Deportation Thoughts

There is a lot of fear I am reading in Social Media recently, so I thought I would share my thoughts on it.

First, if you are a sexual predator, a member of a drug cartel, a Fentanyl dealer, involved in the sex trade, or a terrorist. I think you have good reason to be afraid. I think you will be the first people that ICE and the authorities will come after.

Also, if you have been convicted of a felony and are currently doing time, it will be like the 2:00 AM call at a bar, "You don't have to go home but you can't stay here."

Next, I believe they will focus on the 30,000 - 300,000 children that have come across the border and have been lost by the Biden and Harris administration. They WILL not be deporting them but looking to reunite them with their families and guardians for their own safety.

The good news is that Trump and the Republicans are all about state and local leadership. So I would hope the 20 to 30 million people that are left will find their way to a Blue state. 

I can tell you that since I am one of the estimated 3000 families a week that have fled Califonia for the past few years. 20,000,000 people added to Los Angeles and California would not even be noticed. 

I know he said that he would get rid of the sanctuary cities but, I do not believe the Trump administration would go into a Blue State where the people have voted for the leadership that protects people who have crossed the border illegally and then violate the will of the people.

He did not do that last time in office and I don't see him doing it this time either. 

He will stop any more coming in but he will deal first with the worst and then what the people in the states who support him request. 

I do think he will cut off any increased Federal funds and might even cut off those funds in place now. The states in question already have huge tax bases and the people who chose to live there vote for tax increases. I see that continuing.

The next few years and going to be interesting but I the people who have come over during the past 4 years learn and contribute to the American Culture and our economy I see no reason why they should fear any incarceration. 

Me and Jerry Springer

Whenever I tell people about my acting career they always ask why I never became famous. Well, I did once. I ask them to Google "Art" "Jerry" "Springer." My episode comes up and they watch it. Many times people have said they have seen it before and then they look at me. Wait, you're that guy? 

Yep.

The best thing about it was that it has given me a Halloween costume for about 15 years.

So here is the story. It was 2009 and I decided that I needed glasses. So I went to the optometrist and picked out a pair. I was touring with a country band and as soon as I got on the bus that weekend the band started with Jerry, Jerry.

I asked what they were doing. One of the musicians in a deep Georga drawl, said "You are the spitting image of Jerry Springer." 

"No way I replied." Anyone can tell I am Robert Redford, Robert Wargner, or maybe Brad Pitt. Jerry Springer? No way.

I remember once about 2:00AM we pulled into a truck stop to refuel. I walked into the restaurant area where the band was getting food and they started the chant. "Jerry, Jerry" The woman behind the counter looked over her shoulder and then proceeded to throw the cup of soda she was filling all over the restaurant and literally flipped her sh$%. 

OH MY GOD, ITS JERRY SPRINGER!!!   

She came running around the counter and had to take a selfie and have me talk to her baby daddy since I was the most famous person she had ever met.

I tried to tell her, but she wasn't buying it. 

This went on for a few weeks I guess. Since I live in Nashville on nights I was not on the road I would go out to support the friends I had in the music industry. One night a friend of mine asked me if I could come to her show. It was on Halloween and everyone was dressing up. 

Now, I have to tell you I am not a big Halloween fan. Candy is okay but the whole evil scary thing I can live without. 

What to go as??? Hmmm. 

You might have guessed it. I put on a suit, the glasses, grabbed a wireless mic, and went to her show as Jerry Springer. 

It was insanity. Everyone wanted a selfie. So much fun. After the show, someone suggested we continue to Lower Broad in Nashville.

We walked into a bar called The Stage and the singer of the band stopped the band during a song and announced that "Jerry Springer has just walked in." 

Like he would be in Nashville, on Halloween night, in a suit, with a wireless mic. Doing what?

It was the first time I heard the Hollywood hush. I entire bar went silent. 

I looked around and said "there is a Penguin, a prostitute, and a Pirate you really think I'm Jerry Springer?" 

 Well, yes, in fact, they did.

Selfies, drinks, one guy wanted to fight me because his sister came out on my show. Dozens of girls flashed me and asked if I had any Jerry beads. I didn't. Plenty of free drinks.

Another weekend and another city.  

I was on a Wednesday that I thought I wonder if Jerry was even still on. He was. Watching the show I thought 'this is horrible.' Then they asked if anyone had an idea to be on Jerry Springer to call 800.86 Jerry. So I did and left a message.

Two weeks later I was with a friend on the day that the County Music Hall of Fame had their free day. We had been in line for about 45 minutes when my phone went off. It was a Producer for the Springer show. She asked when my idea was and I asked if there was any interest in having a Spriner look-a-like on the show. 

She didn't sound very interested but wanted to see a picture. I gave her my MySpace (remember this was 2009) and told her there were a few pictures from Halloween on it. She said she would take a look and call if there was any interest.

We then got on the elevator to go to the Museum. Maybe 45 seconds later we stopped on the second floor and when we got out of the elevator my phone rang. 

It was the Producer again. She was much more excited and asked if I could fly up to Chicago the following day.

I was going to do a run in California the next day but told her I was flying back on Tuesday and I could fly back to Chicago instead of Nashville. She asked if I knew of anyone who could be my girlfriend and since I know a few actresses I said sure, and I would contact them back with the details.

I called a really good friend that I used to manage in LA and asked her but she immediately said she didn't think it would be good for her career so I called another girl in Nashville that I was also managing and she was an enthusiastic "JERR SPRINGER, HELL YA."

So Steph flew up on Tuesday from Nashville I flew in from LA and we both had drivers pick us up in a limo and take us to the Downtown Something-or-Other. We were on like the 34 floor overlooking Battery Park and the River. It was kind of awesome. It snowed that night so the next morning the views were pretty magical. 

I have to tell you, again, I don't see the resemblance between us but what really made me a believer is walking around in his offices. When I came around the corner people would stop talking and hanging round and get to work. His staff thought I was him and they see him everyday. 

His producer met me, laughed, and said this is going to be a good show.

They introduced us and we went into a improve routine we had worked on the night before.

Going out the crowd went nuts. Three times they were on their feet shouting Jerry, Jerry, Jerry, each time for over 40 minutes. Twice the security guys tried to stop them but they had no effect. It was truly insane. 

Now I had it on youtube for a while, but the production company was sold to a German Production Company and they filed an infringement claim. I should mention I had over 15 Million views but did not try to monetize it. The producers gave me a letter that I sent to Youtube the first time they took it down giving me rights to show it in lou of any stipend. Like I said I didn't ever monetize it and they probably made a few dozen thousand on it. After the third time of them filing the bogus claim I took it down and put it on my IMDB channel. 

I believe it will stay there or at least on my site forever.

 Now back to the reason for the story.

Every year for the past 15 years I have had a Halloween coustume.

Last year at Halloween I was a strike captain on the Sony lot in LA. So for Halloween, on came the suit and glasses. Jerry had passed earlier that year and the looks I was getting walking to the lot were pretty funny. As a walked up to the tent the SAG personal were kind of freaked out. They they recognized me "Art OH MY GOD! We saw you walking up and thought is that Jerry Springer?" "Isn't he dead?"

About that time a car with two twenty something black women screeched to a stop on the road beside us. Then smack, bang crunch, as a LA Patrol car slammed into their back end. Then another patrol car hit the first car. The girls got out yelling can we get our pictures with you Mr. Springer. 

I said sure I'll take a picture with LA newest Milloniares. They looked each other and said we ain't rich.

I said you just got rearended my two LA police cars. 

They looked at each other and said "Oh yeah."

So that was the last year for Jerry. I can't think of a better way to end the story.  

RIP to both Jerry's

I Just Read This and I Love It.

 For me, faith will always be a sounder guide than reason because reason can only go so far - faith has no limits. I will expect miracles in my life because faith produces them every day. I will believe in the future that I do not see. That is faith. And the reward of this faith is to see the future that I believed.

Wait for it.

 I thought I would tell a couple stories of about when I worked with Charlie Daniels.

I was booked by a large men's group in Franklin TN to do audio for Charlie. He showed up for a sound check and his manager had not brought his fiddle. H explained that since he was only going to do a couple of songs the manager didn't think he was going to need it.

"I'm Charlie Danials. I will always do a fiddle song."

The manager took off to retrieve the fiddle and I proceeded to do a sound check.

Afterward, Charlie came up concerned and asked how I was going to mix the fiddle?

I explained, "If you give me three notes I'll have it perfect."

An hour later the manager showed up with the fiddle and I told him the same thing.

The event started and soon Charlie was up on stage playing away. Picking up his fiddle, Pluck (1), pluck (2). Leaning into the mic he said, "Can I have a little more in the monitor?" 

Remember I had told him 3 and was busy setting it up.

His manager leaned over the desk and told me he needed more in the monitor. I just looked up at him.

Pluck (3).

Charlie looked at the Front of House and said, "That's perfect!"

I looked at the manager who had been watching me since I had taken my hands off the console and reminded him, "I did say 3!"

The show went fine. 

About 10 years later I was doing a show for a company called PSAV at Opry Land Hotel. It was to be my last show for PSAV. Once again starting Charlie Daniels.

They had advanced a couple digital audio consoles for the show and didn't have anyone who was familiar with them. They wanted me to set up the FoH for the band's traveling engineer.  

It was an easy setup. They booked me for 4 hours and I had it done in 30 minutes.

I went over it with their lead engineer and the technical director to make sure they understood. After the meeting, the TD said he wanted me to also set up the stage and wondered if I wanted to run monitors for the show.

Okay, force me to take a paycheck and they had me for 4 hours anyway!

I set the stage and the monitors sussed everything out and was getting ready to leave. The TD came up and said I couldn't go yet. The show was on a Tuesday and they had a convention on Monday and the day of. So, I needed to strike the stage.

So I marked everything. Pulled everything off to the side, labeled it all, and tidied everything up. Calling the TD over to check it. He said it was fine and that I should be back Tuesday at 1:00. I told him I knew bands local to Nashville sometimes came early to shop, eat, and hang out so I would be there at 11:00. He said they were not scheduled till 3:00 but I could do what I wanted.

We agreed and I bounced.

When I arrived on Tuesday I walked up the hill to see a tour bus and trailer with the band dumping gear.

I knew they would be early, what I didn't know was the storm I was walking into.

The band's Tour Manager met me at the backdoor and chewed me out. He was screaming because he didn't have the stage set. Not a problem I had 2 hours and everything was staged.

He replied "Really?"

I walked onto the stage and it was empty. No gear anywhere.

The TD ran up to me freaking out.

I asked him where the gear was?

I told him I had striked it off to the side on Sunday. Where is it?

He explained that he had called the local crew to put it back in the cases and it was behind the back curtain. So I had to start from scratch with the Tour Manager screaming at me.

The TD then did an ALL-CALL. This meant that I had 45 people that have never toured and specialized in the color red dry-erase marker asking me what I needed. 

I asked who here has ever been on a tour. There were 2 people, My friend Ed who toured with Diana Krull and John Prine, and the lighting guy Jason who at least knew the right way to run an XLR cable.

There was a moment when the TM was screaming something about 40 people standing around not doing anything and I got in his face. "LOOK you are not helping, your time in was 3:00 be back at 3:00, and then go off.

He left with his band to the green room.

The three of us set the stage and had a wonderful sound check and show. Afterwards the manager, yes from the men's fellowship, came up and said that Charlie had really enjoyed the night.  No need to tell him about his Tour manager. I am sure he knew.

That was the last time I worked with or saw Charlie Daniels, 

and BTW, 

PSAV.

How something horrible will have a benefit later in your life, or just a little prick.

When I was 23 the greatest thing happened to me. I became a father. I don't think I was a very good one because 30 odd years later neither of my kids contact me and my Grandson told me earlier this year the since his father blames me for all his problems he doesn't want a relationship with me.

Que Sera, Sera.

When my oldest was 18 months I was in a recording studio in Orange County at 2:00 AM. He was bringing me a bong and a beer.

I looked into a mirror at my 4 color long hair, my leather and leapard and I decided that I was not the father he was going to know.

I quit music.

That next year I think I had 14 jobs in 10 different fields.

The next year was just as bad. 

I did get a job as a electrician. I do understands signal flow.

One day we went to MaDonalds for lunch and afterwards went bask to hanging these large ass flourescent lighting fixtures in a industrial building. One started slipping off the ladder and when I grabbed it, the metal edge cut right through my leather gloves and took the index finger of my right hand with it.

Boy Scout first aid kicked in. I came off the ladder and called to my partner. I tied a tourniquet around my wrist. Poured the soda out of my cup and threw my finger into the ice left in the cup. 

He drove me to the Hospital and I watch a guy do some mirco-surgery and re-attach my finger.

I asked him if I would still be able to play piano?

He laughed and ask if I could guess how many times he had heard that?

I said "By a piano player that just cut his own finger off? One!"

He said that where I cut it there were a lot of nerves but he was trying to get about half of them. The finger would be fine but I may lose most of the feeling in it.

Now here I am 30 some years later and guess what? I am pre-diabetic. When ever I go for a check up that have to prick my finger. I smile everytime they are you are going to feel a little prick.

No I won't. And I don't.

You never know how something horrible will have a benefit later in your life.

Here is my latest life treatment.

A few years ago I met my girlfriend on the ABC TV show Nashville. I had known her from working with her daughter before that.

For over 20 years, I have been a songwriter, musician, production manager, dancer, animator, and engineer.

One day I was going to the PO Box to pick up royalty checks and she asked what they were for?

When I told her she uttered the famous line "Why don't you, instead of writing 3-minute stories that rhyme, write some longer stories and cast me in them?"

I thought, 'That's easier than getting an agent, just date a writer.'

So I started to write screenplays.

Pre Covid we had two features in acquisition and two in production. Then March 2020 happened and shut my worlds down.

Both music and writing. 

I felt like Mr. Spock when Vulcan blew up.

So I went to work for Dr Evil, at the time the richest man in the world, and would on rare days off, Produce my YouTube show and write.

Write I did. About a show a month. Dozens and dozens.

When I left, I rented a writer's room in Murfreesboro TN, and polished, registered the good ones, and wrote some more. I even converted a screenplay into a manuscript and have had it published on Amazon. (FYI might be the hardest thing I have ever attempted.)

In September of 2022, I came back to Los Angeles to re-establish connections. Go to Holiday Parties, meet-ups, and FYC's.

In March I drove back to Tennessee and we shot a pilot for an unscripted Game Show. The Cash Evator.

https://youtu.be/B6CBBOP1-Hg?si=OJAR78IP5rCqLcka

Arriving back in Los Angeles I started pitching again and had 2 live, in-the-room pitches in April when the WGA went on strike.

Having exhausted most of my savings and maxing out all my credit cards, I had no choice but to join the WGA in solidarity. I used to joke that I walked from 9:00 till they fed me. I opposite of a cat. Feed me and I leave. 

(BTW if I go too long in a pitch meeting that may work.)

Then SAG went on strike. Since I am a member of SAG as an actor and dancer, I switched my local from Nashville to Los Angeles and became a strike captain.

I started at Disney for the first five weeks, The lot captain announced that they really needed help on the West side. Since by then I was living in my van I moved.

I spent the next three weeks at Amazon,. I find it very doubtful I will ever work for Dr. Evil again. After a couple confusing incidents with the strike organizers, I moved to Sony.

 I spent the last five weeks of the strike at Sony and had a blast.

A few weeks before the WGA reached an agreement with the AMPTP my friend and fellow actor Audrey Moore helped to organize a farmers market for the IATSE, WGA, SAG-AFTRA, and anyone else in the entertainment industry that was having food insecurities. I was very blessed that she allowed me to help with that. A few weeks before it ended I was told they had enough volunteers so I moved on.

While I was in Nashville I was able to help with a group called Musicaly-Fed. They take catering from the major shows and donate it to local shelters. I have been able to take food from Metallica, The Luminars, Eric Clapton Crossroads, and many other shows at the Hollywood Bowl, Sofi Stadium, and Cypto Arena. I still continue to help them. (It's free shows, can you blame me?)

The day the WGA  ended their strike I started pitching again. This is where I am now. Pitching as often as I can. I am still writing 6-10 pages most days or about a script a month. Starting the first of next year. I will be looking for a production house where I can help develop scripts according to whom they have output deals with.

If you hear of anyone looking for a writer let me know. I am famous for my generosity. 

My Idea of Thanksgiving.

 I have mentioned before that I am a vegetarian. 

I have also let it slip that my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. It has also been the hardest because it is a time to celebrate with your family. 

My family kicked me out a couple of decades ago and I have celebrated many a "Orphan" Thanksgiving.

My first one was way before I created a family. My Father had just died. My First wife had left me. She took the dog. I never blamed her. I was on the road a lot.

I was at a Arby's and was going to have a Turkey sandwich and potato cake. As I sat there I saw that there was a man and his daughter across the room eating Turkey sandwiches. There was a mother and her son. There were two older people eating alone. I believe there may have been a few more people all eating alone. 

They were all eating Turkey sandwiches. 

I went to the Manager and told him I wanted to order 20 more sandwiches probably 20 potato cakes and a bunch of sodas and apple pies. Told him that he and his staff should join us Then I made the announcement.

We are by ourselves, for whatever reason but we are not alone. All this food is for you. Happy Thanksgiving.

It turned out to be one of the most memorable Thanksgiving of my life.

Now also 60 years later. I am still by myself for Thanksgiving But I am not alone.  

About 20 years ago I was taught how to be a Vegetarian. I eat pretty much only sides. 

I think of it like the Garden of Eden.

I can eat everything I want except for the one thing in the center.

Since I know how that story turned out. The turkey is always safe.

5 Rules of the Entertainment Business

 I guess it was about 30 or more years ago that I started the rules of the Music Business. Now that I am primarily working in film and TV I have changed to the Entertainment Business.

It is pretty much the same as I can tell.

Rule #1

The first thing in Show Business is SHOW. The second is BUSINESS. You should spend equal time on both sides.

Rule #2

Difficult people never become easier to work with, but they do become more available for work.

Rule #3

If you are doing something that's not good for your career, It's it's not a good idea to keep doing it.

Rule #4 

If you can't be #1 in the area you want to be #1 in, create your own area and be #1 there.

Rule #5

Most success and ALL failure is self-inflicted.

Also, I hope this helps. When I moved to Nashville in the early 2000s I was told "There are about 300 people in Nashville and everyone else." It seems to be the same in Los Angeles. 

Lessons from my Father

 This may sound funny, but I believe that we all want our fathers to be impressed by us early in life. I don't remember ever playing catch with my dad but I do remember playing catch with a friend of his.

My Father gave me two pieces of wisdom that I have carried with me my whole life.

1. Only a Doctor can legally give you medical advice and only a Lawyer can legally give you legal advice, but anyone can read their books.

Still to this day whenever I have something coming up, I will study and learn as much about it as I can.

2. If you have something to do, that you have never done before, Find the lasiest person and they will find the easiest way.

I still attempt to think lazy but work hard. In fact, that is one of the secrets of my success. I know I can outwork anyone.

I have had dozens of people tell me that they would do anything to be able to do what I do. I always think you would do anything but what it actually takes to do it. I have occasionally brought friends to get hired and work on a gig. They last a few hours and then they're out. It's too hard I've heard.

So what is some of the advice you have received from your Father?

Invisible Barriers

 I once saw the best example of an invisible barrier. 

I was working for a Nashville audio company and we were setting up for the band Cake at the Vanderbilt University Rites of Spring event.

The field the audience would be on that night had vendors in tents on either side of it. Some of the vendors had brought their children. Since the touring crew was from Nashville some of their families were in attendance also. 

The kids were all playing in the field and it was like watching a flock of birds. Running here and there. All laughing and having fun as children will do when they are given the chance.

In front of the stage was a bike rack crowd barrier. One of the 6-foot pieces had been removed so we could run cables and the Front of House crew could go backstage,

The kids, I would say about 40 started to run to the stage. When they hit the barrier the 6 - 10 roadie kids ran through to the backstage area. The other kids stopped. Like dead in their tracks. It was like they had hit a wall. Except there was literally nothing there. They were looking back at, I guess, at their parents wondering if it was alright. Like I said the roadie kids never stopped but soon they came back to again play with their new friends.

An invisible wall.

A wall the roadie kids never saw. 

I have always wondered about that wall. Do I have them? Do others? Are we stopping at absolutely nothing? How would I know if a barrier was there or not? 

I volunteer occasionally for a group called Musically Fed. We pick up catering and deliver it to charities. I was allowed on Saturday to go backstage and drive underground at Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles for the Metallica Concert. It occurred to me that there are 10.5 million people in LA and I was the only one driving around that huge venue. I don't think I see many barriers. Have you ever seen them?

My dad's side.

 My Dad's Mom, my Grandmother, was a accountant for 20th Century Fox. His Father, my Grandpa was a scenic painter on Black and White movies. My Grandmothers sister, My Aunt Mary was the first female Editor for the LA Times Entertainment Section. 

I guess my Grandparent didn't want my Father to grow up in LA so they moved to St Louis, Mo. I remember going to her office when I was 5 or 6. We were going to watch a Thanksgiving Parade from her office window. We where on the 5 or 6th floor. Way above the Parade.

I remember her telling me she wanted to show me something. She reached into her basket on her desk and pulled out a check written to John Wayne. Of course I knew who he was. It was for a million dollars. $1,000,000.00. I really got to hold a check for a million dollars. I remember her saying that it wasn't for work. In fact, it was to hold him from doing any other work. 

Right then and there I knew that when I got as old as that John Wayne dude, I was going to be an Actor.

And since I am as old as that John Wayne dude. Guess what I am?

Yep. 

Can't wait t get my check for $1,000,000.00.

I had a birthday, once.

 Funny thing this life. I turn 65 in a couple of days. Everyone will wish me a happy birthday, but it won't really be.

You see my birthday is in the summer. When I was a child I should spend one summer on the East Coast with my mother's relatives and the next on the West Coast with my Father's relatives. Never with my own family and since I when to a school that was primarily a boarding school I never had any friends to celebrate with. 

Every year was with strangers. There was a cake I guess and some presents, but I only saw these people every other year and sometimes never before or again.

Then I got to music and I was on the road every summer. I knew the band but it was always more party than birthday.

When I was turning 40 I gave my wife at the time about 30 grand and described what I wanted to have for my first big party.

Two weeks before the event she asked me into her office and told me she had spent the money on a divorce. She also had claimed I was violent and had gotten a restraining order and the police were on their way.

Ten years later I threw my own party. IT WAS EPIC!!!

I was living in Nashville and had Southwest Airlines offer $50.00 one-way flights from anywhere they flew directly to Nashville. I had the Opryland Hotel offer $50.00 a night rooms. Sedan on Demand had 50.00 Limousine service. I booked the Nashville Palace and we drank every bit of whiskey, tequila, and miller lite they had in the bar. There was an open food buffet with a soup bar. Hey, I love soup. Ken Anderson designed the card and poster and we had a signing table. We had 3 bands and I think a few of the celebrities who showed up sang. I don't remember But I do know I danced and danced, and danced.

That was 15 years ago and people still talk about it.

I told them then my next big party would be at 75. So I guess I will start planning that one soon. I am going to make that one EPIC also!!!

I have to remember who I am.

 Here is the back story. 

In March I went back to Nashville and shot a pilot for a game show I had the idea for in October. It was a one thing led to another thing that ended up being finished.

I came back to Los Angeles and gave it to a friend that does editing and he did an excellent job on it. 

I was going to start pitching it at the beginning of Q2. 

The first week was Easter. I had told the church I attend that I would help with the Good Friday and the Easter services. So there went the first week in the quarter.

My son had started to do Drum and Bass shows (EDM) in San Diego and NAMM was having their yearly event the second week so there went that week. So much fun though.

The next week I was able to pitch another show. Thinking I would be all creative I created an awesome page-turning pitch deck with deeply moving music and made a youtube video out of it. Not only did they pass in 30 seconds but later that day I mysteriously received the new Guidelines and Standards for Pitch Decks. I decided to take the rest of the week and book a room in Thousand Oaks and work on making 20-page decks out of the 180-page guidelines. Goodbye, week 3.

 Week 4? The WGA decided to strike. So now I am out on a picket line every day. Meeting some of the most awesome writers of my favorite shows. It is really a blessing I believe.

It reminds me of when I first moved to Nashville and was able to use my superpower of Volunteering to help the 2MNC conference and over a weekend met just about every Lable Head, Producer, Attorney, and person involved in the Music Industry in Nashville,

So now to today. There is a person I see often at the library in Burbank. He is never working and his car has expired tags from Florida. I asked him what he does and he said he was a producer. I told him I believe I will have to become a producer if I am ever going to get my movies made. I asked him how he learned and he said he was;t the guy to ask.

My mentor Darren Hardy has a 5-3-1-30-30 plan to learn anything new. When he said it I realized that I did about the same thing for everything I have ever learned. Here it is.

Get 5 books on the subject.

Get 3 Podcasts or books on a recording.

 Schedule 1 conference or training.

Spend 30 minutes a day reading

Spend 30 days practicing.

You will be able to learn any new skill in just 13 weeks. One quarter.

I realized this is what I have done my whole life. I learned to be a musician and have had five record deals. I have played music on every content except Antarctica. 

I have become an Actor and have been in over 100 Movies and TV shows. 

I have been a writer and had two shows in acquisition and three in production. Including one in production right now, three in development, three I am actively pitching and one I am writing.

I learned to be a manager and help so many people achieve their dreams.

Now I have decided to become a Producer and produce my movies. 

Wish me luck, pray for me, watch me, or get out of my way. I will do this. 

When Crazy Shows Up

My partner and I live in Nashville and work in Los Angeles. Both cities have their share of interesting people. 

Once in Nashville, we went to the movies. It was to see Speilbergs version of West Side Story.

Most of the seats were empty. But we had reserved seating. A gentleman in his late thirties walked in and sat beside my partner. He had a big tub of popcorn. I thanked him for bringing food. 

He stood up and screamed at her that he had PTSD and some other mental problem that stemmed from a food incident when he was a child. Then he stormed out.

5  minutes later he came back in. Then every 5 minutes he would leave and come back in 5-minute intervals.

Ruined the movie for us.

We couldn't believe it. We just sat there and watched it happen.

Now in LA, we have a saying. We are now and in the future going to do it in Nashville also, When crazy shows up we leave.

No questions, no explanations, no heroism. Just exit as quickly as we can. Get the heck out.

I cannot tell you how many times I have left an event because crazy has shown up.

Watch the hand

 My partner was telling me a story about the difficulties she was having talking to members of the Gen Z generation. She asked why I thought they were the way they are.

I said look at moms now days. They push strollers, and carts. Go to parks and swing the kids on swings. All the things that were done for us. But now, all the time, moms are looking at a devise in their hands.

They are not communicating with their kids. Missing the laughter and joy of their children. They are not paying any attention to their kids so their kids have no frame of reference to communicate with others. They have to scream and yell to get any attention at all. I don't know if it is sad. I guess only time will tell?

Rememer we all learn primarily with mirror neurons in our brains. Kids may not always listen to you but they are always watching. You are their cues on how to deal with the world.

I do know that people today. all people today are just looking for anyone to give them recognition. Respect. Acknowledgment. Just the simple I see you and I understand your need for respect is enough to stop most disagreements.

Now in age that people a shooting their neighbors for having a ball in their yard or tuning around in their drive way I think letting people know you value them is as important to your life as it is to theirs.

All Things Are New Again.

It's amusing to think that my life began as a songwriter. I remember once asking my brother why he had never read any of my screenplays, to which he replied that his earliest memory was of me playing him a "stupid" (his words) song I had written when he was around five years old.

This means that I've been writing for more than fifty-six years now. It's quite a long time!

I often share the story of how I met my partner, and we went to the Post Office to collect royalty checks for my earlier songs. When she found out, she suggested that instead of writing short rhyming songs, I should write longer stories without the need to rhyme and cast her in them. This led me to become a screenwriter.

Although I now write short stories again, I no longer feel the need to make them rhyme. Thanks to the internet, I can easily share my stories with the world.

My Blood is Boiling

 I love my brain. 

I love hacking my brain.

My mentor describes the brain as having three parts. A robot, a monkey, and the controlling center.

Now the controlling center thinks it is in control, but it isn't.

The robot is the habitual part of the brain. It controls all the mechanical parts. Blood, breathing, repair. Studies have shown that the brain is more active when you are asleep than awake and it is precisely this part that explains why. 

My partner is taking a class right now and she said this morning that she doesn't want to miss a class because she doesn't want to forget all she is learning.

I told her she DOES want to forget everything. Really what she should do is work on it so often that the robot takes over and she doesn't actively have to remember any part of it. Remember learning to drive anyone? Same thing. Now we drive for a large part of the day and don't even think about it.

Think about this. Most people on the road are driving by robot also.

Now the monkey part. That is the emotional part. The ADD. Oh look some thing shiny, some thing fun. It will take you down rabbit holes all day long if you let it. 

You think you are in control but it is really like you are a rider on a elephant and the elephant is going to go where it wants to go. 

Everything you do is by emotion. You just rationalize it to think you have some control in your life.

The best we can hope for is making a game out of our tasks so our monkey brain doesn't get bored and wonder what it's missing on social media.

Now for a game. 

Ina moment close your eyes and think of a lemon.

Smell it. Look at the color. Imagine the weight. 

Now take a big bit out of it. In your mind.

Is your mouth watering? Is your face puckering?

Are you having a physical response to a totally imagined thought?

Now what if you could hack your brain for other responses? 

That is what happened to me today. A totally unreal, thought made me upset and got my blood to boil. In the end though it did cause me to write new blog. 

The Jesus Revolution.

I went to see the Jesus Revolution the day it was released. I thought it was awesome. It reminded me

of the times I was able to work services for Chuck Smith and Greg Laurie. Fine people.

It also reminded me of my little part of the story.

Let's go back to when I was seven years old. My babysitter let me stay up to watch Don Kirchner's

Rock Concert one night. Alice Cooper was on. I thought he was really weird, but his guitar players were

so cool. That started a cycle of asking for a guitar for Chirstmas, then my Eighth Birthday. Then for

Christmas. Then my Ninth Birthday. Then For Christmas again. 

I am sure I wasn't the most pleasant of children by then because my brother, who by the way, didn't

even want a guitar got an electric guitar and amp, and I received a cheap plastic acoustic with plastic

strings. We both got 32-page Mel Bay beginning books and I got a book of twelve Christmas Songs.

On a side note by 5:00 PM that night I had learned all 32 pages and I held a, I'm sure crappy, concert

of the 12 songs. 

I was so happy with that little guitar. There were a couple of Nuns at the school I went to that played.

They would teach me different picking patterns. I remember them asking me if I wanted to join them to

play at nursing homes, soup kitchens, and orphanages after school during the week. 

My Dad at the time was converting Latin Masses to any one of the dozen or so languages he spoke.

I often stayed at school from 8:00 AM till 9:00 PM.

This went on for years. In Seventh Grade, as I was told, The Roman Catholic Church wanted to develop

a Guitar Mass in response to this thing called the Jesus Movement. I remember hearing that a lot of

High School and College students were leaving the church and joining it.

They asked a Nun who was staying at the convent to perform the Mass. Her name was Sister

Bernadette and there had been a movie about her called The Singing Nun about her 1963 hit called

Dominique. I remember her saying that she had enough popularity but there was a group at the

convent that performed all over town and that she was sure we would do a fine job.

Well after, I'm sure, weeks of practice the day came. We were to do three Masses. The morning mass,

a specials performance after school for the parents, and the big show, The Evening Mass. Like people

from Rome and from all over the world were going to be there. 

The morning Mass went perfectly. I thought we did a fine job. I remember being nervous but not as

nervous as the Sisters I was playing with.

The afternoon performance for the parent was a different thing. 

I couldn't tune my guitar. I kept trying and trying but it went out of tune on each song. After the third or

fourth song my Seventh-grade teacher. I will not state her name here even though I know she is long

dead, came up to me and started yelling that I was an embarrassment to the Church, an

embarrassment to my family, an embarrassment to my school, my friends, and to GOD!

I still remember looking at the faces of the parents. I can still see her face yelling at me. 

She said there was no place for a guitar in church.

I did what any twelve-year-old would do. I threw my guitar down and ran crying out of the building.

Outside of the school, there was a pavilion and then a parking lot up a hill. At the top of the hill you

could go left to soccer and baseball fields or to the left to a cemetery.

The cemetery had a giant Crucifix and on days that I was having to stay late, I would go there. I always

wondered about a Crucifix but a dove would fly over and circle three times and land on my right side

and I would talk to it. To my young brain that was the Holy Spirit and I knew he was real.

That day I threw myself on the ground and cried out to God. "Why am I alive?" "I am such a waste of

breath." A waste of time." "An embarrassment." "Lower than a worm."

About thirty minutes passed and one of the Nuns found me. She said the whole school was looking for

me. She said that my teacher should have never said those things. That there were a group of people

that didn't want things to change. She also told me that when they looked at my guitar they could see

where someone stepped on the neck and cracked it. There was no way it would hold a tune, but if I

wanted to play that night I could borrow her guitar.

Now the funniest part happened about thirty years later. 

I was driving down a road and I saw a church with a sign that said Catholic Evangelical and I thought,

that’s a contradiction of terms. I noticed that the start time was in about five minutes so I quickly parked

and went in. 

The service was the same as I remembered. Lots of standing and kneeling at certain times. Call and

response. They did have guitars playing music. There was a man and three women and only three

guitars.

After the service, I approached the group and spoke to the man. I asked about the instrumentation.

He explained that three women and one man with three guitars was the preferred tradition for a guitar

Mass. 

No, I didn’t tell him why it was the tradition. I am still amazed it became one.

In the movie they stated that the Jesus movement lasted from 1966 till 1972. The year I played that

guitar Mass. But I don't think that it has stopped yet.

Oh, I still talk to doves.

Rain Rain. Bub Bye.

 I am pretty excited right now. I am leaving tomorrow to drive back to Nashville for 10 days.

I am shooting a Pilot with my GF and starting to record Season 3 of The Underground Gospel Show.

I will go to church and head out after the first service. I am going to go through Phoenix AZ. then cut up to Gallup NM.

There is a ton of snow and the 15 is closed so I am going South before heading East. There are Costco's in Phoenix and Albuquerque so I'll be able to get tier 1 gas. Then it's cheap gas from Texas to Tennessee.

I have so many great books to listen to on the way out there. I was walking by the library computer and I saw a recommendation for Julie Soloman's book. Get Everything You Want. Now I am not much for clickbait but I downloaded it and have been listening for the past couple of days. Last night she started talking about her website. PitchItPerfect.net. Of course, I started laughing out loud. The number one skill I am developing this year is Pitching. Pitching is what you have to do after you write a screenplay. Somehow my inner librarian knew that I needed to her what she had to say about the subject.

I am getting a lot out of it and can't wait to develop a killer Origin Story and Pitch for each of my shows.

I have also been compiling a list of Creative and Development Execs using IMDbPro. People I am going to call to set meetings before I return to LA in a couple weeks.

Anyways back to my list of Vital Priorities to get done today before I leave. 

Anything you would like t see me cover on The Underground Gospel Show? Drop me a line. 

I'm back

 It has been a while since I have made a post here and as the title suggests, I'm back.

In the book The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron suggests that we start each day with writing 3 pages. I started a habit four years ago of writing in a book I call my Book of Awesome that best thing that happened the day before. Now I must admit I miss ten or fifteen entries a year but I have been very consistent. I woke up yesterday with the thought of adding this to my website and writing in it every day since I have so much going on.

What's going on you wonder?

This year I call my 1331 plan.

I have 1 show in production.

I have 3 shows in pre production.

I have 3 shows I am actively pitching.

I have 1 show I am writing.

Before covid, we had two shows we had shot. Aye La View (prononced I Love You) a show about the views of the cities we were in and I H8 My City. A show staring Paula Beck Williams as Mable and myself as Preston Throckmorton. We would sit in traffic for a couple hours and look for stupid people. 

Netfilx was open to season 1 of  Ays La but they lost interest after Covid shut down all travel. Youtube was looking at I H8 My City but they closed their production unit. Since we had all this data we are resuacting I H8 My City and will be releasing it on Tic Tok and other short social metverses. It is in preproductin now.

I will be shooting the 3rd season of The Underground Gosple Show starting mid March. A new game show called Cash Evator, and the 3rd season of I H8 My City. In May.

Okay enough for now I have to get on to my next vital priority. 

Talk soon y'all.