Feb
Posted on 3rd February 2009
Hi. Tuesdays- am I right? Anyway, this Thursday I am going to be in a seriously great comedy show called “Comedy Below Canal” at 92YTribeca (which is to say the 92nd Street Y’s new place in Tribeca) featuring comedy greats Todd Barry (whom you no doubt remember from the hit movie “The Wrestler” starring Oscar hopeful Mickey Rourke), the lovely Jessi Klein (things are really heating up between us. Trust me on this one), Christian Finnegan (best hair in the business), and Wayne Federman (has the same first name as my brother-in-law’s dad and also hockey’s Wayne Gretzky, whom we still talk about to this day). As hinted at earlier, I will also be on the show, stinking up the joint and collecting a sizable amount of money at the end of the night just for showing up. I really hope you can make it. If you come to this show and don’t have a seriously great time you can kick me in the nuts. Also, I will take you out to dinner and buy you the appetizer of your choice. Try me- I am reasonably approachable.
Feb
Posted on 2nd February 2009
Hi there. If you find yourself at the corner of West 26th Street and 8th Avenue in NYC tonight, walk into the UCB Theatre there because I will be appearing on the popular Whiplash show hosted by the great Leo Allen and also featuring the great Eugene Mirman, Joe Mande, Kumail Nanjaini, and Aubrey Plaza. I would love to be in the audience at this show because it is going to be really great. In fact- aside from the eight minutes or so I am standing on stage- I will be in the audience, clapping, laughing, and generally being happy that agoraphobia is completely a thing of the past for me. I apologize in advance for that weird whistling sound I sometimes make when I breath if you are sitting near me. Not sure what’s up with that.
Feb
Posted on 2nd February 2009
It’s Monday and I am feeling like a gigantic blob-like person, largely because I have been eating pretty much nonstop for the last 72 hours or so- a calorie bender that has included a pint of Ben and Jerry’s (Chubby Hubby), French toast, pancakes, bacon, cheese, foie gras (I hate myself especially for eating that deliciously cruel dish. Never again! I’m serious. I can’t believe I talked myself into it in the first place), chicken parmesan, chocolate chip cookies, fried chicken and waffles, and, like, 500 other things I would normally try to avoid if I weren’t on self-destruct. I am going to try reign it in starting…NOW! My pants are getting tight. Ugh. (NOTE: I just re-read this last paragraph and realized I sound like a 45 year-old woman).
In other, less fattening news, this past weekend I read a bunch of “The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting,” an oral history of the great rock band the Replacements. The Replacements are one of my top five favorite bands ever and top that list a lot of days. The book is fun to read, especially if you love the Replacements like me. And it makes you want to rock, which is one of my favorite feelings in the world.
Speaking of rocking, reading the book on the Replacements sent me on a bit of a Replacements-themed Internet binge, watching videos, reading interviews, etc. Along the way, I discoverd that the First Act Paul Westerberg guitar is now priced to move at just $89.99 (down from the original price of around 170 bucks). I’m sure most guitar players reading this will think that any guitar selling for just $89.99 can’t possibly be worth owning, but- since I already own one of these models- I can tell you that it’s a really cool guitar. It looks great, plays great, and sounds great. John Kimbrough and I both used it a lot on the new Valley Lodge album we’re finishing up right now, often instead of other guitars we had lying around that cost 20 times as much. I promise you I don’t own stock in First Act guitars or anything, I just like this guitar a lot and suggest you grab one if you like cool guitars and/or Paul Westerberg.
Okay, I am going to go try to do a pushup now.
Oh yeah, and here is another nice write-up of last week’s incredible Smiths/Speed Dating night.
Feb
Posted on 2nd February 2009
Happy Monday. How are you? I am fine, thanks. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that the episode of the popular radio program “This American Life” that I was on this past weekend (which is to say Episode 373: “The New Boss”) is now available for free download here. It is free for just this week and then it costs a buck or two after that I am pretty sure, so grab it now if you’d like to hear it. But hey- no pressure. Also, thanks to everyone who sent me nice notes about being on the show. I haven’t heard from my parents yet, so I’m guessing they didn’t like the urine story too much. Oh well.
