Well, dear readers, forgive me for banging the drum but one must bang the drum when one must bang the drum and I must bang the drum because we are now in the final two days of the Welcome to My World Indiegogo campaign – we’re always told that that’s when most of the action really happens and that proved to be exactly the case when we did the Kritzerland a GoGo Indiegogo campaign. So, once again, I’ll just mention that our perks are really good – you can get your tickets to the show at a great discount rate, you can pre-purchase the CD and get the bonus track that will only be available for the Indiegogo contributors, you can get a headshot session for really cheap with one of the best headshot photographers in LA, you can be an associate producer or an above-the-title producer, you can get sheet music for any or all of the thirteen songs, and lots more fun stuff. So, check out the perks, check out the page, and help us get this damn show on – every penny raised goes to the production, the recording of the cast album, and several performances off-Broadway. We can do this damn thing – we’re currently at 36% funded and that’s about where we were in the Kritzerland campaign going into the finish, and we more than doubled that in the final two days.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/welcome-to-my-world-world-premiere-production/x/9165600#/funders
Yesterday was a day, at least I think it was a day. I did get eight hours of sleep, maybe even nine, and that was lovelier than lovely. Once up, I had a lot of stuff to do on the computer, chose one more song, did a jog, and then we announced the Kritzerland anniversary show at about twelve-thirty. In less than ninety minutes we’d already sold half the tickets. We’re currently down to about nine in twelve hours, and I’m sure those will be gone by morning. Then we’ll decide whether to add a matinee or not, although I’m just not sure I want to. We shall see.
Then we ordered all the mugs and T-shirts for the Indiegogo folks – not sure how long that takes, but probably a week or so. Then I got ready for my dining adventure.
Last night, Sami’s mom and Sami’s sister Sarah and I went to Ruth’s Chris steak house (Sami’s at camp) – Sarah had never been to the Beverly Hills location. Happily, my friend was working so we had her as our waitress. I had a salad and the New York steak in sizzling butter. Both were exceptional. Sarah and her mom split a rib eye steak and both had Caesar salads. They ordered some potato thing that I didn’t try and we had some lobster mac-and-cheese for the table – I only had about an ounce of that, and we also had some weird but oddly likeable corn dish. Sarah had a crème brulee for dessert and her mom had some chocolate lava thing. I didn’t partake of the desserts at all. And let’s just say my friend took care of us and leave it at that. I just love this jernt. It wasn’t very busy, which was a first.
After that, I came home and watched a motion picture on the Flix of Net entitled Conspiracy Theory, starring Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts, directed by Richard Donner. I know I saw this at some point, but didn’t remember most of it. The script is by Brian Helgeland and it has some issues – he’s a good writer, but here he’s created some problems that are hard to surmount. Once you understand the Mel Gibson character, which happens about eighty minute into the two hour and fifteen minute film, it explains a lot of the earlier stuff – the problem is the earlier stuff’s tone is all over the place and you don’t know why so you’re never sure what you’re watching exactly. At times it’s like Donner thinks he’s making a comedy, a farce even, but that’s not what it is at all. So, it’s a weird little movie, but it does have elements I like. Also, the last fifteen minutes reek of audience testing. The film looks really good and has an interesting score by Carter Burwell. Gibson does well with a very difficult role, and Roberts is excellent. In the end, it doesn’t really work, though. And there is one scene in the film that’s so mind-bogglingly takes you out of the movie that it’s shocking, actually. The film takes place in New York. There is a chase scene on Broadway and some side streets. They come off a side street, turn onto Broadway and suddenly we’re in downtown LA. I kid you not. Yes, these folks thought they could get away with that bit of geographic legerdemain, and they might have if the damn Orpheum Theater wasn’t a major part of the scene. Well, by 1997 there were no movie theaters left in Times Square on Broadway or Seventh Avenue. Oops. And there was never an Orpheum Theater in Times Square. Oops. Since the rest of the film was shot in New York, one wonders why that little scene had to be shot here, unless the scene was an afterthought and done after principal photography had wrapped – but I doubt it.
I then watched a documentary entitled The Wrecking Crew. I’d seen a very early and unfinished version of this, perhaps a decade ago. It needed work and seemed a bit unfocused, but the finished version is quite good and anyone who grew up loving the 1960s sound of music will enjoy this – it’s about Tommy Tedesco, one of the great guitarists (his son Denny directed the documentary) and a group of musicians known as The Wrecking Crew. Bands you think played their own instruments on their recordings didn’t – it was these folks. The number of hits these people played on, all without credit, is astonishing. Frequently they contributed significantly to a song’s arrangement – for example, the famous bass line for These Boots Are Made for Walking was made up by that bass player at the session. It’s very affectionate and, for me, wonderful to see the last interview Julius Wechter did before he passed away. It’s hard to believe he was three years younger than I am now when he passed. Anyway, I recommend it highly.
Then I did some more work on the computer and that was that.
Today, the interim helper is coming over and we’re going through all of the e-mails that pertain to the Indiegogo campaign – to see who didn’t want T-shirts and mugs, who wanted catalog titles and all that stuff. I think there’s probably over seventy of these e-mails but it’s time to get all of that organized and ready. Then I’ll eat something, hopefully pick up packages, finish choosing the final two songs, and get whatever music I need to to whomever needs it. Mostly everyone has their stuff already.
Tomorrow I may or may not have a lunch meeting. I’ll do a show order and maybe even start to write the commentary. The rest of the week is meetings and meals and seeing a couple of things.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do organizing with the helper, eat, jog, hopefully pick up packages, do a show order, write, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, as I continue to bang the drum quickly for our final two days of the Welcome to My World Indiegogo campaign.