Thomas Garvey at The Hub Review has responded to my post some weeks ago.
There are two things that are factually in error in his response. The first:
Mr. Daisey even took it upon himself to thoroughly fisk some comments I made about his arguments on Art Hennessey's blog - as is his wont, without notifying me or allowing the possibility of any response.
Mr. Garvey, this is the INTERNET. You can respond anywhere you like...in fact, I believe that where you posted this bizarre complaint is in fact YOUR RESPONSE ON YOUR SITE.
At the post I was respondeding to (link) you can actually see my notification in the comments, where I let the world (and Mr. Garvey) know that I have made comments at my site. I never feel that is required, but I generally do it as a courtesy.
There's all sorts of mystical technology on the internet that keep people informed when they are referenced or their site linked to. It has been my policy for some time that if people can't figure out how to know when they are being publicly commented on, they need to rectify that or take an off ramp from the Information Superhighway.
The second correction is for a humorous subtitle he uses under a picture of me:
You talkin' ta me? 'Cause I'm Mike Daisey, and I'm the only actor here!
I have said this here many times: I AM NOT AN ACTOR. I'm an independent artist working in the American theater. I'm not contained or constrained within the system that actors work within. I negotiate my own contracts, and make my own way in the world. I don't memorize lines, I don't play a role, I am not functioning as an actor within this system. If I lived within that system I would never have been able to give voice to HOW THEATER FAILED AMERICA.
When I work to improve conditions for actors, including pay, stability, and security, that won't change my own negotiations in any way. If I'm able to create artist/staff hybrid positions I don't expect I'll be in line for one, as I have different priorities.
After Mr. Garvey makes clear he believes I am a callow opportunist and an insecure lout, he says:
The fact that his cries for justice simultaneously operate as a means of self-promotion - for a show that, inevitably, takes paying jobs away from other actors - only means that he's a hypocrite, not that he's wrong.
Even when accompanied by insults, it is always a pleasure to hear someone admit that you're right.
After Mr. Garvey teeth-grittingly admits I am right, he writes very clearly and well about the market stressors that bring us to where we are now—there's not much that is new to the conversation, but it is very well put in a small amount of space. He'll be talking about these issues in a follow-up post, which I look forward to.
There are two things that are factually in error in his response. The first:
Mr. Daisey even took it upon himself to thoroughly fisk some comments I made about his arguments on Art Hennessey's blog - as is his wont, without notifying me or allowing the possibility of any response.
Mr. Garvey, this is the INTERNET. You can respond anywhere you like...in fact, I believe that where you posted this bizarre complaint is in fact YOUR RESPONSE ON YOUR SITE.
At the post I was respondeding to (link) you can actually see my notification in the comments, where I let the world (and Mr. Garvey) know that I have made comments at my site. I never feel that is required, but I generally do it as a courtesy.
There's all sorts of mystical technology on the internet that keep people informed when they are referenced or their site linked to. It has been my policy for some time that if people can't figure out how to know when they are being publicly commented on, they need to rectify that or take an off ramp from the Information Superhighway.
The second correction is for a humorous subtitle he uses under a picture of me:
You talkin' ta me? 'Cause I'm Mike Daisey, and I'm the only actor here!
I have said this here many times: I AM NOT AN ACTOR. I'm an independent artist working in the American theater. I'm not contained or constrained within the system that actors work within. I negotiate my own contracts, and make my own way in the world. I don't memorize lines, I don't play a role, I am not functioning as an actor within this system. If I lived within that system I would never have been able to give voice to HOW THEATER FAILED AMERICA.
When I work to improve conditions for actors, including pay, stability, and security, that won't change my own negotiations in any way. If I'm able to create artist/staff hybrid positions I don't expect I'll be in line for one, as I have different priorities.
After Mr. Garvey makes clear he believes I am a callow opportunist and an insecure lout, he says:
The fact that his cries for justice simultaneously operate as a means of self-promotion - for a show that, inevitably, takes paying jobs away from other actors - only means that he's a hypocrite, not that he's wrong.
Even when accompanied by insults, it is always a pleasure to hear someone admit that you're right.
After Mr. Garvey teeth-grittingly admits I am right, he writes very clearly and well about the market stressors that bring us to where we are now—there's not much that is new to the conversation, but it is very well put in a small amount of space. He'll be talking about these issues in a follow-up post, which I look forward to.
Gawker - The Recession is Over! How We Celebrating? - Recessionomics
Gawker - The Recession is Over! How We Celebrating? - Recessionomics:
Still, if the Great Recession does hightail it this year, I'll miss it. There's been something comforting about watching everything we've been taught to value liquefy into a river of shit. Plus when else will we get to see so many colossal hypocrites stripped down so publicly, like a daily Albee climax. The haute monde, the scions of capitalism — they were all exposed as liars or morons (or both), while everyone else was a deluded casualty. We got to watch, read, and blog while the system collapsed under its own hubris, flushing the white collars out of Midtown and Wall Street like a burst dam. There was nowhere to go but down. Sure took the pressure off.
Still, if the Great Recession does hightail it this year, I'll miss it. There's been something comforting about watching everything we've been taught to value liquefy into a river of shit. Plus when else will we get to see so many colossal hypocrites stripped down so publicly, like a daily Albee climax. The haute monde, the scions of capitalism — they were all exposed as liars or morons (or both), while everyone else was a deluded casualty. We got to watch, read, and blog while the system collapsed under its own hubris, flushing the white collars out of Midtown and Wall Street like a burst dam. There was nowhere to go but down. Sure took the pressure off.
The Making of Zach Galifianakis - NYTimes.com
The Making of Zach Galifianakis - NYTimes.com:
Perhaps more than anyone else in the business, Galifianakis embodies the rebellion against the outmoded Comedy Club circuit — the exposed brick, the two-drink minimum, the indifferent audience, the “regular guy with an attitude” routine — which has come to be labeled the “indie comedy” movement. “Zach is so conceptual,” Sarah Silverman, who has known and worked with Galifianakis since the mid-’90s, told me. “He’s definitely part of the excitement of this shift, this idea of comedy as art. Whether he’s at his piano, offering deadpan one-liners, or trying out some brand-new conceptual piece — like the ways he uses musicians, or flip-board messages, or the first thing that comes into his head — he is so totally original and thrilling to watch.”
Perhaps more than anyone else in the business, Galifianakis embodies the rebellion against the outmoded Comedy Club circuit — the exposed brick, the two-drink minimum, the indifferent audience, the “regular guy with an attitude” routine — which has come to be labeled the “indie comedy” movement. “Zach is so conceptual,” Sarah Silverman, who has known and worked with Galifianakis since the mid-’90s, told me. “He’s definitely part of the excitement of this shift, this idea of comedy as art. Whether he’s at his piano, offering deadpan one-liners, or trying out some brand-new conceptual piece — like the ways he uses musicians, or flip-board messages, or the first thing that comes into his head — he is so totally original and thrilling to watch.”
Gawker - Rehashing Your 'Coke Whore' Past for Fun and Profit - Danielle staub
Gawker - Rehashing Your 'Coke Whore' Past for Fun and Profit - Danielle staub:
UPDATE: A Bravo rep got back to us with their stock response to the Staub controversy, the most delightfully absurd work of flack lunacy we've encountered in a long, long time: "Bravo does not comment on the personal lives of our talent." Eleven words, three lies: Guess what they are!
UPDATE: A Bravo rep got back to us with their stock response to the Staub controversy, the most delightfully absurd work of flack lunacy we've encountered in a long, long time: "Bravo does not comment on the personal lives of our talent." Eleven words, three lies: Guess what they are!
Arlene Goldbard's piece on the appointment of Rocco Landesman is laden with exactly the kind of smugness that makes me grind my teeth when I encounter it in the non-profit arts world. Check out the opening:
In case he reads this, I’ll summarize my advice up front: Rocco Landesman, the intelligence, risk-taking and independence for which you are admired on Broadway will be of little use to this country unless you recognize how much you have to learn about the public interest in culture and democracy, committing to educate yourself, pronto. I sincerely hope you accept this challenge.
Translation: you're an ignorant idiot—you probably can't or won't learn anything, but at least when you don't I'll be able to say "I told you so."
She does recognize that Dana Gioia was a disaster, so we're not disagreeing on everything—and I understand her ambivalence about even caring about what the NEA is funding, while simultaneously holding the symbolism of the NEA in regard as a long-dimming promise made to the American people.
Rocco and I don't agree on everything, but equating his appointment with that of Jane Alexander is insulting—Rocco has worked tirelessly in the theater for decades, producing some of the most critically-lauded shows of the last thirty years. He's studied and taught theater history and management at Yale, and has a long history publishing critical thinking on the state of theater and the arts in this country.
Tellingly she chooses to cherrypick quotes from a 1994 NewYorker profile of Landesman. More illuminating would have been if she had chosen to address his 2000 essay on the non-profit theater movement, or any of his other writings on the subject. Rocco is extremely outspoken—there's no shortage of his opinion. It seems a shame to pick apart fifteen year-old profiles when one can actually wrestle with the man's ideas.
At one point Goldbard says:
The people who feel this way see Landesman as an intelligent and independent risk-taker, a no-nonsense entrepreneur whose remarkable commercial success will somehow translate into an era of thriving expansion for the NEA.
This omits an important detail: it's commercial AND critical success. Artistic success. And his success is tied directly to his skill at negotiating, and his personal charisma, both of which are high.
The counterargument is:
The people who are dismayed by his appointment see the yawning gap between the skills, values and expertise of a Broadway producer and the qualities and abilities needed in the person appointed to nurture and safeguard a cultural democracy encompassing the entire arts ecology.
We're dealing with the NEA, which just suffered terribly under Gioia's "leadership"—who would be a better fit? Who has the policy experience, tied to leadership and charisma to revitalize the NEA?
Rocco is a bold choice—I'd argue that arts in America have long been guilty of never making bold choices, accepting less and less, compromising and conceding and shrinking.
If not Rocco, who?
In case he reads this, I’ll summarize my advice up front: Rocco Landesman, the intelligence, risk-taking and independence for which you are admired on Broadway will be of little use to this country unless you recognize how much you have to learn about the public interest in culture and democracy, committing to educate yourself, pronto. I sincerely hope you accept this challenge.
Translation: you're an ignorant idiot—you probably can't or won't learn anything, but at least when you don't I'll be able to say "I told you so."
She does recognize that Dana Gioia was a disaster, so we're not disagreeing on everything—and I understand her ambivalence about even caring about what the NEA is funding, while simultaneously holding the symbolism of the NEA in regard as a long-dimming promise made to the American people.
Rocco and I don't agree on everything, but equating his appointment with that of Jane Alexander is insulting—Rocco has worked tirelessly in the theater for decades, producing some of the most critically-lauded shows of the last thirty years. He's studied and taught theater history and management at Yale, and has a long history publishing critical thinking on the state of theater and the arts in this country.
Tellingly she chooses to cherrypick quotes from a 1994 NewYorker profile of Landesman. More illuminating would have been if she had chosen to address his 2000 essay on the non-profit theater movement, or any of his other writings on the subject. Rocco is extremely outspoken—there's no shortage of his opinion. It seems a shame to pick apart fifteen year-old profiles when one can actually wrestle with the man's ideas.
At one point Goldbard says:
The people who feel this way see Landesman as an intelligent and independent risk-taker, a no-nonsense entrepreneur whose remarkable commercial success will somehow translate into an era of thriving expansion for the NEA.
This omits an important detail: it's commercial AND critical success. Artistic success. And his success is tied directly to his skill at negotiating, and his personal charisma, both of which are high.
The counterargument is:
The people who are dismayed by his appointment see the yawning gap between the skills, values and expertise of a Broadway producer and the qualities and abilities needed in the person appointed to nurture and safeguard a cultural democracy encompassing the entire arts ecology.
We're dealing with the NEA, which just suffered terribly under Gioia's "leadership"—who would be a better fit? Who has the policy experience, tied to leadership and charisma to revitalize the NEA?
Rocco is a bold choice—I'd argue that arts in America have long been guilty of never making bold choices, accepting less and less, compromising and conceding and shrinking.
If not Rocco, who?
Matt Taibbi - Taibblog - Don’t pin the recession on AIG’s Joe Cassano - True/Slant
Don’t pin the recession on AIG’s Joe Cassano - True/Slant:
Having written one of many articles identifying Cassano as a key cause of the crisis, I guess I and people like me should have seen this coming — that at some point down the road a general consensus would form blaming some rogue individual for the financial crisis. And while Joe Cassano is certainly as guilty as a person can be, the notion that he alone is responsible for this mess is not only appalling but extremely dangerous. The people who would believe such a thing are the same people who believe that this crisis might have been avoided if a few minor changes had been made. I’ve heard people say, for instance, that much havoc could have been avoidded if there had just been a law mandating margin requirements for CDS contracts, so that people like Cassano couldn’t make bets without the money to pay off.
This is bullshit. And it’s dangerous bullshit. The problem isn’t a few technical glitches in the system that allowed the Cassanos of the world to drive Mack Trucks of leverage through a loophole or two. The problem is, at its roots, a profound collapse of morals on Wall Street that would have found its way to financial destruction using any available set of instruments and laws. We are talking about people who sold giant rafts of bullshit mortgages to pensions, who stuck municipalities, innocent taxpayers, with time-bombs of subprime debt. And not just one trader here and there, but thousands of them, with the sober approval of the highest level executives in the biggest firms. On its most basic level what these people did is rip off huge institutional investors — old people, taxpayers, you and me — by finding ways to game the system and trick the big institutional fund managers into buying what they thought were safe investments, but were actually financial lemons that could barely make it out of the lot.
Having written one of many articles identifying Cassano as a key cause of the crisis, I guess I and people like me should have seen this coming — that at some point down the road a general consensus would form blaming some rogue individual for the financial crisis. And while Joe Cassano is certainly as guilty as a person can be, the notion that he alone is responsible for this mess is not only appalling but extremely dangerous. The people who would believe such a thing are the same people who believe that this crisis might have been avoided if a few minor changes had been made. I’ve heard people say, for instance, that much havoc could have been avoidded if there had just been a law mandating margin requirements for CDS contracts, so that people like Cassano couldn’t make bets without the money to pay off.
This is bullshit. And it’s dangerous bullshit. The problem isn’t a few technical glitches in the system that allowed the Cassanos of the world to drive Mack Trucks of leverage through a loophole or two. The problem is, at its roots, a profound collapse of morals on Wall Street that would have found its way to financial destruction using any available set of instruments and laws. We are talking about people who sold giant rafts of bullshit mortgages to pensions, who stuck municipalities, innocent taxpayers, with time-bombs of subprime debt. And not just one trader here and there, but thousands of them, with the sober approval of the highest level executives in the biggest firms. On its most basic level what these people did is rip off huge institutional investors — old people, taxpayers, you and me — by finding ways to game the system and trick the big institutional fund managers into buying what they thought were safe investments, but were actually financial lemons that could barely make it out of the lot.
Five Questions for Walter Kirn « Culturebot
Five Questions for Walter Kirn « Culturebot:
5. Have you ever had to make a choice between work and art? What did you choose, why, and what was the outcome?
I used to think that work and art were opposed somehow, like marriage and true love, say, but over the years I’ve come to see that keeping work out of your art and vice-a-versa impoverishes both of them. At Oxford I learned that our language’s greatest writers, from Shakespeare to Dr. Johnson, collapsed this distinction, singing for their suppers without apologies. The notion that mere toil and fine expression are separate activities is mostly propounded by wealthy amateurs.
5. Have you ever had to make a choice between work and art? What did you choose, why, and what was the outcome?
I used to think that work and art were opposed somehow, like marriage and true love, say, but over the years I’ve come to see that keeping work out of your art and vice-a-versa impoverishes both of them. At Oxford I learned that our language’s greatest writers, from Shakespeare to Dr. Johnson, collapsed this distinction, singing for their suppers without apologies. The notion that mere toil and fine expression are separate activities is mostly propounded by wealthy amateurs.
Mike Arauz: Listen to Mike Daisey Tell You A Story
Mike Arauz: Listen to Mike Daisey Tell You A Story:
Listen to this recording of Mike Daisey telling a story about Maureen Dowd, Facebook, Twitter, the death of print media, the movie Young Guns, douchebags, and more. There's a lot that will ring true - and hilarious - for anyone who spends time thinking about how we use the internet. (Warning: contains some NSFW language.)
Mike Daisey is a master storyteller. I've been fortunate enough to follow his work since his first New York production 21 Dog Years: Doing Time @ Amazon.com back in 2002. I've probably seen Mike tell his stories live over a dozen times. Now it's your turn to hear what's so great about him.
Mike performs these stories extemporaneously, i.e. without a script. He simply sits at a desk with a basic outline of topics to cover and proceeds to weave together these incredibly complex and compelling tales.
Listen to this recording of Mike Daisey telling a story about Maureen Dowd, Facebook, Twitter, the death of print media, the movie Young Guns, douchebags, and more. There's a lot that will ring true - and hilarious - for anyone who spends time thinking about how we use the internet. (Warning: contains some NSFW language.)
Mike Daisey is a master storyteller. I've been fortunate enough to follow his work since his first New York production 21 Dog Years: Doing Time @ Amazon.com back in 2002. I've probably seen Mike tell his stories live over a dozen times. Now it's your turn to hear what's so great about him.
Mike performs these stories extemporaneously, i.e. without a script. He simply sits at a desk with a basic outline of topics to cover and proceeds to weave together these incredibly complex and compelling tales.
The Economic Downturn Has Made Everything Boring | new curator
The Economic Downturn Has Made Everything Boring | new curator:
The late J. G. Ballard once said:
I would sum up my fear about the future in one word: boring. And that’s my one fear: that everything has happened; nothing exciting or new or interesting is ever going to happen again… the future is just going to be a vast, conforming suburb of the soul.
The Ballardian nightmare is that we would run out of innovation. If news patterns are anything to go by, the recession has done something worse: It has put our future on pause.
I’m viewing this through newcurator editorial lens. Everything I blogged was chosen (sort of) carefully. They were not all heralds of a sweeping changes in the museum mainstream, nor end points of discussion. They were little steps or small shifts along a path that I would sometimes get demonstrative over to make a point. I notice there has been a a distinct lack of these steps compared to a couple of months ago; an innovation downturn. Don’t believe what the New York Times says about “Tight Times Loosen Creativity”. What Mike Daisey (and Susie Bright) posted in response says it better than I could.
The late J. G. Ballard once said:
I would sum up my fear about the future in one word: boring. And that’s my one fear: that everything has happened; nothing exciting or new or interesting is ever going to happen again… the future is just going to be a vast, conforming suburb of the soul.
The Ballardian nightmare is that we would run out of innovation. If news patterns are anything to go by, the recession has done something worse: It has put our future on pause.
I’m viewing this through newcurator editorial lens. Everything I blogged was chosen (sort of) carefully. They were not all heralds of a sweeping changes in the museum mainstream, nor end points of discussion. They were little steps or small shifts along a path that I would sometimes get demonstrative over to make a point. I notice there has been a a distinct lack of these steps compared to a couple of months ago; an innovation downturn. Don’t believe what the New York Times says about “Tight Times Loosen Creativity”. What Mike Daisey (and Susie Bright) posted in response says it better than I could.
Live Arts & Fringe Festival Blog: Bacon Is Delicious. And Mysterious. Unless You're Vegan. Then Only Mysterious.
Live Arts & Fringe Festival Blog: Bacon Is Delicious. And Mysterious. Unless You're Vegan. Then Only Mysterious.:
Mike Daisey is, bluntly, a brilliant performer. His monologue The Last Cargo Cult will see its world premiere at the 2009 Live Arts Festival, where he'll also perform his show How Theater Failed America. Last month, he launched "Mysteries of the Unexplained" at Joe's Pub in Manhattan. It's a series of one-off, one-night-only performances, each of which takes on one mysterious topic.
Mike Daisey is, bluntly, a brilliant performer. His monologue The Last Cargo Cult will see its world premiere at the 2009 Live Arts Festival, where he'll also perform his show How Theater Failed America. Last month, he launched "Mysteries of the Unexplained" at Joe's Pub in Manhattan. It's a series of one-off, one-night-only performances, each of which takes on one mysterious topic.
Skull and Bones - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Skull and Bones - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Members are assigned nicknames. "Long Devil" is assigned to the tallest member; "Boaz" goes to any member who is a varsity football captain. Many of the chosen names are drawn from literature ("Hamlet," "Uncle Remus"), from religion and from myth. The banker Lewis Lapham passed on his name, "Sancho Panza," to the political adviser Tex McCrary. Averell Harriman was "Thor," Henry Luce was "Baal," McGeorge Bundy was "Odin." George H. W. Bush was "Magog," a name reserved for a member considered to have the most sexual experience. George W. Bush, unable to decide, was temporarily called "Temporary," and the name was never changed.[9]
Members are assigned nicknames. "Long Devil" is assigned to the tallest member; "Boaz" goes to any member who is a varsity football captain. Many of the chosen names are drawn from literature ("Hamlet," "Uncle Remus"), from religion and from myth. The banker Lewis Lapham passed on his name, "Sancho Panza," to the political adviser Tex McCrary. Averell Harriman was "Thor," Henry Luce was "Baal," McGeorge Bundy was "Odin." George H. W. Bush was "Magog," a name reserved for a member considered to have the most sexual experience. George W. Bush, unable to decide, was temporarily called "Temporary," and the name was never changed.[9]
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Our thanks to everyone who came out for the first MYSTERIES OF THE UNEXPLAINED in early May. The topic was FACEBOOK—that phenomenon was addressed, as was Maureen Dowd, the death of print media, the movie Young Guns, the evolution of douchebags, and all points between.
Because we sold out quickly many of you didn't get to see the show, so follow the link below to listen to a recording of the evening here:
Mysteries of the Unexplained: FACEBOOK!
Thanks to all of you who submitted new topics for future MYSTERIES OF THE UNEXPLAINED. Some of our favorite submissions included:
Whole Foods
Crop Circles
Bed Bugs or the MTA--both are creepy
Attachment Parenting
Attention Deficit Disorder (Note: show must be in 3 acts of only 12 minutes each)
Ayn Rand
Vegans
What Do Women Want? Really, Seriously! I mean it!!!
But the winning submission was provided by Rishi Chatrath, who will receive free tickets to see his suggestion brought to life onstage on June 8th:
Mike Daisey Presents
MYSTERIES OF THE UNEXPLAINED:
BACON!
June 8th at 9:30pm
Joe's Pub at the Public Theater
We return to Joe’s Pub with a one-night orgy of all things bacon: from sizzling fat to swine flu, from baco-bits to Hasids to Charlotte’s Web. In one delicious hour we’ll explore bacon in all its filthy, gorgeous deliciousness.
*** Note: Bacon will be cooked and served by the performer during the performance. ***
Tickets are limited and will go quickly, so to avoid a terrifying bacon-less future order at the following link.
Be seeing you,
md
PS: This is not a joke. There really will be bacon for all who attend.
Because we sold out quickly many of you didn't get to see the show, so follow the link below to listen to a recording of the evening here:
Mysteries of the Unexplained: FACEBOOK!
Thanks to all of you who submitted new topics for future MYSTERIES OF THE UNEXPLAINED. Some of our favorite submissions included:
Whole Foods
Crop Circles
Bed Bugs or the MTA--both are creepy
Attachment Parenting
Attention Deficit Disorder (Note: show must be in 3 acts of only 12 minutes each)
Ayn Rand
Vegans
What Do Women Want? Really, Seriously! I mean it!!!
But the winning submission was provided by Rishi Chatrath, who will receive free tickets to see his suggestion brought to life onstage on June 8th:
Mike Daisey Presents
MYSTERIES OF THE UNEXPLAINED:
BACON!
June 8th at 9:30pm
Joe's Pub at the Public Theater
We return to Joe’s Pub with a one-night orgy of all things bacon: from sizzling fat to swine flu, from baco-bits to Hasids to Charlotte’s Web. In one delicious hour we’ll explore bacon in all its filthy, gorgeous deliciousness.
*** Note: Bacon will be cooked and served by the performer during the performance. ***
Tickets are limited and will go quickly, so to avoid a terrifying bacon-less future order at the following link.
Be seeing you,
md
PS: This is not a joke. There really will be bacon for all who attend.
Shouts & Murmurs: My Quiet Time: Humor: The New Yorker
Shouts & Murmurs: My Quiet Time: Humor: The New Yorker:
By 1:03, I’ve had two cups of coffee, I’m down in my basement on the elliptical, and my heart is pounding like a cheetah’s. I know that cheetahs have a fast heart rate because I often watch Animal Planet while I’m on the elliptical, although sometimes I’ll do the picture-in-picture thing so I can watch CNBC Asia while I’m watching the thing about the cheetahs. It isn’t always about cheetahs; it’s about other animals, too, like meerkats. I just said cheetahs as a for instance. I do the elliptical naked. One time when I was on the elliptical, I patched myself into a conference call in Jakarta and accidentally hit the camera thing on my phone, so everyone wound up seeing me in the buff, all flopping around and everything. Another time when I was on the elliptical, I saw an amazing documentary about cheetahs.
By 1:03, I’ve had two cups of coffee, I’m down in my basement on the elliptical, and my heart is pounding like a cheetah’s. I know that cheetahs have a fast heart rate because I often watch Animal Planet while I’m on the elliptical, although sometimes I’ll do the picture-in-picture thing so I can watch CNBC Asia while I’m watching the thing about the cheetahs. It isn’t always about cheetahs; it’s about other animals, too, like meerkats. I just said cheetahs as a for instance. I do the elliptical naked. One time when I was on the elliptical, I patched myself into a conference call in Jakarta and accidentally hit the camera thing on my phone, so everyone wound up seeing me in the buff, all flopping around and everything. Another time when I was on the elliptical, I saw an amazing documentary about cheetahs.
Parabasis: Mission Paradox on Endowed Artist Chairs
Parabasis: Mission Paradox on Endowed Artist Chairs:
I think (correct me if I'm wrong here, Adam) where this quibble flows from is that Adam believes that donors aren't resistant to funding people rather than buildings, it's that they're generally unaware that the people are so underfunded. Therefore there's no real need for a new funding model for artists, we just need institutions to use the old model correctly.
The problem is... well, they don't use them correctly. They largely haven't over the past couple of decades and that's how we got here. So to me, having some structure in place (dare I say... a lock box?) the ensures that money go to a specific worthwhile and important goal that institutions frequently shortchange is a positive not a negative thing. I understand it might not be in the institutions self-interest, but again that might in some cases be a positive.
I think (correct me if I'm wrong here, Adam) where this quibble flows from is that Adam believes that donors aren't resistant to funding people rather than buildings, it's that they're generally unaware that the people are so underfunded. Therefore there's no real need for a new funding model for artists, we just need institutions to use the old model correctly.
The problem is... well, they don't use them correctly. They largely haven't over the past couple of decades and that's how we got here. So to me, having some structure in place (dare I say... a lock box?) the ensures that money go to a specific worthwhile and important goal that institutions frequently shortchange is a positive not a negative thing. I understand it might not be in the institutions self-interest, but again that might in some cases be a positive.
Kink.com: Princess Donna: Morning Musings
Morning Musings:
The time you told me you loved me I was, yup, you guessed it, at a rave. i was on drugs. i thought it was e that we bought, but apparently no. i was sinking into the floor and i told you i loved you and you said nothing. wine and feathers were flying through the air and i was clinging to your long body for stability. after the parade of feathers and people in weird outfits had passed you told me you loved me and my heart did something really weird.
The time you told me you loved me I was, yup, you guessed it, at a rave. i was on drugs. i thought it was e that we bought, but apparently no. i was sinking into the floor and i told you i loved you and you said nothing. wine and feathers were flying through the air and i was clinging to your long body for stability. after the parade of feathers and people in weird outfits had passed you told me you loved me and my heart did something really weird.
Our Theme Music | You Look Nice Today
Our Theme Music | You Look Nice Today:
Our opening theme music is a track called “Pony Gallop (Morning Surprise),” by the Five Senses. They were a mostly-ukulele jam band out of Montréal, famous for their 4 hour sitar/uke trance sessions and subsequent pancake breakfasts. Sadly, their CD’s were deemed “obscene” by US Customs (a clerical error, one must assume), and all copies were destroyed at the border. Worse, the band had forgotten to hold on to the original recordings.
How I got addicted to playing games on my iPhone. - By Farhad Manjoo - Slate Magazine
How I got addicted to playing games on my iPhone. - By Farhad Manjoo - Slate Magazine:
When I tell people that my iPhone isn't a very good phone—its reception in my apartment is so terrible that I reach for Skype as an alternative—they look at me as if I'm an idiot. Why pay all that money for a phone that doesn't phone? But the iPhone's name is a marketing trick; it's really a mobile computer that I occasionally use to make crappy phone calls.
When I tell people that my iPhone isn't a very good phone—its reception in my apartment is so terrible that I reach for Skype as an alternative—they look at me as if I'm an idiot. Why pay all that money for a phone that doesn't phone? But the iPhone's name is a marketing trick; it's really a mobile computer that I occasionally use to make crappy phone calls.
Franklin among laid off WMA staffers - Entertainment News, Entertainment Industry & the Economy, Media - Variety
Franklin among laid off WMA staffers - Entertainment News, Entertainment Industry & the Economy, Media - Variety:
Peter Franklin, the longtime head of WMA's theater department, was among the 100-plus WMA staffers to get a pink slip earlier this week.
A fixture at the agency, Franklin worked with a list of firmly established legit creatives including Edward Albee, Arthur Laurents and Terrence McNally.
News of Franklin's departure amid the consolidation of WMA and Endeavor operations sounds like confirmation of long-swirling rumors that the WMA theater department would be shut down in the merger with Endeavor. However, a rep for WME said there are no plans to scuttle the division.
I call bullshit—it's TOTALLY a sign that WMA doesn't give a tin shit about the theater division, regardless of who is in the stable, and even if there is the possibility of film/TV adaptation. They are cleaning house and planning for the future post-Endeavor, and in William Morris' eyes that future doesn't include theater.
Franklin is as big as they come in the world of legit theater agents. That they'd be willing to kick him to the curb so brazenly indicates a belief that the fearful playwrights and directors will stick with WMA...and also some degree of not caring whether they do or not. Theater income is a rounding error in the William Morris shark tank.
This is the kind of theater news that most will gloss over or not appreciate, but it's actually a really big indicator, and more of the kind of seismic tremors occurring as theater retracts and appears less relevant as a cultural medium to corporate moneymakers.
(Full disclosure: I've worked with William Morris—or was that unclear? ;)
Peter Franklin, the longtime head of WMA's theater department, was among the 100-plus WMA staffers to get a pink slip earlier this week.
A fixture at the agency, Franklin worked with a list of firmly established legit creatives including Edward Albee, Arthur Laurents and Terrence McNally.
News of Franklin's departure amid the consolidation of WMA and Endeavor operations sounds like confirmation of long-swirling rumors that the WMA theater department would be shut down in the merger with Endeavor. However, a rep for WME said there are no plans to scuttle the division.
I call bullshit—it's TOTALLY a sign that WMA doesn't give a tin shit about the theater division, regardless of who is in the stable, and even if there is the possibility of film/TV adaptation. They are cleaning house and planning for the future post-Endeavor, and in William Morris' eyes that future doesn't include theater.
Franklin is as big as they come in the world of legit theater agents. That they'd be willing to kick him to the curb so brazenly indicates a belief that the fearful playwrights and directors will stick with WMA...and also some degree of not caring whether they do or not. Theater income is a rounding error in the William Morris shark tank.
This is the kind of theater news that most will gloss over or not appreciate, but it's actually a really big indicator, and more of the kind of seismic tremors occurring as theater retracts and appears less relevant as a cultural medium to corporate moneymakers.
(Full disclosure: I've worked with William Morris—or was that unclear? ;)
Kindle Bloggers Become Amazon’s Bitches : Edward Champion’s Reluctant Habits
Kindle Bloggers Become Amazon’s Bitches : Edward Champion’s Reluctant Habits:
Not only do you give Amazon “a nonexclusive, irrevocable, worldwide right and license to distribute” your blogging, but you also give this up to affiliates and independent contractors. So let’s say a major publisher decides to “independently contract” with Amazon. And they see a blog that they like. Well, guess what? They can take your content, publish it as a book, and collect the revenue without paying you a dime. Because Section 4 (”Royalties”) specifies that the blogger only gets paid for “Subscription and Single Issue sales revenues,” meaning any of the 30% revenue that you’re going to get with the Kindle. And I particularly love how Section 5 gives the blogger a mere six months to file a legal claim, which is “limited to a determination of the amount of monies” and not operational practices. You know, trivial concerns such as Amazon distributing your content to affiliates and independent contractors without the blogger’s consent.
I am extremely saddened to see so many of my fellow bloggers betray their interests. They have happily become corporate slaves, granting “a nonexclusive, irrevocable, worldwide right and license” to their thoughtful essays and carefully written posts.
Not only do you give Amazon “a nonexclusive, irrevocable, worldwide right and license to distribute” your blogging, but you also give this up to affiliates and independent contractors. So let’s say a major publisher decides to “independently contract” with Amazon. And they see a blog that they like. Well, guess what? They can take your content, publish it as a book, and collect the revenue without paying you a dime. Because Section 4 (”Royalties”) specifies that the blogger only gets paid for “Subscription and Single Issue sales revenues,” meaning any of the 30% revenue that you’re going to get with the Kindle. And I particularly love how Section 5 gives the blogger a mere six months to file a legal claim, which is “limited to a determination of the amount of monies” and not operational practices. You know, trivial concerns such as Amazon distributing your content to affiliates and independent contractors without the blogger’s consent.
I am extremely saddened to see so many of my fellow bloggers betray their interests. They have happily become corporate slaves, granting “a nonexclusive, irrevocable, worldwide right and license” to their thoughtful essays and carefully written posts.
A career in theater is a fast track to poverty - The Arts Blog - OCRegister.com
A career in theater is a fast track to poverty - The Arts Blog - OCRegister.com:
In November I had coffee in New York with Kate Whoriskey, one of the most well-regarded under-40 stage directors in the country. She was working with Elizabeth Franz on the New York debut of Julia Cho’s “The Piano Teacher” at the Vineyard Theatre. Despite her success, Whoriskey said she was worried about the future. “It’s not easy living from job to job,” she told me. “Often I have no idea where the next (directing assignment) will come from, or when it will come.” Whoriskey admitted she would love to find a resident full-time position, perhaps an artistic director job at a regional theater. “This gets old after a while,” she said of her itinerant and meager existence.
Whoriskey is a very compelling and likely choice to replace Bart Sher at Intiman. I have no inside track—I'm just saying that she has a fantastic resume, has worked on some excellent and provocative projects and just directed the Pulitzer Prize-winning RUINED.
She's also directed both THE CHAIRS and BLUE/ORANGE at Intiman, and was in residence at Intiman on a TCG New Generations grant.
In November I had coffee in New York with Kate Whoriskey, one of the most well-regarded under-40 stage directors in the country. She was working with Elizabeth Franz on the New York debut of Julia Cho’s “The Piano Teacher” at the Vineyard Theatre. Despite her success, Whoriskey said she was worried about the future. “It’s not easy living from job to job,” she told me. “Often I have no idea where the next (directing assignment) will come from, or when it will come.” Whoriskey admitted she would love to find a resident full-time position, perhaps an artistic director job at a regional theater. “This gets old after a while,” she said of her itinerant and meager existence.
Whoriskey is a very compelling and likely choice to replace Bart Sher at Intiman. I have no inside track—I'm just saying that she has a fantastic resume, has worked on some excellent and provocative projects and just directed the Pulitzer Prize-winning RUINED.
She's also directed both THE CHAIRS and BLUE/ORANGE at Intiman, and was in residence at Intiman on a TCG New Generations grant.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The Playgoer: Bart Sher: On the Move?
The Playgoer: Bart Sher: On the Move?:
Gossip aside, though, there is a larger question: what do we make of jetsetting regional theater Artistic Directors who spend more time in NYC than in their "home" town? Lord knows, there have been several. Jack O'Brien ran a veritable Broadway empire for years out of the Old Globe. Ditto Des McAnuff at LaJolla. (And now at Canada's Stratford Festival.)
Kind of reminds me of Mike Daisey's image in "How Theater Failed America" of NY actors being freeze-dried and flown into random cities for their six weeks before being sent back to NY. If our "regionals" need to build stronger bonds with their local communities, shouldn't it start at the top? With Artistic Directors truly living and working there year-round?
Gossip aside, though, there is a larger question: what do we make of jetsetting regional theater Artistic Directors who spend more time in NYC than in their "home" town? Lord knows, there have been several. Jack O'Brien ran a veritable Broadway empire for years out of the Old Globe. Ditto Des McAnuff at LaJolla. (And now at Canada's Stratford Festival.)
Kind of reminds me of Mike Daisey's image in "How Theater Failed America" of NY actors being freeze-dried and flown into random cities for their six weeks before being sent back to NY. If our "regionals" need to build stronger bonds with their local communities, shouldn't it start at the top? With Artistic Directors truly living and working there year-round?
The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan
Recession Comes to the Professionals:
Business Week's Michael Mandel crunches the numbers and turns up some disturbing results. While recession has hit hardest at blue-collar workers, it is taking its toll on professional jobs as well. Unemployment for professionals overall increased by roughly four percent between August 2008 and April 2009. But the recession is hitting much harder at certain types of professionals. Computing and mathematical jobs (heavy on software engineers, computer scientists, and systems analysts) are down 9.3 percent; engineering and architectural jobs (two-thirds engineering) are down 10.3 percent; and "creative professional" jobs - working artists, musicians, dancers, entertainers, reporters, editors, writers, and other media types - are down 11.3 percent.
Allison Kilkenny: What Maureen Dowd is Trying to Tell Us
Allison Kilkenny: What Maureen Dowd is Trying to Tell Us:
How did you ingrates expect her to maintain this level of excellence all these years without occasionally plagiarizing from a "parasitic blogger"? And yet I see this latest scandal as a cry for help from Dowd. She's trying to tell us, and her bosses at The New York Times, something very important.
Maureen Dowd wants to retire her column to Josh Marshall.
How did you ingrates expect her to maintain this level of excellence all these years without occasionally plagiarizing from a "parasitic blogger"? And yet I see this latest scandal as a cry for help from Dowd. She's trying to tell us, and her bosses at The New York Times, something very important.
Maureen Dowd wants to retire her column to Josh Marshall.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Obsidian Wings: The Uighurs: 1
Obsidian Wings: The Uighurs: 1:
The short version is: the Uighurs are refugees from China who wound up in a village in Afghanistan affiliated with a group called the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. Some wanted to resist Chinese rule; some were just trying to get away from Chinese oppression; one was trying to go to Turkey and couldn't get a visa. They were not trained by al Qaeda. There is no evidence that any of them had anything against the US, or ever acted against us. The village was bombed, and they fled and were turned in by bounty hunters.
Even the Bush administration's Combatant Status Review Commissions, which were heavily slanted towards the government, found them not to be enemy combatants. (The government had decided that some of them were not enemy combatants even before their CSRT hearings.) Despite that fact, we have kept them in prison for over seven years. (After they were cleared in 2003, they could not be released back to China, since they would be tortured or killed.) That's a very long time to be locked away without having done anything. Some of them have children they have never met. Their wives and families did not know that they were alive for several years.
The short version is: the Uighurs are refugees from China who wound up in a village in Afghanistan affiliated with a group called the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. Some wanted to resist Chinese rule; some were just trying to get away from Chinese oppression; one was trying to go to Turkey and couldn't get a visa. They were not trained by al Qaeda. There is no evidence that any of them had anything against the US, or ever acted against us. The village was bombed, and they fled and were turned in by bounty hunters.
Even the Bush administration's Combatant Status Review Commissions, which were heavily slanted towards the government, found them not to be enemy combatants. (The government had decided that some of them were not enemy combatants even before their CSRT hearings.) Despite that fact, we have kept them in prison for over seven years. (After they were cleared in 2003, they could not be released back to China, since they would be tortured or killed.) That's a very long time to be locked away without having done anything. Some of them have children they have never met. Their wives and families did not know that they were alive for several years.
HACKERS CAN SIDEJACK COOKIES
A beige toaster is a maggotbox.
A bit bucket is a data sink.
Farkled is a synonym for hosed.
Flamage is a weenie problem.
A berserker wizard gets no score for treasure.
In MUDs one acknowledges
a bonk with an oif.
(There’s a cosmic bonk/oif balance.)
Ooblick is play sludge.
A buttonhook is a hunchback.
Logic bombs can get inside
back doors. There were published bang paths
ten hops long. Designs succumbing
to creeping featuritis
are banana problems.
(“I know how to spell banana,
but I don’t know when to stop.”)
Before you reconfigure,
mount a scratch monkey.
A dogcow makes
a moof. An aliasing bug
can smash the stack.
Who wrote these tunes,
these runes you need
black art to parse?
Don’t think it’s only
genius (flaming), humor (dry),
a briefcase of cerebral dust.
A hat’s a shark fin, and the tilde’s dash
is swung: the daughter of the programmer
has got her period. It’s all about wetware at last,
and wetware lives in meatspace.
—Heather McHugh
A beige toaster is a maggotbox.
A bit bucket is a data sink.
Farkled is a synonym for hosed.
Flamage is a weenie problem.
A berserker wizard gets no score for treasure.
In MUDs one acknowledges
a bonk with an oif.
(There’s a cosmic bonk/oif balance.)
Ooblick is play sludge.
A buttonhook is a hunchback.
Logic bombs can get inside
back doors. There were published bang paths
ten hops long. Designs succumbing
to creeping featuritis
are banana problems.
(“I know how to spell banana,
but I don’t know when to stop.”)
Before you reconfigure,
mount a scratch monkey.
A dogcow makes
a moof. An aliasing bug
can smash the stack.
Who wrote these tunes,
these runes you need
black art to parse?
Don’t think it’s only
genius (flaming), humor (dry),
a briefcase of cerebral dust.
A hat’s a shark fin, and the tilde’s dash
is swung: the daughter of the programmer
has got her period. It’s all about wetware at last,
and wetware lives in meatspace.
—Heather McHugh
GROGNARDIA: An Interview with Lawrence Schick
GROGNARDIA: An Interview with Lawrence Schick:
A more professional approach to publishing, instead of rampant cronyism and callous exploitation of the D&D fan base, would have enabled TSR to reach beyond the niche and find a broader audience. D&D would have been able to co-opt computer RPGs and collectible card games, instead of being steam-rollered by them. Ultimately Gygax and the Blumes were unable to transition effectively to the mass market, and thus lost control of their product and brand. I mean, I was only 24-25 years old in those days, and even then I could see where they were going wrong. They were done in by greed and arrogance.
A more professional approach to publishing, instead of rampant cronyism and callous exploitation of the D&D fan base, would have enabled TSR to reach beyond the niche and find a broader audience. D&D would have been able to co-opt computer RPGs and collectible card games, instead of being steam-rollered by them. Ultimately Gygax and the Blumes were unable to transition effectively to the mass market, and thus lost control of their product and brand. I mean, I was only 24-25 years old in those days, and even then I could see where they were going wrong. They were done in by greed and arrogance.
WET's Titus Amends a Gory Story - Seattlest: Seattle News, Food, Arts & Events
WET's Titus Amends a Gory Story - Seattlest: Seattle News, Food, Arts & Events:
The hipster spaceman costumes of the soldiers in Titus are your first clue that this isn't a traditional take. So too with the decision to exsanguinate Shakespeare's goriest play--each character “bleeds” red, but it's not stage blood, but rhinestones, thumb tacks, feathers, even gummy worms.
I just received spam from a CNN-subsidiary who programs their in-flight news. I've always wondered how the material I get tortured with when I fly American Airlines gets chosen--apparently they just randomly spam people who have what appear to be tech-oriented sites with sufficient traffic.
I particularly like the part about "captive audience", which they've extended to include the folks they spam as well. I also love that they pretend that it is an invitation to appear on CNN, when it is really an invitation to advertise.
From: Tricia Chu
Subject: Invitation to Appear on the CNN Airport Network and Sky Radio
Date: May 17, 2009 9:38:33 AM EDT
To: Mike Daisey
I hope this finds you well.
Great news! Sky Radio and Video Network, the largest producer of
in-flight entertainment in the country, is pleased to announce an
exciting new partnership with CNN Airport Network.
For the month of Septemeber 2009 we will be producing our Best of Breed:
Industry Innovators, which will be broadcast exclusively throughout the
CNN Airport Network and on the American Airlines "Business and
Technology Report" In-Flight Radio Channel. This program will focus on professional
associations, societies and foundations who provide untold benefits to
their members and the economy at large.
We invite you to participate and share your story with our captive
audience of millions of executive business travelers--decision makers,
early adopters, and influencers with a high household income. Our
production team will produce a one-on-one radio interview to air on
American Airlines and the content will be extended in a video commercial
to air on the CNN Airport Network.
CNN's Airport network has a total audience of nearly 16 million viewers
per month with an average household income of $104,157. Our video
programs play at 44 of the busiest airports and over 2,000 of the
busiest gates in the United States during the CNN broadcast. To view a
sample clip, visit http://skyradionet.com/airportnetwork.cfm
The audio interviews play on 29,000 audio-equipped American Airlines
worldwide flights reaching approximately 4.2 million travelers per
month. To hear recent audio interviews, click on
http://www.skyradionet.com/americanbiz.cfm.
Your participation includes:
1. Production/placement of 2 minute interview to air worldwide
throughout September 2009 on 29,000 American Airlines flights reaching
4.2 million.
2. Program listing in American's American Way in-flight publication (694,000
monthly copies).
3. Production/placement of a 15-second commercial to air once daily
Monday and Wednesday during prime time 5-8pm on the CNN
Airport Network for 4 consecutive weeks airing 8 times monthly in 44 markets nationwide.
4. Production of CNN commercial includes using still photos, logos,
graphics and voice over talent and any existing b-roll footage you may
have.
5. Rebroadcast on www.skyradionet.com with hotlink to your website for
one year.
6. Re-usage rights for promotional purposes.
7. Right to use "As heard on... " logos for airing on your site.
8. All production including scripting, recording, editing, mastering and
delivery (FAQs:
http://www.skyradionet.com/faq).
9. Introductory special rate $3,995
Space is limited. Please call or email me if you're interested in being
in front of this audience or have any questions. Please let me know if this is something
you want to do by next Monday May 18th at noon PST.
Here are some sample video clips to see production quality:
http://skyradionet.com/video.cfm
Regards,
Tricia Chi
Producer
Sky Radio Network
<address, phone and email redacted>
I particularly like the part about "captive audience", which they've extended to include the folks they spam as well. I also love that they pretend that it is an invitation to appear on CNN, when it is really an invitation to advertise.
From: Tricia Chu
Subject: Invitation to Appear on the CNN Airport Network and Sky Radio
Date: May 17, 2009 9:38:33 AM EDT
To: Mike Daisey
I hope this finds you well.
Great news! Sky Radio and Video Network, the largest producer of
in-flight entertainment in the country, is pleased to announce an
exciting new partnership with CNN Airport Network.
For the month of Septemeber 2009 we will be producing our Best of Breed:
Industry Innovators, which will be broadcast exclusively throughout the
CNN Airport Network and on the American Airlines "Business and
Technology Report" In-Flight Radio Channel. This program will focus on professional
associations, societies and foundations who provide untold benefits to
their members and the economy at large.
We invite you to participate and share your story with our captive
audience of millions of executive business travelers--decision makers,
early adopters, and influencers with a high household income. Our
production team will produce a one-on-one radio interview to air on
American Airlines and the content will be extended in a video commercial
to air on the CNN Airport Network.
CNN's Airport network has a total audience of nearly 16 million viewers
per month with an average household income of $104,157. Our video
programs play at 44 of the busiest airports and over 2,000 of the
busiest gates in the United States during the CNN broadcast. To view a
sample clip, visit http://skyradionet.com/airportnetwork.cfm
The audio interviews play on 29,000 audio-equipped American Airlines
worldwide flights reaching approximately 4.2 million travelers per
month. To hear recent audio interviews, click on
http://www.skyradionet.com/americanbiz.cfm.
Your participation includes:
1. Production/placement of 2 minute interview to air worldwide
throughout September 2009 on 29,000 American Airlines flights reaching
4.2 million.
2. Program listing in American's American Way in-flight publication (694,000
monthly copies).
3. Production/placement of a 15-second commercial to air once daily
Monday and Wednesday during prime time 5-8pm on the CNN
Airport Network for 4 consecutive weeks airing 8 times monthly in 44 markets nationwide.
4. Production of CNN commercial includes using still photos, logos,
graphics and voice over talent and any existing b-roll footage you may
have.
5. Rebroadcast on www.skyradionet.com with hotlink to your website for
one year.
6. Re-usage rights for promotional purposes.
7. Right to use "As heard on... " logos for airing on your site.
8. All production including scripting, recording, editing, mastering and
delivery (FAQs:
http://www.skyradionet.com/faq).
9. Introductory special rate $3,995
Space is limited. Please call or email me if you're interested in being
in front of this audience or have any questions. Please let me know if this is something
you want to do by next Monday May 18th at noon PST.
Here are some sample video clips to see production quality:
http://skyradionet.com/video.cfm
Regards,
Tricia Chi
Producer
Sky Radio Network
<address, phone and email redacted>
Friday, May 15, 2009
Nellis
I owe a small but significant debt to Nellis, the man in the picture above.
In 1997, when I was finding my feet in Seattle I hooked up with the kids at AHA! Theatre in Belltown...not knowing that I was showing up at the tail-end of an era. The theater would end up shutting down shortly after I began working with everyone there.
During that brief intersection I was asked to be involved with the final STAR DREK show, a satire/parody of Star Trek which Nellis had put heart and soul into, taking something that could have been simple fannishness but mixing it up with real theatrical chops and a talent for martini-fueled fun to make something truly extreme. They would do one last show because now that the theater was shut down, it didn't matter if Paramount came after them with more legal letters.
Nellis was always a catastrophic sort of person, who would do everything or nothing—and somehow *I*, whom no one really knew, was suddenly tasked with writing the final show when Nellis got too drunk or didn't show up, I can't recall what happened.
It was a crazy task, and I felt dwarfed by the amount of work (a whole show to write in 48 hours) the legacy of STAR DREK (it had been insanely popular in its time) and my tender age and time in the community.
It happened, in the way of all theater: we made it happen, which is much like the lessons one learns on the original Star Trek. It wasn't pretty--in fact, it was kind of a hideous trainwreck. Like Omega Glory bad.
When Nellis saw it, he laughed and laughed. Afterward, I tried to apologize for the writing and he laughed some more.
Even though he was laughing in part at me, for needing his approval, it meant a lot to me then—even though he's the one who had thrust me into the position of having to suddenly make it happen, I knew in the end it was his mad vision I was trying to capture.
Throughout my Seattle years I continued to find a voice, and Nellis was there—at the bar after the show, outside the theaters, quick with a joke, onstage in someone else's sketch. He drank harder than almost anyone I knew, and lived fully in the garage theater world, with legions of friends...though he was hard to truly know, and a drinker, and difficult.
Nellis died today in Seattle.
I'll always be grateful because of the early push he gave me—by accident, unintended—but it was a great push.
Thank you, Nellis.
Mike Daisey Questions the Los Angeles Theatre Community
Mike Daisey Questions the Los Angeles Theatre Community:
As part of his five day series at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in mid-March, theatre monologuist and provocateur Mike Daisey moderated a community roundtable between eight diverse leaders in the LA theatre community and a full house of several hundred theatre artists, patrons and supporters. Held after a sold-out performance of his famed monologue, HOW THEATER FAILED AMERICA, Mike asked a series of pointed and probing questions to the panelists and audience members, hoping that the monologue and the roundtable would provide a basis for ongoing dialogue and action in the theatre of LA in this time of change in our country.
As part of his five day series at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in mid-March, theatre monologuist and provocateur Mike Daisey moderated a community roundtable between eight diverse leaders in the LA theatre community and a full house of several hundred theatre artists, patrons and supporters. Held after a sold-out performance of his famed monologue, HOW THEATER FAILED AMERICA, Mike asked a series of pointed and probing questions to the panelists and audience members, hoping that the monologue and the roundtable would provide a basis for ongoing dialogue and action in the theatre of LA in this time of change in our country.
the baconista blog: Unexplainable Bacon
the baconista blog: Unexplainable Bacon:
“Master storyteller” Mike Daisey will be at Joe’s Pub on June 8th discussing our favorite subject: bacon! Not only that but he will be cooking and serving bacon during the show! If there was ever a time to start supporting the performing arts it’s now...
Mike Daisey Presents Mysteries of the Unexplained: BACON!
Mike Daisey returns to Joe’s Pub with a one-night orgy of all things bacon: from sizzling fat to swine flu, from baco-bits to Hasids to Charlotte’s Web. In one delicious hour we’ll explore bacon in all its filthy, gorgeous deliciousness.
“Master storyteller” Mike Daisey will be at Joe’s Pub on June 8th discussing our favorite subject: bacon! Not only that but he will be cooking and serving bacon during the show! If there was ever a time to start supporting the performing arts it’s now...
Mike Daisey Presents Mysteries of the Unexplained: BACON!
Mike Daisey returns to Joe’s Pub with a one-night orgy of all things bacon: from sizzling fat to swine flu, from baco-bits to Hasids to Charlotte’s Web. In one delicious hour we’ll explore bacon in all its filthy, gorgeous deliciousness.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Parabasis: On Institutional Conservatism
Parabasis: On Institutional Conservatism:
One force that frequently conservatises institutional theaters are their existing audiences. Time and again as I've sat on panels and had conversations with people and read articles articulating the institutional perspective, they say "Look, we tried everything we could to attract younger/edgier audiences. They didn't come, it doesn't work, we're going back to doing what we're doing." What this generally usually means is: "We adjusted our marketing language to try to trick them into liking the same stuff we always did and we lowered our ticket prices and they didn't respond". The reason why is if they made the actual programming choices that would be necessary to attract the different audience they claim they want, they'd piss off their existing base.
One force that frequently conservatises institutional theaters are their existing audiences. Time and again as I've sat on panels and had conversations with people and read articles articulating the institutional perspective, they say "Look, we tried everything we could to attract younger/edgier audiences. They didn't come, it doesn't work, we're going back to doing what we're doing." What this generally usually means is: "We adjusted our marketing language to try to trick them into liking the same stuff we always did and we lowered our ticket prices and they didn't respond". The reason why is if they made the actual programming choices that would be necessary to attract the different audience they claim they want, they'd piss off their existing base.
A Modest Proposal: Three-Strikes for Print | Freedom to Tinker
A Modest Proposal: Three-Strikes for Print | Freedom to Tinker:
Yesterday the French parliament adopted a proposal to create a "three-strikes" system that would kick people off the Internet if they are accused of copyright infringement three times.
This is such a good idea that it should be applied to other media as well. Here is my modest proposal to extend three-strikes to the medium of print, that is, to words on paper.
My proposed system is simplicity itself. The government sets up a registry of accused infringers. Anybody can send a complaint to the registry, asserting that someone is infringing their copyright in the print medium. If the government registry receives three complaints about a person, that person is banned for a year from using print.
As in the Internet case, the ban applies to both reading and writing, and to all uses of print, including informal ones. In short, a banned person may not write or read anything for a year.
A few naysayers may argue that print bans might be hard to enforce, and that banning communication based on mere accusations of wrongdoing raises some minor issues of due process and free speech. But if those issues don't trouble us in the Internet setting, why should they trouble us here?
Yesterday the French parliament adopted a proposal to create a "three-strikes" system that would kick people off the Internet if they are accused of copyright infringement three times.
This is such a good idea that it should be applied to other media as well. Here is my modest proposal to extend three-strikes to the medium of print, that is, to words on paper.
My proposed system is simplicity itself. The government sets up a registry of accused infringers. Anybody can send a complaint to the registry, asserting that someone is infringing their copyright in the print medium. If the government registry receives three complaints about a person, that person is banned for a year from using print.
As in the Internet case, the ban applies to both reading and writing, and to all uses of print, including informal ones. In short, a banned person may not write or read anything for a year.
A few naysayers may argue that print bans might be hard to enforce, and that banning communication based on mere accusations of wrongdoing raises some minor issues of due process and free speech. But if those issues don't trouble us in the Internet setting, why should they trouble us here?
