50 Ways to be a Groupie

Brian, my husband, has done a lot of interesting extra curricular activities since we've been married.  He started as a fencer.  Yes, with the swords; his specialty was epee.   He started fencing in college and picked it up again when we lived in Virginia.  After the birth of our daughter, we moved to upstate New York.  He found a fencing group which was a good thing because he was working from home and we had no friends.  Fencing got him out of the house.

Unfortunately, it got him out of the house two nights a week and both weekend days so after about 9 months he quit.  I was home alone with a newborn during all that time so while I did try to be supportive, I was probably more like a maniacal idiot.

When we bought our house in Niskayuna, we discovered a Curling Club about 2 blocks from our house.  A neighbor belonged and got Brian involved.  Curling didn't take up nearly as much time and the place had a bar.  A win-win really.  Our daughter actually got involved as well...with curling, not the bar.

Down here in Philly, Brian started with brewing beer which is probably my favorite hobby of his.  The kids can help, he does it all at the house, and well, it's beer.  Alas, he doesn't brew anymore because he joined a band.  He has played guitar since he was 13, and had always loved it.  He met two other guys who wanted to jam and so they have every Saturday.  Now that the kids are older, I'm not such a maniacal idiot when he's gone all day.  I do miss the beer though.

Anyway, last night was their first time playing out in public.  They went to an open mic night at a bar near our house.  I went along for support; as a groupie, I suppose.  Personally, I thought they did a great job.  I called it a really great designer run.  You see, in theater, before we get on stage, we do a run-thru of the play in the rehearsal hall for the designers with do-fer props and set (do-fer, from the theatrical, meaning: it will do for now, until we get the real thing).  A really great designer run is when there are very few hitches, and you can't wait to see it on stage because it's going to be spectacular.  At the open mic, they had to use the house drum kit, amps, pedals, etc.  They only brought the guitar and bass with them, so of course there were a couple of small hiccups.  By the way, they called themselves BCJ because their names are Brian, Chuck and Jim.  I thought JCB rolled off the tongue better but no one asks the groupie.

I'm looking forward to being a groupie for their next gig, at which I will try to get pictures.  If I was clever, I would have written this post as a version of the song:  50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.  But I've only come up with 3 ways of being a groupie.  Of course, I have future gigs to inspire me and I do take requests.  Here's what I got so far:

Just smile and nod, Todd
Don't get in the way, Faye
Bop to the beat, Pete
And listen to me

Pop History

So blogging has gone to the bottom of the list for me lately. In my precious spare time, I've had a choice between blogging and napping; I've chosen napping. It's all good, I'm sure I'll get back in the swing after the show opens.

At least, I hope so. The show currently runs 3 hours. The good news: it does not feel like 3 hours at all; it's so engaging. The bad news: It runs 3 hours.

This past week, we added some sound in for the transitions between scenes. The director, Terry Nolen (who incidentally is also the Artistic Director for The Arden), loves using the cast as scene changers. I have to agree, it makes everything run so smoothly and offers the audience continuity by allowing them to see the same people on the stage all the time. There is also the chance to work the scene change into the action of the show as well.

Anyway, our sound designer (who will also be providing some video for the show) is Jorge Cousineau. This guy is so bloody awesome! I can't think of a better way to describe him. The assistant Production Manager calls him "a mad genius." That fits as well.

He grew up in East Germany and came of age in the 1980's, around the time The History Boys takes place. He told us how he would rig antennae and recording devices up in order to get the radio stations coming out of West Germany and the rest of Europe. He'd record them on a tape player (old school) and then he and his friends would share what they had. He said that sometimes he'd have to stand "just so" in order to get the station he wanted.

So you can see why he became a sound designer. He also composes music; there's no end to his genius.

Well, the actors in our play are quite young since they have to play teenage boys. They didn't come of age in the 1980's. So Jorge made them all a CD of 1980's music so they could listen to what English lads were listening to at that time. I, of course as stage manager, had to have a copy and I love it! I actually recognize some of the songs which made me happy because the songs on the CD are all what teens listened to in Europe.

Jorge and I had a quick conversation about music of the 80's. I said I listened to: David Bowie (Let's Dance anyone?), Talking Heads (Stop Making Sense), U2 (I did hear them first in France on a school trip in 1984), and, hmmm, well, I can't think of the rest. Jorge just said, "Yup, American music."

As I write this, I'm listening to the CD and loving the trip down memory lane and learning about the music I missed on this side of the pond. What did you listen to in the 80's?

Bandslam and Bowie

It's been a while since I blogged but it has been prep week and I am trying to spend some time with my kids before I go into rehearsal hibernation. Only, I don't want to spend any more time with my daughter who is currently sitting on the couch "commenting" on my post.

There's not enough wine in this world!

Anyway, back a few hours ago, when I did like my kids, I took them to see the movie Bandslam. I wasn't expecting much but surprisingly, I enjoyed it. The lead actor is quite good and it actually has a plot. This boy, Will Burton, a loner who knows A LOT about music, moves to a new school and gets recruited by the head cheerleader to manage her new band. Over the course of the movie we learn why Will is a loner and why the cheerleader wants to hang out with him. Oh, and Will writes to David Bowie everyday telling him all about his life. David Bowie doesn't write back, until the end, of course. And the music is very good. I think some of the bands were actual bands, like The Burning Hotels (love that name) and The Daze.

But, really, I have to confess that the real reason I think I liked this film is because David Bowie has a cameo and I LOVE David Bowie. I came of age, as they say, in the 1980's, so I first discovered David Bowie with his Let's Dance album. My brother-in-law said, "Oh, no, you need to listen to real Bowie." So, that Christmas I received Ziggy Stardust and Diamond Dogs, on vinyl of course; this was back in the day.

Soon after that, I met my friend Joe P. at a summer drama camp at Yale University. That was back when we both still wanted to act. He lived a few hours away from me so during senior year of high school, we wrote to each other (no e mail for us!). We started writing a play called, When David Bowie Came to Springfield or David Bowie Comes to Springfield, I can't remember. I can't even remember the plot of the play but I do remember we both liked David Bowie. We never finished the play but we did stay friends. He now works for SAG (Screen Actors Guild) and lives in New York City. He comes down to see all the plays I work on and my kids love him.

Isn't it amazing how David Bowie can bring people together? And, this gives me the perfect opportunity to link you to this David Bowie video from his Serious Moonlight tour. You can thank me later.

And now, I'm going to take a page from my own playbook, put on some Bowie, have a glass of wine, and check in with all my blogging friends to see what they've been up to lately.

Mixed Tapes

We've been in rehearsals now for two weeks and it's a big show; a lot to think about. People are coming on and off the stage, moving boxes, drawing chalk, mopping up... it's incredible. At the end of the week, I have one day left to clean my house and hang out with my kids. It's not a great deal of time but we make the most of it...or at least try to.


Last night, my daughter wanted to make a mixed CD (like we did in the 80's only with tapes). One of the songs she requested was Get Back. I immediately thought she meant The Beatles song but instead she wanted some Disney thing. Trying to influence her, I found a YouTube video of the The Beatles playing on top of Apple Records and played it for her and my son. Both of them loved it.

We ended up having a great night playing YouTube videos for each other. My daughter played the music she likes and we countered with what we used to listen to. Luckily, my husband knows a lot about music so when my daughter likes an artist, he can show her a musical influence from our generation. Here are some examples:

• She liked Avril LaVigne's Girlfriend, he played Joan Jett's I Like Rock and Roll
• She showed us Sara Bareilles' Fairytale, he thought Fiona Apple's Criminal

I played The Supremes because they are my all-time favorites but they didn't get into them--perhaps when they are older. They did, however, like David Bowie, another big favorite of mine. Someone once commented to me that David Bowie is the Frank Sinatra of our generation. He may be right. Anyway, I'm excited that my daughter's CD will be truly mixed with artists from all different eras.

This allows me to digress a bit. Years ago, before children, if one can remember that time, I went to a Bowie/Nine Inch Nails Concert with Brian. It was a great concert--Bowie and Trent Raznor were amazing on stage together. A few weeks later, Brian and I were chatting about this concert with some guy as we watched Cal Ripken break Lou Gerhig's record at a friend's house. This young guy, obviously a Nine Inch Nails fan, asked us, "Cool, so Bowie opened for Nine Inch Nails?"

Shocked, we chastised the poor soul by responding, "David Bowie doesn't open for anyone."

Some generations get it and some don't.