I'm a complicated man made up of many parts… and some of them actually work!
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
RARE COLLECTOR’S ITEM So for the past week I’ve been groovin’ out in my car big time to this remix CD of Matt Zarley’s new release TRUST ME. (Ten versions of the same song yet each one has a totally different vibe to it.) Oh those wacky Club DJs can turn anything into an über fun beat blast. Matt’s video for TRUST ME debuted three weeks ago and has skyrocketed. (The song is currently #4 on the dance charts right behind Madonna, Jennifer Lopez feat. Pit Bull, and the Bassmonkeys.)
Now you may have noticed my quirky smile in the above photo as I hold my copy of the TRUST ME CD. The smile isn’t only because I own the great music but also because I own a TRUST ME CD in the first place. You see you can’t buy they CD anywhere, you can only purchase and download the music online. Very few physical CDs even exist. Matt told me he had some CDs made to distribute to DJs to help get the song played in clubs. Since I’m a physical CD kind of guy Matt said he’d send me this copy for my collection. I’m tellin’ ya Matt Zarley is one sweet classy guy.
If you haven’t checked it out already go see Matt’s video for TRUST ME. You’ll laugh and want to dance at the same time. Just don’t take any fashion tips from the party scene.
MEMPHIS - The Musical Saw the Broadway musical, Memphis, yesterday in Des Moines. Now I must say I didn’t really know going in what it was about but I knew it won some Tony Awards a few years ago. Well as I found out Memphis is loosely based on the story of Memphis disc jockey Dewey Phillips, one of the first white DJs to play black music in the 1950s. It told the story of the beginning of the crazy Rock n’ Roll DJs and the slow racial integration of our society. Although the story line made the audience uncomfortable from time to time it was nice to know that that uneasiness is born from the fact that we have grown so much as a society since those segregated days.
Mixed amongst the fast paced storyline, high octane dancing and light-hearted jokes were some of the best natural singers I’ve heard in a show for a long time. It seemed like every time a new character opened their mouth it blew everybody away. We all agreed that we all saw something special yesterday. No one was surprised that it won the best musical award in 2010. Do not miss it if it comes to your town!
HUMAN PINCUSHION So last Friday I got to play an experimental cadaver to the doctor’s coroner-in-training. Actually I had what they call ‘minor surgery’ at the dermatologist‘s. He cut off several lumps from my arm, chest and neck. The neck surgery was the main attraction and it went on for what seemed an eternity! Thanks to the Xanax that relaxed my nerves I didn’t pass out, which is quite rare for me.
The neck lump was large enough that I’m sure I’ve officially lost weight. Everything went well with the surgery and I’m recovering just fine albeit a little grossed out at the stitches. The doctor said he’d call if the tests point to anything that we need to talk about. I’ve turned my phone off.
Update: Just got the mail and found a letter from the doctor. It says this regarding my biopsied chest lumps: “Fortunately the results are benign (non-cancerous) and no further treatment is necessary.” YEAH! Hearing that word benign is even better than hearing B-9 at a bingo game!
MISSED WORKOUT I love snuggling up in the morning with our big fat kitty, Cute Alley Cat Tail’s Unusually Short (aka: CACTUS.) She’s like a living teddy bear. It’s so nice going in and out of consciousness with her as you slowly wake up. But yesterday that snuggling went too far. Notice the time on the clock… 6:10! I was supposed to be at the gym for my power weight lifting class at 5:30. CRAPULENCE! I overslept. I started going to these power classes last summer and, other than vacations, this was the first class I have missed. I felt terrible about it all day. I told them to work me twice as hard this morning to make up for it. Bad Paulie, bad, bad, Paulie!
SINFULLY SMOOTH SYMPHONY Sunday our neighbors invited us to an evening with the Des Moines Symphony. They told us it was themed “Dvorak and Superman.” I figured if Dvorak doesn’t show up with kryptonite he wouldn’t stand a chance.
Unfortunately we don’t make it to the symphony very often which is too bad because it really is top notch entertainment. And yes as you can see from the picture we were in the front row, up close and personal! It was an enjoyable evening of soothing music, fabulous dinner and great conversation with friends. Thanks Brad and Kathy for the rockin’ fun time!
LAZY EASTER BUNNY? So Sue and I go visit my parents for Easter and Mom surprises us with these two Easter eggs. She said she didn’t want to take the time to dye and decorate them so she just wrote our names on them with a Sharpie pen. Hahaha… she’s still an ol’ sharpie herself.
POLITICAL SHENANIGANS In honor of sweater vest boy, Rick Santorum, dropping out of the Presidential political race I give you my buddy Matt Zarley’s newest video ‘Trust Me.’
It’s another fun, over-the-top, silly romp that makes you smile all the way through. The high-energy dance tune not only grooves in all the right places but leaves you wondering if anything is as it seems these days. Matt started his career at age 12 by dancing in a Frosted Flakes commercial with Tony-The-Tiger. Today at 43 you can see he still has all the moves.
On a side note I entered a drawing to be one of the party dancers… seriously! Unfortunately my name wasn’t drawn which is probably a good thing, I’m not sure I could wear those bad 70’s clothes again.
STILL SICK The ad slogan “What Happens In Vegas, Stays In Vegas.” is just that, an advertising slogan. But I wish it were true. You see I picked up a nasty virus while in Las Vegas and I brought it back to my pristine world in Iowa. I got it from that Randy Slovacek character (see previous post.) He got it while in Australia and brought it back to the States. He said that I’m stuck with it for about two weeks. It’s the virus that just keeps on giving. I’m nearing the end of my two weeks and I do notice it’s beginning to fade away, just not fast enough for me. (Note: the above photo is a bit deceiving because it’s not a ‘throw up’ type virus—just fever, shivers, aches and pains, and chest congestion.)
On a side note Randy was in Australia visiting his friend Olivia Newton-John. I’m going with the theory that he got it from her so I can say my disease is two degrees separation from Olivia!
FAKEBOOK FRIENDS NO MORE! So you know how they always warn you not to get involved with strangers you meet on the internet? Well sometimes things work out just fine.
About a year and a half ago I discovered the musical artist Matt Zarley and friended him on Facebook. Through Matt I met and friended his PR Manager, Michael Caprio (left) and Michael’s husband Randy Slovacek (right.) Randy is the writer of the very informative The Randy Report, various magazine articles, and host of the podcast The Candi & Randy Show. Matt and Randy met while just young pups on Broadway performing CATS, as Randy puts it: “when it was a good gig.” You can’t go a day without seeing Randy and Michael posing with one celebrity or another. In fact they just got back from a vacation in Australia with Olivia Newton-John (Michael is also her PR Manager.)
Over the past year we have built up a silly relationship of jokes and light-heartedness. Rarely can you post anything without someone jumping in with some bizarre comment of strange delight. Well last week Sue and I went to Las Vegas for Spring Break and since Michael and Randy live in Las Vegas I asked if they would like to meet for a drink somewhere. “No, no!” cried the masses, “You don’t really know these people. They could turn out to be psychopath losers that will torture and kill you. Or worse yet they could turn out to be Republicans!”
Well I feel I’m a good judge of character and took the chance to meet them anyway. I really expected that we would just meet for a quick drink since they didn’t really know me and I could turn out to be that psychopath Republican. The boys had other plans. You see Michael is also the PR Manager of the famous Chippendales Male Revue Show. He and Randy had Sue and I meet them at The Rio Casino where the Chippendales perform. The whole evening was comped, drinks included. We all sat in the back of the high energy show and got lots of behind-the-scenes info on what we were watching. It actually is a very classy, fun show to see with great music, singing and well… wardrobe malfunctions.
After the show we stayed in the lounge and got to talk to the performers. Turns out you have to be six foot tall minimum to be a Chippendale so I tore up my application. Sue spent a little too much time with the guest emcee, Jake Polvelka, of The Bachelor and Dancing With The Stars fame and I had to yank her away kicking and screaming.
All in all it was quite an unexpected over-the-top blast of an evening presented by two of the nicest, most unpretentious hosts you could ever find. Sue has always referred to them as my ‘fake’book friends since I didn’t really know them. But now I can simply refer to them as friends.
CASINO FUN Here we are inside the New York New York Casino. I remember the days when the casinos would freak if you pulled out a camera inside. Now with all these cell phones I think they simply have given up trying to stop photo taking. Of course they might frown on movie making but what the hell, I’m a trouble-maker… right?!
