Lately, I’ve started to go to Tuesdays @ 9 which is this fun workshop series by the Naked Angels. They have writers and actors show up every week and the writers have the actors do some readings of stuff they’re working on. It’s fun!
They also have a musical guest. The past two weeks I was the musical guest. And this week, Brian Groh taped me. Here’s the recording!
Week #10 of Song du Jour! This week’s song is called “Little Ships” and it’s based on a conversation I had with Kristen. About waiting for your ship to come in, that it doesn’t need to be a big ship. That you’ll do fine with just some little ships.
Little Ships
I don’t need a big break
Just some little ones today
So I’m waiting for my little ships to come in
Little ships come in this way
This is a hard life we live in
Rejection follows you every way
with lots of time for reflection
Of things we mighta done yesterday
They always say if you can do
Anything else then just do that
That kinda makes it sound bad
But the life of an artist isn’t that
A little nina, little pinta, and a tiny santa maria
They’ve got all the hope I need
And I can see them on the horizon
Little ships for me
But maybe I need to burn them
when they arrive like cortez did
So instead of depending on those little ships at sea
I’ll just depend on me
I’m in a show every Saturday this month with some friends. It’s Jill Donnelly, Greg Tuculescu, Porter Mason, Thomas Middleditch, and me. So come check it out.
Here’s the blurb…
The Bodega Show is a new weekly improv show at West Hollywood’s Sierra Stage. Come see some of LA’s newest and shiniest improvisers strut their stuff.
The Bodega Show
Hosted by Bodega (Porter Mason, Nate Shelkey, Jill Donnelly, Thomas Middleditch, and Greg Tuculescu)
Saturday, March 6th, 10PM
The Sierra Stage
1444 North Sierra Bonita Ave,
West Hollywood, CA 90046
$5 Admission
Also on the roster this week, the wonderful:
Abortion Blue (Matt Houchin, David Craig, Christopher Teregis, Shawn Parikh, Chira Cassel, Michele Hunter, and Tanya Schwied)
AND
Cuban B (Andy Harris, Danny Hamm, Dylan Rohde, Joshua Snyder, Rhoda Baldwin, Ryan Tweedy)
AND
Dan Gregor, George Basel and Lucas Held
Come have some late night adventures with Bodega!
This is week #9 of Song du Jour. It’s called “Evil Twin”. Had to write this very quickly this afternoon to make the deadline, but here it is. It’s about… being an evil twin.
Evil Twin
If I wanted to change
I probably would
But maybe I like it all the same
And I’m up to no good
I’ve got cruel intentions
Thoughts you can’t mention
I’m nefarious, they say
And there’s gonna come a moment
When you don’t notice
Before it’s too late
The lighting’s bad
But you have to choose
I’ve got everything to gain
And nothing to lose
‘Cause I’m an evil twin
And I’m bound to win
So think about all the times
You said something to him
Spilled your heart out on the floor to him
Or was it to me?
Or that waterfall make-out?
Was it perfectly staked-out?
Are you starting to doubt?
I don’t blame you
‘Cause our voices are like
Bodies and faces
It’s easy for us
To change places
‘Cause I’m an evil twin
And I can
I’m excited because next week I’ll be performing with Rob Lathan again in Get Psyched! Check out the blurb… Get tickets here
Certified Life Coach Dr. Lanny Latham and inadvertent ghost writer Will Hines celebrate the release of their new ground-breaking self-help book titled “Get Psyched!” with a live reading. Very special guests will be on hand to read their testimonials, free t-shirts will be launched into the audience, stilts will be walked on, Quick Hands will be explained, autographs will be signed, your life will be changed.
Featuring:
Ed Helms
Rob Huebel
Paul Scheer
Jessica St. Clair
Jackie Clarke
Nate Shelkey
Will Hines
Rob Lathan
And more!
‘Get Psyched! The 7 Steps to a More Psyched Life’ is available now at www.getpsyched.biz
Here’s the new one… Week #8 of Song du Jour: “You’ll Come Back Someday”. This was inspired by the train ride out to Los Angeles. No offense to people from Kansas!
You’ll Come Back Some Day
She’s gone
Decided not to wait for me
So the next train I could catch
Was the Southwest Chief
She’ll come back, you’ll see
The night fades
So to sleep I start to draw the shades
But the noise of the wheels
Hits me like an early grave
But you’ll come back someday
We missed seeing
Kansas in the night I think
But does anybody miss seeing Kansas
‘Cept for Dorothy
But you’ll come back with me
The sun sets on the mighty Mississippi
But to the conductor, it’s just another day
And you’ll come back someday
The car’s are filling up now
Hoping for a way out
And you’ll come back someday
This is week #7 of Song du Jour. It’s called “My Hands” and it’s about being a hand model and written for Ashly Covington who said to me, you should write a song about being a hand model. (She’s a hand model.) So I did. Enjoy! (Does anyone remember the Madge Palmolive commercials? I hope this reference isn’t wasted.)
MY HANDS
I got noticed in a department store
I was walking in, my hands on the door
And everyone just stopped and stared
My long slender fingers floating in the air
My hands, my hands, my hands are why
My hands, my hands, my hands and I
My hands, my hands, my hands they made
My hands, my hands, my hands they say
I always wanted to be on the cover of a magazine
But I never thought it’d be for pulling cheese
And I knew I’d be wearing diamond rings
But the close-ups are on my fingers, and that’s why I sing
Because my hands, my hands, my hands are why
My hands, my hands, my hands and I
My hands, my hands, my hands they made
My hands, my hands, my hands they say
When there’s a tight product shot
With a hand on a beer
Or a cellphone that’s new
Or a box of cheer
If there’s a towel that needs caressing
You know whose hands they’re undressing
It’s my hands, my hands, my hands are why
My hands, my hands, my hands and I
My hands, my hands, my hands they made
My hands, my hands, my hands they say
Maybe it didn’t happen the way I wished
That I’m the fingers that Madge put in the dish
But all my talent didn’t go to waste
There’s always a pair of hands behind the face
My hands, my hands, my hands are why
My hands, my hands, my hands and I
My hands, my hands, my hands they need
My hands, my hands, my hands they see
I was thinking about that expression the other day. “Throwing someone under the bus”. Where did it come from? Was there a situation where some people were on a bus and it became necessary for the rest of the people to live to throw one person under the bus? What would that situation be?
Maybe there was a gap in the road and it was the perfect size for one person and the people on the bus made a quick life saving decision(for the rest of them) that they should throw Kevin under the bus. I decided that it had to be Kevin. Maybe because he was big enough and they figured might as well better safe than sorry and throw a big guy under the bus. Everyone would feel really foolish if they threw Denise under the bus and because she’s so small and petite the bus couldn’t navigate the gap anyway and they threw Denise under the bus for nothing. Meanwhile, Kevin was still on the bus. Taking up room.
So the next time you’re on a bus, you should take stock really quickly and make some decisions about who’d you’d throw. You know… just in case.
Here’s week 6 of Song du Jour: “Not A Funny Valentine”. I was sort of influenced by Elvis Costello(my favorite!)’s love of the old song “My Funny Valentine”. So this one’s about the not funny valentine. When you’re Charlie Brown and you put out your shoebox and nobody puts anything–in especially the little red-headed girl! Also, for added fun… this is in an altered tuning(D)! First song I’ve written since “Fanny” in an altered tuning.
Not A Funny Valentine
You put out your shoebox
For some mail
Hoping she’ll send one this year
But you’ve failed
You’re reading your future
On candy hearts
Maybe construction paper
Can mend the broken parts
Like his and hers
And yours and mine
It’s not a funny valentine
Thought you were clever
With your check boxes
But now they’ve checked you out
And they’ve checked not yes
So you wrote a poem
And you sent it out
Paired with some flowers
That’s what love’s about
but…
Like his and hers
And yours and mine
It’s not a funny valentine
The shoebox is empty
And so are the arms of your teddy bear
Your paper heart’s been broken
And this time you fear beyond repair
Like his and hers
And yours and mine
It’s not a funny valentine
I’m in the new Dockers’ campaign which is premiering during the Super Bowl. Look for it tomorrow! I’ll post a link when it’s up on the site.
[Edit: I found it! Here it is...]
