Well, dear readers, I am back from seeing my friend Linda Purl’s club act. I can’t remember the first time we met, but it was in the 1990s. I’d heard her sing at a benefit and was blown away by her voice. Who knew? So, I began putting her on our CDs and then we did a solo album together – that was a wonderful experience. She continued to do the occasional CD for us, then several years ago she came to me about doing an act for her – she’d been doing the same act for a decade, I think. And it had to be two acts. So, of course I said yes, and we had a ball putting that one together and I know it was unlike anything she’d ever done before, and I know it took her out of her comfort zone, which I’m always thrilled to do with any performer. The first thing I said to here was that it’s easy to have all your friends come to a show and woo-hoo and love you. What’s not easy is to play that same show for an entire room of strangers. When you get the same kind of reactions from strangers that you do from folks who love you, that’s when you know the act works. The first time we did it, it was indeed a room filled with strangers and she aced it perfectly. The reaction was tremendous, and she said to me how she was so surprised by it. She did that act for quite a while, then went off in other directions, which is, frankly, always a good idea. This current thing is kind of a jazzier set, with a bona fide jazz pianist and it’s lots of fun. She exudes a joy of performing that’s absolutely infectious and she shines so brightly that she’s her own spotlight. It was a pretty full house, and everyone loved her. And that voice. So, a nice evening out. One interesting thing about the club – unlike Vitello’s, it seems like they were selling 100% of the room, and unlike Vitello’s, there was no distancing between tables. Anyway, it was fun to see her.
Yesterday was an extremely short day with no time to do anything, because I slept an astonishing twelve hours, not arising until three-thirty, just ninety minutes before I had to be on my way to Robert Yacko’s new residence. I guess that’s what happens when you’ve only slept two-and-a-half hours the day before. So, I barely had time to de-groggify, shave, shower, get dressed, and answer a few e-mails, before I moseyed on over to the Bank of Bur.
Robert’s new guest house residence is ever so much nicer than where he was. It’s small but nicely laid out, with lots of wall space, an inside washer/dryer, a bedroom, living room, kitchen. And a very good neighborhood and, in a bit of irony, very close to the house on Cordova Street that plays a major role in Thrill Ride.
He drove us to Catalina Bar and Grill, which is on Sunset Boulevard a block east of Highland. We got there just a few minutes early, parked, we chatted for a bit, then went and entered the club. We were seated right up front, so that was fun. Linda actually came out and sat with us for a few minutes, chatting. The room filled up pretty quickly. For food, I had a small Caesar to start, which I didn’t like at all and didn’t finish, then Robert and I both had a seafood pasta thing that we both liked very much – shrimp, scallops, and salmon over fettucine in a very light butter and lemon kind of sauce. Everything was fresh and good.
After the show, we stopped to congratulate Linda, then we drove back to the Bank of Bur. On the way home, I stopped to see if the Vitello’s check had arrived yesterday, but it hadn’t. I say again, from Vitello’s to the mail place is one mile. How something that was mailed of Friday doesn’t go one mile in a day is anyone’s guess, but MY guess is that they didn’t even bother to sort until Saturday. Once home, I listened to some Franz Schreker music and answered a lot of e-mails.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll do the blurbs for our new releases so I can announce them this week, hopefully the helper will pick up the CDs and begin to get them shipped out – I’ve told her that no more time can go by and hopefully that is what will happen, getting them-wise. I have a lot of work to do on the Group Rep cabaret – finishing song choices, getting people music, all of it. I’ll hopefully pick up the important envelope, I’ll eat, and then at some point I’ll be able to watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, I have an important lunch meeting at two-thirty. And the rest of the week is the Group Rep cabaret and the Kritzerland anniversary show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do whatever needs doing, write blurbs, hopefully begin shipping a LOT of CDs, work on the Group Rep cabaret, hopefully pick up an important envelope, eat, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What is the longest you’ve ever slept. My record is twelve hours. Yours? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had the long, long sleep.