an X-game, like half-pipe snow boarding.

I think the best we can do, as fans, is to keep pushing for a "balanced technical program" -- i.e., don't forget the spins, step sequences and moves in the field.

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I think Jason, in his way, is trying to push for balanced programs, he said as much in the video. I think he knows what the current landscape is, but trying to go for broke doing a whole bunch of quads isn't really his thing.

I also think he doesn't pay too much attention, beyond a basic level, what others are doing.

skylark said:

And to take this back to the poster who loved that Jason was part of the ovation for Nathan: I love it that Jason found something to applaud and stand up for in Nathan Chen's skating, unlike many goldenskate posters. He appreciates emotional power in skating, and using great music, even when it isn't done exactly the way Jason himself employs it.

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Um, I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that Jason was standing because he saw "emotional power" in Chen's skating. (Wut?) Could it not be simply that Chen went clean, and Jason was rewarding that with a standing ovation?

To me there is also "emotional power" in an excellent performance, just as pure sport. It is a big thrill to see Secretariat charging along beating all the other horses by 31 lengths at the Belmont. When someone has four or five quads planned and he checks them off one after another -- that's pretty cool all by itself, and can lead to a big emotional climax as he hits the final jump -- ta da!

Jason has said of the guys pushing the technical envelope that what they do is beyond amazing, unreal. Nathan's performance at Nats this year was an athletic tour de force, and Jason - who knows better than any of us exactly how hard it was - was surely applauding Nathan for his incredible athletic achievement.

As to whether he also thought Nathan used the music well or that his performance had great emotional power - who knows? I've never heard him say anything about it one way or the other.

But of himself he has said that although most people are pushing technical limits because that's where the points are, he wants to push artistic limits. He's also trying to up his own technical difficulty, but in the process, he never wants to lose his emotional connection with the audience, because that's why he skates.

It's in the Ted Flett interview from about 24:35 - 27:50.