Well, dear readers, it is Friday. There, I’ve given it my best shot. It’s late, I’m tired, I just spent the last ninety minute whipping up a set of liner notes out of whole cloth (no mean feat) – have you ever whipped up a set of liner notes out of whole cloth – it’s very odd because it’s difficult to write on cloth, but that’s another story. On top of that, I’m still having allergy problems, which is bugging me big, so I’ve given the opening of these here notes my best shot with “Well, dear readers, it is Friday.” It’s not going to get any better than that.
Yesterday, I gave the entire day my best shot. I actually slept until ten, getting eight hours of blessed sleep – not enough but at least it was eight rather than seven or six. Once up, I answered e-mails, had some telephonic conversations, then I moseyed on over the hill to have a meeting with our Li’l Abner stage manager, to nail down exactly who was playing whom and doubling which parts. We met at Fred 62, a diner across the street from House of Pies – I thought it would be good not to have my third meal in a row at House of Pies. As it turns out, I was wrong. Fred 62 used to be great – really great. But their menu has completely changed, it doesn’t really have the diner vibe anymore. Thankfully, two of the things that always intrigued me were still on the menu – a sloppy Joe (I almost typed “a sloppy Jew” but that would have been about me rather than the menu item) and a fried chicken Po’ Boy sandwich. The waiter suggested the sloppy Joe for the sloppy Jew and so I had it. It wasn’t that there was that much actual meat in the sandwich, because there wasn’t – but with the lettuce, tomato and the HUGE bun, you couldn’t actually eat it as a sandwich. I had to cut it up and eat it in little bits. It was passable and nothing more and certainly not filling at all. So, I ordered a side of onion rings, and while I ate all of them, they were really weak.
We got all our work done and then I came home. Then Sandy and Lanny came over and we had a really fun work session, playing through a lot of songs. I chose the last song – it’s something I wrote for what was to be my follow-up film to Nudie Musical, called Sailors. But the lyric was VERY specific to the film and the character singing it and where she worked. But I just really liked the idea of it and the tune and whole vibe, so, over the last few days, I rewrote the lyric. They both liked it and now we have our complete album. After they left, I got a call from Hadley Miller’s dad – they were in the neighborhood and asked if I’d join them for a bite – which I did. I didn’t want to really eat anything else, so I just had a cup of tomato bisque soup, which was very good. We had fun catching up and then I came home and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched about twenty minutes of a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled The Killers, the Don Siegel remake of the film noir of the same name. The Killers was actually meant to be the first movie made for TV, but the powers that be thought it too strong for TV and it was released to theaters. It’s very TV-like in its filming, but it moves right along and has very good performances from Lee Marvin, Clu Gulager, John Cassavetes, Angie Dickenson, and even Ronald Reagan. I’ll finish it this evening.
After that, I had a nice conversation with a motion picture director, then I wrote the liner notes and now I am giving these here notes my best shot.
Today, I shall do some work on our upcoming release, then I have a meeting with our Li’l Abner choreographer, Kay Cole, to go over the script and talk a few things out. After that, the rest o’ the day and evening are mine all mine – hopefully I’ll pick up some packages, too.
Tomorrow is the book signing for Red Gold – very excited and hoping we have a really nice crowd. I think I’m only going to read the opening chapter and maybe not all of it. Mostly, I like to take questions and talk. We will, of course, have CAKE. After the signing, I’m sure some of us will go out and have a bite to eat. Sunday I think I’m meeting with a producer briefly, otherwise I’ll relax, and Monday I finally begin to direct my dream show, Li’l Abner. Color me thrilled.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, hopefully pick up packages, have a meeting, eat, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – CD, too many to name. Blu and Ray, The Killers, then Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and Eqqus. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, after which I shall arise and give it my best shot because it recently gave me its best shot and wants reciprocity.