blue moon special

Heck, no one comes by on weekends anyway. The choice was to sit around and twiddle my thumbs... OK... one thumb twiddles the other just sits there not doing much of anything... or perhaps do a random post. Random post won out... after which I just may pop in a movie.

Speaking of movies... I re-watched Towering Inferno yesterday. Yes, I'll cop to the fact that I do own several disaster movies from the 70's... that I'll also admit I enjoy quite a bit. It's a guilty pleasure I've had for years. Yeah, most of them are cheezy... but that's half the fun. I think what has stuck in my mind is going to see them in the movie theaters and taking minor bets with the friends I went with on which characters would make it and which would bite a movie death. The bets were always taken out in the lobby as we looked at the cast pictures displayed on the poster. I remember that there was also always a display of production stills. Do they do that anymore? So, disaster movies became sort of a perverse sport. The only thing I do not own yet are the "Airport" movies. (The first one is still the best of the lot.) I still laugh out loud at "Airplane" because it is such a great take-off on those. George Kennedy sure got a lot of work when that genre hit. I think he was in just about every "Airport" ever made as well as "Earthquake" (dang, talk about cheezy).

My other guilty pleasure are horror movies from Hammer Studios... also from the 70's. Yeah, there are a lot of things from the 70's that I like. Can't help it... those were my formative years. Anyway, those movies still tickle my fancy. OK... admittedly the gratuitous and copious cleavage shots did help "up" the appeal quotient... but those guys knew horror. Really... the English have the blood and gore down to an art form from centuries of indiscriminate blood letting in their history. It really shows in these movies... and they are not even really trying... just cranking them out. I suspect that the tale of Sweeney Todd is just a charming bed-time story for the kids over there. Even watching these movies today... the blood seems redder than red. (For us color blind guys... this is big.) Plus, many of the movies actually had plots... bonus! Hmmm.... perhaps a Hammer movie is in order tonight. Vampire Lovers or Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde? Perfect for a blue moon night, don't you think?

I think most of what needs to be set-up for tomorrow has been taken care of. Now, all we can do is hope that a decent audience turns up to the gig. It's not exactly Shakespeare... but it will be a fun show for those who turn up. What happens tomorrow and how it happens will be a major factor in some decisions that I'll be making soon.

Now I think I'll pop a movie in... hmmm... let's see... oooh ... Taste the Blood of Dracula...

EDIT: 10 AM, Sunday
Speaking of Sweeney Todd... did you know a movie version of the Sondheim musical is currently in production directed by Tim Burton with Johnny Depp in the title role? Yeah... cool, huh?

mind meanderings on this and that

It seems as if I always have to start it... get it going... then they will jump on board... maybe.
To be honest... I'm getting a little tired of this. It's not one project... this is the case in several things I have my hot little hands on at the moment. "Oh yeah... we support you... 100 percent behind it." So, then I send out emails requesting assistance in certain aspects... crickets chirp. Discussions lead to decisions that affect these projects... yet I (who technically am spearheading these projects) am not informed of these decisions. Some aspects of these projects affect a few other folk... but... crickets chirp loud.

Yes, I am passionate about what I do. I also have very well thought out ideas and methods of achieving goals in the short and long term. I am very emphatic about expressing them too. However, I am also open to other ideas. Even if I am still not convinced that those ideas are as good as mine... I will capitulate to the majority. But, dammit... let me know what the final decision is. Lately, all I've been getting is the cricket chorus.

I very rarely voice my opinions unless I get all sides of the story (especially on the big stuff)... and even then it is iffy.

More often than not... this is not a luxury that has been afforded to me. Look, I am used to the slings and arrows of criticism in a lot of what I do. Heck, I imagine other toddlers when I was born had issues with my thumb sucking techniques. I take it as part and parcel of my lot in life. Sure, I do have views and opinions and I do express them... and more often than not only after weighing in what the other side has to offer. And in the immortal words of a certain very wise Mr. Gump... "That's all I have to say about that."

My other lot in life is facilitating opportunities for others.

These incidents have happened of late and made me smile wider than the man in the moon inside. It is really astounding to watch something creatively gel. And to watch the sparkle of greater possibility glinting in the eyes when it happens. It's a quiet rush that has no equal. OK, perhaps as equally rewarding is being present for the entire process that eventually ignites that moment. This one balances off the first two.

OH, and if you live in the Toronto area...

The Fringe is coming up. I highly recommend you catching the shows of THIS & THIS performer friends of mine... and pass the word, won't cha?

So much for now... perhaps more later.

Da Count - memory trigger

So... on Monday, I finally burned the songs from Frogway. I popped it into the cd player in the house. Mum listened to it and it triggered memories from 27 years ago when it was first produced. Happy memories. Memories of pride. I finally told her that it was being produced again. She beamed. I know that in her mind... that is the only show I have written... but thats OK with me... very OK. If that doesn't count... I don't know what does. For the past few days... that is all she has been buzzing about. Thank you, Mike.

If you want to find out what Da Count is all about... click the flashing button above.

EDIT: 9 AM Friday

These fine talented folk are appearing on stage July 1.
So, we'll see you there... right?

and thus it begins!

Well, rehearsals for both shows are in full swing. Hopefully, my promo promiscuity works its magic and we get a good house for the gig. My tactic at the moment... sheer annoyance. Bombard the internet with notice and hopefully folks will turn up just so we will shut our traps. If you have a MySpace and have friended any of the entities that are connected to me... you'll definitely catch some of the blitz. Several bloggers from other parts of the continent have also picked up and posted the video (two posts down)... thank you! If you have a MySpace... copy and paste and send this out as a bulletin and help us spread the word!


IF YOU ARE IN THE FRESNO AREA... ONE NIGHT - ONE PRICE - TWO SHOWS! <br />ROGUE YEAR ROUND with Suicide Lounge & Tale End! Debauchery hasn't been this much fun in a long time. A debouched longe act followed with an even more debouched one-act!<br />A double header you can't afford to miss!<br /><br />$10<br />6:30 PM (Doors open at 6 PM - no latecomers after intermission.)<br />Sunday, July 1<br /><br />STARLINE Performance Venue<br />831 E. Fern<br /><br />Come early... order food from next door and drinks from the bar and enjoy!<br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="never" allownetworking="internal" height="350" width="425" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/WJzZfarbeJE"><br /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="never"><br /> <param name="allowNetworking" value="internal"><br /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WJzZfarbeJE"><br /></object><br /><br />MORE INFO: <a href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vcm9ndWVmZXN0aXZhbC5jb20vcnlyL3J5cjA3Lmh0bQ==" target="_blank">AT THE ROGUE YEAR ROUND SITE!</a>
We had a rehearsal for Tale End... and it is not the same old hat. The cast and I are infusing some new stuff into it. With the time away... ideas have percolated even more.

On other fronts... it has been a good week with Mum. All in all she seems a lot more settled this week than most.

Perhaps updates in the AM.

EDIT: 9:15 AM
Just purged some dead links off my blogroll. It's always a little sad to do that but I do understand that folk give up blogging for various reasons. Glad I had a peek into their insight and perception for the time when thewy were active.

The Garage (Turtle Dove) Theater is being reset today. It was left a shambles from the time of the Rogue. I've decided to get it back to where it was and perhaps even more than it was by maybe buying THIS... I said maybe.

Well... off to do some damage.

my body clock is all out of whack...

... from pulling an all-nighter. If you haven't seen the video yet... check it out in the post below. I'll probably add more content to this post later in the AM.

EDIT: 9:45 AM, tuesday
Oh yeah... feel free to steal the video if you are so inclined. I looked at it this morning and thought to myself... "Self, that turned out pretty good." Sometimes looking back a day after creation I look at it and go "eh." or "what was I thinking?" ... but this one was "yeah." And BTW... I posted on daily motion and they flagged it as "inappropriate content"... WTF? Anyway, here is the code if you want it:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WJzZfarbeJE"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WJzZfarbeJE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

It's going to be a busy week around here. Rehearsals for both shows... more promo... general chores... but I think it will all be fun.

Perhaps more updates later.

EDIT: 1:00 PM
So, this is how much of a promo ho I am... the video has been posted HERE.

You just got to be there... the show features me & me

There'll be more later when I'm more lucid.

EDIT:
So, I stayed up all night editing the video. Got up at 10 AM and am still a little out of it. Been busy blitzing via the internet to promote the show. Myspace, email lists, blogs... I can be such a promo ho, ya know?

Well, the real news is all of it was done on the new equipment I acquired recently. I really like it and there is still going to be a "getting to know you" period before it fits me like a second skin... so to speak. Good hardware does make a helluva difference... and it doesn't have to break the bank.

Anyway, if you are in the area... come by and see the show. Oh yeah... the song in the soundtrack on the video is one from Frogway.

ROGUE YEAR ROUND with Suicide Lounge & Tale End!
A double header you can't afford to miss!

$10
6:30 PM (Doors open at 6)
Sunday, July 1

STARLINE Performance Venue
831 E. Fern

more info: at the Rogue Year Round Page!

come by later for...

a post and a new video!

tagging me self silly

I first saw this meme over at Mark Leslie's then over at Addict's so I decided to tag myself. I haven't done one of these in a while... so, why the heck not?

• Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
• People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
• At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
• Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog

LECRAM'S RANDOM FACTS/HABITS (or boring things you never wanted to know about me.)

1. Even though theatre is my life and I have lived in America for over half my life I have never seen a show on Broadway (even though I have been to NY)... but I have seen several in London's West End. Yeah... strange but true.

2. Whenever I acquire a DVD (even for a movie I have never seen before) I always watch the "extras" before the movie. I hear that this is one of the sure tests for a true nerd.

3. My life is broken up into periods of being ultra high profile social or super hermit recluse. I enjoy both but not all the time.

4. Somewhat related to # 3... friends over the last few years have commented that going out in public with me feels akin to being part of a rock star's entourage. OK... actually they complain that they can't take me anywhere because I seem to know everyone. This is plainly false... everyone seem to know me. LOL!

5. If I am creatively blocked or come to a cluster-fuck while developing a project... a trip to the toilet usually fixes the problem. Further evidence that my work is crap inspired.

6. I rather let things pile up (like the dishes) before taking care of it in one fell swoop. Somehow it brings a greater sense of accomplishment when the task is completed.

7. I hated the taste of chocolate until my mid-20's. That's all I'm going to say about that.

8. Some of the most terrifying scenes I have ever seen on the screen that still haunt me today are from Disney movies - Snow White running through the forest and the "death coach" from Darby O'Gill and the Little People. Even now if the low branches of a tree brushes up against me in the dark of night - I will freak. Yet I have never had problems camping in the jungle. Go figure!

I'm not tagging anyone (I think self fulfillment is best kept as just that) ... but if you want to tag yourself... have at it until you have hairy palms. Just let me know you did so I can go read.

Da Count - when it quietly goes right.

No fanfare. No earth shattering epiphany. No big production number. Just when things fall into place what a rush that can be... albeit a private moment... and anything intruding is on yout list to be beheaded. And on the surface it all seems so... almost mundane. But for that moment it makes all the difference in the world. You know it is not going to be forever... but for the moment it is prime. It is those moments that makes your heart well up and you know you are in the "groove". It can be as ordinary as achieving just the right crease whilst you are ironing.... or something more momentous. I'll let you fill in that blank via the comment function.

To find out what Da Count is about... click the flashing sign above.

EDIT: Time Wasters.

• Sorted Books - funny and interesting groupings of titles.
• Hmmm
• Perhaps I should pick up chess.
• The Museum of Hoaxes
  

sour green mango

I just devoured one dipped in a little salt. Bought at a local Asian market a couple of days ago. Best eaten when it hasn't ripened yet. I'm still floating in the afterglow of that tart euphoria. One of my uncles had a huge tree of that particular variety growing in front of his house. I remember picking them off the low branches as a boy. This same uncle had a cockatoo who was quite the diva. He would sing two lines of O Sole Mio and actually take a bow right after by tucking his head under his right wing. Taste does indeed trigger memory recall. Sure, you can find them (green mangos...not cockatoos) pickled in brine or a chutney... but nothing beats fresh.

So, of late references to food have been bombarding my psyche. Recently I quoted something I heard my father saying a long time ago. "Love truly begins after the flash of passion has boiled down to a simmer." That's cookin, baby. Where's Hank Williams when you need him? I've even been dreaming about nosh. OK, admittedly a fair amount of these dreams also involved sex... but food was prominently featured.

I can only surmise that this convergence of the culinary in my life at the moment is directly related to the current play I'm developing. Yeah, it's about a terrorist chef. The pace of development is actually occurring pretty fast. This one is coming quite easily. No, I haven't written a lick yet. Waiting for an opportune moment when I feel that it's fully cooked enough before I will allow myself to be lost in my bliss.

What surprises me is that it took me this long to actually attempt writing a food related play. I originally come from a culture that is practically obsessed about food. It's not unusual for people over there to drive for miles in the quest for a certain dish that is served in some shanty hole in the wall. Really, Malaysians make no bones about the fact that we live to eat. BTW... HERE is a really good Malaysian food blog if you're so inclined.

I cook. I have even "trained" most of my friends here to the point that if I do serve a "full tilt" curry that they will gobble it up while sweating and tearing profusely without moaning about the hellish heat index. I've run a food business... and may again soon. Some of my favorite movies are food related... Tampopo, Like Water For Chocolate, Big Night... just to name a few.

So, yeah... I think it's about time, don't you?

and today was indeed spent...

... tweaking the new machine and uninstalling and installing software. Then I began optimizing the machine with Crap Cleaner... swear... its the name of a real freeware program. Don't believe me, huh? Well GO HERE. Nya... I say get it to clean up those unused registry entries that is just bogging down the system! Then I defraged the computer. There is a HD optimization program that is being touted ... but it's $90... so that may have to wait. Right now the new machine is purring like a big satisfied puss and is taking Hi Def video from the camera like a hooker takes the cash before spreading her charms. OK... now that my inner geek has been satiated... I can move on. Oh... did I tell you I have a switchbox that controls both PC's with 1 keyboard and 1 mouse and shares one monitor? OK, OK... promise... no more geek stuff!

There is still more promotional stuff for the upcoming Rogue Year Round show that I had planned to complete today but may not until tomorrow. Actually, there is a lot more in that area that still needs to be done that I don't want to think about at the moment. You are turning up for that... right?

OK... so it's boring mundane stuff in the post today. But on the upside... the sky didn't fall on my head either. I did get out for a bit this afternoon to shoot some video for a mini-doc that I'm doing for an artist friend. Yeah, you'll see it once it's done.

If you want some good reading... go over to Zonthar's as the 5th part (with tons of pics) of his London trip is posted there. Blimey, that was quick between parts... perhaps he knows something about the sky falling that we don't?

Oh, and if you are visiting here from Ottawa... go see Barry Smith's show in the Fringe... it's worth the ticket price... really, it is. You can thank me after you saw it.

Cheers!

a royalty payment came in today...

... though I'm not planning on retiring on it. It's been a while since I've received one from a production for one of my plays that (other than writing it) I have no hand in producing. It's nice. I really need to see how I can keep this trend going.

Speaking of trends...
I totally geeked out yesterday with the whole Britain's Got Talent thing (see post below) by constantly refreshing an update page whilst the broadcast was going on across the pond. It was actually kinda fun getting caught up in the frenzy of that. Even found a YouTube user (myredroom) who posted videos within 10 minutes of the end of the show. I'm usually (or at least been in the last few years) more of a trend monger than a follower... so this was a refreshing and fun change to be partr of the crowd. As I stated in an earlier post I don't usually watch these kind of shows but Paul's story was so universally compelling that it was worth the ride. Besides, I am such a sucker for the deserving underdog story.

And speaking of geekiness...
The power unit for the new computer arrived today. Installed it along with a new video card and have it up and running. Just need to install the video editing software in the morning... a couple of minor tweaks and it will be ready for use. This I'm really looking forward to.

Another thing I'm looking forward to...
Is having a midnight snack of the meatball curry I cooked today. It's a lighter curry which I also plan to devour in the morning with some toast.

And speaking of balls...
Ms. Joy had a hairy experience that she blogged about. Of course she faulted me for getting juice all over her... but she is the one who squeezed the damed things.

BTW... the pic above is the base of one of the lamposts in my neighborhood. Bet the guy whose name appears on it wishes he was getting royalties for his stuff.

the anticipation builds...

... to see if Paul Potts wins on Britain's Got Talent!! You'll get it here as soon as I do. (Really, I can't believe I'm this sucked into this.)

HERE IS THE VIDEO



NOW JUST THE RESULTS...

Yep... he won! (posted 2:30 PM PST)

EDIT: And for a special friend who pulled "daddy duty" recently (not to take anything away from daddy... but we all pitch in when its needed).... and all the Dads out there... here is 6 year old Connie in the finals.



And here is the WINNING MOMENT.

a spark of talent

OK... I'll admit it... I'm quite taken with the Britian's Got Talent show... at least via YouTube of late. It started with Paul Potts (you can see his semi-final performance in the post below this) who did get into the final which is tonight in the UK. So, UK readers... if you watch it come over and tell me in the comment section who won.

In the meantime... here is another of the acts from the semi-finals. Although she didn't get into the finals... still... DANG!

I very rarely watch these kinds of shows... PT. 2

The video in THIS POST... made me blubber a few days ago. Well, here he is in the semi-finals... I hear the finals are on Sunday. The sound mix for broadcast isn't great but nevertheless.



To find out if he got through to the final...

Couldn't be more official than this!

BTW... today's Da Count is below this post. So, click the image for a bigger version.

Da Count - watermelon

Yes, I said watermelon. Especially, on triple digit temp days like we've had for the last 2. Fresh cut watermelon from the fridge... ya just have to count that sometimes. Heck, I had it for breakfast this morning... slurp!

To find out what Da Count is all about click the flashing sign above

more lecram in one evening than should be legal - HNT?

OK... it's official now. 6:30 PM, Sunday, July 1... be at the Starline performance venue for the double-header return of Suicide Lounge & Tale End! All of this for only an uber affordable $10 bucks! I'll wait until you all mark your calendars............................k? Good. I perform (if what I do actually constitutes performing) in one and wrote the other. More details and promo will bombard this blog soon.

In other brief snippets:
Follow the adventures of performer Barry Smith as he hits several Fringe Festivals over the next few months. Who knows, he may be in a town near you soon (he is in Montreal now) and his show is definitely worth the time to catch. Plus, he's always a fun read.

My friend Zonthar's adventures in London part 4 (of a trip he took last year) is now posted. Another fun read.

Yeah... I cheated and cropped a pic that you may have seen before but Cheers and Happy HNT anyway!

I very rarely watch these kinds of shows...

... but this video made me verklempt and brought a tear to my eye today. Not only is this particular aria always been amazingly powerful in itself (obviously abbreviated in this clip) ... but made even more poignant within the context of what you are about to watch.

my day? ya really want to know?

Was up by 5:30 AM. Lolled around a bit in bed enjoying the glow of the dawn breaking outside. Thinking to my self... "Self, this could be quite a day."

Got on the puter and the net at 6:30 ish. Had a great chat with... could tell you but then you would want to take a hit out on me. Anyway, halfway through... thought I'd better fix up and serve breakfast for Mum. A vegie omelet with rice and a dab of soy. So good I indulged myself as well.

8:36 AM get a call informing me that a friend has passed away. The good thing (if there is a good thing about this) is that he went peacefully... and quick... like during an afternoon nap. Chatted with informant (and dear friend) on the horn a bit more and came up with a cool and quirky idea for a project we are working on... so call started sad but ended up creative.

Farted around surfing and doing business on the net. Write email of apology for flying off the handle on Sunday night... offer to make up by buying a whole steak sandwich. A friend comes by looking to buy a domain... hook him up... he buys 3.

11:03 AM... Get an email that another friend is playing hooky. Invite friend to "hang"... friend takes me up on invitation and says will be over in an hour or so. During same email session Mike (in email) says that last song for Frogway is done and is online to Skype. Fire up the Skype engine and voice chat with him. Reworked song lyrics are transfered as well as music. Different from what was originally pitched.... but it totally works!!! Yay!!!! Chat a bit more about progress of show (it's all good) and end call.

11:26 AM... head to kitchen to cook. Cook. (Pork soup with cabbage and onions.) Another friend comes by to ask if I can drive his car back home from the airport to avoid long term parking. Sure... I'll do it this afternoon when friend who comes to hang drops by.

11: 40 AM Serve Mum lunch. Go to bathroom to shower before friend who is going to hang arrives. There is crud in the shower. I have seen this before. Flush loo... crud comes up from shower drain. SHIT! The damn thing (sewer) is blocked!!! I have a web client coming over before friend that hangs arrives. Friend that hangs arrives. Call rooter service. Serve friend that hangs lunch. Web client calls... I beg to reschedule... shit is hitting the fan! Rooter service calls... service agent will be over in half an hour.

20 minutes past noon... rooter service arrives and I explain that sewer vent is actually located in neighbor's yard in the back (don't ask). We go over and I knock on door. Neighbor's son... draped in towel (probably interrupted his "afternoon" delight) very nicely says, "Do what you have to" closes door and gets back to his bitnezz. (Sorry,, dude... but... as you were and more.) Rooting begins as friend who (patiently) hangs surfs on computer. Rooting goes on and on and finally... it drains!

2 PM... $145 later I clean up the shower and take one. Tell Mum that I'm going out for a bit. Propose to friend who hangs that after we drop friend who needs car pick up at his car we go to Big Lots. Friend is dropped off at car rental place... we head to Target. Return a swimsuit (very pretty bikini with gold specks) buy 18 cotton panties and head to Big Lots!

2:45 PM... Cruise aisles of Big Lots... and there is lots to see! It's one of the few places that I actually browse and not power shop. (Really, virtually impossible to power shop there.)

4:32 PM... we have already even done a third of the place but there is a Mum feeding coming up. We pay for the goodies (some of which we didn't need... but it's cool stuff, dammit!) and head off to the homestead.

5:14 PM... Mom feeding. After which friend who hangs and I head out to the usual watering hole. We drink, eat and chat. Very enjoyable and the first relaxation of the entire dar

6:43 PM... After 2 scotch sodas... friend who hangs drives and drops me at the homestead and been a real joy to hang with... thank you so much! Get home and I serve Mum ice cream.

This is the most I've been out in eons and I needed it bad. Tah Dah!

and on it goes

• On Saturday a small army descended on to my house and helped clean and fix things up here. Organized by a friend they helped make living conditions around the homestead much better. Thank you all who came by to make this happen. I am both grateful and humbled by your gift to us.
• I blew my top last night over a professional situation that has been a mounting source of frustration over the last couple of months. I probably shouldn't have but I did. I hate it when that happens and am sorry at how it happened.
• That being said, I refuse to capitulate to a no-can-do point of view without even the consideration of trying.
  
• However, I am also beginning to tire of facing the same battles I've fought all my life.
• I need to make time to get out a little more even though the situation calls for me to be around the homestead a lot more than it used to.
  
• There is a LOON IN JUNE over at Jungle Webs. .NET & .ORG at $8.75... .COM are $6.95... .INFO are .99! Plus if you plonk the following code (5NC25) in at checkout... you get a 5% off for orders over $25! Shhh... tell everyone!
  

yeah, I was one of those kids... pt. 2

click here for pt. 1

Anyway, my love affair with music through the medium of vinyl just intensified with age. By the time I was 12 I owned the original box set of Jesus Christ Superstar. (Look, this was a pretty big deal... at least I thought so when I was 12.) Now you have to understand that the edgiest musical I had heard up till this point was West Side Story... so this was pretty damn radical... WTF - a rock opera? Yeah, I totally devoured it. Played it over and over again. I have on occasion boasted that I can do the entire thing all by my lonesome ... orchestrations and all... and proved it at least twice. Of course, this was when I had a bed with a roll-away underneath... that was my stage. (Sidebar: I did see the original London stage production when I was 15... yet another blow away moment in my life.)

So, my teen years were the "record exchange" years. Friends like Kien, Vert and I exchanged albums. Yeah, a lot of them were pirated albums. But within a very short while we graduated from top forty bubblegum like Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep (swear it's a real song... just click the link!) to the "heavier stuff"... you know, what back then was referred to as "underground music". Stuff like Deep Purple . Coincidentally Ian Gillan sang the Jesus part in JCS so this was especially potent heady stuff for me personally. BTW... I like Machine Head (Gawd, every guitarist I knew would play the riff from Smoke On The Water)... but In Rock has always been my favorite. Later it was Black Sabbath, Yes, King Crimson and Led Zep. We would sit around listening to the riffs... oohing and ahhing over the solos. Which is when we decided to form a rock group called KISMANTAB... we got as far as the album cover design, I think.

The one funny thing I distinctly remember about buying records back then was walking out of the store and making sure to keep it out of direct sunlight so it wouldn't warp by the time you got it home. Plus the album designs got fancier and fancier that one was always tempted to buy something just because the cover and the fold-outs looked so damn cool.

Even when I moved here in 1980... one of the first things I bought was a stereo system and obsessively was on the look out for record sales. I do have to say that my taste in music was always and still is very eclectic. Yeah burned through the natural (and limiting) music chauvinism of my teen years pretty quickly actually. Now, if it sounds good to me... I like it.

So, I have to thank the record player for this. Especially the early years of playing every record in the house. I'm not as obsessed about owning cd's or mp3's these days but if something strikes my fancy... I just may plonk down the 99 cents for the download.

EDIT: So I've had pizza for lunch... completed it with an ice-cream drumstick (yeah, I got mum one too... she is happier than a clam now.) While rereading this post I suddenly had the urge to hear this song. lol... beats me why... but here it is.



Anyway, I am taking the rest of the afternoon off and indulge in some DVD watching... cut cold watermelon by my side and an iced cold drink. Cheers to lazy Sunday afternoons!

Da Count - gonna let the music say it

So, I've been posting about Frogway all this time that you are probably sick of it. Well, ::drumroll:: here is one of the new songs created by the M & M Song Factory for the show - music by Mike and lyrics by Moi. This version is actually a demo that was cut about a month ago to sell the show to the producers. There have been minor tweaks that have occoured since... but for the most part this version is pretty close to what is now. My count is that it came out pretty well. Yeah, I do think they'll be snapping their fingers to this as they file out of the theater.... at least, I hope so.

Enjoy! And when you are listening... just do what you're feelin!



If you want to find out more about Da Count click the flashing sign above.

EDIT: Posting this early as I'm going out tonight for ArtHop. Whoknows this post may extend after that.

for the past 3 days after breakfast...

... I go in for my hourly check to find her sitting in the living room. In the corner, by the door her handbag is stuffed with her essentials. On the floor next to it a wooden hand carved Madonna ... something that I had won on a dare in my teen years. She is waiting for the "transport" to take her to the "new place"... this elusive property that someone has supposedly bought for her. Of course, the transport never comes and after I serve her lunch she goes into her room to lie down. I know the memory of today will slip away in her sleep and she will be waiting again tomorrow.

In variants of this living fable that she is living out, I have already moved to this new place... even though I prepare her meals for her every day. In another she wants me to visit her when she is moved so that she will know how I am doing.

Last night as I sat outside enjoying the breeze and skinning a mango, I wondered where this obsession to move came from. Then it struck me. I recalled an on and off topic of discussion between her and my father when I was younger. We lived in class 4 government quarters even though Dad was entitled to better living accomodation. That's where it must have begun. Maybe promises were made... though I don't recall any being made. Perhaps that's where I learned to make few promises... and to keep the ones I did make.

The irony is that he did provide the opportunity to move. His pension after his death when I was 12, provided the capital to buy a new house. One that she owned outright... one that she sold years later to buy this one when she moved out here. Perhaps in her mind "moving to a new place" never really happened... perhaps the yearning has resurfaced once more because it wasn't something they did together... that even though she has owned her own home it still didn't count without him.

Perhaps it is something I just want to believe just so it makes some sense to me... simply a way to continue coping.

busted power unit

I was setting up a new computer today and the power unit is busted. So it's going back and I get a replacement in 2 weeks or so. Sometimes it just goes that way. Anyway, I was thinking about upgrading the present one to handle video editing... after a bit of math it was better just to get a new one dedicated to doing that. Yeah, I'm taking that on to earn some side income... and it may be time to try my hand at movies. I look at it as a business investment.

So, this gives me a little more time to clear out the unnecessaries and claim the office as my own once again. After the last 4 years of it being Rogue Central... it will be nice to have the space back. There are stacks of things that I have to weed through... but I think reclaiming space will be cathartic to say the least. At least the office will be a little bigger when that pile goes out. Who knows what treasures lurk in there?

This that and the other... bit by bit it will all get done... only to find more junk from elsewhere to hoard. All my piths are back again though.

Thats it for now. Hmmm... what's on PBS?

It has been delivered

The final script for Frogway has been sent to the producers. What? You thought it was done 4 weeks ago? Come on Lecram... it was part of a Count for crying out loud! Yeah, it was... but that count was celebrating the opportunity to re-do something that was first done 27 years ago. I didn't exactly stand around in a flight suit saying "Mission accomplished", did I? And I'll be the first one to tell you there are probably more tweaks to come... but they now have a new and vastly improved full working script... with the definitive lyrics and all.

SO WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE THEN?
Well, it started off as a nip and tuck 4 weeks ago. The more we got into it the more each of us individually realized that we almost had to treat this as a brand new project. Old songs were reworked and new ones developed. The plot was further developed and adjusted. A tighter integration between all the elements were worked on.

Back in Malaysia a power production team was assembled. Mike took several creative meetings with the team and a lot of great creative ideas were shared to further enhance the piece. Finally both of us got to go to our corners to choose what could be infused into the piece without compromising it's original charm.

Auditions were held last week as both of us worked feverishly to complete our individual tasks... him with music arrangements, me with rewriting certain sections and "spriting" up the rest of the script. (BTW... I have also been told that the cast is pretty powerful as well. On Friday and Saturday we pulled 2 lengthy sessions via Skype going through the script and songs doing more fixes. I finished the final clean-up by 4 PM yesterday and sent it off via email.

NOW WHAT?
From what I gather rehearsals happen in July with previews at the end of that month and the show runs August 8-26. So, if you happen to be in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia around that time... go see it and let me know how it went.

THOUGHTS ON... ... working with Mike after a 27 year break.
It was most enjoyable. We both bring different things to the table yet there is a sympatico between us... so it's more like a banquet than bones of contention. Even differences in opinion are handled with mutual respect with either of us deferring to the better idea. Though we are both very easy going... we are also both pretty anal about striving for excellence. This re-collaboration of the M & M Song Factory half a world apart will hopefully lead to more collaborations down the line... since we now have the means and know it can work.

... the show itself.
I think the show is what it is. It was a charming piece 27 years ago and it's still charming now... just a lot tighter, fuller and slicker. Our experience over the years has really paid off and I think the final product will celebrate that. The music is really good and the script is tons better than what was. I think we have managed to reinvigorate a freshness and zest into it... a quality that was it's strength originally. I am curious though as to how this production will be pulled off. I am a little disappointed that I can't make this opening night... but thrilled that it will be happening anyway. This is also the first time in a long while that I have been the playwright and only that on a project... I actually am enjoying that quite a bit. This was what I set out to be in the first place so many years ago... the wordsmith who cranks it out for others to produce.

What is strange is that I moved away from this genre of theatre a long while back... yet I found it oddly stimulating as I worked on it. So, in a lot of ways this wacky idea about a musical centered around a singing frog has come full circle. It belongs to the director, designers and cast now to make it their own. I'll keep you updated on it's progress as soon as I get them.

Anyway... so much for that for now.

then you awaken at 3 AM..

... and wonder what happened? What happened is you popped in a movie at 9 PM, fell asleep in the middle of it not realizing you were a lot more tired than you thought you originally were. Yep, that's exactly what happened last night. So, it's 4 AM now and you are scratching your head on what to post.

Hmmm... perhaps I'll pop that movie in again... a couple more hours sleep would be nice.

yeah, I was one of those kids...

... who wore out the grooves on the record with repeated playing. Some of you are blinking blankly after reading that. Oh forgive me... remember those black disks of vinyl that you played on something called a phonograph? Yes, those curiosities from... what? No, it's just a nasty rumor that Nero was playing one while Rome burned... or that it was popular during the black plague.

Anyway, as a child I recall the first EP I wore out had "The Teddy Bear's Picnic" song on it. I would listen to it over and over again and stomp around like a bear... or at least simulate what I thought at the time a bear looked like stomping around. I recall in my 20's I actually loved the song even more because I thought it had a cool creepy element to it... then again everything seemed to have a creepy element to it in my 20's.

The only LP's I owned between the ages of 5 and 8... owned only because my parents bought them for me... were soundtracks from musicals and this Louis Armstrong album. Oh yeah... I would absolutely kill em at family functions with my Statchmo impressions... personally I thought I was at my peak doing that at about 7.

The musical soundtracks I played the most were My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. OK... I'll cop to the fact that I had a huge crush on Julie Andrews... more so in the Sound of Music which I saw on the big screen 7 times. (Yeah, I still think the gazebo scene during "Something Good" is kinda erotic.) I knew every song on those albums inside out. I was known to break out into song at the drop of a hat... I still sort of do that but I do chose my moments now for maximum impact. Usually at the most inappropriate times. Though at the time those were my favorites, I had this insatiable need for music and played every record in the house... soaking in anything from Mantovani to Acker Bilk's Stranger on the Shore.

Dropping a needle on a record on a lazy afternoon and getting sucked into the music emitted by the speakers... ah, that was the bliss of a simpler time. Even the pops and crackles from a scratched record was magical.

EDIT: This post seems to have connected with a lot of you. Thanks for sharing your own experiences in the comments... I guess a lot of us have fond phonograph memories. I was thinking of continuing with a part 2 and 3 anyway. Watch out for it on the next Saturday Stories this coming week.

Cheers!

click here for pt. 2