How Many Poems Does It Take To Be A Poet

Art has a certain pretension
which practitioners cannot avoid
sincerity can breed contempt
or doubt
There can be comfort in labels,
Power in definition
but what if the title is undeserved
and whose to judge
Is it quality, quantity,
or time?
Is it authenticity-
once the subjects of
heartbreak, nature, and the mundane
have been explored with graceful
and poignant honesty, then
one can, without doubt or fear,
claim the mantle of odist-?

'Lucy' A Review

Lucy is an action-thriller about a young woman who acquires super powers through increased brain activity due to over exposure to an illicit experimental drug. The movie opens in Taiwan on student and party girl Lucy(Scarlett Johansson) after a late night with her new boyfriend. Lucy's boyfriend Richard tricks her into delivering a briefcase to a local crime lord and is forced into being a drug mule. Lucy gets CPH4, a new synthetic party drug, sewn into her abdomen. After being assaulted the drug leaks into her bloodstream and she gets access to the full function of her brain. Chaos ensues.

The powers that Johansson acquires are cool and the action sequences are entertaining. There is however a ton of meaningless and unjustified collateral damage. Not only is the premise tired, seen most recently in Limitless, but the logic is flawed and at points non-existent. Johansson puts in a bizarre performance: before the application of the drug she is an air head using her study abroad semester to party, after she is an emotionless, desireless, robotic killer with seemingly not motivation what so ever. There is no why to be found in Lucy.

The movie lacks heart, character, and any semblance of a cogent narrative. A movie cannot rest soley on the backs of CGI and a star. The idea of someone gaining more brain function and having powers will always be intriguing, the idea that inside all of us we carry the potential for genius will always be exciting, but without a point of view or something to actually say that tired troupe falls flat.

Thin and bland.

Don't See It.

Year Two

My first drink of alcohol was in the winter of 2001, I was 16. I pilfered half a bottle of Old Crow whiskey that had been sitting in our pantry for the better part of a decade. My friend James's dad was out of town so me and some friends went there to spend the night. Each of us brought some alcohol and we were determined to get drunk.

I remember two things clearly. After we drank we danced, it was the first time I had fun dancing, the first time I was truly uninhibited. The second thing I remember was the insatiability of it. After that first shot of whiskey, I wanted another and another and another. After all the alcohol was gone I wanted more. I felt like my life had opened up and I had found the answer.

From that first moment on I could never have just one drink. I would do whatever it took to drink and keep on drinking. Long after friends had been satiated or gone to bed, long after last call or closing time, I would be on the hunt for that next drink. Drink until oblivion was my mantra.

Today is the two year anniversary of my last drink. Life has opened up. I'm free of that malignant and voracious thirst. The drink is no longer an ever-present problem. Now my focus is to simply live life on life terms. My problems are those we all share to various degrees: aggression, anger, anxiety, impatience, self-centeredness. The goal is to live a good life, to do the right thing, to live well.

Two years in I have an idea what that looks like.

Graffiti 134

From Madison. Evidently Systemic Torment is a Madison based hardcore punk band.

Upon first inspection I thought it might be some weird underground cry for help from the punks in Madison persecuted by the granola-eating hippies that rule its hilled capitol. I imagined hordes of dreadlocked, bearded, pot enthusiasts ridiculing and berating the poor defenseless and starkly out numbered leather clad, studded and gauged, mohawked punks yearning for a corner of the Portland of the Midwest to call their own.

But I googled it and found out it was just a band.

"I always said punk was an attitude. It was never about having a Mohican haircut or wearing a ripped T-shirt. It was all about destruction, and the creative potential within that." -Malcom McLaren

"I never wanted to go back and relive the glory days; I just want to keep moving forward. That's what I took from punk. Keep going. Don't look back." -Paul Simonon

SchwaBQ

With iO in limbo my Sundays have been free. Tonight Karisa hosted a Deep Schwa BBQ. It's a bit bizarre not having shows on Sunday but it is nice having a break and getting to spend some time with the team outside the theater. We ate meats and salads and talked on the roof. Told stories about old iO, talked shop and just enjoyed each others company, not something we've ever done since I've been on the team. Almost always the context we meet under is a show, or the rare once a year rehearsal.

Even with the relatively temperate weather it has been and continues to be a great summer. Lot of things coming up: my sister's wedding, the second half of Nicole and I's move, our anniversary, and the big iO question. But right now it's enough to sit and watch the sunset with some incredible collaborators.

"It's not about the journey. It's about the people you meet." -Del Close

Produce, Protest, And Park

In Mad-town visiting Marta. We went to the farmers market after a crepe breakfast and it was packed. People here seem to be much more concerned with and supportive of the local food movement. Seems like most of the places we went sold or used free-range, grass-fed, free-trade, organic type products. The option or the interest doesn't seem to be nearly as prevalent in Chicago. Maybe it's just not on my radar. I'm not much of a foodie and not terribly concerned with where I get my grub, I realize this isn't a great attitude to have.

Marta with some sunflowers. While Marta and Nick did the shopping I just walked around the perimeter. Crowds make me nervous.

A visit to Madison would not be complete without a protest. The chanting was lack luster, the signs were great.

In the afternoon we went to Blue Mounds State Park and went for a hike. The best part of the trip was simply pending time with my sister. We do a pretty good job keeping in touch but we both lead busy lives and anyway I do my best talking and listening in person.

At the top of the mound there was two observation towers. The picture doesn't do the view justice. On the way down we passed a wedding about to commence. They had an arch of white balloons strung up at this campsite with an amazing view. We spotted the bride getting ready in one of the questionable park bathrooms, she looked beautiful despite it. Marta teared up a bit, her wedding is coming up in five weeks. We are all very excited.

After the hike we took a dip in the park pool. I did the math and I hadn't swam in a pool in four years. Cold and fun. It was a wonderful visit, I love my sister and it's always such a joy to get some extended time with her. Both Marta and Nick seemed a bit pre-occupied, of course, and I realized when we were all driving to Rockford and they were hashing out wedding plans that my timing may not have been ideal.

I'm grateful for my sister. Marta couldn't be more gracious and considerate. She's stood by me through a lot and her support remains unwavering. She received me with open arms this weekend even though I'm sure she and Nick could have used the time to relax and shore up wedding details. But hey, she made me watch the first two episodes of Orphan Black so we're even right?

Madison Visit

Today I headed up to Madison to visit my sister Marta and her fiance Nick. Took the bus from O'Hare up to Madison. I wouldn't recommend it. I haven't traveled by bus that much since field trips in high school so I'd forgotten how unpleasant an extended bus ride can be when someone sits next to you. After the first twenty minutes I was hopelessly stinky. My seat mate was a young woman who journaled most of the the trip, I was very curious what she was writing but figured there was no way to get a look without being discovered given our proximity. The last twenty minutes or so she started watching Bring It On. She didn't mention my increasing BO which I appreciated.

I got into town, Marta and Nick picked me up, and our first stop was their butchers. These flowers were out front. It's nice to get out of Chicago for a bit but I'm always surprised by the differences between cities. Madison is beautiful and sprawling with a comparatively narrow ethnic demographic. Every city has a different pace, a different rhythm and it always takes some time to recalibrate.

We got fish fry and ice cream and talked family late into the night, the start of a wonderful weekend.

'Boyhood' A Review

Boyhood is a quiet family drama about the childhood of a boy in Texas. The film follows Mason from age 6 to age 18. His parents are divorced and his mother has a string of bad boyfriends and failed marriages throughout his childhood. The family moves, the kids make friends, experiment with drugs and drinking, fall in love, and wax poetic about what-it-all-means.

The film was shot over a period of twelve years using the same actors as they aged congruently with their characters. The effect in itself is powerful but even more powerful is the subtle and resonate story that gradually unfolds as you see Mason grow and all the characters age and develop.

The performances in the film are fascinating. We see the characters and actors go through drastic physical and psychological changes. The child actors go from unaware of the camera, to self-concious tweens, to burgeoning adults. The adults have their own range of energy steming from their ever-changing life positions. We get to know the characters intimately but the actors even more so because of the scope of the project.

There is only one 'big' moment in the film but there are hundreds of small moments and that is what the film truly highlights. Real life isn't a series extreme tragedies or vibrant successes and the film feels very real. There is danger and tension and familial discord but there is also love and boredom and simple pleasures. The subtlety and authenticity of this boy's childhood make it poignant and moving. The film fictionalizes reality and inspires personal reflection.

Boyhood is a masterpiece of small beautiful moments over the sometimes heartbreaking passage of time.

Don't Miss It.

Projects/Goals

To keep things straight in my head and to hold myself accountable in some measure these are the projects I'd like to realize in the coming months.

The Hindsight Hour. With Tisher gone I'd like to start another improvised podcast. This time dramatic or with a more dramatic conceit. Each episode would revolve around a theme, emotion, or idea, contain improvised scenes with different approaches to the subject, with unconnected narratives, more an anthology format. I plan to start recording in September.

You Are All Swine. A short 7-10 minute video project based on the fictionalized version of Tisher I created on Facebook and with the couple pieces I wrote for this blog. I would play Tisher(I have one of his shirts) and it would be an instructional type video letting people know how uneducated and repulsive they are, I'd go through a couple different interactions, asking a woman out, buying something from a convenient store etc. I plan to write it in the next couple weeks and film it before winter.

The Girlfriend Show. During Ted and I's sketch show two years ago I had the idea for a show based around past relationships, last year I interviewed a couple of my ex-girlfriends about our relationship and relationships in general and used that as the show inspiration. Jamison and I generated about 30 scene premises from the interviews we had a couple rehearsals but it stalled out because of The Annoyance move. At this point we got a cast and a director and just need the slot. I hope to have a hard date by mid September.

Sight Unseen. Jimmy's been teaching at The Annoyance the past year but hasn't been improvising much, he put together a team of some incredibly talented and disparate personalities, we have our first show this Tuesday at the Upstairs Gallery. We hope to get some kind of run in the next couple months.

Poetry Contest. My grandma has been encouraging me recently to enter some poetry contests, not any in specific, just advocating I get my work out there. This past Monday Brunlieb was gracious enough to give me some time at Quenchers to read some of my poems and it went surprisingly well. I got a good sense of what people liked and what they didn't, what resonated, and what edits needed to be made to some of the pieces. It gave me the confidence to pull the trigger and start submitting. I plan to have submitted to at least one competition by the fall.

Graffiti 133

"Pistol" Pete Maravich

Basketball is the only sport I got into watching, albeit briefly. I've never watched sports or taken much of an interest in them outside of occasionally playing them myself. But there were two points when I was really into basketball: the second Chicago Bulls three-peat and the 2003-2004 Detroit Pistons. Both had an amazing and compelling cast of characters playing some extraordinary ball. In both cases it seemed like the right team won. Good prevailed.

There's something about the game when it's being played great. Verging on and achieving perfection. Something like dance and jazz and combat. Moments of grace and timing and courage and audacity. The problem is the game seldom achieves that. With all the money and the drama and the egoism the game of basketball rarely transcends.

"The game of basketball has been everything to me. My place of refuge, place I've always gone where I needed comfort and peace. It's been the site of intense pain and the most intense feelings of joy and satisfaction. It's a relationship that has evolved over time, given me the greatest respect and love for the game." -Michael Jordan

"They don't pay you a million dollars for two-hand chest passes." -Pistol Pete

Ode To My Spatula

I miss you.
Packed away in some dusty box.
Waiting, ever expectant and accommodating.
The spatulas I'm forced to use are nothing.
Flimsy plastic or chunky wood,
like blocks and straws,
Nothing to your long handled metallic grace.
Your thin rigidity, ever-so slightly pliant.

Flipping omelettes is a messy business
without the surety of your lines.

O' Spatula,
I took your useful dexterity for granted.
Fly back to my loving grip soon
that I may break my fast with forgotten
Alacrity.

Life Is Not A Show

Last weekend I went to Jeff and Shar's show/production/experience/happening "Life Is Not A Show" they asked people not to post pictures or discuss it until it was all over and at this point they've finished.

For those who weren't able to attend this is what happened. You met at a corner and Shar walked the group to an apartment building then into a, seemingly, empty studio apartment. Around the apartment were messages or references to the attendees. For me there were pictures pulled up of me on the computer and a note that said "Steve loves my glasses!" a reference to Jeff's new pair of child-molester glasses which I hate. At first I thought we had to uncover something or solve some kind of puzzle but after a couple minutes Jeff came out of the bathroom in his boxers.

Jeff didn't acknowledge us so it was clear we were simply observers. He paced around the apartment and called his estranged wife Annie, argued with her, and revealed it was his son Timothy's birthday. Jeff got dressed, left the apartment, and went to McDonald's. On the walk he left Annie repeated voicemails requesting reconciliation and called his friend Greg and left him a couple voicemails implying they had some kind of sexual history. At McDonald's Jeff ordered an ice cream cone and we all watched.

On the walk back to the apartment we encountered Annie and Greg sitting and chatting on a bench much to Jeff's surprise. A confrontation ensued and culminated with Jeff smashing the dripping remains of his ice cream cone in Greg's face. The event concluded back at the door to the apartment building when Jeff acknowledged people were following him, yelled at us, and took and tore our tickets.

The whole experience was very cool and inspiring. The machinations of Jeff's day weren't terribly interesting but the fact we were all in agreement engaging quietly in this guerrilla theater, that we were observing Jeff order ice cream from McDonald's makes it more interesting than Jeff simply ordering ice cream from McDonald's. It was an intimate piece where the performers used their actual names and we were never more than a couple feet from the main players.

I very sincerely hope they do another show, after the creativity of this project I wonder what could be next, taking the project a step further. "Life Is Not A Show" was incredibly unique in concept and execution, with countless improv, solo sketch, storytelling, sketch revue, and stand up shows in the city this was a breath of fresh air.

Goodbye 3541

I started taking classes at iO in 2007. I didn't go to a show for my first term there because I was too scared to use my student ID and I was too broke to pay for a show. During level 2 I mustered up enough courage to go see the Sunday 10:30 show which turned out to be GhettoBlaster and 3033. The first show I didn't care for much but when 3033 took the stage I was enthralled. They took a suggestion and for thirty minutes danced and interpretively moved to a soundtrack, no dialogue. I remember it being funny but it struck me more as an engaging piece of theater, even more impressive given these five men were big, big but graceful. From then on I was hooked.

The following week I went back on Sunday this time for the whole evening. That was the first time I saw Deep Schwa. I fell in love. They were so fast, so smart, so wickedly playful. I don't remember much about the show but after it my face hurt from laughing. The team at the time was Jeff Griggs, Brett Lyons, Dan Antonucci, Kevin Fleming, Meagan Flanigan, Brian Jack and Colleen Murray. Craig Uhlir got back from Vegas a month or so after I started watching Schwa and at first I didn't like him- too sharp, too mean, too aggressive. As a teacher Craig won me over and that roster of Schwa became my signpost and my inspiration for what improv was and could be. Subsequent additions and returning members like Rob Janas, Brian Wilson, Kate Duffy, Joe Canale, Danny Mora, and Neil McNamara were also incredible to watch. Since that first show back in 2007 I've only missed a handful of Sunday nights at iO, less than ten.

                             

I didn't got on a team after classes, I was crushed and angry. I did some work, auditioned, and made it in. My first team at iO was FireCup, it was a great first team, we really cared about each other and most of the time it showed on stage. It was a huge accomplishment when we started playing downstairs in the Cab, in my mind that was always the stage to play on, the goal, where the real work was being done. My second team was Rick where I think I did some of my best work with the Harold. My third team The Hague was great in its atonal weirdness. My independent team The Album and Julia and I's two person show Salute Jive both got runs in the Cabaret, both were unexpected and I couldn't have been more grateful for the opportunities. Ted and I put up our two person sketch show "A Year Of Saturdays" in the DCT, it was the first thing I did that I felt was in my voice. I found that voice at iO.

I had some great teachers and some bad teachers who talked too much. I had some boring teachers and some creepy teachers and some inspiring teachers. I learned some great lessons, some of them because of how angry and biting they were delivered. Some people were mean to me, I was mean to some people, I embarrassed myself a number of times, sometimes I was too proud. Occasionally I talked too much shit.

I had the pleasure of coaching JaJaJa, Echo my first Harold team the members of which will always be near and dear to me and currently coach Attica. I made a lot of friends, was involved with many interesting projects, got inspired, got motivated, got beaten down and picked myself up. I had a place to go whenever I wanted. I found a home and an art form that excited me. 

I don't have much attachment to the building itself, it's the people that are important, but I'll miss the Cabaret stage, the low ceiling, the simple lights, the way the laughs and indifference sounded. I'll miss watching a great show and getting pumped up to go on after or watching a terrible show and getting pumped up to get the crowd back. I'll miss doing a great set coming off and feeling sorry for the team that has to follow it. I'll miss the challenges and the energy, the heat and the camaraderie. It was such a unique space, part bar part theater, compact and intimate. I'll miss sneaking in the back and watching shows from the hall way and then disappearing during freeze.

It wasn't a flawless place. It could be dangerous both interpersonally and in regards to performance. It could be a place of judgement but also kindness and acceptance. Of contradictions. It was a place where you could seek and find some clarity of purpose. Hone your comedic chops in a classroom or on a stage.

It was a magical place and after tonight it's gone.

I Am The Liquor

As a person who doesn't drink, a person in recovery, sometimes people will ask me what it was like. Most of my friends know my story to some degree, at the very least they know I don't drink. Addiction can be mysterious and a taboo subject so I suspect people wonder about it but don't voice their questions. I'm not particularly sensitive about it but it's a subject a lot of people skirt.

This is what it's like. There's an episode of Trailer Park Boys that gets it exactly right. The trailer park owner Mr. Lahey is an alcoholic and they play this repeatedly for comedic effect. There's a scene where he gives this guy money for groceries he says something like "Here's $100 for food, $1400 for liquor." When I was drinking I would pay my bills and spend almost all the rest of my paycheck on booze, I maxed out my credit card two separate times buying liquor, if I had a choice between booze or food I would always buy booze, at one point I hadn't bought groceries for two years.

Later in that same scene Mr. Lahey is plotting the death of the Trailer Park Boys, this guy says to him "Is that you or the liquor talking?" Mr. Lahey responds "Randy, I AM the liquor." That is what it's like.

The liquor has such a tight hold, you feel you personify it. This hot, racing, desperate, mean, destructive thing has control of you. You speak with its mouth, your feet follow its path, you have one want- consume.

Of course it wasn't always like that, there were a lot of good times before the bad, but when it went bad it went bad fast and it stayed bad for a long time. Free of its grip I feel much more myself. I'm much happier, I have a lot more time to give to others and myself. I have a personality, I'm discovering who I actually am.

When you're an alcoholic all your wants are filtered through the drink. You'll lie, cheat, and steal, do things wholly out of your character in order to fill this ceaseless and gaping need. Manipulate people and situations in order to keep your ability to drink unencumbered.

Its a bit like being possessed, there were times my body would take me to the liquor store or bar when I had no intention of going there. Its also a bit like being a robot, going through the same habits and routines not because of any desire but through some fucked up programming. Its also like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Being governed by some large, faceless, malevolent mothership.

So if you ever wondered, that is what it's like.

Rhythm, Pitch, And Pacing

Tonight HP and I went to see This Is Our Youth as Steppenwolf. It's been a show to see since it opened primarily because of the celebrity cast: Kieran Culkin, Michael Cera, and Tavi Gevinson. It was not a very good show.

I'm sure in the mid-nineties(when the play was written) the angsty teens and drug use was cutting edge but in 2014 it seems almost quaint. What struck me was not the content of the play but the performances more specifically the vocal performances.

Culkin was by far the easiest and most compelling to watch, granted the script gives him the most range within which to work, it was clear he has done live theater before. He was comfortable, he went on a journey, he made choices.

Gevinson either naturally has a bizarre voice or put on an ill-conceived affectation for the performance. The cadence and stresses were so distracting I didn't actually buy she was acting. Her limited on-camera experience and non-existent(at least from what I can find) stage experience makes it clear she's out of her depth.

Cera was the biggest disappointment, an element of which was certainly because I'm a fan of his work and my expectations were relatively high. The main problem with him was he delivered every line the same. Uniform inflection, uniform volume, uniform non-emotion. He did not go on a journey, he either talked normal or yelled. He, seemingly, made no character choices.

Cera, the lead, and Gevinson, the romantic interest, exhibited an extremely limited vocal range. Maybe because the two of them are use to camera work they were doing things to subtle to be picked up 8 rows back, maybe they were out of their depth, maybe the director was intimidated by their celebrity and didn't direct. Regardless they were boring. There is potential for musicality to the script, a potential for the monologues and dialogues to ebb and flow, to peak and valley, to intercut and overlap. But the potential wasn't realized and maybe in real life peoples speech patterns are pedantic and unchanging but the stage calls for something more animated. Something more inspired.

They didn't find the poetry elusive but inherent in all performance. People will go see the play because three famous people are in it. I just hope people don't mistake the excitement of being in a room with Michael Cera for good theater.

Perks Of Summer

Even when July is cool

and afternoons do not require

shade or the serenity of central air.

When tans are scarce,

the beach sands warm not hot,

and all joggers wear their tops.

There are perks to summers lacking heat.

No sweat stains for one,

a relief for chronic pitter-outers.

And with cloudy days

and rationed rays

flowers perpetually bloom.

More Growth

My plants have been progressing apace despite the torrential rains and bursts of cold or maybe because of them. With almost all my stuff packed away they are a comfort and good reminder. Things move in cycles.

Living with Nicole and her roommate, my roommate too for the next two weeks, has been more of an adjustment than I first thought. I didn't put much thought into what living with people would be like after living by myself for two years, more importantly what living with a significant other would be like.

Not to say that its bad, its just more of a process than I anticipated. Most of the time someone's around, you're sharing a frig and a bathroom and a mailbox and a sink with dishes in it. There's more space but it's not just your space, there's more stuff which is not your stuff. Solitary moments are brief, someone is always returning from somewhere. Living with someone you love has other complications to be figured out independent of regular roommate minutia. Rituals and routines to establish, expectations to fulfill or disappoint. Checking in: letting the other person know where you are and what you're up to. Dinner. Making time to spend together, talking before bed doesn't count. All the stuff is very new and a bit overwhelming. These past couple weeks I've had to adapt.

Just to be crystal clear I'm not complaining, the situation isn't a bummer or anything, it was just a little more work than I thought probably because I didn't especially think it through. Moving is a big change, moving in with people is a bigger one, moving in with a significant other even more so. Ultimately it's been great. More space, company, seeing my loving girlfriend every night, being able to talk in bed, sit on the porch and smoke cigarettes in silence, get up in the morning and make breakfast, all without worrying about my stuff or my clothes or my place because its all there.

I feel like Nicole and are growing a lot, learning a lot about each other. I'm excited to move downstairs at the end of the month and start this co-habitation in earnest. 

'Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes' A Review

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes is the sequel to the 2011 prequel/franchise reboot Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes. Ten years has passed since the simian flu devastated the human population. The apes have cultivated a home in the forests outside San Francisco and the surviving humans have created a stronghold in the heart of the city. Since the break out of the simian flu there have been no contact between the apes and humans. The movie opens on the ape community, peaceful and growing under the leadership of Cesar. The humans enter the apes territory in search of a power source and a precarious truce ensues. Conflict is inevitable.

The most stunning aspect of the film is the CGI detail of the apes and the subtlety of their motion-capture performances. The emotional development and chemistry between the apes is far more engaging than anything the human actors offer due to their limited screen time and the script. There are some attempted parallels between the humans and apes with father-son counterparts however most if not all of the human story line falls flat. The movie seems to be unsure if it wants show the perspective of man or ape it can't successfully do both.

The action is summer-blockbuster eye-candy and the plot has high enough stakes to catch and hold interest however there is something anti-climatic about this whole reboot. We know where this world is going, we know the end game- apes take over and enslave humans. Because of this the first two installments feel like extended prologues. Although the action and emotional journey is relatively rich it lacks any real narrative surprises.

Innovative motion-capture performances applied within a predicable storyline.

Rent It.

Last Clark Street Shows

Tonight Deep Schwa had our last show at iO on Clark. It was a packed and enthusiastic crowd. Deep Schwa is iO's longest running Harold team, 18 years strong, and it was always my favorite team to watch. It's been a real gift and pleasure to have played on the team for the past two years and I'm excited to see what the new space will bring. I expected to get emotional but didn't feel much in-particular, even with Jeff announcing, before he took our suggestion, that it was our last show it didn't really hit me. Like is so often the case with major change, it'll take time to process.

We had a real fun show, the only time I've felt like when all eleven of us were there that we stayed fluid. It's interesting to be part of a team with so much history, to carry the name and the reputation on. It means a lot to me, if it wasn't for Schwa I may not have stuck with improv, it showed me the amazing sometimes magical possibilities improv can hold. I'm sure the night held more significance to Brett, Craig, Jeff and the other folks who've been around longer than I have but to me it felt very satisfying, one last show with a full cast and a house filled to capacity.

Later Prime had our last show. The team has had an interesting journey. Initially opening up for 3033 was Middle Age Comeback, after Jim left Craig did a show U Who? where he would get a guest, that kind of sputtered out and towards the end of it he got Scott Nelson and I to play. The show was really fun and after Craig asked both Scott Nelson, Scott Morehead, and I to play with him consistently. Everyone is incredibly talented and fast but if I'm being honest I think Craig simply liked the idea of introducing us as "two Scotts, two Nelsons and a Uhlir". After we ran for a couple months Scott and Scott both got Second City gigs, we had some sit-ins, Brett played with us for a while before going on a boat and then Sabine started to play with us. In the past couple months we've really hit our stride, consistently putting up fun, fast, challenging shows. We've even developed a loose(very loose) form: start with a group scene where we like each other, cut away to any thing we talk about that seems like a scene, Scott Nelson plays most if not all celebrities referenced, callback the first scene until it comes to some sort of conclusion.

The show tonight was great, absurd and sweaty, we even pimped Craig into doing the only two impressions he can: Richard Nixon and Gilbert Gottfried. It felt great to have my final show on the iO Cab stage be with three immensely talented friends I respect especially Craig my one time teacher, coach and mentor. I noticed a couple friends in the crowd but Nicole was there for both shows which meant the world.

It was a great ending but not a permanent one. The new iO space will open sometime in the near future. And as of tonight I have no regrets and couldn't be more grateful.

Lots of Shows

For whatever reason I went on a real tear of seeing shows this week. I really love going to see friends in shows, watching their creative output and ideas. Tuesday I saw Super Human. As always: high off-the-wall energy.

Wednesday I went to CIC to see Gigantic. A new independent team with a lot of friends. They have an ambitious fluid form which I think could evolve into something really compelling.

Thursday I saw The Late 90's last show at iO, Friday I saw American Standard's last show at iO then caught On The Rocks 2 and finished the night off at Holy Fuck. Today The Night Shift had a show at The Playground and then Meaghan and I went and saw Slice Of Life at The Annoyance. Brunlieb as J-Ball Pizzaface pictured above. All wonderful shows.

After five nights straight I'm feeling a bit over saturated but also inspired and eager to begin writing and working on some future projects that have been rolling around in my head for a couple months now. Seeing friends do exciting, funny, daring work always puts me in the mood to respond in kind.

Last shows at Clark Street iO tomorrow.

'Life Itself' A Review

Life Itself is a documentary about the life of film critic Roger Ebert. The film begins with Ebert a couple months for his death in his second to last hospital visit and subsequent rehab. It then reaches back through archival, pictures, talking head interviews, clips from the Siskel&Ebert show, and the numerous TV appearances by Ebert tells the story of his life.

Three things become crystal clear about the life of Roger Ebert: the deep and moving love him and his wife Chaz shared, his love of the cinema, and his more complicated but equally deep affection for his life long collaborator Gene Siskel. It is not a flowery portrayal, time is spent on Ebert's alcoholism and his sometimes selfish and biting personality before he met Chaz. Some aspects of his life are underdeveloped presumably for the sake of time. Finishing the movie you get a sense it could have been much longer, such a full, interesting, and influential life this man had led.

Ebert and film fans alike will love this movie. Without an enduring passion for cinema or a general knowledge of Roger Ebert I don't know how the film would strike someone. I'm too close to it. Ebert inspired many, myself included. I wrote a piece last year after Ebert's passing which you can find here.

In the film Werner Herzog puts it beautifully, describing Ebert as "the wounded soldier of cinema." It was a gift to see him go to battle one last time.

See It.

Sunsets #3

6/12/14

 6/27/14

6/28/14

Twilight

A cool summer evening
with dessert and loving company
a warm wind
and the chatter of contented strangers
a moment crystallized
and set apart from sweeping change.

Simple pleasures
often neglected or forgotten
with the speed
of life's momentum.

A Small Betrayal

I walked down the alley. I had just run. I was on my cool-down. I passed a smoking man. He was 50 or so and wearing a suit. A business man. He was walking the other way.

At the end of the alley I turned around and walked back. I was cooled down and ready for a shower. The man had stopped. And leaned into a doorway smoking still.

He saw me turn around and head back in his direction. He seemed startled and smoked faster. Before I passed him a second time he crushed his cigarette beneath his brown boat shoe. Flapping his sport coat as if to clear its scent, he left the alley.

So secretive, I thought. And remembered a story about a married couple. The man smoked but told his wife he didn't and never smoked in front of her. She pretended she didn't know he smoked even though she knew. The point, I think, was the argument wasn't worth it. Little lies keep things going. Hide your vice.

This man must have a wife who doesn't like him smoking. So he walks down the alley on his way home and steals a smoke. When he goes home he makes up lies about why he smells like smoke. His wife pretends she believes him and he tells the lies and they stay married and everything stays the same and never changes.

I left the alley and looked for the man but he was gone. I felt sorry for him.

'Snowpiercer' A Review

Snowpiercer is a dystopian scifi thriller, the last of humanity is trapped on a perpetually moving train after an attempt to combat global warming backfires and the world is thrust into an ice age. When the train was boarded a class system was developed, the elite housed in the front in comfort and the poor packed into the tail. Seventeen years after the trips beginning an uprising is imminent. The film opens on life in the tail and the subsequent revolution.

The film weaves together some stunning visuals, each train car serves it's unique purpose and has its own unique design(a green house, an aquarium, a school room, a dance club etc.), the beautiful sometimes bizarre train cars are juxtaposed by periodic shots of the ice blasted waste land outside the windows. The action is bloody, brutal, and lithe, there's a shocking amount of fluidity to the action sequences given they are subject to the confines of the train.

The performances are equal parts sincere, emotionally resonant, and darkly humorous. Chris Evans puts forth more depth than he has previously as vengeful warrior and reluctant leader. Tilda Swinton also makes a power house appearance as quirky and hateful administrator in charge of the tail. The entire cast brings both a gravitas and uniqueness that make the surreal setting come alive.

The main issue of the film is the ending. Towards the end Chris Evans gives a convincing but overlong and too-little-too-late speech explaining his motives and providing exposition that would have been better placed at the beginning. The final moments of the film feel a bit cliche, for a movie of this type, and leaves a bit to be desired.

This is all to say nothing of the overarching and thick social, political, and economic commentary of the film. It plays more like a bloody parable than a future-train-adventure. Snowpiercer raises many questions and leaves you a little uncomfortable which is presumably the intention.

Vibrant, disturbing, and thick with meaning.

See It.

Groh Show #20

After a couple months off Groh Show is back in a big way. We recorded this episode last week during the big storm. Lots of interesting topics are discussed from creative ambition to sandwich delivery.

After we recorded Danny and I hung out at Daniel's for a while waiting for the storm to blow over. Danny wanted to play video games so Daniel set him up with BioShock Infinite. It proved a bit much for him so Daniel took over and we just watched. I haven't watched someone play a video game for probably 15 years. It was funner than I remember.

Tactics For Difficult Collaborators

I've had a couple conversations recently about improvising with people who have a wild energy, a different style, a singular perspective, a tenacious approach, and I've synthesized my thoughts into these four actionable ideas.

Appeasement- Sometimes you'll play with a person who likes to do a particular type of scene: a relationship, a transaction, parent-child etc. Or play a particular type of character. Set them up to do that thing that they like and do well. Having a good scene or memorable character under their belt will make them happy and less likely to walk-on, tag-out, or whatever other distracting thing they do that disrupts your scenes or show.

Aggression- If you're dealing with someone who is a non-stop talker or who drives their scene idea with a lot of force do the same thing back at them. There is a politeness sometimes where people simply wait for the other person to stop talking before they start talking. With someone who doesn't shut up you could wait forever. Talk longer and louder than this type of person, interrupt them, they will eventually shut up, if they don't they will at least know what it feels like and you will feel more empowered knowing you fought for your share of the focus. The other tactic is to start a scene with a thick initiation and narrative then drive it home. If this person contradicts you or attempts to steer the scene in another direction, call them out, clarify, lay out so much information they have no choice but to do your scene.

Avoidance- If you're having a problem with an individual you can straight up avoid doing scenes with them. If they walk on to your scenes tag them out. If they tag in to your scenes tag back in. If you feel like it's going no where edit from within. If they cross initiate call them on it, if they contradict themselves call them on it, if they come on with something out-of-this-world crazy do not justify their behavior play the scene however you want, if someone comes into a scene with an incomprehensible idea it is not your job to make sense of them, it is your job to have fun, if that means making them the bad guy so be it.

Altruism- Talk to your coach or talk to the individual directly. Be positive and frame everything in a personal way i.e. "I feel..." Listen and support the other person in your scenes and shows and hope they get the message acknowledging the consideration and thoughtfulness with which you play with them. I've found this to be the least effective and most frustrating.

Independence Day

When I was a kid my family would always go up to our cabin in northern Wisconsin for the fourth. We would fish, grill out, light off our own fireworks, and go to one of the surrounding small towns for a bigger display. As I grew up we couldn't really find the time anymore. During and after college I just used the holiday as an excuse to party, of course I don't remember any of those being particularly memorable or fun.

This year Nicole and I spent most of the afternoon at Meaghan's BBQ. Lots or great people, beautiful weather, and good conversations. It's really nice to be at a gathering with lots of friends and acquaintances and to move from conversation to conversation without pressure or direction. Just letting the moment be and relaxing in it. There was an ease about the get together that I appreciated and enjoyed. We ended up the night on Ryan's roof, there were sparklers.

From the roof you could see all around the city. There were fireworks going up all around us. I don't have much patriotism in me but I felt a tangible sense of community not only with my group of friends but with Chicago at large.

'They Came Together' A Review

They Came Together is a romantic comedy parody co-written and directed by David Wain. The film opens on a couples dinner where Joel(Paul Rudd) and Molly(Amy Poehler) tell the story of how they met. The plot unfolds almost whole cloth as a spoof of You've Got Mail with liberal appropriations of romcom troupes. Poehler is a small candy shop owner in NYC, Rudd works for a large candy corporation. They are both on the rebound to varying degrees, get set up at a mutual friends Halloween party, at first hate each other then a push-and-pull relationship develops.

There is no question the film is funny. With more jokes per minute than any comedy made in the past five years it certainly exceeds its mirth quotient. What it lacks however is any semblance of reality or heart. There is no actual story the film invests no time in creating characters it exists solely to poke fun at its genre. The performances are amusing and work best when they move from parody to the bizarre but ultimately the film is too limited, to confined by the genre it is spoofing.

The main problem is that the film proposes to be a love story and isn't. Poehler and Rudd are given no time to develop any chemistry and to actually fall in love, they are given no opportunity to exude the effortless charm and charisma both of them have, they are marginalized to the same soulless formula that is the subject of their ridicule.

A ludicrous lampoon with no substance.

Rent It.

Recipe

popping oil
broccoli bobs
shoestring carrots
mushroom fobs

a cracked egg
holds the glue
that fuses veggies
and preps the chew

the bagel, sliced
coil kissed
lathered cheese cream
caps the list

Top 10 Movies of 2014 So Far

Top 10 Movies So Far:
Blue Ruin
Chef
Edge Of Tomorrow
Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Jodorowsky's Dune
The Lego Movie
Obvious Child
Only Lovers Left Alive
The Rover

Top 5 Worst:
Dom Hemingway
Enemy
Under The Skin
Visitors
Words & Pictures

Top Disappointment:
Robocop