gdp's Comments

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : An Open Letter to Monogamy.

Fri, 9 Aug 2013 21:06:49 +0000

Thank you for your reply Kimberly. You did touch a nerve, as I re-read my letter, I guess my sarcastic/tongue in cheek tone does not read as well. Sorry about that. I was very mindful to not attack you or project onto you. My "icky or confused polyamorist" comment referred to your statement "participants thought that they knew what they were getting into and, as it turns out, did not", as a sarcastic commentary that both monogamous and non-monogamous people can be in situations where "participants thought that they knew what they were getting into and, as it turns out, did not". It was my way of showing how it can read when one paints a specific group of people as more "likely" to be confused by relationship parameters versus another. Does that make sense? My intention was to address what I thought was a weak argument against (or I guess "sort of against, but just for me") something I perceived (wrongly I guess) to be practiced by a tiny minority. Growing up in America, as a middle class white male I find the 17% monogamy stat shocking, I would say about 1% of my friends are non-monogamous, but I won't dispute your numbers. As a closing thought, regardless of our difference of opinion, I would say that the only thing I am certain of is that everyone needs love (in it's many shapes & forms) and there is little need to compare or highlight one road to get to it over another. There are many paths up the side of the mountain, but they all end at the mountaintop. Everybody gets to pick their own, and the best I can do is not judge any of them, but cheer all of them on. So, Cheers! :)

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : An Open Letter to Monogamy.

Fri, 9 Aug 2013 19:15:51 +0000

Please write an article defending traditional marriage over gay marriage next! Gay marriages are so much work! And confusing too, who is the groom and who is the bride? I get overwhelmed easily when people choose things different than what I choose. When that happens, I write long articles detailing why I am going to stick to the norm, a norm that is beyond any doubt, an overwhelming majority under no threat whatsoever. Also, let's make a case against something for very generic reasons: "It’s a lot less complicated to be monogamous" and let's use slightly uninformed generalizations to make a point: "a true example of a polygamous situation where it appeared that the participants thought that they knew what they were getting into and, as it turns out, did not" -Really? That's right, because that only happens with those icky and confused polyamorist! I respect the author's brave choice to stick with 99% of the population, but I am sorry and I bit sad that I read this article.

Knowledge@Wharton : No Hollywood Ending: Filmmaker James Kerwin on the Future of Independent Movie Production - Knowledg

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 22:15:19 +0000

"Netflix streaming now accounts for 20% of all landline Internet usage during peak hours in America. A massive amount of people are watching movies for free now." But the thing is, Netflix is not free. People are paying a lower rate than they would have if they purchased a DVD, but they are not stealing, they are paying $15/$20 for their subscriptions. Is the same analogy to the music industry; people were being ripped off with $22 CDs, then Napster killed everyone with their "share' model, but then Apple was able to open people's wallets with their 99¢ a track model, which is better than "free" but not as good as $22 for basically the 2 tracks you wanted on an album. The profits are always contingent on the costs and overhead, so the digital revolution is basically shrinking budgets/profits, but that may not be a horrible thing for film.

USS Rock 'N Roll : Interview: Brian Firenzi from 5SecondFilms.com

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 17:44:27 +0000

I love 5 Second Films. Great concept, great execution, way better than Avatar.

USS Rock 'N Roll : A List: The 5 Lamest Characters On 5 Great Shows

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 04:14:25 +0000

Why did you leave Kate from "Lost" out? The only thing that can explain Kate is that the writers had like 9 great dude characters already (Sayid, Locke, Sawyer, Charlie, Hurley, Desmond, Michael, Walter and even Jack when he is not crying), and then someone said "We need to fill our female quota for the union!" Then they watched soap operas so they could get a peek into the female mind and what they got back is "lost little girl, can't make up her mind, won't ever listen to reason". They realized what a shit job they did with Kate, so to atone, in season 2 they wrote in Juliet, which is everything Kate could have been but is not.

USS Rock 'N Roll : REPOST: The Marriage Proposal from Extrastrengthcomedy.com

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:20:22 +0000

Well played Mr. Mike. And well played to the team for making it happen. I wish there was video of this night.

USS Rock 'N Roll : Marketing: the basics... website

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:27:23 +0000

$200? For a header/logo design, the original Wordpress set up (if you use a hosting package), the code clean up and a tutorial which may includes telling people the difference between domain name and hosting, Twitter vs. Facebbok, or how to upload a photo because they have never done it before? I think $500 is a more realistic price. It's still a bargain and you get great looking stuff that is functional and works everytime. This compared to the basic professional/good looking website of $3k. And don't get me started on any of those great looking and filled with cool features (video galleries, social network integration, live updates, forms, e-commerce, etc...) great band websites you see, they are all on the $10k and up range.

USS Rock 'N Roll : That Ol' Improv Bullshit: "Don't Play For Laughs."

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 17:47:26 +0000

I've seen the "we are angry while driving around and refuse to talk to each other for 3 eternal minutes" scene variation a few times, and always ask myself the same question, "Why am I watching 2 people sit in silence on stage while they are not looking at each other?" As a non-improvisor, I've heard the "it's not supposed to be funny" line/excuse a few times. Thanks for clearing that up.

USS Rock 'N Roll : Lessons from Burning Man - Again

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:24:53 +0000

Here is a picture of what it looked like.... <img src=http://ussrocknroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Thunderdome.jpg>

USS Rock 'N Roll : Why Does Anyone Watch It?

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:59:43 +0000

You raise a good point. As a young musician I played in an "industrial" band. One of the reasons why "industrial" music never reached the mainstream (except Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson, the exceptions that proved the rule) is because "industrial" music is not really a music genre, it's actually a production technique. Good industrial music is good pop songs with distorted vocals, loud guitars & thumping drum machine beats. But if the song sucks then there is not enough distortion in the world to save it. Unfortunately, there are a lot of "industrial" purists that would get up onstage, bang a hammer on a piece of sheet metal while screaming like a banshee, and then wonder why people weren't coming to the shows more than once. How does this relate to your post about improv? I think improv is a performing technique that uses the strengths of both improv comedy (in the true sense of the word, making funny stuff up on the spot) and scripted theater (characters & plot). The difficult part of getting this across to the average audience is that most people come in expecting to see "funny" (the pop song structure) and if all goes well they'll enjoy the characters and plot (the distortion & electronics). But it can also a bit of bait & switch to them because in many cases the audience is not expecting two characters to be sitting on the stage emoting "silent rage" at each other for 2 minutes. To the audience it looks like dead air on a show, but to the performers it's dramatic gold and a chance to work on their trust issues and their dominion over the fabric of time & space, blah, blah, blah... Kind of like the industrial musician banging on metal with a hammer - he thinks he is illustrating man's rage against the machine, but to us he looks like a moron banging on sheet metal. In the end, mainstream music adopted many of the industrial techniques (U2's distorted vocals on "Achtung Baby", David Bowie's "Outside", the thumping drumbeats in today's Timbaland produced pop, etc...) even when the genre was never fully adopted by the mainstream. Yet many of the industrial acts continue to tour to the same small but dedicated audiences that they've been playing for since 1989. Much like to the world of improv, where the people that achieve mass success are the people that use the techniques of improv theater outside of the confines of the improv theater. Borat & Bruno are basically improvised movies, but the word "improv" is never mentioned when referencing either movie. All the smash TV shows are heavily populated with performers and writers from the improv world, yet the mainstream public is not aware that the improv world is where all their stars come from and could have seem them live for $5 the year before. With the exception of Drew Carey, and I guess that makes Drew Carey the Marilyn Manson of the improv world. I guess all I can say is that loving improv & industrial music are very alike for me. And that I feel your pain. Feel free to thrash my argument.

USS Rock 'N Roll : Black Cats and Rabbits

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:07:17 +0000

Great post and I fully agree with your idea of making up your own superstitions, since they are all made up anyways. Here is one superstition my band made up while on tour: "If you sleep on someone else's pillow you will dream their dreams. If you flip it over you will have their nightmares. This does not apply to hotel pillows, as no one uses them long enough to leave a soul imprint."

USS Rock 'N Roll : Riki Kalil in a speedo! Ladies... finally! Am I right?!

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:51:12 +0000

This is awesome, congratulations Riki! I read the "Flashforward" book recently and I think it has the potential of becoming my second favorite show, after Lost, of course.

USS Rock 'N Roll : Generation X saves the World

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:18:47 +0000

Jeff, my feelings exactly. It's about the freedom to mix and match and use those tools that work best at that particular time. Also, I love the term "Bad Ass Troupe".

USS Rock 'N Roll : Generation X saves the World

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:49:10 +0000

Also, I am the one that recommended and loved "X Saves The World". I love the message that we can change things by doing the things we do best and not trying to change "the world" all the time.

USS Rock 'N Roll : Generation X saves the World

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:42:07 +0000

It should come as no surprise that I have a bit to add to point #2. As the director/producer/editor/janitor of the awesome improv live performance turned into a psychedelic 15 minute late night tv episode, I stand by my words. If Spielberg tried to sell "Jaws" on the social commentary of man overfishing the oceans and driving sharks out of it's natural habitat and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.... But instead he made made a movie that a lot of people would want to see, it had action, horror, adventure and even a bit of comedy on it. And it also had a cool ass poster of a gigantic shark about to eat a a girl in a bikini! The some goes for the USS show, the improvisers will know where the inspiration comes from, but the rest of the viewers will enjoy it because it entertains them and brings joy to their life, not because it was based on group play or shot on a green screen. My greater point was about making the most effective use of the medium, adapting things to the medium that serves them best. I enjoy photographs at a museum but would hate it if I spent 2 hours watching a movie with only a single frame. The art gallery is a much better place to showcase photographs, and the beauty of improvising live is in the danger & energy of the live set up. That may be why Jack McBrayer comes out to perform improv regularly, but 30 Rock is scripted, shot and presented in a particular way that allows a large audience to enjoy the show and allows him to pay his mortgage. I don't think USS or any other improv team needs to redraft their image or sell out, but if you want to make content other than the live improv performance and want to reach a wider audience then if would help the team to highlight things that a greater audience will respond to when you try things in a new medium (Filmed vs Live). Once you gain a large audience that follows you and wants more, then that's when you can introduce improv to the masses by having people come to your packed shows at the Hollywood Bowl. My 2¢.

USS Rock 'N Roll : TED: Schools kill creativity

Fri, 7 Aug 2009 17:50:13 +0000

I just can't get enough of these guys. It's better than college and free!

USS Rock 'N Roll : Scene Review

Tue, 4 Aug 2009 03:39:59 +0000

"And if you are going to fight on stage, don’t fake fight and decide who should win. Just fight it out and see how it shakes out." Two of the best lines I've ever read...

USS Rock 'N Roll : If It Makes You Uncomfortable, Do It!

Tue, 4 Aug 2009 03:35:22 +0000

Whenever I have had to teach people design stuff I tell them that there is no self destruct button on the computer and that no matter what key they push the thing won't blow up. Once they lose that fear they get into the work and ideas and designs come way easier. I guess this advice does not apply to dentists, brain surgeons or the people in charge of the nuclear bomb, but for the rest of us it more than okay to try new things and push buttons until we get what we are looking for.

USS Rock 'N Roll : Improvisers doing great things - Rich Fulcher

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:46:04 +0000

Monty Python meets Pee-Wee's Playhouse. Enough said. Follow their American tour via twiter - http://twitter.com/boosh_storm_usa They update often and it's pretty hilarious.

Bentley on MBE - KCRW : Miranda Lee Richards Live at KCRW on Morning Becomes Eclectic 03.12.09

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:31:42 +0000

Was this show ever published for download? I subscribe to the KCRW feed and I was never allowed to get this awesome performance. Is there anyways that I could get a downloadable podcast for iTunes?