Friday

Feeling absolutely terrific! Spent the afternoon and evening yesterday with my girl, chillen at the crib. It was another beautiful day in the mid seventies, blue skies and sunny.

Today, the plan is, to go to the Castle for lunch with Aye Jaye then set up shop at Hollywood and Highland and settle in for the evening. My shows are good lately and my head is back, screwed on right. I had a tough spell there. Professionally, it is by far the most frustrating thing, to want to perform well, but to have such a heavy heart that it effects the vibe of the show, at least in my mind.

Getting back on track again. . .

Feeling better and not a moment too soon. Momentarily, school will be out and the full, frontal, frenzy of the peak holiday shopping season will be at hand. Lock and load my retail brethren, I am fully stocked with Stripper Decks, Stripper Deck Books, and Mental Photography Decks. I also have a dozen Soc-O-Magic. Tis the season. I am looking forward to a good evening on the street. Hollywood & Highland is a FREAKFEST and I'm always happy to be a part of the craziness.

Crowd gathering in LA is as tough a as anywhere in the world, if not tougher. People are jaded, they've seen everything twice. The competition for your attention is fierce! At peak spots like Venice Beach, The Santa Monica Promenade or Pier, Hollywood & Urinal etc. . . you have HIGH END Retail, Restaurants, Hotels, Theaters of all sorts, Liquor stores and strip clubs, famous people and they're names on stars on the sidewalk. Now add in an amplified street act every 40 feet with at least one break dancing troupe per location. What to say? What to do? How to get things started. I used to be very aggressive in getting people to stop and watch. That was years ago. Anymore, I'm looking for just a tad more commitment in my audience. It's kind of a zen approach. I take all the pressure off myself by putting on some music I enjoy, lighting my cigar, sitting at my table, removing my cards from the tuckcase and trying to seem as uninterested in anyone's attention as possible. I know that it's usually only a matter of minutes before I start reeling them in a little. Steeple Chase Coin Rolls and Expert Card Handling along with a giant cloud of cigar smoke. That's what I'm talking about, someone who will sit through that. . . . that's the commitment I'm looking for. . . these are my people.

People don't really want to clap. Why should that matter to me. They barely smile. That used to bother me a lot. Now I recognize the real proof in the pudding, (whatever the fuck that means) is that, they are still standing there. The ebb and flow of people coming and leaving during a performance is the constant distraction of rejection. It's a heavy thing and not for the meek.

"The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time" James Taylor

The only real way to engage the audience fully is to have them convinced that you are loving what you are doing, at the very moment in time. The more fun you have, the more fun they have. . . it's an easy equation. But when those sneakers in your head, start tumbling around and emotion and circumstance close in. . . . well. . . welcome to the real world.

Peace