FOOTBALL, AND WRITERS, AND SOCKS (OH MY?)...

Had people from Gearhart (40 miles away) come to hear the Friday Night Group; they said they’d read about it in the paper. The only mention “in the paper” I know of has been by me, in my column. Maybe that means people—from out of town?—are reading it. I continue to have each week’s column plotted out in advance, and hope I can continue to do so; if I can write the column in the time it takes to type it, it’s almost a productive use of my time (and the only part of my newspaper work that is).

I won’t be doing the Lions Club’s Garibaldi Days program this year; they’ve enlisted the husband of one of the Port Commissioners to do it instead (it’s the Port’s 100th anniversary this year, as well as the 50th anniversary of Garibaldi Days). The fellow has some graphic design experience, and way more modern tools than I do, and I don’t mind not spending the time on it—last year’s program was a lot of work, within very tight deadlines, and all unpaid, of course. On the other hand, I really like doing it, and will miss it for that reason. And I’ll worry whether the New Guy will know how to save money as good as I did.

“The Footballer’s Prayer” has been recorded, and e-mailed to England. I’ve been told the World Cup competition is going on now, and wonder if that’s why the Brits were so anxious to get the song. It wouldn’t make a bad theme song (aside from sounding hopelessly American, of course). Moving this fast is probably something only a small-timer can do. The song was written in one day, peer-reviewed the second day, recorded and e-mailed the third. I think it’d have been possible to produce physical CDs on the spot over in England if we’d needed or wanted to—I’m sure somebody over there has the same equipment I have here. I could even have designed and sent a label. The Big Boys can’t move that fast. Link, by the way, is http://www.soundclick.com/share?songid=9261962.

Music both at City Hall Friday night, and the Tillamook Library Saturday, were good (got complimented on my lead playing, which was a nice surprise, and sold a CD—I think that means I have just six or seven left out of the last “pressing”). Got to play the Electric Banjo a little, too—not plugged in (there’s really no point in making it sound louder if you can’t make it sound better).

I keep responding to ads on craigslist (even though I have about as much success with those as with job applications). Latest was from the Willamette Writers group, seeking musical entertainment for their annual conference in Portland in August. I can at least offer myself as a writer (and did). I passed on the ad to two other songwriters I am aware of in the Portland area, with the suggestion that we could maybe do a show together, but both begged off (and I’m pretty sure neither one begged off because it was me).

It would be a paying gig—which would be nice—as well as an opportunity to connect with other writers. True, what I’ve written mostly is songs (at least, what I’ve written that’s any good), but I do write other things, too. The Willamette Writers group does have a chapter on the Coast, but it’s in Newport, a good 2-hour drive away; Portland, timewise, is closer. I doubt I could be active in the group—but it’d be nice to stay in touch.

And on the “I write other things” front, I have written a one-act play—to be performed by sock puppets. (It is a very short one act.) “Pig Wars,” it’s called—the legend of the three little pigs, performed by the cast of Star Wars (yes, Darth Vader as the big bad wolf—and the pigs are named Luke, Leah, and Hansolo). Karen, the program director for the Arts Center, is designing the sock puppets, and they are cute. Need one more puppeteer besides Karen and myself, since the play has a cast of five—and the performance is less than a week away. In addition to writing the play, I will get to design classic Hollywood-style “opening night” posters—featuring the sock “stars.” The suggestion’s been made that we videotape the performance, and post it on YouTube. That should be possible.

Joe