The life of a comic/actor can be really frustrating at times. To one side, you see people around you married, owning homes, having families...living "real lives". On the other side, you see people you started out with skyrocketing in their careers when you are struggling to get called in for a guest star audition on a sitcom you wouldn't even watch if you were on it. It can be challenging, some days impossible, to keep a positive outlook on your chosen path. To know that things are going to work out and you are going to do all of the things you spent years working towards and dreaming about.
I've been having a rough time as of late with the whole thing. Not thrilled with where I am and working towards improving my hand, some days it all seems very much out of my control. I feel like I'm just along for the ride and nothing I can do will make any difference. I get bummed out and think that maybe I'm not supposed to be doing this.
Then I'm walking through the lobby at the office where I work a few days a week. The (relatively) new receptionist calls out my name and asks:
She said, "Oh my God, that was my favorite commercial. I used to tell my friends about it all the time and make them watch it. I can't believe I never realized that was you in it."
I smiled and told her that she just made my day. I walked back to my desk feeling a lot better about where I was heading.
Pretty low key week now that I'm back in town. I'm finishing up at The Dee Wallace Acting Studio as it winds down it's 10 years in the business, so I'll have more to write on that after next week's "season finale". Had some cool auditions and such, but nothing special jumps out as a good topic for the blog. So instead, I will steal my good friend Benari's idea and place my iPod on Shuffle and detail what comes out here.
No cheating, what I hear is what you get:
** Alright by Supergrass - This one is off the Clueless soundtrack. I used to dig this CD back in the nineties. I think I originally picked it up because it had Counting Crows doing the Psychadelic Furs' Ghost in You.
** The Relay by The Who - I'm a huge mark for The Who. Loves them. I have every Who CD, even the needless reprints and anthologies. This is one of their somewhat known songs, but not one of their great anthems.
** The Show Must Go On by Pink Floyd - Off The Wall. Man, the iPod is in a Classic Rock mood today. This is still one of my favorite CDs. Not only does it tell a great story about alienation but it also has some kickass songs on it. This is one of the more transitional songs on it, not necessarily as stand alone as Comfortably Numb or Hey You (my favorite off that album).
** Baba O'Reilly by The Who - This is the best version of this song that's ever been recorded...the live version from The Kids Are Alright. Some may know this song as Teenage Wasteland but the real title is Baba O'Reilly. This song just kicks all sorts of ass. It's all I can do to not jump on my desk and start windmilling my arms. I may even be doing that right now. Maybe a little.
** Baby's in Black by The Beatles - Wow, I swear I have some music from this century on here....really, I do. I'm hip, dammit, I'm hip!!! The first time I ever heard this song was on The Beatles animated cartoon...they used to run it on MTV. No I wasn't alive when it first aired...despite what this playlist lends you to believe.
** In a Sentimental Mood by John Coltraine - I dig jazz, especially Coltraine. This is good background music for when I play poker online. All I need now is a bourbon and a cigarette. Groovy baby.
** Superhero by Jane's Addiction - Finally, something a little more recent and upbeat! If you're not familiar with this song, it's the one they use as the theme for HBO's Entourage. I can't help but picture Turtle and Drama bopping along in their yellow Hummer everytime I hear this song.
** Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town by Pearl Jam - This is a surprisingly catchy, very simple song off the Vs. album. It's also fun as hell to play on an acoustic guitar. This is one of the only Pearl Jam songs I can play off the top of my head. Very haunting and sad song.
** The King of Bedside Manor by Barenaked Ladies - I'm shocked it took this long to get to a Barenaked Ladies song as they're all over my iPod. This is off Gordon and is just a fun song. They do a great job with storytelling in their songs and clever wordplay. This one is about a washed up TV star.
** Just Like Honey by Jesus & Mary Chain - This one always makes me think of the movie Lost in Translation. Just a great song and who can't love a line like "I'll be your plastic toilet". If that's not the ultimate expression of love, I don't know what is.
And finally....
** Only the Good Die Young by Billy Joel - Damn you iPod and your heartbreaking yet inevitable betrayal!! I was hoping for some Bran Van 3000, Killers, Shins...something to send me home on. Instead, I'm given this. Yes I admit it...I like Billy Joel!! I've even seen him in concert more times than any other band. What can I say? I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.....
Over Labor Day weekend I got to take in a very cool event in Reseda (and yes, that may be the first time in written history that the words "cool" and "Reseda" could be used together in the same sentence) entitled "The Battle of Los Angeles".
Those that know me or read this blog regularly know that I've been a fan of pro wrestling since I was a little kid. Other than writing 60 Minute Broadway, I had kind of fallen off the wagon a little. The WWE product has gotten stale and really boring. I did enjoy some DVDs that I had picked up from a company called Ring of Honor as that company seemed to put on amazingly athletic, Japanese style matches that had consequences. Wins and losses meant something and the World Title was the focus of the promotion. Good stuff and it led me to want to check out The Battle of Los Angeles (BOLA) as I saw a lot of the ROH guys were being featured.
BOLA took place at an American Legion hall in Reseda and was put on by local indy wrestling group Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and set up as a three night, single elimination tournament. Twelve wrestlers from around the globe would compete in the first round on Friday and Saturday and then the finals were held on Sunday.
Seeing that some of the wrestlers I had enjoyed watching on the ROH dvds were working on Saturday, I asked Amber if she wanted to check out the show. She is not a fan of pro wrestling at all but acquiesced and accompanied me. She had such a blast, we ended up buying tickets for the finals on Sunday during the intermission of the show.
The American Legion was packed with 400 or so fans and it created this very intimate, special atmosphere. The wrestlers worked their asses off, diving into the crowd and interacting with the crowd in ways you never get a chance to see in the "big leagues". More than one time, Amber and I had to hightail it from where we were standing as a 230 lb. wrestler backflipped onto his opponent mere inches away. It's a true adrenaline rush.
PWG also incorporates a lot of comedy into their athletic matches. Not stupid, over the top stuff...but good subtle comedy. Colt Cabana had his opponent tied up in a leglock in the ropes. The referee counts to five, signalling that he must break the hold. Instead, he looks sheepishly at the ref and says (just loud enough to be heard by the crowd): "Um, I'm stuck". Very funny.
My favorite moment of the entire two nights was during a match with Japanese sensation CIMA against PWG's own El Generico (a thin, white wrestler from Canada who claims to be a luchadore from Tijuana, Mexico). CIMA was beating down his foe and the crowd fell silent. Just then, a little girl's voice wafts over the crowd: "C'mon Generico".
The entire crowd let out an audible: "Awwwwwww"
CIMA reacted, walked over to the ropes to stare her down and then proceeded to beat down Generico even more to elicit the sympathy of the crowd. It was just one of those moments of total connection with an audience and was amazing to see. I've always said that my best performances, as a standup comic, come when I'm totally connected with the audience and I'm just having fun onstage. You could tell from watching the show that all of the wrestlers were having a blast and the crowd fed of it...in turn causing the wrestlers to feed off the crowd in this give and take dance the entire weekend.
If you live in the Los Angeles area and have ever enjoyed pro wrestling, you should check out a Pro Wrestling Guerrilla show. It's a blast and the guys work really hard to entertain the crowd...you'll get your monies worth and then some! The local roster includes guys like Joey Ryan, Disco Machine, Super Dragon, the above mentioned Generico and more and usually special guests from ROH or TNA are included on shows. One of the coolest things about the company is that Ryan, Machine and four other wrestlers own the company. I like that the guys in the ring are the guys you are truly supporting. You can also visit their website by clicking the link at the top of this post and pre-order the BOLA dvd. Check em out and support this indy promotion!!
You might even see Amber and I running for our lives to get out of the way of springboard plancha.
As George Costanza might say when he learns his boys can swim:
I'm back, baby, I'm back!
I got in from Boston last night and I'm exhausted. My week at home was pretty much taken up by my sister's wedding as well as visiting my grandfather .
Amber took the trip with me as it was the first time she would be meeting the family...oooh, scary. We took the red eye out of LAX Tuesday and got in early Wednesday morning. After that it was off to the races.
My grandfather had a stroke on Wednesday evening which sent us all scurrying to the nursing home, fearing the worst. Luckily, he seemed to recover by the time I left. One of the best moments of my trip was going to see him on Monday. He suffers from Dementia, but he lit up when he saw me and forced out "John...how is it going in California". He also was intent on arm wrestling me and let me tell you...that bugger still has some serious strength in his left arm. His right arm is useless from previous strokes, but that left arm has got some juice in it. He was getting a big kick out of the arm wrestling and laughing...this is how I choose to remember him no matter whatever happens in the future. I was glad Amber got to meet "him" somewhat...got to see a little hint of his sense of humor and charm. As we left he kissed me and whispered "I love you"...waving as we walked down the hall. I'll see him again, hopefully, come Christmas but I have really good memories of this visit.
The wedding itself was a lot of fun and it was surprisingly the first time I ever had to be in a wedding. Actually, I take that back...I was Best Man at my Dad's wedding but this was the first one I ushered. At first, I didn't want to have to "work" the wedding but I'm glad I did. Me and my brother Jason accompanied George's (my new brother-in-law) friend Neal as the Groomsmen and tried our best not to giggle during the ceremony. I was almost positive that sitting right up front would cause me to get in some kind of trouble during the ceremony, but I surprised even myself.
I capped the week off by taking Amber, my Mom and stepdad Barry out to dinner in Boston's North End (Little Italy). My parents don't get out enough and they were thrilled. It's nice to be able to do stuff like that for people you love.
That's the overall theme of my most recent trip home...being with, and doing for, the people you love and care about. It makes me homesick sometimes thinking about it...but then I just remember what it's like to live in Boston in January and I feel a lot better about my new Southern California home.
Ask and ye shall receive, as the saying goes. No sooner did I state that I wanted to start doing more standup than I received four offers for shows. I wish it came that easy with acting work and money. Maybe this blog has some magical power to it. It's worth a shot....
"I want to start booking more feature film work and television work."
"I want to receive a lot of money (via above mentioned acting/comedy or writing)."
There, now the Universe can get to work on those two things and I can finish this blog...
My friend Chris called me up and asked if I wanted to do his new room in Hollywood. It was a late show on a Tuesday night and I was debating on whether I wanted to drive "over the hill" and face the terrors of Hollywood parking. Once he let me know that my good friend Dwayne Perkins was there (a friend I don't see nearly enough of and one of the best standup comics you'll ever see...do yourself a favor and go see him perform...but I digress...) it made my decision for me.
I pull up to the place and find that it's in Hollywood in only the loosest of ways. It's at the edge of Hollywood in reality in an area that isn't so spiffy. The "end" of Hollywood. Miles east down Sunset from the world famous Viper Room. We joked that if being young and hip, doing blow and E at The Viper Room was the beginning of it...this is where the trip ended. Tara Reid was probably only blocks away.
In Los Angeles listings use the term "adjacent" for an area that isn't so nice that's next to an area that is much nicer. For example, there's a crappy little neighborhood in West LA that is considered "Beverly Hills Adjacent". It just sounds much nicer when your car is getting broken into.
This place was "crackhouse adjacent". Literally. There was a motel abutting where Dwayne and I got to see a fresh bust in progress. Cops rushing into the building with guns drawn. Made my "little comedy skit" seem not so important as getting the hell off the sidewalk.
It's funny how people outside of LA refer to Hollywood as a place. Don't get me wrong, it is an actual place and does exist, but not in the terms people usually equate to it. When someone "moves out to Hollywood" they are usually living in Studio City or Brentwood, they don't usually live IN Hollywood. It's more a state of mind or a concept, really. Most studios are in the valley or on the west side, as are most casting directors. Hollywood itself is a pretty skanky, nasty area. Sure they've tried to pretty it up by adding the Hollywood and Highlands complex (where the award shows are held now), Arclight Cinema and the like...but for the most part it's skank-ariffic.
