from Jane Espenson:
Tightening lines like that is especially important for comedy, where timing is an integral part of the whole point of the exercise. As a spec writer, you don't have the -- advantage? distraction? -- of a whole room full of people chiming in on the best way to tighten a line, so you have to do it on your own. It's worth making a whole separate pass through your script, just looking for words to cut.
Yes yes yes.
I am horribly about rewriting,
but I do go back through and make
small word changes,
and cut any line,
any word, that I can...
I can not emphasize how important that is...
I've seen shows that
just cutting 40-60 words
outta their script would
make them fly.
FLY!
but those extra words are
just hanging there,
mucking up the rhythm
not adding to the meaning
not bringing the magic
nothing
just extra words.
every word costs ya somethin'
so every word better do somethin'
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Merry Christmas from The Defenestration Unit!
Kid Ornery presents...
Crazy Sounds from Houston, Tx.
Hark the Herald Angels Scream!
Enjoy! -- Kid Ornery
Crazy Sounds from Houston, Tx.
Hark the Herald Angels Scream!
Enjoy! -- Kid Ornery
Sagan blog-a-thon
Sagan blog-a-thon :
from www.veryimportantpotheads.com -
In the essay, Sagan said marijuana inspired some of his intellectual work. "I can remember one occasion, taking a shower with my wife while high, in which I had an idea on the origins and invalidities of racism in terms of gaussian distribution curves,'' wrote the former Cornell University professor. Sagan also wrote that pot enhanced his experience of food, particularly potatoes, music and sex.
from www.veryimportantpotheads.com -
In the essay, Sagan said marijuana inspired some of his intellectual work. "I can remember one occasion, taking a shower with my wife while high, in which I had an idea on the origins and invalidities of racism in terms of gaussian distribution curves,'' wrote the former Cornell University professor. Sagan also wrote that pot enhanced his experience of food, particularly potatoes, music and sex.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Saturday, December 16, 2006
contract
from here:
A Group Contract can address issues such as who owns the group name (and whether and in what capacity a leaving member can use the group name), who owns what property (including not only sound equipment but intangible property such as recording agreements and intellectual property such as the songs and the recordings created by the group), and how profits and losses are divided. Since it almost goes without saying that members of a band inevitably leave and groups inevitably disband, it is important to structure an interband agreement in the early stages of a career. It will function like a prenuptial agreement when matters start to disintegrate and make the break-up process less painful.
Friday, December 15, 2006
I knew there was a reason he was one of my favorites,,,
via bookslut:
We also get Raymond Chandler's philosophy on drinking to excess--"I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on principle"--and his gimlet recipe. "A real Gimlet is half gin and half Rose's Lime Juice and nothing else. It beats martinis hollow."
We also get Raymond Chandler's philosophy on drinking to excess--"I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on principle"--and his gimlet recipe. "A real Gimlet is half gin and half Rose's Lime Juice and nothing else. It beats martinis hollow."
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
At long last... Sweatbox!!!
Kid Ornery presents...
Crazy Sounds from Houston, Tx.
The Defenestration Unit - The Sweatbox Sessions - Ornery Master
Enjoy! -- Kid Ornery
This is the only studio album ever recorded by any version of TDU.
It was recorded at Sweatbox under the guidance of Mr. Tim Kerr
and futzed around with by Kid Ornery.
Crazy Sounds from Houston, Tx.
The Defenestration Unit - The Sweatbox Sessions - Ornery Master
Enjoy! -- Kid Ornery
This is the only studio album ever recorded by any version of TDU.
It was recorded at Sweatbox under the guidance of Mr. Tim Kerr
and futzed around with by Kid Ornery.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
wow! people sure can talk!
Via Theatreport - which is a site in Houston for Theatre or Theater or people who like to argue about soul vs. entertainment and the like...
but this bit from"licketysplit" is right on...
"Brushing teeth" is a common daily text we can all understand. We all do it, repeatedly...yet we never do it the same way twice, not ever.
The same can be applied to the process of "playing".
No matter the text. You learn it, you know it and you execute it, but each time should be as fresh as the last and as full of possibility as the next. It is this possibility, this breath of living truth that captivates the audience and keeps them from being bored, no matter the script, no matter the setting.
All you need is circumstance, action, emotion, something to play. Play truthfully, allow for discovery, allow for sensate experience rather than pre-rehearsed fake behavior, and you will succeed in "catching" the spectators.
but then again so is this bit from TDU's own Jmiller:
No really..stop doing crap plays. Sure acting is important...we are lost and swimming in a sea of sh*t when it comes to acting. We get it. That argument doesn't really say jack about the fact that we are doing crap scripts. Take a look at the front of this site. See all the crap? Do you see it? Glaring at you like a big poop stain on your kitchen floor? How can you miss it? Take a look at Texas Rep's season and DON'T DO THAT. That's what we are talking about here.
I'm not saying I'm an expert I've only directed one play,
and acted in handful,
but it seems to me a good script
inspires actors and makes,
if not bad acting harder,
at least good acting easier.
and other than that I'm just gonna keep quiet and go back
to watching the show!
but this bit from"licketysplit" is right on...
"Brushing teeth" is a common daily text we can all understand. We all do it, repeatedly...yet we never do it the same way twice, not ever.
The same can be applied to the process of "playing".
No matter the text. You learn it, you know it and you execute it, but each time should be as fresh as the last and as full of possibility as the next. It is this possibility, this breath of living truth that captivates the audience and keeps them from being bored, no matter the script, no matter the setting.
All you need is circumstance, action, emotion, something to play. Play truthfully, allow for discovery, allow for sensate experience rather than pre-rehearsed fake behavior, and you will succeed in "catching" the spectators.
but then again so is this bit from TDU's own Jmiller:
No really..stop doing crap plays. Sure acting is important...we are lost and swimming in a sea of sh*t when it comes to acting. We get it. That argument doesn't really say jack about the fact that we are doing crap scripts. Take a look at the front of this site. See all the crap? Do you see it? Glaring at you like a big poop stain on your kitchen floor? How can you miss it? Take a look at Texas Rep's season and DON'T DO THAT. That's what we are talking about here.
I'm not saying I'm an expert I've only directed one play,
and acted in handful,
but it seems to me a good script
inspires actors and makes,
if not bad acting harder,
at least good acting easier.
and other than that I'm just gonna keep quiet and go back
to watching the show!
Friday, December 08, 2006
lost my phone - need yr #
just got a new phone...
contact me with your ph# if I had it before
or need it now...
When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race
~H.G. Wells
~H.G. Wells
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Mountain Dew Christmas Tree
As someone who spends a good portion of his day currently sculpting with candy I thought this was pretty cool...
Via Make: Blog:
The amount of Mountain dew consumed to make this soda can Christmas tree is intimidating, check out the build photos and the final shot of a glowing 2 liter... - Link.
Via Make: Blog:
The amount of Mountain dew consumed to make this soda can Christmas tree is intimidating, check out the build photos and the final shot of a glowing 2 liter... - Link.
Monday, December 04, 2006
I know I'd sure like a raise...
Atrios says:
"The real point is that if the minimum wage has small or negligible employment effects, and there is both theoretical and empirical support for this idea, then it's a pretty effective and inexpensive poverty reduction program. Obviously if poverty reduction programs for poor people interest you less than, say, poverty reduction programs for oil executives then you don't much care about that."
"The real point is that if the minimum wage has small or negligible employment effects, and there is both theoretical and empirical support for this idea, then it's a pretty effective and inexpensive poverty reduction program. Obviously if poverty reduction programs for poor people interest you less than, say, poverty reduction programs for oil executives then you don't much care about that."
Friday, December 01, 2006
Garage Sale - I'm selling a lot of CD's (Jazz, Country, Experimental, etc...) - Saturday
furniture, computer items, free items, vintage stuff,
men & women's clothing, books, records, housewares,
bric-a-brac, 25c/10c items, art items, candles, bird cage,
many christmas items and decorations...
Me and some folks from The Adding Machine are getting rid of lots of cool stuff...
I'm selling a lot of rare and obscure cd's at 2 bucks a pop,
and some DVD's and a few other things...
if you want my vinyl you have to make an appt with me to come browse the collection...
anyway, come buy cool stuff on the cheap Saturday...
we're starting freakin' early...
by 8 for sure...
Kid Ornery
When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race
~H.G. Wells
~H.G. Wells
Thursday, November 30, 2006
New Podcast - Mixed Nuts
Kid Ornery presents...
Crazy Sounds from Houston, Tx.
A mix of interesting music from Kid Ornery and his associates.
Free Jazz, Drone, Noise, Improv, and general weirdness from Last Bastions, The Defenestration Unit, Kid Ornery, Avijit, and many more...
Avijit, TDU, Synapse and more... Enjoy! -- Kid Ornery
Click here to get your own player.
Crazy Sounds from Houston, Tx.
A mix of interesting music from Kid Ornery and his associates.
Free Jazz, Drone, Noise, Improv, and general weirdness from Last Bastions, The Defenestration Unit, Kid Ornery, Avijit, and many more...
Avijit, TDU, Synapse and more... Enjoy! -- Kid Ornery
Click here to get your own player.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Preach on Brother Ramon!
over at my favorite music blog:
Look, strings break, you offend people, you miss notes, hell you even frikkin’ bomb but goddamn that’s the chaotic fun of a live show. Make your noise, commune with your fellow noisemakers, raise a bottle of Shiner to those who came out, and fling your poo like the monkey you are. Playing live is like a baby kicking and screaming vainly; "Look what I made in my diaper! What’s on you epitaph, motherfucker?!"
Almost all the music I'm involved in is about playing live or performance in fundamental ways...
Music for the theater is about serving the show - so whether it's performed live or recorded for a show it is all about the show. You can listen to it outside of that, but you'll be missing what it is about, you'll be missing what it is...
and then there's TDU
We have recordings,
but they aren't the same really...
what happens the night of a show only happens
that night...
nothing ever really even gets close again.
When improvising is at the core of what you do
the concept that a record could be better
than a live performance seems just wrong.
Now, The Last Bastions, that's a whole 'nother
pail of worms...
Our live shows bear little relation to our "studio"
cd's...
but even then, when we create a 60 minute piece,
it is with the idea that you will listen to it as a 60 minute piece,
as if you were seeing it live.
Our recordings don't contain singles,
and the sweet spot is not on side 2.
Some of them do contain
ambient music for uncomfortable spaces.
Where was I going with all this?
Who knows?
Y'all come out for a drink wednesday night...
We're having a blast!
Look, strings break, you offend people, you miss notes, hell you even frikkin’ bomb but goddamn that’s the chaotic fun of a live show. Make your noise, commune with your fellow noisemakers, raise a bottle of Shiner to those who came out, and fling your poo like the monkey you are. Playing live is like a baby kicking and screaming vainly; "Look what I made in my diaper! What’s on you epitaph, motherfucker?!"
Almost all the music I'm involved in is about playing live or performance in fundamental ways...
Music for the theater is about serving the show - so whether it's performed live or recorded for a show it is all about the show. You can listen to it outside of that, but you'll be missing what it is about, you'll be missing what it is...
and then there's TDU
We have recordings,
but they aren't the same really...
what happens the night of a show only happens
that night...
nothing ever really even gets close again.
When improvising is at the core of what you do
the concept that a record could be better
than a live performance seems just wrong.
Now, The Last Bastions, that's a whole 'nother
pail of worms...
Our live shows bear little relation to our "studio"
cd's...
but even then, when we create a 60 minute piece,
it is with the idea that you will listen to it as a 60 minute piece,
as if you were seeing it live.
Our recordings don't contain singles,
and the sweet spot is not on side 2.
Some of them do contain
ambient music for uncomfortable spaces.
Where was I going with all this?
Who knows?
Y'all come out for a drink wednesday night...
We're having a blast!
The Mysterious death of Albert Ayler
1:
FJ: Albert Ayler's death is jazz's unsolved mystery, do you know how Ayler ended up in the East River?
GARY PEACOCK: I don't know. All the information I got was second hand. The information that I got was that he was found dead in the East River and died by gunshot. And why that happened and how that happened, what the circumstances were, I have no idea, Fred.
2:
Did Albert Ayler fall into the East River or was he pushed?
3:
Albert Ayler’s body was retrieved from the East River, in Brooklyn, on November 25, 1970, a few months after his 34th birthday.
4:
On the evening of November 5, Albert again told Mary, "My blood has got to be shed to save my mother and my brother." After an argument, he smashed one of his saxophones over their television and stormed out of the house. Mary called the police to report Albert missing. Albert took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and jumped off as the boat neared Liberty Island (Hames 27).
Edward Ayler: He was truly a genius. Some make it and some don't. He didn't want to push out in front. That's all he wanted-to play. He had all the titles but not a dime ("Albert Ayler, 36").
On December 5, in the afternoon, Albert Ayler's body was buried at the chapel of Highland Park Cemetery in Cleveland, with 55 people, mostly family, in attendance ("Albert Ayler Dies").
Mysterious death came to two musicians closely associated with Ayler in the next year. Henry Grimes moved to California to become an actor and vanished without a trace (Wilmer 1980: 109). On September 21, 1971, Call Cobbs Jr. was killed by a hit and run driver ("Final Bar").
FJ: Albert Ayler's death is jazz's unsolved mystery, do you know how Ayler ended up in the East River?
GARY PEACOCK: I don't know. All the information I got was second hand. The information that I got was that he was found dead in the East River and died by gunshot. And why that happened and how that happened, what the circumstances were, I have no idea, Fred.
2:
Did Albert Ayler fall into the East River or was he pushed?
3:
Albert Ayler’s body was retrieved from the East River, in Brooklyn, on November 25, 1970, a few months after his 34th birthday.
4:
On the evening of November 5, Albert again told Mary, "My blood has got to be shed to save my mother and my brother." After an argument, he smashed one of his saxophones over their television and stormed out of the house. Mary called the police to report Albert missing. Albert took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and jumped off as the boat neared Liberty Island (Hames 27).
Edward Ayler: He was truly a genius. Some make it and some don't. He didn't want to push out in front. That's all he wanted-to play. He had all the titles but not a dime ("Albert Ayler, 36").
On December 5, in the afternoon, Albert Ayler's body was buried at the chapel of Highland Park Cemetery in Cleveland, with 55 people, mostly family, in attendance ("Albert Ayler Dies").
Mysterious death came to two musicians closely associated with Ayler in the next year. Henry Grimes moved to California to become an actor and vanished without a trace (Wilmer 1980: 109). On September 21, 1971, Call Cobbs Jr. was killed by a hit and run driver ("Final Bar").
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Fist of Kong - Heinous Retribution - A Compilation
Kid Ornery presents...
Crazy Sounds from Houston, Tx.
A mix of interesting music from Kid Ornery and his associates.
Free Jazz, Drone, Noise, Improv, and general weirdness from Last Bastions, The Defenestration Unit, Kid Ornery, Avijit, and many more...
This week - Fist of Kong - in celebration of Charlie launching his own podcast - CharlieNaked.podomatic.com
Enjoy! -- Mike Switzer
Click here to get your own player.
Crazy Sounds from Houston, Tx.
A mix of interesting music from Kid Ornery and his associates.
Free Jazz, Drone, Noise, Improv, and general weirdness from Last Bastions, The Defenestration Unit, Kid Ornery, Avijit, and many more...
This week - Fist of Kong - in celebration of Charlie launching his own podcast - CharlieNaked.podomatic.com
Enjoy! -- Mike Switzer
Click here to get your own player.
Monday, November 20, 2006
TDU at BOHEMEO's on Wednesday...
Here's how I see it...
it's just not Thanksgiving without a hangover.*
So, grab yr favorite bottle,
and yr favorite girl,
or guy, or couple of girls,
or couple of guys,
or llamas, or a grapefruit,
or whatever -
and come on down to Bohemeo's this Wednesday night...
I know you don't have to go to work tomorrow...
So, what's yr excuse?
It's not money,
'cause we play for tips...
and they have cheap beer...
and better beer,
and wine, and setups...
that's right setups.
and not just
a bucket of ice and
some grapefruit juice
but mojito setups,
bloody mary setups,
and other crazy things...
really...
and they have desserts,
and wings...
you know you like wings.
and it's not like we're starting late...
we'll be on by 9:30 I promise...
really...
it'll happen...
so you could still listen to a lot of TDU
(and eat a lot of wings and drink a lot of
whatever)
and still be in bed by twelve...
how nice is that?
if ya wanna hear what we sound like at the place go check out my latest podcast at http://kidornery.podomatic.com
anyway,
come out and give thanks for all the things yr thankful for...
and drink for everything yr not...
or vice versa...
* Kid Ornery's first hangover was on Thanksgiving his freshman year of college.
He had to pull the ugly old beat up toyota corrolla over and throw up.
Twice.
He was sick all day at Grandma's.
He's still not sure if they knew what was up
or just thought he had some kind of stomach virus.
Now he doesn't go to Grandma's,
just Richard's.
But he is playing with The Defenestration Unit
Wednesday Night
at Bohemeo's...
you should be there.
K.O.
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