Sean-Adrian and Me (part one)

It's no wonder I am an actor - I was influenced by the best. My greatest mentor and supporter is Sean-Adrian. Sean-Adrian was just a little older than I was when I met him. He had a job working in malls across America in the early 80s wearing furry costumes suggested from famous literature. He was for a time, the man inside Paddington Bear. I wanted more than anything to have a career in the arts, like Sean-Adrian. I met him at a TV sitcom cattle-call in Hollywood. We were next to each other in line to read with an agent. I read terribly...so untrained, so raw... But Sean-Adrian...not only was he an accomplished actor he could roller skate while inside a costumed fairy character. He summons tears with ease. He can ribbon dance (something I've never even tried). He followed his dream, opening a studio for roller skating professionals...he calls it SASS (Sean-Adrian's Skate Studio). From Paddington Bear to skate studio owner... I'm sorry, I just have to say it...right here on blogger for the two people that follow me...maybe they'll help me spread the word...the man, is an artist...hands down. More to come...

Reading David Byrne's "Bicycle Diaries"

This book is so much fun. Part bike ride around the world. Part music history. Part geography lesson... All told with so much love for the bicycle - great book! Even better, obviously if you are a Talking Heads/David Byrne/Brian Eno fan :) It combines so much I dig! Recommended!
http://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Diaries-David-Byrne/dp/0670021148

My original show for 2009 - Dramatic Twerp

After seeing Tim Miller and Holly Hughes this past weekend at Victory Gardens...I continue to be so inspired by the solo performance model - When I turned 40 last year, I vowed to give myself a show to perform as a reward :) With the help of Stephen Murray (director) and Joe Feliciano (actor) I met my goal of a creating a new piece before the year ended... One run at Links Hall in October and another run at Oracle Productions in December. I'm looking forward to one more remount with changes and revisions...completely as a solo piece. Here's what it's about so far:

Dramatic Twerp is like putting David Sedaris, David Cale; Samuel Beckett; your high school acting teacher and a bag of rubber noses in a blender, on purée. In Dramatic Twerp Sean finds himself locked in an absurd high school speech competition as an adult. Set as a solo monologue Dramatic Twerp explores growing up in the 1980s without the internet, cell phones or a gay social club on campus. Sean borrows from the forensic dramatic interpretation model, found text and his own history to create a queer memory journey. The experience of the show is intended to mirror the uncomfortable feeling/dread/duty of a “coming out” conversation. However, it is this never ending cycle, this question of “does the act of coming out ever end?” that drives Sean to find yet another audience of strangers, to experience his loud gay tale.

Dramatic Twerp is like putting David Sedaris, David Cale; Samuel Beckett; your high school acting teacher and a bag of rubber noses in a blender, on purée. In Dramatic Twerp Sean finds himself locked in an absurd high school speech competition as an adult. Set as a solo monologue Dramatic Twerp explores growing up in the 1980s without the internet, cell phones or a gay social club on campus. Sean borrows from the forensic dramatic interpretation model, found text and his own history to create a queer memory journey. The experience of the show is intended to mirror the uncomfortable feeling/dread/duty of a “coming out” conversation. However, it is this never ending cycle, this question of “does the act of coming out ever end?” that drives Sean to find yet another audience of strangers, to experience his loud gay tale.

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Day after Thanksgiving...32 degrees - 30 miles on the bike!

So there wasn't anyone on the road today; I think I was the only crazy one out this a.m.! The cables on my bike keep making very strange noises, creaking snapping sound...I just had it serviced...maybe it's Old Man Winter doing a number on them...or perhaps my bike has acquired a language, finally...

Ok, I went to lock my bike to parking meter in Lakeview...and half of them are gone...I was like, wha...?

Ah yes, and I was yelled at by an angry driver - for apparently just being on a bike, in the bike lane...I kept looking around...I'm all, who is he yelling at? I looked at him, who are you yelling at? And it was ME! Hilarious. I wished him Happy Thanksgiving - hope he's nicer to his family/friends/the cooked turkey - than he was to me...and my bike!

Listening to: Sufjan Stevens Xmas Cd, Bjork Homogenic, Jeremy Messersmith Silver City, Iron & Wine The Shepherd's Dog

Went to the Las Manos Gallery in Andersonville to see my friend Doug Stapleton's show (it's in the back - you'll miss it if you don't venture through the gallery) - amazing work...!

Reading, Thinking Shakespeare by Barry Edelstein, what a book :) I feel...smarter ;)

And the best part, Thanksgiving with good friends!

muggy wet ride!

First day on the blog.

Great ride into work today - humid as all get out. I was sweating so bad it was pouring out of my helmet as I bent down to cable my front wheel and secure my lock to the rack. Saw some fast bike commuters going north on the clark this a.m., toward Evanston on some sweet bikes... I always know if I see them too close to Howard, and not more south on Clark...I am running late!

Made great time, even with a little headwind - on the new bike.

Rained so hard on my bike yesterday, the paint looks brand new...and it's 32 years old!

Top songs on the ride:
"Top Ranking" - Blonde Redhead
"Crime" - Temposhark
"The Needle has Landed" - Neko Case
"Float On" - Modest Mouse
"Middleman" - Bright Eyes

18 miles today