Well, dear readers, I must write these here notes in a hurry so I can get a good night’s beauty sleep. I had a good night’s beauty sleep last night – nine hours of blessed sleep, but I need another of those tonight. May I just throw out there in the ether that it is always shocking to me the number of perfectly sane and smart people I know who somehow become babbling idiots on Facebook. They partake of every obvious Facebook scam (the latest has to do with posting some horse manure to your timeline to see if people are reading your timeline, how you met, and then they have to copy and paste to their own timeline. Honestly, how gullible are people but, more importantly, how needy are people? There are always some interesting things to read there from people who don’t play those silly games, but mostly I really kind of loathe it and favor the people and the posts right here at haineshisway.com. End of rant.
Yesterday was a perfectly nice day. I got up after my nine hours of sleep, and then I went and had some scrambled eggs, tomatoes, and an English muffin, not necessarily in that order. I then did some banking, I picked up no packages, which was, as you might imagine, irritating as all get out and I think we all know how irritating all get out is, then I came home, did a three-mile jog and then I relaxed until it was time for our stumble-through.
The stumble-through went really well, I thought. We had a few lyric fumfers, but overall it was smooth and fun and oh what songs. This cast is really stellar and really perfect for the material they’re doing. So, if we can firm up the fumfers I think we should be in good shape for tonight’s show. Chelsea Emma Franko, our replacement gal, with just two and a half days to learn her three songs (one is a put-together, so it’s four songs), came through with flying colors. Letter perfect, which was especially amazing on I Ain’t Down Yet, which she didn’t know at all prior to getting it. That is a really difficult song due to tricky Meredith Willson patter, but she buckled down, Winsocki and got it. But everyone was great. Sue Raney, who is brilliant, was really impressed with the cast and said so loudly. Tom Griep did his usual fine job, and other than running a few things over again at the end and some tiny notes, there wasn’t much to do after the stumble-through.
Then I joined Adryan Russ and her ever-lovin’ Dale at Mo’s, where I had salmon and some vegetables. I must say, the salmon was not that interesting – I think Mo’s has been in a steady decline ever since they took the burger bar away, and if the attendance at prime dinner hour on a Saturday night is anything to go by, maybe they should rethink what they’re doing – it was pretty empty.
After dinner, I came home, answered e-mails, ate some melon balls (what else is new), and then sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched several more wonderful Jack Benny episodes from the Lost Episodes DVD. I laughed and laughed and just when I thought I could laugh no more, I laughed again. There was some choice stuff with John Wayne and Frankie Fontaine in a show that was taped in New York. None of these episodes so far are what I’d call Benny classics, but they are so much funnier than any comedy today. And one episode guest-starring Milton Berle, who comes on Jack’s show to be a straight man so he can teach Jack how to be funny, is fall off your couch like so much fish funny. They just don’t make ‘em like Mr. Benny anymore. Now cut that out.
After that, I just relaxed and played on the computer. Since we’re doing this song in tonight’s show, I thought I’d put the Guy Haines/Jessica Rush version here so you can hear one of my all-time favorite musical theater songs. To think this was added to Li’l Abner just days before its New York opening is astonishing. Music by Gene de Paul, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, orchestrated by David Siegel.
I can’t get enough of Li’l Abner, can you?
Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep. Then, other than doing a jog, I have no plans other than to relax until sound check. Then I’ll have my usual artichoke before the show. We have so many fun people coming tonight (we’re basically sold out) – Richard M. Sherman and his ever-lovin’ Elizabeth, Kay Cole and her ever-lovin’ Michael Lamont, David and Barbara Wechter, our very own Mr. Nick Redman and daughter, my very own darling daughter and her pal Skye, ASCAP’s Michael Kerker and lots of other interesting fun folks. I will, of course, have a full report.
Tomorrow, I have a lot of stuff to do then we do what will hopefully be our final vocal comp session in the evening. The rest of the week is working with Sandy Bainum long distance, prepping our new release, writing more liner notes, meetings and meals, seeing a show, and attending a book fair on the weekend. I kind of am glad I’m not traveling next week.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, relax, do a sound check, and do a show. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, after which I shall be up and at ‘em.