Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago

From the ever-growing list of bands I am so bummed broke up, Soul Coughing, comes today’s title. This is from the great album, “Ruby Vroom”.
I’m starting to realize that mainstream stuff just annoys me, because it all sounds alike…I think that’s why I so love bands like Cake, and Radiohead, and Soul Coughing…the Pixies…I gotta tell you, I am so upset that the most recent releases from Save Ferris and No Doubt are so “ready for radio” and pop-ish…they feel so “produced” rather than “created”, if that makes any sense…and Save Ferris is one of my favorite bands of all time. No Doubt…well, they’ve become sort of disposable to me recently, because you can’t even get within a hundred feet of them at a show for less than a hundred bucks…but you can still see SF at normal venues, and they will actually hang out and meet people after the show..Save Ferris rules. I mean, c’mon. I named my dog after the damn band!
I’m bummed that the new album is more pop-ish than their other stuff, because it feels like it’s not true to what they really are. It feels like some producer or record exec said, “Let’s make them sound more like [currently popular band]”…but if that’s what you gotta do to survive and keep workin’, hey…I am not going to cast stones at that…look no further than “Python” or “Deep Core” to see my acting-world equivalent.
Besides, the new album has “Angry Situation”, which is one of the best Save Ferris songs I’ve ever heard.
I hope they are amazingly successful, and when they get huge again, they pull a Tony Clifton and record an album of just the old stuff. 🙂
But that’s not what I sat down to write about today.
I want to tell you all about this great thing that I got for Christmas…and this is *so* going to sound like a lame commercial…but I just love this thing so much, I wanted to share it with the world: my mom got me the George Foreman Grill, and I’m cooking everything on it, and it rules. If you’re a college student, or you live in a one-room apartment, you gotta get one of these…it makes the most amazing burgers and chicken breasts, and it’s so easy to use, I don’t even burn anything. I made chicken breasts in it a couple of nights ago, and I used it to make sausage this morning…oh man, it rules. My consumption of grilled, marinated meats has increased 5000%. Thanks, George Foreman!

Okay, so now that I’m done with that, I really don’t have anything else to say…I just didn’t like that I hadn’t written anything in a few days, mostly because there was nothing worth writing about, except for the damn B2 bomber that flew over my house on Jan 1 at 7AM, shaking the whole damn thing and scaring the hell out of me, even though I knew it was coming. Stupid Rose Parade.
Anyway, that’s all for right now. I’m going to be updating the site pretty soon, switching to Moveable Type, and really making the concerted effort to get the old GM entries exported. I’ll also talk to Loren and Josh about bringing the Soapbox back up, and it looks like I’m going to have to completely re-install the gallery. Dammit.
OH! I almost forgot: I’m getting lots of emails asking if I’ll do another auction, so I’m going to go ahead and do that. This time I’ll be offering that cool Star Trek lunchbox, and I think I have a Wesley Crusher action figure around here, someplace. I also won another auction…get ready…it’s a VHS of “The Curse”. Yes, that’s right, I have, in my possession, a copy of one of the worst movies ever made, starring yours truly, and featuring my sister.
Pop quiz, A-hole. You’ve gotten a copy of the worst move ever. What do you do? What do you do?
Well, you offer that for an auction, too, of course. Duh.
So, that’s three things for the collectors, which I hope will make some people happy. Those should be ready in a couple of days or so.
Finally, I completely forgot to post this earlier this week: The ACME Comedy Theatre, where I teach and perform, is starting a new session of Winter Classes. This Saturday, we’re holding a sample class, where you can come out and see how we teach, and what we teach, and it’s all for free. Here’s the email that our company’s director sent out:

Subject: ACME WINTER CLASSES
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
last chance for 2002 winter session! (begins Jan. 12)
ACME COMEDY WORKSHOPS
Offering classes in improv and sketch comedy!
Become a member of the
critically-acclaimed ACME Players!
Attend this Saturday’s FREE Sample Class!
Saturday, Jan. 5 — 1 p.m. (lasts approx. 90 min.)
NOW UNDER THE DIRECTION OF M.D. SWEENEY
Study and Perform Comedy on the same stage as WAYNE BRADY, RYAN STILES,
BRAD SHERWOOD, FRED WILLARD, WIL WHEATON, ADAM CAROLLA, ALEX BORSTEIN,
UPRIGHT CITIZENS BRIGADE and many more.
Company Members who developed their writing skills at ACME include
Emmy-nominated writers of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, writer/producers of FRIENDS,
GROUNDED FOR LIFE, Emmy-winning writer/producers of WARNER BROS. ANIMATION,
THE SIMPSONS, JUST SHOOT ME, VERONICA’S CLOSET, NORM, 3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN
and many more.
To Register or for More Info
CALL 323 525-0233
ACME COMEDY THEATRE
135 N. La Brea Av
Hollywood, CA 90036
(1/2 block south of Beverly Bl.)

I think I’m going to be in the show this Saturday night. If I am, I’ll be doing a sketch called “Shut Up, Wesley!”, that always kills. So if you’re in LA on Saturday, come and see us. The show starts at 8.
I hope everyone is enjoying the first week of the new year! I’m going to get my hair cut now.