Well, dear readers, this week is flying by, like a gazelle whistling Dixie whilst doing a triple lutz (no mean feat). Before I even begin with these here notes, let me just say that last night I saw my pal Emily Skinner do a little club act. I don’t know that I’ve actually seen her since we recorded the Live at Town Hall album – which is almost a decade ago or thereabouts. Well, she’s looking svelte and trim and beautiful. She also sounds great and she hit all the right notes during the show and I’m not talking about musical notes, I’m talking about emotional notes – she was hilarious, sassy and saucy and, at times, very moving. She had the grand John Boswell at the piano. I had to leave right after the show, but I sent my best love and regards via Jason Graae – she’s staying at his place. The room itself is deceptive in terms of how full it actually was, but the center section was completely full but when I counted heads that’s only about fifty seats. I’m sure she had close to eighty people there, though. Many fun people in attendance, including ASCAP’s Michael Kerker, Jason and his ever-lovin’ hubby Glen, Susanne Blakeslee, Jeffrey Todd, Lee Lessack, Tami Tappan and many others. I did have something called a skillet chocolate chip cookie, which came in a – wait for it – skillet and was topped with some vanilla ice cream. I must say, it was quite yummilicious. It was a choice between that and mac-and-cheese, but when I asked about the latter I was told it had bacon and broccoli, which was fine by me, but then the waiter added that there were also pretzel bits, and that just made me want to vomit on the ground. Anyway, it was a fun evening.
Prior to that, I didn’t quite get eight hours of sleep. Once up, I was greeted with an irritating e-mail. This volley began last week, when Adryan Russ and I were contacted by a music publisher, kind of demanding to know what kind of show we were doing at Kritzerland, because somehow they had our press release and thought maybe we needed the grand rights for something. I mean, I saw that e-mail and my head almost exploded. Here’s how cabaret works: You can sing any damn song you like as long as it’s a published work – the cabaret venue pays a yearly fee to ASCAP and BMI for that privilege. You don’t need anyone’s damn permission. That’s the way it’s always been and I’ve been doing cabaret shows since the mid-1980s and this is the FIRST instance I have EVER heard of, of an e-mail of this nature being sent. I had Adryan call the guy, who wanted our set list. She told him we were a cabaret show, that we’ve been doing these things for four-and-a-half years now, that we don’t do songs from just one show, that we don’t have sets or costumes and that we usually do one performance. Now, you’d think that would be enough, but alas yesterday they were once again asking for a set list. Now, I could have just sent it to them, but I think that sets a very bad precedent and gives them power they absolutely do not have. So, I took over and wrote a really strong e-mail and told the guy that if he was being directed to send these e-mails that he should just have the guy doing the directing contact me, but that I had no intention of sending anything. I also copied Michael Kerker of ASCAP, who wrote me back and said he totally did not understand why we would have gotten such an e-mail. In my e-mail to the publisher I asked why we were being picked on, why I have never heard of anyone else anywhere getting such an e-mail.
Then I got another e-mail from the real guy and he said he understood my concerns but that it was his job to just make sure of the kind of show we were doing, and that he has to protect the works of Sondheim in case grand rights are needed, and that he didn’t understand why I wouldn’t send the set list and that if I didn’t it would seem suspicious. I wrote him back immediately with another strong e-mail, telling him of my long relationship with my close personal friend, Mr. Stephen Sondheim, and that Mr. Kerker of ASCAP was baffled by this whole thing. I told him again what kind of show we were and that no grand rights could possibly be involved – we just do random songs, and in this case, not even a completely all-Sondheim show. I also asked him why we hadn’t been contacted years ago when we DID do an all-Sondheim show. But while I didn’t send him a complete set list, I just told him how many songs we were doing from whatever Sondheim show – mostly just one from a show, with the exception of Follies, which has three songs. Needless to say, there has been no response because I’m sure this guy realized just how wrong he was to bother us. And it best not ever happen again, or I will get ASCAP involved.
I had a patty melt for lunch, and then I came home. I’d just begun a new song, so I worked on that for most of the afternoon. I struggled with the feel and even what I wanted the song to say and how I wanted it to say it. All I really had was the title, but little by little I found a lyric and just kept waffling on the kind of rhythm it should have, whether it should be an up or a ballad – all the rudimentary things. But I finally hit on both a feel and a tune all at once, and I really liked it, so I barreled through it. The bridge especially is funky and fun and while it took a bunch of hours, including more work after I got home from Emily’s show, I finally finished it and got the final version recorded so I don’t forget it. At some point today I’ll make a good recording so I can get it to Sami and to the guy who’s doing the sheet music for all these. Additionally, I’m fielding about thirty e-mails a day about the ALS benefit, so there’s all that to keep up with. I never did get to the post office.
Today, I have a meeting with Sandy and a radio play guy. After that I’ll eat and hopefully pick up some packages, then we have our first Kritzerland rehearsal, which will last till about six or so. Then I’ll relax.
The rest of the week is meetings and meals, our second Kritzerland rehearsal, then our weekend performances of Inside Out, then our stumble-through, and then our sound check and show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a meeting, eat, hopefully pick up packages, have a rehearsal and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What were your all-time favorite TV variety shows? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, while I, like the gazelle, shall fall asleep whistling Dixie while doing a triple lutz.