Mostly true stuff…

Bring me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses…in fact, bring me that girl…the blonde one…yes, her…the one who thinks she’s funny…even when she’s not. Bring her to me.

But, she can’t come just now…she has a comedy show, Rossini’s – this Sunday, 9:00 p.m., Yew Street, by Kits beach…hurry one and all before it’s turned into yet another souless, halogen-drenched sushi bar.

Comedy first, and then, yes…she’ll return. No question. She knows she has to. It’s where she needs to be. Wants to be. Close to all she adores. So…after the show…she’ll begin to pack.

And, then she’ll leave.
On Tuesday.
For New York.
Again.
She’ll perform, once more, at the Comic Strip Live – and, spend some down-time in a one-bedroom place near Central Park. She’s always wanted her sons to see a real Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso….experience a gospel choir in Harlem….nosh on a six-inch high ham on rye.

If reincarnation does exist, she’s certain she was once a small Jewish man who went by the name Ruben Ezra Blumenkrantz.

~

This craft, this art…tinkers, toys, tampers with the soul…the natural order of planets and constellations that previously lined an emotional landing pad. Sets that roared, stripped paint off walls just one month ago…fall listlessly to the beer-soaked floor only to be kicked once more in the most tender of anatomical spaces. Scratch n’ Win crowd allegations may shield the comedic heart…but, not for long. The temptation to throw in toilet-aligned, bawdy references for guttural, instinctual guffaws that satiate, then muffle, if only temporarily…the sound of selling out…they say you’re only as good as your last set. This craft, this art…stings with its insipid kisses that stain the neck.

~

Upcoming Shows: 

Tuesday, July 22nd, Darby Dawes, 2001 MacDonald St. Showtime – 9:00 p.m.

Sunday, July 27th, Rossini’s,  1525 Yew St. Showtime – 9:00 p.m.

Tuesday, August 5th, Capone’s, 1140 Hamilton St. Showtime – 9:00 p.m.

Sunday, August 10th, Caprice Lounge, 965 Granville St. Showtime – 8:00 p.m.

“Each joke we tell

is a tiny revolution.”

A few people wrote to say they missed last week’s ‘What’s so Funny?’ show. They’ve asked for a link to listen at their leisure…while puttering around the house, eating cake, scratching body parts, peeling a scab. Yes, you can do all this in the privacy of your own abode…while absorbing the recent interview with guest, Dr. Russ Kennedy.

Here’s the link courtesy of the technologically adept, Richard Kiss, fellow comic, eclectic California gentile…who spends all his time here.

http://thincat.com/colleen_jun_29_2008.mp3

Untouched…unfettered…trees, trees, trees, mountains… personal space that stretches forever…the ability to view stars at night unhindered by density and neon. A general lack of societal hierarchy…people who live close to the land, their heart, their fire…saying what’s on their mind…tradition, ritual based on soulful, in-the-moment authenticity, not artificial niceties prescribed by expectation. People who embrace genuine experiences, the beauty of a life simply lived, a connection, self-actualization of an event…NOT adhering to the need to digitally capture each and every moment simply to prove it existed, that one was there…snap, snap, snapping photos on the surface… proof of life? I think not. Independent thought, free-spiritness, unconformity, inclusiveness, appreciation of deep conversation, a Tim Horton’s coffee, talking – just talking – breeze-shooting unemcumbered by technological distractions – the art of ‘being there’. Canadian writers, movie-makers, poets, thinkers… humble in their brilliant simplicity…vast, rugged emotional landscapes, idealogical, political and religious openess, tolerance, a decent folk song, the maturity and courage to acknowledge and apologize for indignities to other communities, an awareness of world issues, politics, human suffering…and peace.

This land.

These people.

Our birthday.