REVIEWING THE 2011 WORKLIST...

I was patting myself on the back for accomplishing most of the things I wanted to do today. I was able to do so, though, because it was a short list. I have of late assigned myself way too much to do and not managed to do it. I got the new sweatshirt design done (and it was pretty good), and wore it around in public some (where it got mostly appreciative comments), tried to retrieve Wayne the songwriter’s CD from the library (which couldn’t find it), welded “Luke” the ‘puter’s hard drive rack in place (he may finally be operational tomorrow), baked cookies for Jane’s housewarming party tomorrow in Nehalem, and went to a retirement party for the Rockaway librarian.

So, while we’re talking about accomplishing things… What did I accomplish on the Worklist this year?

WRITING: I count only five new songs in 2011—“Pole Dancing for Jesus” (March), “Selling Off My Body Parts” (April), “Earwigs in the Eggplant” (June), “Blue Krishna” (August), and “The Occupation Song” (October, I guess, though it’s still not recorded yet). That’s well below the one-a-month-on-average I decided I’d be happy with. Theme songs for the “Sleeping Piggy,” “Cinderpiggy” and “Jedi Pigs of Oz” puppet shows, but I don’t want to count those as real songs—at one verse/one chorus they’re too short. No co-writes in 2011 (bad).

ALBUMS: Got the Deathgrass album out; that actually worked out just about perfectly. Still plenty of copies to sell. No progress on either the Southern Pigfish all-videos album (though I talked about it a lot) or the “12 Reasons Why Joe Is Going to Hell” album (though “Pole Dancing for Jesus” is a definite inclusion).

MARKETING: The Deathgrass album is for sale on CDBaby both as “hard copy” and as download. I haven’t received any checks from them so I assume there haven’t been any sales. Got some decent concert footage of Deathgrass [below]. Replaced the computers—the conniptions involved in that have been a constant fixture of the blog in recent months—and in the process ended up with a laptop that can burn DVDs (not the one I expected, though). Never did get around to having any CD release parties; the CD is just out there. Sent or delivered copies to a number of radio stations, and I hope they’re playing it—I have no way to tell.

VIDEO: It was a good year for video. Two videos uploaded that I’m relatively happy with, “Can I Have Your Car When the Rapture Comes?” (January) and “50 Ways to Cure the Depression” (March). The video of “Twenty-Four Seven” wasn’t bad (October). All three tried experimental techniques that I believe I’ve mastered now. Concert footage on YouTube of two songs, too—“She Ain’t Starvin’ Herself” and “Dead Things in the Shower”—both performed by Deathgrass at the Wheeler Summerfest. Still in progress: a fan-generated video of “Blue Krishna” to which I’ve committed the old digital camera.

MORE GIGS: I did have more—just not a lot more. Finally got to play the Willamette Writers, though it was for tips, and Whitney Streed’s comedy night at the Tonic, both solo and in Portland; the Summerfest was new for Deathgrass, and I lined up a few new gigs for 2012. Briefly had a second band, 45 Degrees North, which got some gigs (a couple of them paying gigs) before they broke up before the end of the summer.

STAYING IN TOUCH: Ideas more than anything—I didn’t put any work into it. I did make it to southern Oregon for the SOSA Summer Concert Series, but that was the only serious traveling I did. Skype? Website? Maybe now that Computer Hell has settled down.

AND THE WORLD TOUR: I said a man’s reach should exceed his grasp. That one definitely exceeded mine in 2011.

NOT ON THE LIST BUT I SHOULD MENTION ANYWAY: Wrote three plays for the “Pig Wars” sock-puppet troupe—two of them performed (and the video of one came out pretty good), one still to be scheduled. Theme songs for all three puppet shows, too. Joined a just-starting marimba band. Started classes to become a square dance caller.

Next: the 2012 Worklist. 2012 is supposed to be a slightly shorter year, with the world scheduled to end Dec. 21. There is probably a song in it.

Joe