This is the first reading of a small excerpt of my new solo show, Summer in Sanctuary. Please be warned there is language that might not be suitable young audiences.
Online Videos by Veoh.com
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Next Level
I’ve been so busy as of late, I have yet to update my blog. I know I’m a bad blogger, forgive me for I have sinned. I just take for granted that everyone has been able to get over to the Public Radio Talent Quest site, and see that I won the contest. And honestly, I always feel like this blog is just a writing exercise, it’s hard to believe that anyone is reading it out there on the “internets”.
I’m extremely happy, excited, and scared all in the same time. To back track some, I found out that I’d been chosen, and was flown by PRX to Minneapolis, for the announcement it was a great trip and I got to meet two of the other contestants. They were excellent people. I was a little sad that I didn’t get to meet all of the contestants, we all created a bond it would have been nice to party with all ten. The people who ran the contest were a blast. I had so much fun, and I got to meet some of the people in public radio that I love. Diane Rhem was first and foremost. The only way I can describe her is majestic. It felt like I was hanging out with the queen of Public Radio. She was so warm and gracious.
I came back the next day to J-ville, and the news got out everywhere. It’s weird to be a celebrity, in your home city, when you know that you still the broke artist you were before the notoriety, and probably will be afterwards.. I’m not knocking it. It was nice for people to congratulate me. I don’t feel big headed about it, although, the quotes the newpaper used from me, seemed like my head had swollen. I need to not be so open in interviews and watch what I say, because the way I say it, and the way it looks on page, are two totally different things. Lesson learned (again) move forward.
When I told some of my closest friends that I’d won, some of them cried. I can’t tell you how much this moved me. I’ve always known this, but I’m on a journey and I’ve been blessed to have such wonderful people be apart of that team. If I named them all here, the list would be too long. But I couldn’t have done half the stuff that I’ve done without them in my corner. So winning this, yeah I did a lot of hard work, but the people around me also sacrificed and struggled and helped me in ways that I can’t even begin to thank them for.
Now the hard part. Juggling three important projects at the same time.
1) The Pilot for the radio show, “State of the Re:Union” will be done in Washington DC, (I’ll post something on what the show is shortly.) The deadline on that is December 14th. I’m excited about how the show is working out thus far, I’ll be in DC from the 8th-14th of Nov. to compile interviews and put all the pieces together.
2) New movie short: The Shadow of Death. Sometime in the near future we’ll be filming my 2nd short. I’m excited working with two great actors, and the more I work on the script the more I love it. I’ve been tinkering with the script now for months. You’d think that a 18 page script would be easy, but this script has a lot of layers to it, and I want to write it right. My film partner Zach is itchin’ to go, he’s got a ton of cool ideas. I feel bad because of the contest, I haven’t really had the time to devote to the film now that that’s over we’re on to the next step.
3) A Summer in Sanctuary. The solo show. I’ve finally got into gear with the writing of the show. I’m going to post a video of a reading today. I’m really happy with the progress of the piece, and an audience got to hear it, and they seemed to really dig it. This show is so personal to me, because it’s autobiographical. I want to always be true with my work, but I find that at every turn, the piece is challenging me to tell the truth. To be honest even when it hurts, and doesn’t show me in the most favorable of lights.
And that’s where it is folks. If you voted for me or even listened to my entries, thank you so much.
I’m extremely happy, excited, and scared all in the same time. To back track some, I found out that I’d been chosen, and was flown by PRX to Minneapolis, for the announcement it was a great trip and I got to meet two of the other contestants. They were excellent people. I was a little sad that I didn’t get to meet all of the contestants, we all created a bond it would have been nice to party with all ten. The people who ran the contest were a blast. I had so much fun, and I got to meet some of the people in public radio that I love. Diane Rhem was first and foremost. The only way I can describe her is majestic. It felt like I was hanging out with the queen of Public Radio. She was so warm and gracious.
I came back the next day to J-ville, and the news got out everywhere. It’s weird to be a celebrity, in your home city, when you know that you still the broke artist you were before the notoriety, and probably will be afterwards.. I’m not knocking it. It was nice for people to congratulate me. I don’t feel big headed about it, although, the quotes the newpaper used from me, seemed like my head had swollen. I need to not be so open in interviews and watch what I say, because the way I say it, and the way it looks on page, are two totally different things. Lesson learned (again) move forward.
When I told some of my closest friends that I’d won, some of them cried. I can’t tell you how much this moved me. I’ve always known this, but I’m on a journey and I’ve been blessed to have such wonderful people be apart of that team. If I named them all here, the list would be too long. But I couldn’t have done half the stuff that I’ve done without them in my corner. So winning this, yeah I did a lot of hard work, but the people around me also sacrificed and struggled and helped me in ways that I can’t even begin to thank them for.
Now the hard part. Juggling three important projects at the same time.
1) The Pilot for the radio show, “State of the Re:Union” will be done in Washington DC, (I’ll post something on what the show is shortly.) The deadline on that is December 14th. I’m excited about how the show is working out thus far, I’ll be in DC from the 8th-14th of Nov. to compile interviews and put all the pieces together.
2) New movie short: The Shadow of Death. Sometime in the near future we’ll be filming my 2nd short. I’m excited working with two great actors, and the more I work on the script the more I love it. I’ve been tinkering with the script now for months. You’d think that a 18 page script would be easy, but this script has a lot of layers to it, and I want to write it right. My film partner Zach is itchin’ to go, he’s got a ton of cool ideas. I feel bad because of the contest, I haven’t really had the time to devote to the film now that that’s over we’re on to the next step.
3) A Summer in Sanctuary. The solo show. I’ve finally got into gear with the writing of the show. I’m going to post a video of a reading today. I’m really happy with the progress of the piece, and an audience got to hear it, and they seemed to really dig it. This show is so personal to me, because it’s autobiographical. I want to always be true with my work, but I find that at every turn, the piece is challenging me to tell the truth. To be honest even when it hurts, and doesn’t show me in the most favorable of lights.
And that’s where it is folks. If you voted for me or even listened to my entries, thank you so much.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
The marathon.
Today I looked back on the my first step in the journey that is the Public Radio Talent Quest. I can feel the weariness of this contest setting in. We started in April, and it doesn’t end until mid-September. It feels so far away. I just want to wake up tomorrow and know how it all shakes out. But I know I need to be patient. Let it do what it do…
18 weeks ago seems like a small forever-ago. At the time I was in the midst of trying out for Fox’s On the Lot. After asking friends to vote for me on that site, I was a little shy in asking anyone to vote for me in this contest. And then everything changed. On the Lot dropped me, and Public Radio showed me some love. After going through three cuts, making three different entries, and holding my breath and dreaming, I’m one step away from winning. That one step is a dozzy.
The other contestants are strong. Honestly, I wish all ten of the semi finalist got an opportunity to make a show, because they brought something unique to the table. For better or for worse the top five, are going to play this round hard. Our task is to create a five minute show, a representative of the type of show we’d like to see on the air. I know what my show is. I won’t revel it as of yet, but I know it. I know how it sounds, how I want it will make people feel, but how do I do that in 5 mins?
I know the other contestants, Glynn, Rebecca, Chris, and April, are going to rock it. Glynn is a great storyteller, Rebecca already does a podcast, and has her niche’ tight, Chris is crazy smart, and April has been working for public radio for years, she could do this in her sleep. So this is going to be a real challenge. If I had to be honest though, I’d say this challenge plays to my strengths. I’m use to bringing different elements together, weaving in and out of stories, and I have a strong team of people around me to help (which is allowed in this round). I can do this. I can feel it. So much so I can’t sleep.
On some level, I feel like everything has led me to this point, this meandering, unconventional career I’ve carved out for myself. I can’t wait to see what’s next. For good or for bad, I’ve found a new love. I’ve been able to do things through this contest, I’ve always wanted to do. If I don’t get it, I’ll be upset, to have come this far, but on the flip side, the journey has been great, and I’ve learned a lot. That sounds PAT, but it’s true. But the slam poet in me wants to win. And win big. Screw it; I will win, and win big. Watch out world.
18 weeks ago seems like a small forever-ago. At the time I was in the midst of trying out for Fox’s On the Lot. After asking friends to vote for me on that site, I was a little shy in asking anyone to vote for me in this contest. And then everything changed. On the Lot dropped me, and Public Radio showed me some love. After going through three cuts, making three different entries, and holding my breath and dreaming, I’m one step away from winning. That one step is a dozzy.
The other contestants are strong. Honestly, I wish all ten of the semi finalist got an opportunity to make a show, because they brought something unique to the table. For better or for worse the top five, are going to play this round hard. Our task is to create a five minute show, a representative of the type of show we’d like to see on the air. I know what my show is. I won’t revel it as of yet, but I know it. I know how it sounds, how I want it will make people feel, but how do I do that in 5 mins?
I know the other contestants, Glynn, Rebecca, Chris, and April, are going to rock it. Glynn is a great storyteller, Rebecca already does a podcast, and has her niche’ tight, Chris is crazy smart, and April has been working for public radio for years, she could do this in her sleep. So this is going to be a real challenge. If I had to be honest though, I’d say this challenge plays to my strengths. I’m use to bringing different elements together, weaving in and out of stories, and I have a strong team of people around me to help (which is allowed in this round). I can do this. I can feel it. So much so I can’t sleep.
On some level, I feel like everything has led me to this point, this meandering, unconventional career I’ve carved out for myself. I can’t wait to see what’s next. For good or for bad, I’ve found a new love. I’ve been able to do things through this contest, I’ve always wanted to do. If I don’t get it, I’ll be upset, to have come this far, but on the flip side, the journey has been great, and I’ve learned a lot. That sounds PAT, but it’s true. But the slam poet in me wants to win. And win big. Screw it; I will win, and win big. Watch out world.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Passing
I met Sekou Sundiata five years after he saved my life. He was taller then I thought, and resonated an aura of cool that seemed indicative of an older generation of artist; jazz cats, old school poets, the people I wanted to be. So when I met him, I couldn’t help but act like a love struck fan. I tried to keep my cool, and for the most part I did, but it was a struggle.
Calling Sekou a poet, is like calling Michael Jordan a basketball player. It’s too mundane, too pedestrian. His craftsmanship of words, the way he cultivated the field of dreams, is something I will struggle to achieve for the rest of my life. I consider it a gift that he passed it down to me and an entire generation of spoken word poets. A lot of us don’t even know he’s our poetical father, or at the very least, a direct relative. That is the legacy of the word. When it’s passed for mouth to ear, sometimes the details get lost. Many poetry lovers will never have heard his name, or know of his work primarily because he didn’t publish. He was a writer, a teacher, a performer, who was much more interested building worlds on stage then on paper. He was a Griot, in every sense of the word. If he was fazed by this lack of appreciation, he never showed it, he just did the work.
Sekou made 2 cd’s. One of his students, Ani Defranco helped out when his 1st label closed. Righteous Babe went on to produced and market his 2nd CD the incredible "Long Story Short". We talked in depth about the experience, and where spoken word, and poetry was going. He graciously listened to all my thoughts, dreams, and concepts of my future work. When I told him about a poem I’d been laboring on for a year. I wanted to be done with it, to let it breath, how could I finish it, what should I do? He looks at me and smiled, and said “A year? Is that it? Brother, I have yet to write a poem that is finished.”
The conversation turned to politics, and he laid out what has become my principal philosophy for the world, and how we need to fix it. “Somehow, time has been broken, we live in the right now, and don’t look back. As long as we are living in the right now, we aren’t seeing the whole picture. So it’s the job of the poet to remind people to make them look at the past with an unflinching eye so we can better navigate the future” (That’s me paraphrasing).
Sekou passed away Wednesday after his long battle with some serious health issues. When I heard the news from a mutual friend, I couldn’t help but have this overwhelming sense of guilt, like I didn’t save him like he saved me. There was a time in my life when I lost, alone in a foreign city, no family, no money, no hope, the depression I was in was so thick I couldn’t think about anything but letting it all go. On a whim, I listened to a PBS special by Bill Moyers on Poetry, and heard Sekou. It was hearing his words, not just the poems but the interview that helped me find my way to the person I wanted to be. He told me there was power in my words, that I had something to say, and I should say it. And that changed my life.
I realize that guilt isn’t the proper emotion; sadness for his family and close friends, dispair and for the rest of the world who never got to see him in action, and the understanding that the sacred gift he gave was something meant to be passed.
Rest well brother. Ashe’
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4561097
http://www.salon.com/audio/2000/10/05/sundiata/
Calling Sekou a poet, is like calling Michael Jordan a basketball player. It’s too mundane, too pedestrian. His craftsmanship of words, the way he cultivated the field of dreams, is something I will struggle to achieve for the rest of my life. I consider it a gift that he passed it down to me and an entire generation of spoken word poets. A lot of us don’t even know he’s our poetical father, or at the very least, a direct relative. That is the legacy of the word. When it’s passed for mouth to ear, sometimes the details get lost. Many poetry lovers will never have heard his name, or know of his work primarily because he didn’t publish. He was a writer, a teacher, a performer, who was much more interested building worlds on stage then on paper. He was a Griot, in every sense of the word. If he was fazed by this lack of appreciation, he never showed it, he just did the work.
Sekou made 2 cd’s. One of his students, Ani Defranco helped out when his 1st label closed. Righteous Babe went on to produced and market his 2nd CD the incredible "Long Story Short". We talked in depth about the experience, and where spoken word, and poetry was going. He graciously listened to all my thoughts, dreams, and concepts of my future work. When I told him about a poem I’d been laboring on for a year. I wanted to be done with it, to let it breath, how could I finish it, what should I do? He looks at me and smiled, and said “A year? Is that it? Brother, I have yet to write a poem that is finished.”
The conversation turned to politics, and he laid out what has become my principal philosophy for the world, and how we need to fix it. “Somehow, time has been broken, we live in the right now, and don’t look back. As long as we are living in the right now, we aren’t seeing the whole picture. So it’s the job of the poet to remind people to make them look at the past with an unflinching eye so we can better navigate the future” (That’s me paraphrasing).
Sekou passed away Wednesday after his long battle with some serious health issues. When I heard the news from a mutual friend, I couldn’t help but have this overwhelming sense of guilt, like I didn’t save him like he saved me. There was a time in my life when I lost, alone in a foreign city, no family, no money, no hope, the depression I was in was so thick I couldn’t think about anything but letting it all go. On a whim, I listened to a PBS special by Bill Moyers on Poetry, and heard Sekou. It was hearing his words, not just the poems but the interview that helped me find my way to the person I wanted to be. He told me there was power in my words, that I had something to say, and I should say it. And that changed my life.
I realize that guilt isn’t the proper emotion; sadness for his family and close friends, dispair and for the rest of the world who never got to see him in action, and the understanding that the sacred gift he gave was something meant to be passed.
Rest well brother. Ashe’
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4561097
http://www.salon.com/audio/2000/10/05/sundiata/
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
A question of Decency
By nature, I’m very involved in politics. Not necessarily going to rallies, or sending money to candidates, but I listen. Maybe because I use language to make my living, I like to listen to the people in power, and see how they are using language to manipulate or govern this country. When I was young my father always told me, there were three things you don’t talk about in public, religion, race, and politics. As my father will tell you, I’m hard headed, and feel like I have to open my mouth.
One of my good friends Brenton, would say I’m a big fat liberal, and he’d be wrong. I vote for my interest, and what I think is right. Sometimes it’s a Republican, sometimes it’s a Democrat, but I never follow an ideology when I’m in the voting booth. Ideologies never have any heart, or blood in them, they don’t deal well with the shades of grey that color our collective lives. They are just ideas that never live up to their intention. I love debating the issues with people. With the exception of my mother, I can always debate with someone on the opposite side, and then go have a beer and laugh with them about it. (Brenton as my witness.)
I was going to follow my father’s advice from years ago on this site, but right now, I’m bursting at the seems, and can’t be silent. There is so much I could say, about the war, health care, the state of poverty in our inner cities, New Orleans (which the news media has forgotten), so many things that need to be addressed. Today, reading the news and checking in on some blogs I ran across Ann Coulter, and she was straw that broke the camel’s back.
Normally, I just don’t pay attention to her, but I wonder who the people are who support her, who come out to see her. She lays claim to the fact that she is the Christian and the goodness of the “Right”. In her book, Godless: The Church of Liberalism, she claims the left denies God and mocks people of faith. Yet she runs around the country using hateful speech to discredit her opponents. She’s called people viscous names that I won’t repeat continually, and while I support her right to say whatever she wants, I don’t understand why big media continually give her a platform. Why Don Imus got fired, and Isaiah Washington paid the price for their bad language (as they should) why is Ann able to call be people the same type of hateful words, and still be on TV continually? When do we say enough? If you want to debate the issues fine, but the personal attacks are wrong and have no place in our political discourse.
When I look up in Webster’s dictionary the definition of Christian it says “1 a : one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ” As the son of a Baptist preacher, I can say with some certainty, nowhere in the bible does Jesus treat anyone with the viciousness that she displays on a daily basis. In fact, Jesus hung out with prostitutes, loan sharks, and fishermen (ie common men), he didn’t condemn them, he had mercy on them and told us all to forgive, and love each other. Stunningly enough, one of the few times Jesus is heated, is at big business using the temple/church to sell their wares and not respect the sanctity of the church.
I don’t understand how her hateful speech can be taken seriously, or how Christian people can stand by her. Ultimately it’s up to us. We the people. When we decide we are tired of the sideshow carnival act of hate, when we let the networks know that we support free speech, but give us something that is better then her hateful words, that she is unacceptable as Don Imus was, then we can expect change. Until then she will call people nasty names, claim that John Edwards campaigns on his dead son, and cast anyone who doesn’t agree with her as a terrorist. Christianity is better then that, you and I are better then that, I would say that Ann Coulter is better then that she’s just too lost in her own ideology to see it.
One of my good friends Brenton, would say I’m a big fat liberal, and he’d be wrong. I vote for my interest, and what I think is right. Sometimes it’s a Republican, sometimes it’s a Democrat, but I never follow an ideology when I’m in the voting booth. Ideologies never have any heart, or blood in them, they don’t deal well with the shades of grey that color our collective lives. They are just ideas that never live up to their intention. I love debating the issues with people. With the exception of my mother, I can always debate with someone on the opposite side, and then go have a beer and laugh with them about it. (Brenton as my witness.)
I was going to follow my father’s advice from years ago on this site, but right now, I’m bursting at the seems, and can’t be silent. There is so much I could say, about the war, health care, the state of poverty in our inner cities, New Orleans (which the news media has forgotten), so many things that need to be addressed. Today, reading the news and checking in on some blogs I ran across Ann Coulter, and she was straw that broke the camel’s back.
Normally, I just don’t pay attention to her, but I wonder who the people are who support her, who come out to see her. She lays claim to the fact that she is the Christian and the goodness of the “Right”. In her book, Godless: The Church of Liberalism, she claims the left denies God and mocks people of faith. Yet she runs around the country using hateful speech to discredit her opponents. She’s called people viscous names that I won’t repeat continually, and while I support her right to say whatever she wants, I don’t understand why big media continually give her a platform. Why Don Imus got fired, and Isaiah Washington paid the price for their bad language (as they should) why is Ann able to call be people the same type of hateful words, and still be on TV continually? When do we say enough? If you want to debate the issues fine, but the personal attacks are wrong and have no place in our political discourse.
When I look up in Webster’s dictionary the definition of Christian it says “1 a : one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ” As the son of a Baptist preacher, I can say with some certainty, nowhere in the bible does Jesus treat anyone with the viciousness that she displays on a daily basis. In fact, Jesus hung out with prostitutes, loan sharks, and fishermen (ie common men), he didn’t condemn them, he had mercy on them and told us all to forgive, and love each other. Stunningly enough, one of the few times Jesus is heated, is at big business using the temple/church to sell their wares and not respect the sanctity of the church.
I don’t understand how her hateful speech can be taken seriously, or how Christian people can stand by her. Ultimately it’s up to us. We the people. When we decide we are tired of the sideshow carnival act of hate, when we let the networks know that we support free speech, but give us something that is better then her hateful words, that she is unacceptable as Don Imus was, then we can expect change. Until then she will call people nasty names, claim that John Edwards campaigns on his dead son, and cast anyone who doesn’t agree with her as a terrorist. Christianity is better then that, you and I are better then that, I would say that Ann Coulter is better then that she’s just too lost in her own ideology to see it.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
A New Challenge
A couple months ago, December to be exact, I entered a reality show. Very atypical of me cause I know that reality shows are not real. They are made up exercises to engage lazy audiences and create ad revenue for TV networks. Not my cup of tea. But this one was going to be different. It’s FOX’s ON THE LOT. A challenge show for filmmakers. A group of filmmakers come to LA and compete for the chance to work for Spielberg. I’ve been wanting to do film for a while so the show was a perfect catalyst. It forced me to start looking outside the lines, and make something happen.
I started working with a brilliant collaborator, Zach Flugum, and we made our first little movie on the budget of 35.00. I love the movie. A great cast, and good times. We uploaded the video on the site, and boom, like wild fire the video went through the roof. In less then a week the video had over 8,000 views and a very high rating. Now because I’m under a gag order, I can’t say much about the casting process, but I think I can say that our little movie-that-could got me pretty far in the casting. (One step away from the show). But the whole process sucked. Why? Because everything was so secret, they wouldn’t tell you anything at all. I think this was the first place where the show went wrong. I think they created a backlash from that. They were use to keeping things secret because of the other shows they’d cast. What they didn’t take into account is the internet. On the internet the show was blowing up, and it engaged people big time. If people where meant to feel like they were apart of the process, then they would have become ambassadors for the show. But being left out, and not told anything just disenfranchised folks.
So the show airs, and it’s ok, but it doesn’t live up to the promise. They don’t follow any of the contestants enough. You don’t get attached to anyone, you don’t love anyone, you don’t hate anyone. The judges, and excellent at what they do as directors, but no one is there, to throw a dash of reality into the mix. In essences, they learned nothing from American Idol. Idol follows are group of people, some make it some don’t but by the time you get into the top 10 you feel like you know these people. You care about were their story arch is going. With On the Lot, 5 contestants disappeared from one week to the next, and I have no idea what happened with them. The sad thing is I got to know that 5’s work, and some of them were extremely solid, where’d they go? Why’d they go? Who knows….
The ratings for the show are in the toilet. I’d be surprised it the show makes it through a whole season. For this, I thank God that I didn’t get on the show. I would have had to leave my job at a crucial time, go to LA, and then come home and be pissed that the way they do the show, no one get’s featured. America doesn’t get to see you, unlike American Idol where people get picked up even if they don’t win, I have a hard time believing these directors will get anything, but a pat on the back. That is not their fault. On a whole they are capable directors, but FOX and Mark Burnnett Productions, has handicapped their ability to be seen. I remember thinking that this show was going to change my life. And it did. I realize now, or at least I remember the lesson I’ve learned from other ventures, that these things very rarely do what you want them to do. I thought my CBS gig would change my life. I thought Def Poetry would change my life, Excellent reviews in NYC…..
Ultimately, they do change my life, just not in the fashion I imagine. There is something beautiful in that. I’m glad I’m finally old enough to see it.
So when NPR (National Public Radio) announced their new program to find the next generation of shows, and hosts, I was pretty skeptical that this sort of contest was worth entering. But I love NPR. Love it. Listen to it non-stop, but my problem with it, is it’s too stiff. Doesn’t have any soul to it, except maybe News and Notes. So despite being in the midst of trying to be “On the Lot” I entered Public Radio Talent Quest for the hell of it. And then boom Tuesday, they called me to tell me out of 1400 folks I’d made it into the top ten. Very very cool.
Some people on the site are upset about the way the contest is run, but after my On the Lot experience, I feel like this contest had been run extremely well. But then I wasn’t as emotionally enveloped in this one as I was with the previous contest. Honestly I never expected to be in the top ten, so if I had not made it, then I wouldn’t have been effected too much. Now that I’m in the ten, I want it. Badly. The other contestants are excellent most of them have some experience in radio or podcasting, of which I have none. What I do have, is me, what I do, that is unique to what anyone else brings to the table. I think that’s the key. If they wanted someone who sounded and acted like everyone one else on NPR, they would not have chosen this diverse group of people. So that’s the new journey. I hope you’ll take the time to go by the site www.publicradioquest.com, and cast a vote for your favorite poet/playwright/actor (that would be me)
I started working with a brilliant collaborator, Zach Flugum, and we made our first little movie on the budget of 35.00. I love the movie. A great cast, and good times. We uploaded the video on the site, and boom, like wild fire the video went through the roof. In less then a week the video had over 8,000 views and a very high rating. Now because I’m under a gag order, I can’t say much about the casting process, but I think I can say that our little movie-that-could got me pretty far in the casting. (One step away from the show). But the whole process sucked. Why? Because everything was so secret, they wouldn’t tell you anything at all. I think this was the first place where the show went wrong. I think they created a backlash from that. They were use to keeping things secret because of the other shows they’d cast. What they didn’t take into account is the internet. On the internet the show was blowing up, and it engaged people big time. If people where meant to feel like they were apart of the process, then they would have become ambassadors for the show. But being left out, and not told anything just disenfranchised folks.
So the show airs, and it’s ok, but it doesn’t live up to the promise. They don’t follow any of the contestants enough. You don’t get attached to anyone, you don’t love anyone, you don’t hate anyone. The judges, and excellent at what they do as directors, but no one is there, to throw a dash of reality into the mix. In essences, they learned nothing from American Idol. Idol follows are group of people, some make it some don’t but by the time you get into the top 10 you feel like you know these people. You care about were their story arch is going. With On the Lot, 5 contestants disappeared from one week to the next, and I have no idea what happened with them. The sad thing is I got to know that 5’s work, and some of them were extremely solid, where’d they go? Why’d they go? Who knows….
The ratings for the show are in the toilet. I’d be surprised it the show makes it through a whole season. For this, I thank God that I didn’t get on the show. I would have had to leave my job at a crucial time, go to LA, and then come home and be pissed that the way they do the show, no one get’s featured. America doesn’t get to see you, unlike American Idol where people get picked up even if they don’t win, I have a hard time believing these directors will get anything, but a pat on the back. That is not their fault. On a whole they are capable directors, but FOX and Mark Burnnett Productions, has handicapped their ability to be seen. I remember thinking that this show was going to change my life. And it did. I realize now, or at least I remember the lesson I’ve learned from other ventures, that these things very rarely do what you want them to do. I thought my CBS gig would change my life. I thought Def Poetry would change my life, Excellent reviews in NYC…..
Ultimately, they do change my life, just not in the fashion I imagine. There is something beautiful in that. I’m glad I’m finally old enough to see it.
So when NPR (National Public Radio) announced their new program to find the next generation of shows, and hosts, I was pretty skeptical that this sort of contest was worth entering. But I love NPR. Love it. Listen to it non-stop, but my problem with it, is it’s too stiff. Doesn’t have any soul to it, except maybe News and Notes. So despite being in the midst of trying to be “On the Lot” I entered Public Radio Talent Quest for the hell of it. And then boom Tuesday, they called me to tell me out of 1400 folks I’d made it into the top ten. Very very cool.
Some people on the site are upset about the way the contest is run, but after my On the Lot experience, I feel like this contest had been run extremely well. But then I wasn’t as emotionally enveloped in this one as I was with the previous contest. Honestly I never expected to be in the top ten, so if I had not made it, then I wouldn’t have been effected too much. Now that I’m in the ten, I want it. Badly. The other contestants are excellent most of them have some experience in radio or podcasting, of which I have none. What I do have, is me, what I do, that is unique to what anyone else brings to the table. I think that’s the key. If they wanted someone who sounded and acted like everyone one else on NPR, they would not have chosen this diverse group of people. So that’s the new journey. I hope you’ll take the time to go by the site www.publicradioquest.com, and cast a vote for your favorite poet/playwright/actor (that would be me)
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Rejuvenation
It’s been forever since I wrote on this blog. Why? I’ve been crazy busy. Working at the Foundation has been a huge blessing, but at the same time, it’s taken all of my time.
So what’s been going on since I last wrote. I started making movies. In December I wrote and directed a short “Sign Language”. I primarily created the short to compete in a reality show premiering on FOX. Sign Language did really well in the competition but I did not advance to the final round. I’d love to write more about the experience, but I’m under a gag order and can’t talk about it. My site is being revamped but in the near future, you will be able to see the movie on my site.
This summer I’ll be doing some more movie stuff with my partner Zach Flugum. We’ve formed our own company called 99 Pictures. We’ve got a bunch of stuff on the table that we are looking at working on this summer. I can’t really talk about those until we are further along in the process. Hopefully, I’ll be blogging about those experiences.
Julius X. Julius X opened at Plowshares Theatre Company this Saturday (April 21, 2007) WOW. What an experience. In the past, I’ve been politically correct about the two previous incarnations of the piece. The initial workshop at the Baltimore Theatre Project got good reviews, but on a whole I thought it was terrible. Loved the actors, but the director and I saw the piece very differently. That’s not to say the director isn’t a good one, just that this project didn’t synch with the two of us. I saw it the right way, he didn’t. Cleveland was… interesting… I really loved the performance of several of the actors, and really liked the director. But the piece was being done as a part of Festival and the piece ran for two nights. I didn’t get to work with the director, and I don’t think he was familiar with performance poetry, so it was an okay production, but definitely didn’t do what I was looking for from the piece.
Last year, I was blessed to meet Gary Anderson, the most unlikely of ways. I submitted a script to him. What is unlikely about this is that I’ve been submitting scripts for years now, to different theatres. The plays get put in a slush pile and never read, I get sent a form letter saying they are going to look at it, and then politely never hear from the theatre again. This is typical. I don’t have the connections necessary to “get in” I don’t know enough people, so my work continually gets pushed into the “who cares pile”. Not at Plowshares, Gary does something revolutionary, he reads scripts! I queried him about Julius X and he asked to read it. Days later, he called and we started working on putting the piece up.
There are times in my life and career when I meet someone and I know, this is what I was looking for. It happened that way with Barbara, Larry and David, and for sure I felt that way with Gary. For the last year or so, he’s been schooling me on the business, and the art of playwriting. I’m really happy with the current draft of Julius X, and a lot of that has to do with Gary’s guidance. So when I traveled to Detroit this weekend, I wasn’t really worried about the play. I was anxious to see it. Gary had been pretty silent about the progress of the play since he started rehearsals. Mostly because he was busy as hell, but secondly, he wanted me to form my own opinion about the piece. So I went into the Theatre without really knowing what I was going to see. (Keep in mind I’ve seen two productions of the piece that I absolutely hated).
From the start of the play a smile settled on my face that has yet to be removed. My baby is finally born, and he’s beautiful. The actors where cast perfectly, each one of them brought something to the stage that breathed life into the characters I’ve been living with in my head for the last two years. That was the easy part though, I’ve seen the other cast with great actors, but what this cast got through Gary’s direction was the poetry. Shakespeare’s work is filled with poetry. Julius X is not only filled with poetry, it’s essential to the style of the piece. Previous productions completely lost the poetry. This one is spot on. Due to budgetary concerns we could not put up the play like I see it in my head, (that involves dancers, African drummers, and a small orchestra) But, what is on stage in Detroit is so faithful to what I’ve been dreaming of, I didn’t even care the other parts weren’t there. Next time. Gary and I will be looking to do this piece with a bigger budget, in other venues. I feel indebt to Gary and the cast. Such a great gift to see something you worked on for so long to be seen on stage, and know that everyone is on the same page.
In saying all of that, I should explain a little more about where my head has been lately. I love Julius X. I don’t think I’ve ever worked harder on anything in my life. I stretched so much artistically, I knew it would be a stretch when I started. But that’s what made me want to do it. I don’t want to keep doing the safe work. I want to challenge myself, and the audience. If it’s not a challenge, something I have to really work for, then why do it? If that’s the case I should have continued being a slam poet. No disrespect to anyone in the slam at all, none of us can walk the same path, but for me, the slam was a step towards something bigger, if I’d stayed there, I would not have been challenged. That being said, in watching the earlier incarnations of the play I was extremely discouraged. I’d pretty much decided to give up playwriting. I love it, but it hurts to watch something you’ve worked on so long turn out so wrong. I finished the first draft of Julius in January of 06’. I haven’t written another play since then. I’ve played with some ideas, scribbled some things down, but on a whole, I’ve been scared of it.
On a whole artistically I think I’ve been a little lost. I’ve applied for some huge grants that I didn’t get. I’ve been working my butt off on all of the other shows I’ve written, and still don’t feel like I’ve gone as far as I’d like to go. I was not at the point of giving up, I can’t don’t know how, but I have been rethinking what I want to and where I want to go. Last night watching my play on stage being performed by excellent actors and a brilliant director, I feel in love with theatre again. The same way I did in 10th grade close to 20 years ago, when we read Julius Caesar in English class. I’ve had a piece I wanted to write for the last year, and I’m finally getting ready to dive into it this summer. I need to do it. I’m going to look back on all those ideas and start breathing life to them. In my most productive period, the pieces were working the way they were suppose to, that propelled me to the next project. With the success of this production I remember why I write for the theatre, because I love it.
So what’s been going on since I last wrote. I started making movies. In December I wrote and directed a short “Sign Language”. I primarily created the short to compete in a reality show premiering on FOX. Sign Language did really well in the competition but I did not advance to the final round. I’d love to write more about the experience, but I’m under a gag order and can’t talk about it. My site is being revamped but in the near future, you will be able to see the movie on my site.
This summer I’ll be doing some more movie stuff with my partner Zach Flugum. We’ve formed our own company called 99 Pictures. We’ve got a bunch of stuff on the table that we are looking at working on this summer. I can’t really talk about those until we are further along in the process. Hopefully, I’ll be blogging about those experiences.
Julius X. Julius X opened at Plowshares Theatre Company this Saturday (April 21, 2007) WOW. What an experience. In the past, I’ve been politically correct about the two previous incarnations of the piece. The initial workshop at the Baltimore Theatre Project got good reviews, but on a whole I thought it was terrible. Loved the actors, but the director and I saw the piece very differently. That’s not to say the director isn’t a good one, just that this project didn’t synch with the two of us. I saw it the right way, he didn’t. Cleveland was… interesting… I really loved the performance of several of the actors, and really liked the director. But the piece was being done as a part of Festival and the piece ran for two nights. I didn’t get to work with the director, and I don’t think he was familiar with performance poetry, so it was an okay production, but definitely didn’t do what I was looking for from the piece.
Last year, I was blessed to meet Gary Anderson, the most unlikely of ways. I submitted a script to him. What is unlikely about this is that I’ve been submitting scripts for years now, to different theatres. The plays get put in a slush pile and never read, I get sent a form letter saying they are going to look at it, and then politely never hear from the theatre again. This is typical. I don’t have the connections necessary to “get in” I don’t know enough people, so my work continually gets pushed into the “who cares pile”. Not at Plowshares, Gary does something revolutionary, he reads scripts! I queried him about Julius X and he asked to read it. Days later, he called and we started working on putting the piece up.
There are times in my life and career when I meet someone and I know, this is what I was looking for. It happened that way with Barbara, Larry and David, and for sure I felt that way with Gary. For the last year or so, he’s been schooling me on the business, and the art of playwriting. I’m really happy with the current draft of Julius X, and a lot of that has to do with Gary’s guidance. So when I traveled to Detroit this weekend, I wasn’t really worried about the play. I was anxious to see it. Gary had been pretty silent about the progress of the play since he started rehearsals. Mostly because he was busy as hell, but secondly, he wanted me to form my own opinion about the piece. So I went into the Theatre without really knowing what I was going to see. (Keep in mind I’ve seen two productions of the piece that I absolutely hated).
From the start of the play a smile settled on my face that has yet to be removed. My baby is finally born, and he’s beautiful. The actors where cast perfectly, each one of them brought something to the stage that breathed life into the characters I’ve been living with in my head for the last two years. That was the easy part though, I’ve seen the other cast with great actors, but what this cast got through Gary’s direction was the poetry. Shakespeare’s work is filled with poetry. Julius X is not only filled with poetry, it’s essential to the style of the piece. Previous productions completely lost the poetry. This one is spot on. Due to budgetary concerns we could not put up the play like I see it in my head, (that involves dancers, African drummers, and a small orchestra) But, what is on stage in Detroit is so faithful to what I’ve been dreaming of, I didn’t even care the other parts weren’t there. Next time. Gary and I will be looking to do this piece with a bigger budget, in other venues. I feel indebt to Gary and the cast. Such a great gift to see something you worked on for so long to be seen on stage, and know that everyone is on the same page.
In saying all of that, I should explain a little more about where my head has been lately. I love Julius X. I don’t think I’ve ever worked harder on anything in my life. I stretched so much artistically, I knew it would be a stretch when I started. But that’s what made me want to do it. I don’t want to keep doing the safe work. I want to challenge myself, and the audience. If it’s not a challenge, something I have to really work for, then why do it? If that’s the case I should have continued being a slam poet. No disrespect to anyone in the slam at all, none of us can walk the same path, but for me, the slam was a step towards something bigger, if I’d stayed there, I would not have been challenged. That being said, in watching the earlier incarnations of the play I was extremely discouraged. I’d pretty much decided to give up playwriting. I love it, but it hurts to watch something you’ve worked on so long turn out so wrong. I finished the first draft of Julius in January of 06’. I haven’t written another play since then. I’ve played with some ideas, scribbled some things down, but on a whole, I’ve been scared of it.
On a whole artistically I think I’ve been a little lost. I’ve applied for some huge grants that I didn’t get. I’ve been working my butt off on all of the other shows I’ve written, and still don’t feel like I’ve gone as far as I’d like to go. I was not at the point of giving up, I can’t don’t know how, but I have been rethinking what I want to and where I want to go. Last night watching my play on stage being performed by excellent actors and a brilliant director, I feel in love with theatre again. The same way I did in 10th grade close to 20 years ago, when we read Julius Caesar in English class. I’ve had a piece I wanted to write for the last year, and I’m finally getting ready to dive into it this summer. I need to do it. I’m going to look back on all those ideas and start breathing life to them. In my most productive period, the pieces were working the way they were suppose to, that propelled me to the next project. With the success of this production I remember why I write for the theatre, because I love it.
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