I am having even more horrible done at the hospital tomorrow which means I don't get to eat today. Then, by the end of the week, I should know what other horrible things they are going to do to me. I had a great weekend though. My band played to a bunch of rednecks on Saturday, but it was fun, halfway up a mountain. Then we took off for a couple of nights to Bakersfield, and spent the time eating Indian food (my favorite) and watching silly movies at a $1.50 movie house. I am glad you had fun at your friends show. I always liked to mess with friends and colleagues whether I was in the show or in the audience! I have to go drink something called "Golightly" which I presume will either do something unpleasant or else turn me into Audrey Hepburn!

That is hilarious. His face must have been priceless!

Hope you are resting from your surgical procedures. Do you have any left?
I went to see a friends show with some of my other friends and throughout the whole show we all had the giggles and could not stop laughing. Luckily it was somewhat of a comedy, but during some "serious" parts I totally lost it. It was fun. My friend said that he recognized our laughs and was trying not to laugh himself. We were trying so hard to break him. Good times.
Hope all is swell!!

Story 4 the day:

1. In my brief time in music management, I shared an office with two old music biz sweats in Camden Town, which is a funky part of North London, home to most of the bottom feeding to mid range music biz. The two old guys were always regaling me with their war stories of what the biz was like in the 60s, and we used to mess with each other which was far more enjoyable than doing any real work. One day, I answered the phone, and it was Air Studios and George Martin's secretary saying that Mr Martin would like to speak to Stuart, my colleague. I told Stuart this and he took the phone, all the time believing that it was a practical joke on my part and that he would in fact be talking to one of the people in the music agency upstairs. The secretary told him Mr Martin would like to speak to him at which point Stuart said "This is a recording, please tell Mr Martin to kindly fuck off after the tone, beep beep beep!" He hung up, didn't believe me when I said it really was George Martin and kept on not believing me till a music biz friend of stuarts called him saying that Air Studios had called asking if he had the correct number for Stu as the number they had was answered by some drunk guy!

oh and the Barney pic is priceless-- on a side note- I watched an episode one time (nothing was on) and there was a thunderstorm in a park and Barney talked everyone to go into an empty cave to keep dry from the rain. All I kept thinking was, please let there be a bear or a snake in the cave--jump out and scare the crap out of everyone. But alas, no- so it IS safe to go into caves. There are so many in NYC. :)

oh surgical procedures never sound fun. Hope it's painless and you heal fast! You know, I was always like I would never go back to being 12, but i would love at least a week of it. I would freak out! Freak out I say!
Another story? Hells yeah! I love reading them.
Other than that- I have been real good. Don't want to jinx it, but so far, so good. be well! can't wait for the story!

Hi. how you doing? I had an unpleasant surgical procedure today with another one on the way next week. More proof if I needed it that middle age sucks. I just want to fast forward through the rest of it and get to the second childhood stage!

Thought I might do another story this week if you are up for it.

That's funny. A BIG GROSS shout out to Mr. Freeballs though.

I have to say that the guy in question was very sleazy. It wouldn't suprise me to learn that he knew he was showing more than his harp playing onstage. I don't know about the chair, I am all for burning the theatre, but that might not be to do with him so much!

oh gosh gross-
why???!!!! was it hot that day?
My friend was doing a scene from a play for class one time and he was wearing satin boxer shorts- and then he sat down- not a good idea- funny thing is that everyone called him on it right after- even the teacher- there was even talk about burning the chair he sat in, so no one would sit on it. we still tease him about it. he's a good sport luckily!

Both those clips you saw were shot at 'Blues At the Barn' a fund raiser I organized for THAT community theatre in March 2007. I was still finding my way as far as playing again was concerned, but I did have fun. Now, that guy who played mouth harp on the acoustic song, there is a story to tell there. We shall call him Mr X although his real name is Dennis. He isn't that great, but my theory was that in keeping with my take on the whole community theatre thing, this should be a night for people who don't know what they are doing as much as for people who did. Dennis was limited to a few appearances on the two nights we performed. Now, he did strike me as a little odd, but odd is not odd when it comes to the folk you meet at the Barn theatre in particular and Porterville in general. However, the 2nd night we played and Dennis got up to play, I could sense some considerable disquiet in the audience. I didn't understand why, but at the interval a few people came up to me and asked me to make sure he didn't 'do that again'. One guy said his children were in the audience but failed to explain the significance. Finally, someone who was an actual friend of mine told me what was going on. Dennis the harp player wasn't wearing undies and when he sat down to play, legs apart, the first three rows were treated to candid views of his testicular areas. As my friend suggested, you need big balls to get up on stage, but that is taking things too far! I don't think there is anything exposed on that youtube clip but even so, the memory lingers on!

It's crap when relationships are put in peril like that. I hope it works out for you sooner than you think it might.

The irony with my situation is that one of the main reason I got involved in this theatre here anyway was I was a new boy in a new town and country and I wanted to make new friends. I also thought that in some way I would be 'giving back!" Well, I have made some good friends, but at the moment they are outnumbered by the enemies. As for giving back, it seems that what I have to give is not what some of the locals want.

I didn't mention that other vid on youtube for a good reason, but now that you have seen it, that can become the next story...

That's awesome! I watched the other video you had up too! You look very comfortable on stage jamming- so you know you must love it. It shows!
You're right about musicians and actors unless you get an actor who is a musician as well. I kind am bummed that my friendship went sour, but then again I feel less stressed out. He has a lot of baggage- not that I don't but, I don't unload it everywhere I go. I know we will both come around. Unfortunately I feel it won't be for a while. I don't mind not winning the festival. I am satisfied nonetheless. Those voting things I feel are sometimes a stupid popularity contest.
Rest is next up for me- for about a week (really that means- catching up to my job-job which I kind of neglected- oops) I am writing a play/musical next. Comical musical. Not jazz hands- musical. Something cool- hopefully. it's a project I work-shopped last year and got a great response. It's a collaborative deal, so I am crossing my fingers! AND I can finally return to my drum lessons!!! I am psyched about that! I use pillows at home--not the same feeling after a while.:) Hopefully next year I will have a decent drum set!
Hey put me down for one book- I would love to read it. I will send you a check or you think I can get it through amazon? Let me know the release date!
EXORCIST! that's cool! you know I always liked Tubular Bells. That movie still scares the shit out of me. I say up and onward to both of us's!! Cheers! rah rah

http://www.yout ube.com/watch?v=WrD1rHsZqSc

Hi! I am sorry your play didn't win, and as for temperamental actors, I know all about them. One thing I have noticed concerning musicians and actors is that musicians can have the most disgusting petulant frenzy, but hours later it is all forgotten whereas actors can harbor grudges over relatively petty things for years! Now the play is done, what's next?

The book does look at Community Theatre in general, but it does deal specifically with the sixty years this particular one has been in existence. Speaking of voice overs, I was going through tons of old photos from the theatre when I found one of Mercedes McCambridge appearing at a benefit show in the fifties. She made quite a few movies in the late forties/early fifties, but she made most impact on my generation by doing the 'demon' voice on the original version of The Exorcist. I will still put the book out, and sales will be hit a little by all the crap, but I am really only expecting to sell a few hundred anyway. I just want it out and out of the way so I can concentrate on the new project.

I will send you links of the new videos on Youtube once they are up. There is one ok clip from the band I was in last year up there now. I will find the link and send it along! Toodle Pip

hey there! Well our play went up Friday night. It went well. One of the actors forgot one line- so that made them jump about 8 lines altogether. They fudged it well though. No one noticed. We didn't win our night. We came in second. We lost to a play called The Day Marlon Brando Died. They move on to the finals next weekend. I am happy regardless. I am also glad it's over. I was getting tired of arguing with the actors (who are also my friends). You would think it would be easier working with friends and I have in the past, but this time it was a little trying. I am still not really talking to one of them. He was the one who dropped the line. He got so pissed at himself that he started arguing with me right after the show. So I basically said "good riddance". Oh well. The celebration afterwards was great though. Alot of my other friends and family were there and I had the best time. The highlight for me was, one of the actors of "The Day Brando Died" is the voice of Fritz the Cat! Skip Hinnant! Now THAT was cool! Otherwise I am doing real well!
Glad to hear there was some kind of resolve to your theatre experience. Hope you can keep going on with your book. Is the book directly about them or is it about community theatre in general? Are they just a pissy group of clowns? They should just eat crow.
Yes I would like to see you bluesing out on youtube. Now THAT sounds grand!
Be well! cheers!

How are you? How is the play going? I resolved the stupidity with the community theater by severing most ties with them. It got very silly and stressful last week. There were wild threats going around and I am afraid I blew. I don't know quite where that leaves my book, but I have spent too long and worked too hard not to publish it. My band played Friday and it was a nice outdoor gig, a lot of fun. We play at a festival Saturday afternoon for two hours and then four hours in a bar later. I can't wait. We will have some videos on youtube soon. It is old man blues but played with passion, which I think makes a change. Anyway, just wanted to say hi. Take care.

Thinking of 25 things to do with a follow spot that don't include lighting helped the whole shitstorm thing. It all got very ugly, but my band starts gigging on Friday, an open air Gazebo thing, so I am looking forward to that and trying to forget the silliness.

I am glad you are doing a bit better. Going back to old haunts that contain shared memories is tough, but good too. It is something I wish I could do. I am really in the mood for a mooch round the sleazier parts of London's West End. I am going to a sleazy dive here in Porterville tonight though, so that is good Take care

Hey, you survive the shit storm from those peeps at the theater? Did you break the "fourth wall" over somone's head? :) Feeling better--thankfully- hope you are too. I wanted to tell you that I made to my local hang,Magnetic Fields last night. Boy was it a tearjerker- but it was a good one. You're a gem. Be well!!!

Auntie Doris is a real good sort by the way!

Quite alright by me. I hope your rehearsal goes well. I am facing a shit storm from the community theater I am involved in. I directed their silly musical as a favor, and now one of the 'stars' is addressing the board tonight saying I treated her unfairly. She was one of the few with pro experience in the cast and yes, we pushed her further than some of the others as she purported to know what she was doing, but this is very silly. Being summoned in front of the board does sound more dramatic than anything that usually happens on their stage so I will play the scene out!