Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much tired fish, listening to the wonderful music of the woefully not very well-known Sergei Bortkiewicz, one of my happiest of recent composer discoveries. This guy is the berries. His piano concertos are Rachmaninov-ish but his own, and his two symphonies are glorious. All can be found on the Tube of You, if you are so disposed. Every evening before bed, I go onto YouTube and through various searches I find at least one great new composer and grab all their major works and have especially been grabbing female composers – not literally, so there will be no hashtag “me, too” here at haineshisway.com.
Yesterday was kind of a day. I got about six-and-a-half hours of sleep, got up, did the usual morning things, and then went to Jerry’s Deli for a chili, cheese, and onion hot dog and a few fries. After that, I picked up a few packages, including more DGA screeners of movies I’ve never heard of. Then I came home. I was supposed to have a visitor, but said visitor called at four and said they couldn’t get here, so that will happen this morning round ten-thirty. I did some work on our three new releases, which I’m guessing we’ll announce perhaps this very evening or tomorrow evening or Monday evening – one of these fine evenings there will be a triple-header announcement.
Then I had to get ready and mosey on over to Rockwell Table and Stage, my least favorite club ever. The club did not disappoint. They had the air blasting and it was about fifty degrees in there, and let me tell you, it was cold outside. They’re just beyond repair, frankly. I didn’t want to really eat, but you have to, so I ordered the least offensive sounding thing – flatbread with pepperoni and sausage. It was edible and nothing more. But we (Kerry O’Malley and I) were there to see our friend Eric Petersen. And in a good bit of serendipity, our friend and major Kritzerland supporter, Howard Green, from Disney, was at the same table with his friend, who’s been to our shows, too.
Eric had a six-piece band – most of whom I’ve worked with because he had the smarts to use our very own Richard Allen as musical director. The sound in the club is pretty awful and pretty loud. His young son (can’t remember if he was four or six, but I suspect the latter) came on and told some jokes – that was very funny – and his nine-year-old daughter sang a solo and a duet and is adorable and we’ll put her in the January young people show. His wife sang, and he had two other guest stars – someone he’s worked with doing those unauthorized parody shows that I don’t understand, and also a kid he worked with in School of Rock on Broadway who now has a show on the Disney Channel called Sydney to the Max or something – Ruth Righi. We all had fun.
Then I came home, ate some of this new-fangled licorice called Red Vines made simple – I think it has less crap in it, and the cherry flavor is a lot more subtle – I like ‘em. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish and started to watch something called The Two Popes – started, because I fell asleep for about a half-hour – every time I’d awaken, they were yakking away. When I finally roused myself, I watched about fifteen minutes – Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins seem like they’re having a good time, but it’s all yakking all the time, coupled with some truly irritating direction. I’ll go back and give it another try at some point, but I think I’ll move on to something else.
Then I did more work on our new releases, had a telephonic conversation, ate a tiny Ding Dong – that sounds nasty, doesn’t it? Well, they taste nasty, too, but that’s another story. And of course, I listened to music whilst doing all that. Then it was time to write these here notes.
Today, I can’t sleep in – must be up by ten, which is irritating, I’ll have the visitor, then I’ll go get something to eat – friend Marshall Harvey is picking me up at noon-thirty to go to Corky’s, which serves its last meal on Sunday. I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, I may try and watch a movie before we begin our second Kritzerland rehearsal at five. That finishes around seven and then I go right to the theater to put in our new Banjo for this weekend. They’ll start without me by doing a speed-through of acts one and two. I really want to be out of there by nine-thirty.
Tomorrow, I have the day to myself, so that will be nice, and then I’ll be supportive and see the evening performance of our show. We’ve gotten three reviews so far, all raves, by reviewers who only give raves. But these are even ravier than most. Saturday, we have our stumble-through at noon, then some of us will grab a bite to eat – I’m thinking Barone’s – haven’t been there in ages – and then I’m relaxing and watching movies and relaxing and perhaps watching movies and relaxing. Sunday, I will sleep in, and then relax until it’s time to mosey on over to Vitello’s for sound check and then show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by ten, eat, hopefully pick up packages, have a rehearsal, have a put in, and then relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What have been your favorite books of 2019? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had kind of a day.