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Friday, April 25th, 9pm

Standup Set at Kennedy Midtown

Downtown Crossing, Boston.

$10

Also on the bill Brian Moote and Renata Tutko, plus special guests.

Nice place, good lineup of comedians, please come.

I’ll get back to blogging eventually….

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Had a moment to stop and take a breath. Got to catch up. Just started a new dayjob, which is very exciting, but time consuming. Learning a whole lot of new things.

Standup Show: Thursday, April 17th
The Comedy Studio at the Hong Kong Restaurant, 3rd Floor
Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA
$8

For more info: http://www.thecomedystudio.com 

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Tonight, Tuesday, April 1st, I’ll be doing a standup set at Robby Roadsteamer’s CD release Party at Great Scott’s in Allston. Also on the lineup is Chris Coxen, Shane Mauss, and Micah Sherman. 8pm.

Saturday, April 5th, Manprov, my improv troupe hits the stage at Improv Boston for their Nightcap show. 11:30pm. Tickets are $5 or free with admission to an earlier show.

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St. Patricks Day Eve standup comedy show.

Sunday, March 16th, 8pm
The Comedy Studio
The Hong Kong Restaurant, 3rd Floor
Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA

8pm show (7:30 doors), $8 ($6 with student ID)

Online tickets available: http://www.thecomedystudio.com

Hosted by the fabulous and funny Bethany Van Delft, and featuring yours truly and a gaggle of Boston’s best standup comedians.

Come recover from the Southie St. Patty’s Day Parade with a few Scorpion Bowls.

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Just facing a little disappointment in having to let a creative idea go. I wanted to learn how to make a documentary film, and the topic I thought of was exposing the troubles Air Traffic Controllers were having with FAA imposed rules. Great topic, and I am/was fascinated with the work. But, I found out this morning that another documentary about the same thing is being shot. There are clips of it on Youtube. Just getting funding to cover the legality of the topic would have been difficult. Someone beat me to it.  Not a bad thing, just I had been floating the idea for a while… Maybe I’ll start looking for another topic.

In the meantime,  I am in research and preparation mode for another project. I wanted to see if I could write a non fiction account of going movie stunt training via a Driving Course and a 3 week overall stunt course at two different schools. I am researching how to put together a book proposal, what publishing companies might be most interested, and what other stunt related books are out there (which there are very few). I have been writing to stunt performers via their websites, and have gotten some very encouraging responses, even though it’s laced with a little pessimism. CGI, Green Screen, and Wire Work has made it so the actual actor can perform stunts without getting hurt, and that is changing the nature of the movie stunt industry. Having the knowledge can’t hurt my acting resume, but it does not guarantee a job anymore. Then again, I am a niche actor looking to be prepared to fulfill said niche in every way possible. But, I am also poor, and can’t afford the cost of the training. But, I can write. Which brings me back to the book. Maybe a publishing house would foot the bill for the training for my writing. I’ve also consulted a personal trainer and started a gym workout routine that will help get my body ready for the physical wear and tear of stunt work. If this book happens, I want to be ready. If it doesn’t, I’ll have a good regular workout routine that will help me move and be more flexible. That can only help performing onstage and acting…

Thanks to Tom E. Morello for giving me a ticket to see Louis CK last weekend. Louis was recording his latest HBO special at the Berkeley Performance Center in Boston. I got to catch the late show Saturday evening, and Louis (and his opener DJ Hazard) were amazing. I have not laughed, really laughed, at a comedy show in a long, long, LONG time. Louis reinvigorated my love for the craft, which was faltering lately. I forgot how much fun those shows can be, and how much fun a comic can have performing. Louis has developed his comic voice so perfectly. It’s often compared to Richard Pryor, only taking it a step forward. That’s about right. I laughed so hard that I was sore and tired walking out of the theater. That’s good. That’s what good comics should do. That’s what I hope I can do someday with my audience. But, in the end, I just want to thank Louis and DJ for putting on a great show.

That said, I have been motivated to finish some new material, and dig out some old jokes that for one reason or another just  didn’t get finished. Going to try a few this Friday, March 7th, a 11:30pm at the New Improv Boston Theater. I am opening for a cool improv troupe called Peccadillo on the theater’s Nightcap show. Please come finish your evening with me. It’s $5 and just off the Red Line in Central Square.

I’ll also be back at the Comedy Studio next Sunday, March 16th at 8pm for what is shaping up to be an awesome show.  I performed two shows this past weekend at the Studio to packed houses. It was awesome to be on those shows, and to be able to entertain the audiences. The act is moving forward again, which is exciting for me.

Manprov is preparing for two shows next week. We are subbing in for Karate Phone on IB’s Hump Show on Wednesday, March 19th, at 8pm. Great opportunity for us, and we hope we can be half as funny at the K’Phone… Thursday, March 20th, at 7pm, we will be performing on a fundraiser for the Bad Habit Players Theater at the All Asia Cafe in Central Square. It’ll be a nice, informal show raising money for an theater troupe that does some interesting shows.

Then there is still Harold class, other ideas in the works, writing, writing, writing… And more…

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Shuffle on the I Pod made these top 10…. Very, very random play on shuffle. Not sure how I feel about this playlist, or the fact that these songs are on my I Pod. Or that I am choosing to share this with the world.

10. “Dry Your Eyes” The Streets featuring Chris Martin

British hip hop with Chris Martin’s voice doing the hook. I really like the Streets and will defend that. But, it’s a sweet kinda sappy song. I am sweet and sappy.

9. “Willie Nelson” (live at the frickin’ Filmore West fucker!) Miles Davis

Gotta be in the right mood to listen to late fusion Miles jamming, but the spirit is there, and the any album recorded at the Filmore East or West is always awesome.

8. “Everybody Loves a Chubby Dude” Turbonegro

Might as well be my theme song. Though I don’t know all the lyrics.

7. “One Headlight” The Wallflowers

Can’t get this song out of my head, and I don’t care.

6. “Clocks” Coldplay

Second appearance by Coldplay related artist. My shuffle mode has it out for me. Still, it’s a great song. I am not damning it. I am just saying…
5. “Hero of the Day” Metallica

My metalhead cred is in question. But it is my favorite ‘Tallica in the 90s song.  Covered often by the low rock/metal hybrid band SPLATTER!

4. “Holiday in Cambodia” The Dead Kennedys

Okay, this is too often referenced as the “best” DK song. Not in my opinion. I like the cover of “Rawhide.” Just kidding. These guys could really play. “Mutiny on the Bay” is a fine live album.

3. “Buena” Morphine

Reminds me of the Low Rock/Metal Hybrid Band SPLATTER!

2. “Heart of Glass” Blondie

I have a thing for rocker chicks. Rocker chicks backed by an awesome band, even better. But, mostly I have a crush on the young Debbie Harry.

1. “Give Me Novocaine” Green Day

“American Idiot” was a great album. This song is a little sappy. Seems to be a trend in Shuffle mode. I am blaming the mode, not the fact that I have this song on my I Pod. Yes, that is denial.

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Holy moses, what have I been doing? Lots. Lots and lots. Lots and lots and lots.

Manprov had a very successful, if sparsely attended, performance in the new Improv Boston Theater at the Nightcap performance last Friday. The time flew by, and a remember very little of what I did other then there was a very good feeling and energy through the set. More shows coming, and we are back to our regular Monday rehearsals. Our next show is Wednesday, March 19th, at 7pm at Improv Boston. We are booking other shows in March, April, and May right now too.

Standup has been a mix of attempts to get new material into my set, and have fun, or remix old material. It’s had varying results. Granted I have not been able to give as much focus on the material in recent weeks, that is starting to change. With classes letting up, I hope to have more production time to really focus on writing and crafting. I have two shows this coming weekend: Friday, February 29th at 8pm, and Saturday, March 1st, at 8pm. Both are at the Comedy Studio in Harvard Square, Cambridge. AWESOME lineup of comedians at both.

My Voiceover class ended with a session in a real recording studio, which was a lot of fun. Now, I am collecting scripts to read for a demo recording session, which, pending on time and money might happen this Spring.

Harold class had the week off. I kind of missed it. Two classes left. I think there will be other levels of Harold training offered in the Spring. I want to keep working on it.

I have a bunch of other interesting projects on the burner. As always, I am writing when I can. What doesn’t make the standup act, often gets used in other projects. I have a handful of screenplays, somewhere around five, in various stages of work or completion. I am starting another based on the writing of a friend of mine, who will contribute to the writing too.

I had to take a break from my stage combat/movie stunt workshop because I hurt my back, and needed to be available for my other show and rehearsal commitments while it heals. That’s sort of disappointing, as I was only able to get to one or two, and I learned a lot in them. I am actually kind of interested in stunt work. Both combat, and precision driving are things that interest me.

First, this minor injury made me realize again how physical dance is. That’s right, dance. Stage combat is a series of choreographed motions meant to look real  from stage, or on screen. Precision driving is the same. It takes a toll on the body, and my body is not ready for it. So, I am upping my workout, rehab schedule, to try and see if I can get my body working better.

Also, if anyone has any advice for how to write a non fiction book proposal, let me know. I was thinking I could write a book about going to formal stunt school, which would be a lot of fun, and a useful skill to have. It’s seriously expensive though.

Then there are the other projects… But enough about that. Moving on.

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Just picking up from the last post:

If I was in a rock band. Just a “rock” band. Our name would be:

Herd of Wild Buffalo

If I was in a heavy metal band. Like a good metal band. I could name it after only one band. The greatest metal band you never heard - SPLATTER !

Splatter

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Three shows coming up.

Friday, February 22nd, 11:30pm, Improv Boston Nightcap with Manprov!
First Nightcap in the new Improv Boston Theater
40 Prospect Street
Cambridge, MA
Right around the corner from the Central Square Red Line”T” stop

Friday, February 29th, 8pm, The Comedy Studio
Standup show featuring a gaggle of awesome standup comics.
$10

Saturday, March 1st, 8pm, The Comedy Studio
Standup show featuring a herd of wild buffalo. Which is the name of my new rock band.

Ladies and Gentlemen! We are Herd of Wild Buffalo!

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