This story ran in today’s St. Pete Times. If you see the actual paper there’s even a picture. Oooh! Ahh! One of those kinda animated I’m-tellin’-a-story-and-my-arms-are-movin’-and-mouth-is-slightly-twisted-like-I’m-talkin’ ones.
Rick Gershman led me through about an hour interview down in the scene shop this past Monday, which he called “short.” Nice guy, great interviewer. We’d actually met in ’99 when I was doing Whirligig at TBPAC and he was covering the story all the way from concept to stage.
I also found out today he has a blog (can you tell I don’t usually read City Times?), and on it appears my favorite ape – Rango.
Anyway, there’s probably not much new info in the profile if you’ve been around for a while, but that’s not the point really. It’s not there for you guys. You come here for your dirt, right?
Rick, if you’re out there – Good Lookin’ Out. I’m not usually a fan of those profiles because I always think I come off too weird. That’s not saying I don’t seem a little weird in those first few paragraphs, but at least I recognize that guy.
Oh yeah – the story: When I got home the night of that interview I tell my wife that Rick and Joseph (the photog) HAD to have thought I was a complete nutter. To be fair, I was asked to find some “cool props or setpieces” that we might be able to work into some photos. Considering we just closed The Goat and the prop was laying around I thought “PERFECT!” I could tell the second I started pulling that thing out of the hefty bag that I was earning high marks for Freaky Artist-Dude of the Year. Hey – in theory it really sounded like a good idea … I felt like an ass. Poor, poor Sylvia.
My only disappointment about what was printed is that I relayed about 4 juicy Ryan McCarthy stories that didn’t make it. One I kinda understand why it didn’t. I was maybe looking forward to embarrassing him a little in print.
Hrmm … maybe that can be a weekly feature here on the ol’ blog – behind the scenes (and sometimes on the stage) mayhem. Give you all the dirt and funny stories. We decided a good portion of all our backstage stories are of the inside joke vartiety that probably wouldn’t translate well to others, but we certainly have plenty of material for a weekly column.
One Response
Hey, David. Just saw your post. Glad you liked the article.
Yeah, I should have gotten one of those anecdotes in there, but here’s one of those dirty little secrets of journalism–I was up to my ass in work that week (and still recovering from the “manspa” experience), so really when I banged out the story I just forgot to toss it in there. Sorry.
But anyway, thanks for fitting us in on short notice and making for a good story. I’ll make sure to come out to a Jobsite show soon and say hi again.