It’s been so damn long since I blogged on here that I almost forgot how to use the dang software! Good news:
I was asked again to join the cast of Tony Fitzpatrick’s final installment of the trilogy of his one man shows at Steppenwolfe Garage. The 2011 show “Stations Lost” got rave reviews and garnered a heap of praise for me as well.
This year’s show “Nickel History: Nation of Heat” is opening July 19th – August 5, 2012. The show was written (and will be performed by Tony) Ann Filmer returns as director, along with Tony’s sidekick Stan Klein and virtuoso John Rice and me – the band’s back together! Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.
I have also been inspired to start writing again my damned self. I need to be doing my own freaking show at Steppenwolfe too! Hello? What the hell has been wrong with me? I will get to that later. First: I need to go get some dinner!
P.S. I’m fat as hell right now. That will change this year.
I know that time is not passing faster. We would have heard about that right? I mean some physicist would have published a paper announcing the discovery that time was speeding up, right? Continue reading ›
Amy Winehouse was found dead in her London apartment today. This is such sad news to me. I was so hoping she would find her way back and start creating more of her terrific music. I loved her voice and her songs so much. My niece called me and gave me the news. She said she could relate to Amy because the love affairs she spoke of were like hers: fucked up, undefined. She said she never experienced love like – say the kind Adele writes about. Amy spoke to a generation. My niece said that she was the first artist of her generation who died like this. It was tragic for her. It is tragic for me because I was waiting for the next project – for the next gift of song treasures that she was going to give to us. It never came.
Poor lost soul, poor girl. I am bracing myself for the heartless cruel things that people will say. You know how awful humans can be when they get the chance to relish in someone’s misfortune. I am not like this. I am not the person who says: “She’ll be dead in a year.” I think predicting such a thing is horrific. I always have hope. And I really hoped that Amy would be able to pull it together.
Her voice is silent now. But I am so thankful for that one album “Back to Black” that excited me like no other in recent memory. All of those wonderful songs. Rest in Peace Amy Winehouse. Thank you for sharing your huge gift with us for a little while.
Mushiness alert: this post contains expressions of such happiness and gratitude that they may make you puke. But I’m just too happy to give a damn! Continue reading ›
I’m getting ready to get ready for my gig du jour, which happens to be a fundraiser for a wonderful Chicago creative institution: Chicago Dramatists. Their Blue Moon gala will be a smaller event than, say, the one we did last weekend which had close to a thousand guests or the one last month that had a $1250 ticket price! Hiring a big band like mine for their event is a big deal – a change of pace for them and I am honored that they think we will help raise the level of their event. We will work our asses off to get them up and dancing.
The cool thing is that there are some close ties between Chicago Dramatists and me. Continue reading ›
… especially if I focus on certain things like my upcoming appearance in Tony Fitzpatrick’s play “Stations Lost” at Steppenwolf Garage or the recent string of great gigs we’ve been rocking lately or the recent flurry of social events I’ve managed to leave my diva cave to attend. Life is shit if I focus on my mountain of debt, my weight and my aching knees. But why even go there? I’ve decided to accentuate the positive for my own sanity’s sake! Continue reading ›
The title of this blog is taken from one of my favorite greeting cards.
I wrote a different title back in March, shortly after my last post and saved it as a draft. The title was The Ugly Truth. Just a title no content. It’s probably better that I didn’t post it. I can’t really remember what I was going to write about then. I take clues from my tags that I had in place:
I can imagine what the post was to be about. It’s probably better that I did not write it cause it sounds like it was gonna be a whole buncha whining! Continue reading ›
Weddings are very special because they involve families, and like individuals, every family has its own unique story and traditions that are present or should be present at every wedding celebration. It is important to include as many of these activities as possible during the reception because it involves all of the generations present. If the parents are involved early on during the booking process then I am usually made aware of certain songs or traditions to include as well as the things that must be excluded, like the uncle who grabs the microphone and takes over. But sometimes Continue reading ›
I put this little piece together from footage I took at the airport before an early morning flight that we (Lynne Jordan & the Shivers) had to catch home from an out of town gig. Life on the road, in the life of a diva…
I apologize for not posting! I have so much to share. And it’s actually been busy for a change!
New thing: I started using my camcorder again and editing videos. So here is my first video blog entry. Thought you might like to visit my world before the show and afterwards… it’s crude – I really need to buy a tripod like NOW! I’m loving the editing process though and will be posting some videos very soon. In the meantime… Let the video download completely for uninterrupted tracking & viewing.
