(click the picture above for
the high definition
video - but also click
YouTube
for me!)
9:34 AM, Saturday,
September 6th, 2008:
A month ago
I wrote about the "slime" of networking and my
feelings haven't changed much with time. Then again,
the majority of you reading this wouldn't be if it
wasn't for all that slime, so it's clearly working.
Working so well actually, that it's changed the course
of this journey enough to warrant an
entry...
Maureen,
Burgundie and I believe Paul Krummen in the
back...
...and provide a
few moments. Thanks to Facebook and Matt
Millitello, who I remember most from Ms. Morley's
French class where he had a Sega Game Gear and a new
pair of Air Jordans, he uploaded a picture of my first
wife Burgundie at 15 that in all honesty made me gasp.
I always thought she was breathtaking (clearly,
I married her) but goddamn... one pic and I'm
there. As I wrote in my big 30th
birthday
entry
(which is a great, quick catch-up for newcomers), she
was the catalyst for a life of "following my heart"
when I flew her to NY to propose on that magical
bench and she will always have a piece of my
soul.
So in
the tradition of reconnecting with high
school peeps I thought I'd upload some
footage that I'm certain absolutely no one
knows about. Theater traditions were
always sacred and as I write at the
beginning of this video, my father simply
didn't know that this was never meant to
be taped. The Time Warp was a Rocky Horror
Picture show tradition (that I've been
told still continues) that we did after
every show. As my father was tearing down
he caught this and 16 years later - I
couldn't be happier he did. This was our
way to perform something for us, for the
love of doing it... after a night of
performing for an audience. I still laugh
every time during the "Group Sex" bridge
as Mrs. Shineman-Restifo made us sing
"Oooh-ahhh" instead. As you'll hear, about
half of us didn't listen to her. Let's do
the Time Warp again...
Quick
aside to anyone trying to really see who everyone is
in the video, (I'm right at the end) download the
high-def
version
(which there is of every video I make, downloadable
from the picture at the top of every
entry)
Anyway the real
reason I started this massive networking push was to
simply make shit happen. I figured if I singlehandedly
introduced myself to nearly 1,000 people I could
drastically change the trajectory of The Journey.
Here's what I've got so far:
Next
month I'm flying to Chicago for a little
over a week to shoot a video for Erin
McDougald. A girl I went to high school
with is now a jazz singer and an
astounding one at that. We're most
likely gonna be shooting a video for the
song Lullabye
of the
Leaves
which literally gives me chills. Her music
is so incredibly well produced and top
shelf that it made her lack of a
professional video more than glaring. I
showed her "Hey
Aunt
Jemima"
and the rest is history. It's rare I find
a fellow artist who literally knocks me
out with their talent... but that is, like
me, still constantly fighting to get more
exposure - so I'm thrilled I can help.
As
well it'll be during my birthday and it's
always been a nice tradition to spend that
day in a different city. Chicago's an
awesome town too. Can't wait.
This
is gonna be awesome. Delores Dogan is a
character played by Emily Churchill that's
gonna be premiering next week at the
Upright Citizens Brigade. Ends up she's a
friend of my best friend from high school,
Jeff Duhigg (the dude doing the twist
in the Time Warp video - sorry, Jeff).
Actually she's a friend of his girlfriend.
Barely made the 6 degrees there. Gotta
love facebook. Anyway - we grabbed coffee
and how incredibly inspiring is it to hang
out with someone who also jumped and came
out to LA to make it. It's sad
because Donna was so dead set on being
better than me, and actually made fun of
what I did so much that I was never
able to really help her avoid some of the
pitfalls of this city. Emily on the other
hand has been so incredibly down to earth
and respectful - it's been a joy to talk
with her and now I really get to help
her...
We're
gonna be doing a video parody that
I really believe can blow "Aunt
Jemima" out of the water. It's Chris
Isaak's "Wicked Game" in which I'll be
playing it completely straight as she'll
be re-enacting the Helena Christensen part
as the Delores character. HAHAHA. If I can
get the look right, and really take time
to nail every shot? This is gonna be
hilarious. I can't wait. If
anyone's in LA, her show is the 10th, 6:30
pm at UCB, 5919 Franklin Ave in
Hollywood.
Then
there's the wonderfully sardonic Greg
Fitzimmons from VH1's "I love the 70s, 80s
and 90s" as well as just a really funny
comedian. I gave him my demo and said
"I need an agent and advice..." He wrote
back:
"show
business is over. only do this shit if you
have to and you enjoy it for the sake of
it."
"i do
that already..."
"Then
agents will only tear you apart and
misguide you"
LOL.
Classic shit man. You know he's right, but
they're a necessary evil. Props to him for
responding and being honest. I dig the
hell out of that.
Theresa
Pickard Donnelly, a girl from my
graduating class, is now a Navy Public
Affairs Officer in Oahu Hawaii. She's
really been digging The Journey and
offered to try and get me in on the
Distinguished Visitor Embark program which
allows people to ride in carrier jets
while they do some crazy shit for
publicity and whatnot. Oh hellz yes I'm
doing that. I got so excited I almost
booked a $500 flight to Hawaii for next
week, but decided it was a bit more
prudent to do one that takes off from San
Diego. We'll see if she can pull it off.
Cameras allowed too. How, freaking,
fun.
\
More than any of
the specifics however... I've found some really
grateful and sincere people that have enjoyed what I'm
doing here. I almost forgot what that was like.
To actually get responses on the YouTube links and
emails from people... it's really all a storyteller
ever wants. I love to be able to connect with people
and I put sooooooooo much of myself into this, it's
great to be appreciated. Man, that woman really ate my
soul for a couple years didn't she.
\
