RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK
This just goes to show how untrustworthy the internet is sometimes. As I was browsing the news on Yahoo! one day, I saw a picture of my friends Scott Sebring, Alex Zsolt, and my assistant Sara dressed as the 1966 Batman, Robin and Batgirl respectively. The heading that went with it was “THIRTEEN FACTS FROM THE ORIGINAL BATMAN!” Well not only were the facts NOT from the original Batman (they were from the 1989 Tim Burton movie), but the photo wasn’t even Adam West, Burt Ward and Yvonne Craig! Somebody hadn’t checked their sources. See! Not everything you read on the internet is true! But it was still cool seeing my good friends featured on Yahoo! news.
While I was enjoying some relaxation on the balcony of the Hyatt in Palm Springs, my iPod was cranking away on my Palm Springs playlist. A song from my old friend Astra Li came on called “Slow Ballad.” I had cast Astra in my kid’s show back in 1993 as a character called Macaroni Tenderfoot. She gave me a copy of an LP she recorded and it’s very good. I’ve always liked “Slow Ballad” in particular. But I lost touch with her sadly, and would love to know what she’s been up to. ASTRA! WHERE ARE YOU?
Monday the 21st – MEETING ON! – A brand new week held the promise of many exciting things! I got up at 2 and did some work around the house. I got a call from my pal Mike that the meeting with a prominent Palm Springs casino was on! My pal Elliot Lurie (former lead singer and lead guitarist for the 70’s group Looking Glass) and I are going in to pitch our 70’s music revue on Friday at 12:30. I got on-line and got my hotel room reserved (the same hotel room at the same hotel…I’m a creature of habit) and called Elliot to let him know. I wrote Wally’s Week and then my pal Alex Capriola came over with her dog Lady so we could walk the doggies down to Studio Café and have dinner. I hadn’t seen her in a while and lots had changed in her life. It was good to catch up. We came back to Planet Wallywood to chat some more, and then I grabbed a nap. I got up later to do my nightly auditions and finish Wally’s Week (it was a BIG one!). I fed and walked Roxy and then did some graphics work on the computer to prep for Friday’s meeting. I settled into bed with some soup and a sandwich and watched more of “Jesus of Nazareth” on Blu Ray. It was a mini-series from 1977 and without commercials it runs about 6 hours. So I’m taking it an hour at a time each night.
Tuesday the 22nd – ELLEN EMERGENCY! – My hotline rang at 11am with an emergency bit that needed to be recorded for the “Ellen” show. I got right up, did it and sent it in to them. Then I went back to bed for a few hours. When I got up I headed over to Dr. Henry Fisher’s office to do a consultation for my upcoming colonoscopy. The last one I had was about 2 and a half years ago, and I’m way over due, since they found a big polyp the last time I was in. Colon cancer runs in my family so it’s important that I stay on top of it. (I just think it’s funny that a doctor in his field is named “fisher”…think about it) I basically remembered all of the details from my last colonoscopy back in 2013 so it should be all good. I got back home by 4 and met up with my pal Sergio Lopez and Brittney Powell. Brittney was looking to change up her hairstyle a bit and wanted suggestions. So I hooked her up with Sergio who’s an amazing hair guy (he does all the hairstyles on my mannequins in Planet Wallywood). She was very happy with the haircut she received, as I knew she would be. When everyone left I did a bunch of writing for our 70’s music revue show. I wanted to leave the decision-makers at the casino in Palm Springs with some materials to review after the meeting was over. I grabbed a quick nap and then got up to do my nightly auditions. I did a little more writing on the 70’s package, and prepped for the cartoon session I’d be doing the next morning. I had some artwork that needed to be done for the pitch meeting, and I knew I had a pretty light day ahead at the session, so I packed up some pens, paper and 70’s resource materials so I could sketch and draw during the session when I wasn’t needed on mic.
Wednesday the 23rd – WILD WEDNESDAY! – Whew! What a day! It all started with a four hour cartoon session starting at 9am at Studiopolis in Burbank. None of my characters in the show had much to do in those episodes, so I sat back and enjoyed the show and sketched for my 70’s pitch meeting. I got a lot done, too. I sketched 3 pieces in pencil, and even had time to ink them. After the session I went to Best Buy to pick up a new projector for my church, got lunch at Wendy’s, and then headed to the church to drop off the projector. The one we had been using has been dying a slow death over the past few months, so this one would be a nice Easter gift for everyone. I got home to walk Roxy and pick up a few items, and then I headed out the door again. I went to my neighborhood printer to have some color copies made of my pitch package, and some transparencies made of my art pieces. The idea was to paint them up like animation cels to give them an idea of how the finished animation would look. But not only was his color machine down, he can no longer print transparencies. So it was off to Kinko’s. I figured I could easily do the color copies at home on my laser printer, but I needed them to do the transparencies. I got them finished and headed to my next event. I’m recording a song that I’ll put up on YouTube along with a slideshow of photos. It’s a song that was popular during the Viet Nam war about a disabled vet. But I’ve updated the lyrics to reflect the current situation with our vets and I recorded the new version last week at Voice Trax West. But over the weekend I decided to change a few lyrics, so I went back in and changed a few lines. Now Evan the engineer can do the mix and I can send it to my pal Mark the Cop to have him put the slideshow to it. When it’s posted to YouTube I’ll publish the info here. I walked next door to the bank to make a deposit, and then I headed home to start on my animation cel project. But most of my animation cel paints had dried up considerably and weren’t really usable. Since I was under the gun to get these finished I scanned the drawings in to the computer and colored them that way. It’s a lot easier than having to wait for paint to dry. I printed the three finished pieces and mounted them on a foam core presentation board. I printed all the documents for my “leave behinds” (as they say in the business) and then my friend Jasmine came over to help me with a few things. I finally tweaked the presentation to where I wanted it and then I napped for a bit. I got up and did a ton of auditions, scanned a bunch of contracts that needed my signature, and then I packed for my Palm Springs trip on Thursday. WOW! Like I said. What a day!
Thursday the 24th – P.S. I LOVE YOU! – When I got up at 1 I had a last-minute audition to do. I really wanted to throw my bags in my car and hit the road to Palm Springs, but I was delayed by several things. Elliot had e-mailed me a list for the meeting, and I wanted it printed on our logo stationery. So I formatted it and printed several copies on my laser printer. By the time I got the car loaded up, gassed up, and on the road, it was 3:00! Just in time for busy, afternoon, L.A. traffic! I knew it was going to be a long haul to Palm Springs (normally it takes 2 hours) but I was ready for a four hour trip. I talked to my friend Scott in Sioux Falls for about an hour and a half, so that helped kill some time. And while I was dialing around on the AM dial to find radio stations to listen to I found this great station at 1270AM called KVGH out of Thousand Palms. They played all oldies from the 50’s, 60’s, but mostly the 70’s. Anytime I can listen to 70’s oldies on AM radio, sign me up! They were playing some great stuff and it was putting me in a perfect mood for our pitch meeting to the casino on Friday. At 7:00 I checked into my room at the Hyatt, stashed my luggage, and then hit the street fair. Magic was in the air. Not only is the street fair an amazing time, but a gorgeous, orange full moon started rising over the horizon. In the foreground was an array of silhouetted palm trees. Beautiful! I stopped by to see the “soap guys” and stocked up on hand-made soaps. I stopped by to see my pal at the beef jerky place and got stocked up on beef jerky. I walked by the Pillow Lady’s booth, but she was busy working on a project so I didn’t want to bother her. I went over to hear Waykey play. He’s the Native American musician who plays a wide array of wind instruments. He did a stunning version of “How Great Thou Art,” which made me kind of emotional since it was my Grandma Hazel’s favorite song. I walked back to the hotel and got a tri-tip sandwich at the BBQ place right outside the Hyatt. I was just in time too! I got the very last bun of the night. They had lots of beef left, but they had run out of buns. I told them I now have a new badge of distinction with their business. Normally I’m first in line and I get the FIRST bun of the night. But tonight I got the LAST bun. Pretty neat! As I went into the hotel and got up to the sixth floor, I noticed a bird flying around the ceiling of the hotel. The hotel is designed in such a way that it’s all open air. The rooms are on either side of the hotel, but the center area is open so you can look down and see all the way to the first floor. I like that. The Sheraton in Bloomington, MN is like that too. But this bird turned out to not be a bird after all. It was a bat! He had gotten into the hotel somehow, but couldn’t find his way back out. I felt back for the poor little fella. Since “Batman V Superman” had just been released that day, I named him “Bruce.” Poor Bruce was exhausting himself trying to find a way out. I thought for sure he’s drop dead in his attempt at escape. At one point he started flying right at me and came within two feet of my face! Since they don’t see so well and go mostly on sonar, he probably sensed my presence and veered off. But it was a little unnerving to see a little bat flying right at me. I guess I’ve seen too many vampire movies. I really need to get back to Palm Springs when I can stay for a full four days. I really love it here. I unpacked all my stuff and when I checked out in the main area at 2am, Bruce was gone. Hopefully he had found his escape hatch. I rehearsed my pitch and went over my materials and prepped them for the meeting, watched the stars from my balcony for a little bit, and then hit the hay.
Friday the 25th – 70’s SERENDIPITY-DOO! – It was a truly magical weekend in Palm Springs with plenty of odd serendipitous “coincidences.” But since I don’t believe in coincidences…??? I got up at 11, got cleaned up and met Elliot in the lobby of the Hyatt at noon. He drove us over to the casino for the meeting, and when we walked in the music on the overhead system was playing Elvin Bishop’s “Fooled Around and Fell In Love” from 1976. Good sign! I told him we were definitely in the right place. I asked him if he knew who that was singing. When I told him it was Mickey Thomas he said, ”Oh! Mickey lives in Palm Springs!” Mickey had just performed on New Year’s Eve with Jefferson Starship! The synchronicity had begun. This was the first of many odd instances that gave me the impression that we were definitely on the right track with this idea. Our buddy Mike met up with us and I introduced him to Elliot. Mike does a lot of work with the area casinos and he was the one who secured this meeting for us. I originally met Mike when he was taking photos at the Lynda Carter event several months ago. Two of the casinos execs came into the meeting and we all had a great time. They loved the presentation and had started thinking out loud about how our idea could be utilized into their next season’s entertainment. Elliot mentioned that he plays in the Yacht Rock Revue, from time to time. YRR is a group of youngsters who are impeccable musicians who play shows of all 70’s music. They are so popular that they now hire the original singers from original 70’s hit songs to come sing with them at their shows. In addition to singing the two Looking Glass hits “Brandy” and “Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne,” they also have him sing King’s Harvest’s hit “Dancing in the Moonlight, “because Elliot’s voice is a natural fit with that song. He mentioned at the meeting that the shows attract a lot of 40 and 50-somethings, but they also attract a goodly amount of youngsters in their 20’s who love 70’s kitsch. I mentioned that when I saw Maxine Nightingale at the Disco Divas concert in Palm Springs a few years ago, I felt like I was 14 again when she sang “Right Back Where We Started From.” We bid our casino friends farewell and they’re going to discuss the proposal amongst their group of entertainment execs. Elliot had to run to get his step-daughter from school, so he dropped me back at my hotel. As I was getting out of his car, I recognized some familiar faces at the Hyatt’s entrance. It was my friend Lauren from church and her daughter and family. I said, “Lauren!” She was shocked and asked what I was doing there. I told her I had just come back from a meeting and was only there for a few days. We all chatted and laughed for a bit, and then I got changed and walked over to Ruby’s Diner so I could meet up with Mike for a post-game assessment of the meeting. Mike’s opinion was that it went extremely well. I told him that I too was very encouraged. Just as we were winding up, the song “Right Back Where We Started From” by Maxine Nightingale came on the overhead music system. What are the odds? I was just talking about that song in the meeting. Then I heard some voices singing along with it word for word. I looked around and the voices were coming from a young couple to my left. I asked them, “How old are you guys?” They said they were 18. I asked, “You know this song?” They said that their parents raised them both on good 70’s music and they loved the genre. I said, “Where were you guys an hour ago?” I explained that I just came from a meeting where my friend Elliot mentioned that kids were into 70’s music as well as the oldsters. Those two just illustrated his point beautifully. I told them more about our show concept and they said they would go to something like that without hesitation! I think we’re really on to something with this! But as if “Fooled Around and Fell In Love” and “Right Back Where We Started From” wasn’t enough of a sign, as I was enjoying a Dole Whip on the patio of Lappert’s Ice Cream, a car drove by with its windows down blaring the Carpenters’ “We’ve Only Just Begun.” We’ve only just begun, indeed. I stopped by Rocket Fizz and got some candy, and I stopped by Fame to pick up a cigar. I was set for the rest of the weekend. I was walking on clouds on the way back to the hotel. I grabbed a quick nap and then got up to have dinner at Edi and Elliot’s new house. On the way there I listened to more KVGH 1270AM and enjoyed the oldies. I heard Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet,” which really brought back the memories. I used to start my radio show on KABR with that song back in Aberdeen in 1977. We ate dinner on Edi and Elliot’s patio, and when Edi turned off all the patio lights I was amazed. The piece of sky over their house is filled with amazing stars! Stunningly beautiful! I’ve just GOT to get a house there someday! Elliot told me that he had just finished the mix on a new song he wrote which describes how he met Edi. Of course I figure into it as the “matchmaker,” but he has me fictionalized as a friend of his on his baseball team. He said he wanted to film me lip synching the lyrics in the song that speak in the voice of my character. So it’s Elliot singing, but it’s me lip synching his voice encouraging him to meet this girl. Quite clever, actually. When I saw the playback, I say Elliot Lurie’s amazing voice coming out of my lips. It was really quite cool. When the video is finished I’ll post it here for sure! They’re still getting moved in and settled into the new house, so a lot of their pictures and artwork is still lying around ready to be hung. I saw the original gold record 45 of “Brandy.” I saw the original page from the Billboard Hot 100 from the week that “Brandy” became a #1 hit. He also showed me an original painting done by the girl who was the inspiration for “Brandy;” his former girlfriend named Randy who has now become an artist. Too cool! But the evening wasn’t over yet. The weird coinky-dinks would continue! I got to my car and started it up to head back to my hotel. Of all the songs in the world that could have been playing, which one do you think came on 1270AM just at that time? (Nope, not “Brandy” but close) It was “Dancing In the Moonlight” by King’s Harvest; a song Elliot sings in the Yacht Rock Revue shows! Speaking of the moon, as I drove back it started to peek over the horizon, showing its big, orange face over the desert landscape. I stopped to get gassed up for my trip back home tomorrow (I DON’T WANT TO GO BACK YET!) and I got some food supplies for stargazing later that night. I got back to the hotel, packed up my stuff so I could make a hasty exit on Saturday, and then walked across the street to get a delicious NYPD pizza. I watched the stars all night on the balcony. Normally when I stay for a four day stretch, I have my whole “Palm Springs Travel Kit” which consists of a LOT of stuff I’ll need for the four days there. But since I was only there a few days I packed lightly. Unfortunately one of the things I really needed were my citronella candles to keep mosquitoes away as I sit outside watching the stars. I got eaten alive!
Saturday the 26th – SWEET, SWEET SATURDAY! – With my head still spinning from all the serendipitous, magical happenings of the past few days, I got up at 1 and packed up my car. I checked out of the Hyatt and hit the road for home. But not before stopping at Jack In the Box for some drive-thru food before I left town. As I sat in the drive-thru lane waiting for my food, 1270AM continued to churn out the great oldies. As if to drive home some important point, Maxine Nightingale’s “Right Back Where We Started From” came on the radio. And sure enough, it was followed by “Brandy” by Looking Glass. I just smiled and nodded. I knew there was definitely something at work here. I had a nice drive home and was able to drive at top speeds most of the way home. About 40 miles outside of L.A. the traffic got slow, but it was a nice day and a pleasant drive. I got back at 4, grabbed a quick nap, and then picked up my adopted grandma Shirley for dinner at Barone’s. We were joined by my friend James. Soon after my friends Bob and Teri showed up, as did my friend Josh. I heard this amazing voice coming out of the next room at Barone’s singing jazz standards. I had to go see what was going on. Figuring it to be a bee-hive hair-do’d lady in her 60’s, it turned out to be a gorgeous, blonde girl in her 20’s named Julia! WHAT?! Where did she get that voice? I asked my friend Tommy who owns and manages Barones what her story was. He introduced me to her and her friend Jeremiah. Turns out she’s from Russia originally and has been singing since she as 8! I want her to meet Elliot because I think they could produce some great music together. With his “jazzy” style and her amazing vocal prowess, there could be some magic there. When I got back home I prepped my costume for the next morning’s “Easter Walk,” where the kids at the church get to walk through dramatizations of the poignant moments of the Easter story. Every year they ask me to portray Jesus and give the kids communion in the “Last Supper” room. Since I had been watching “Jesus of Nazareth” over the past few nights, I noticed that Robert Powell would occasionally wear a shawl over his head in some scenes. I really liked the look, so I went downstairs into my fabric collection and found some very “biblical” looking, woven material. Actually it was the material I used on my Yoda puppet back in 1980 for his robe. It was all that I had left over from that. I stitched together (crudely) a shawl and I really liked how it was looking. Then I hit the hay for a few hours of sleep before my early Easter morning started.
Sunday the 27th – HAPPY EASTER! – The alarm went off at 8:15 and I was beat! I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it. I’m not normally a morning person any, but the intense activities of the past few days had me dragging tail. But once I showered and walked over to the church I was feeling much more alert. I put on the costume and met Marie, the donkey for this year’s “Easter Walk.” The donkey from past years was nice and all, but there was something really sweet and special about Marie. She loved attention and she loved being with people. She would literally rest her chin on people’s shoulders. Cute! During one of the communion sessions a dapper young kid with an argyle sweater vest walked in and proclaimed, “You’re not the real Jesus.” I said, “You’re right. I’m not.” He looked at my with a puzzled look, expecting an argument. He said again, “You’re not the real Jesus.” Again I said, “You’re absolutely right. I’m not the real Jesus.” He didn’t know what to say, and he sat down at the communion table and remained “mostly” silent for the remainder of the time. But he didn’t want to drink the grape juice. He wanted lemonade instead. Ahhhh kids. Ya gotta love ‘em! (Don’t you?) Shirley was there with me for all the sessions and I think she was ready to take the kid down. And Shirley’s a peace-loving 89 year old, respectable lady! It was hilarious! After all the classes of kids go through the “Easter Walk,” the adults are welcome to come through too. I saw my old friend Loren (another Loren!) and her new baby and husband. I hadn’t seen her in years and it was good to see her and meet her son Brock! (Who happened to find my duck voice very funny) I got changed back into my hoodie and cargo shorts and went upstairs to the social hall to have some breakfast, which they serve on Easter morning every year. I walked back home and fell into bed for a few hours. I got up later in the afternoon and got cleaned up and headed back for the evening service. On the way there my LAPD pal Greg was heading to church, as was Shirley. So we all walked over together. Roxy is always very excited to go to church because she knows she gets treats and LOTS of attention! After the service Shirley, my friend James, and my friend Alex and her boyfriend met us at DuPar’s for dinner. You wouldn’t believe what Alex’s boyfriend’s name is…LOREN! (Do I detect another pattern forming this weekend?) After dinner I came back and caught up on a few more hours of sleep. Then I got up to do my auditions, unpacked the remaining Palm Springs luggage, and settled in for some relaxation time in The Tranquility Zone (the name of my bedroom after my massive redesign project). Since I had missed out on my traditional Saturday night salad and “Avengers” episode, I decided to make it up tonight. I made a giant salad and watched a VERY good episode of the old BBC “Avengers” series from the 60’s called “The Morning After.”
And how was YOUR week??!!
PIX FROM THE WEEK
Roxy really loves to go to church, as you can hear in her enthusiastic barking when the word “church” is mentioned.
Poor Bruce the bat was flying around the Hyatt looking for a way out. Normally, I’m looking for any reason to get IN to the Hyatt!
Marie the Donkey was spreading Easter joy to all!
Even me!
I’m dressed and ready to rock the “Easter Walk” for another year.
You find the greatest stuff at the Palm Springs Village Fest! Here’s a shot of Leonard Nimoy I’ve never seen before, shellacked to a piece of wood and ready to hang! I knew he was adept at playing the Vulcan Harp, but guitar? NO WAY! Spock rocks!
