I had a great (unexpected)time this week. Summers are slow and I try to use the time and catch up on just chillin and doing more stuff for me in preperation for the hectic school year and non stop travelling. So I knew I didnt have a show till thursday and friday and they were just local New England shows. No planes or hotels or nothing. Then…On Monday afternoon I was walking around Boston with an ice coffee taking in the waterfront view just daydreaming.”Hmmm should I clip my toenails today or tomorrow. yikes that one looks nasty! I wonder what that seagull is thinking. This ice coffee is making me hyper. I wonder if I could lift that BMW mini if an old lady was trapped under it. How and why would an old lady be under a car. What if she was a mechanic. Rather sexist and agist of you to think that a person because they are female and old couldnt work on cars…Not really though cuz it would be here in the middle of Atlantic ave…Yeah but what if her son broke down in his fancy mini and because he is such a modern metrosexual yuppie he knows nothing about cars and the lady finally says “What kind of sissy boy did I raise..Outta the way…I’ll look under the car…let me pry it up with this crudely fashioned jack…Oh heres the problem its your cata….BANG CRash ..umph…oh help …good lord help I’m stuck under a mini..See if that actor with the day off and fugly toenail can save me…” SO this was my day dream. THen My cell phone rings. Its Mike. “Dude..Can you be in Illinois tomorrow night. The speaker at this conference I’m doing cancelled?” Yeah man of course. “Sure yer not too busy?” Trust me…I’m really doing NOTHING right now. So I leave my house at 3 AM catch a flight to Moline. Air tran breaks my bag. My cologne bottle explodes in my suitcase making me and all my clothes smell like a gigalo for the next two days. The only shirt I have thats not smelling like cologne is the one I’m wearing with a big coffee stain on the front. (Not the same ice coffee I was drinkin…This is a different one) So I get off the plane and have to buy a shirt in the airport in Moline so when I greet the conference organisers I don’t look like a vagrant. Its a toss up between an Iowa Hawkeyes jersey or a John Deere polo shirt. I was raised a wolverine fan. No WAY am I wearing an Iowa shirt but I worry about looking like a suck up to the locals with a John Deere shirt. I know I’ll crunch it and mess it up a lil and kick up the collar to make it look like its an old one from home. So I drive an hour past corn and soybean fields (GO BIODIESEL!) and finally get there. This kid with a name tag greets me.”You the speaker?” Yup. “Oh SNAP yer bags broke” I know “Lets get you inside…Nice shirt by the way…John Deere…Fit right in” CRAP! So anyway the show was amazing. Even though I left out/forgot to do a key scene at the end with a stoner character…The deli…some of you know. Anyway.The kids were inspiring..I spoke with kids who are struggling with addiction either in their own life or watching family members. I met a couple of people in recovery that really made me feel like this whole thing is so worth it. The kids were respectful and into it. It was the Illinois Teen Institute. It reminded me of TIGGS and LMTI in NJ. So I was really glad I went and hope to do it next year. This time I bring an indestructible bag. Plastic cologne bottle…And my 1 year old john deere polo. Well I ‘m off to the University of Hartford for a noon time performance. I’m gonna be late but I should make it on time. I just hope I don’t see any old ladies working on minis on Rt. 84. That could really slow me down.
Ya know the phrase twice on Sunday right..? Well since its sunday I gotta share another video wih you. My friend mykee was over today and gave me this CD of a group called Blue October. They have a song that he said I NEEDED to hear. Usually we know eachother pretty good and can tell…whether its a movie, book, CD….Anyway the dude was right on the money. I havent heard the whole CD yet but the single from it is called “Hate Me”. It brought up a lot of feelings in me. It reminded me of my brother. It gave me memories of him getting out of rehab and saying “I don’t blame you or anyone if they hate me.” But you see when youre an addict you can’t focus on that kinda stuff. Thats why they have steps of recovery and “Making Amends” is not until like Step Nine. And its true in all our lives, When we act out or screw up and hurt others and hurt ourselves…we are not ready to really apologize or begin to reconstruct a relationship until we get ourselves straight first. Well this song is called “hate me” and it gave me the chills. It goes out to all who love someone who is hurting themselves with drugs. It goes out to all who are currently hurting themselves with drugs. We have been through somethings which we dare not speak…But we can scatch the surface with songs like this.
UPDATE THIS VIDEO NO LONGER EXISTS AT YOU TUBE. TO SEE IT GO HERE
I remember listening to this in 1984 and its message means more today than ever. Lyrics & Video Below.
License To Kill
Bob Dylan
Man thinks ’cause he rules the earth he can do with it as he please
And if things don’t change soon, he will.
Oh, man has invented his doom,
First step was touching the moon.
Now, there’s a woman on my block,
She just sit there as the night grows still.
She say who gonna take away his license to kill?
Now, they take him and they teach him and they groom him for life
And they set him on a path where he’s bound to get ill,
Then they bury him with stars,
Sell his body like they do used cars.
Now, there’s a woman on my block,
She just sit there facin’ the hill.
She say who gonna take away his license to kill?
Now, he’s hell-bent for destruction, he’s afraid and confused,
And his brain has been mismanaged with great skill.
All he believes are his eyes
And his eyes, they just tell him lies.
But there’s a woman on my block,
Sitting there in a cold chill.
She say who gonna take away his license to kill?
Ya may be a noisemaker, spirit maker,
Heartbreaker, backbreaker,
Leave no stone unturned.
May be an actor in a plot,
That might be all that you got
‘Til your error you clearly learn.
Now he worships at an altar of a stagnant pool
And when he sees his reflection, he’s fulfilled.
Oh, man is opposed to fair play,
He wants it all and he wants it his way.
Old video. Kind of funny. Sly & Robbies studio in Jamaica.
Hey gang. Last month I had the pleasure of hanging out with my old roomate Mike. We lived together in Worcester and worked at a Theater together and spent many nights watching bad MST3K movies listening to Tom Waits, Nick Cave, and William Burrough’s poetry recordings. At the time I showed him this CD by William Burroughs in collaboration with this dude Michael Franti who was in a hip hop group I liked called Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy. Anyway to end the long story and six degrees of seperation. Fast Forward 7-8 years ….My Friend Chuck tells me one day that his brother is Michael Franti…. and he was hanging out with him at New Years and the holidays out in California. He mentions that the soundman at one of the gigs in San Francisco was this guy from Worcester named Mike….Turns out to be my old friend and roomie Mike! Mike is now the sound engineer for Michael Franti & Spearhead and he invites me to go hang out at a gig in Boston. The show was powerful and our little reunion was all too brief but I had the chance to discover some GREAT new music. Michael Franti & Spearhead have a new album out any day now and I would like to share it with all you guys. Listen to the title track to his new album “Yell Fire”
Many have asked about me doing stand up again and I repeatedly have said “its not where i’m at right now.” However I have the oppurtunity to do a project with my old comedy partner Matt and I wanted to share it with those who visit the blog here at iamdirt. Matt and I have been talkin on the phone for ever about everything so now its your turn to suffer and listen to it if you like. Through the miracle of Skype, Wiretap Pro, and Garage Band…and my trusty mac we are recording these conversations and making them available to you. Why not? The NSA is already listening so why shouldnt you:-) Go to our site and podcast by clicking on the grey banner to the right in the sidebar.
check back often. listen. comment. email. call in via skype the next time we record. BTW soon I will be recording a dirt podcast exclusively about “DIRT” issues.
New site will be up soon as well as a new blog. I’m switching to wordpress and getting away from Blogger. Also I’m on myspace too…but I never check it really. I just use it to link to my real web site.
