"...No new songs by Stevie Wonder, deep in February..."

An accurate representation of what it felt like to be me this morning:



So, the real reason for this post... Just wanted to let the masses know about a great musical that's playing THIS WEEKEND ONLY in the lovely and newly-dangerous Greenwich Village area of Manhattan Island Proper. It's called "29," and it's written by fellow Tisch alums Gaby Alter (music and lyrics) and Tommy Newman (book). It's a show about folks who are in their late 20's sort of figuring out their lives and whatnot. That makes the show sound gross and retarded but it's not. At all. Gaby Alter is probably the best songwriter bumming around the New York theater scene. If you are reading this and have never heard his tunes, you need to go here "29- The Musical" and check some out. And then go see "29," which is playing at the Provincetown Playhouse @ 133 MacDougal Street. It's only fifteen clams, and they have shows tomorrow (Saturday) at 2 and 8, and Sunday at 3. If you care about musicals that don't fucking suck, you need to be there. Also, many frequent Iconis collaborators have their bidness all up in the show. It's directed by John Simpkins (who directed Things to Ruin and is one of the smartest and coolest people I've ever worked with), and features the talents of the vocally murderous Michael Kadin Craig and Brent "Whiteboy" Stranathan, the greatest drummer of all time. Also, there's a chick in it named Lauren Marcus who I think is a very killer actress/singer.

So, yeah. Please go.

In other theater related news, I had some auditions today. Meaning, people auditioned for me today. Meaning, I sort of think auditions are creepy. It's just a weird thing to have people come into a room and you hear them sing for five minutes and then you have to decide whether or not they are the right person to play this character. How can you Really tell in five minutes if this chick or dude is the right person to bring the character to life. But of course, there's really no better way to do it. Well- no. Well- ok. I have this idea that instead of making actors audition, you just invite 100 or so actors to a bar or honkytonk. There should be food there. Appetizer-type food. Maybe some 'tato skins. Also, there needs to be an old-timey tack piano there. At any rate, the creative team is let loose in the bar and you just mingle/flirt with people for an hour or so. Eventually, if you're talking to an actor you think you dig, you just say: "Hey, so I was thinking- maybe you wanna sing a little song or something?" You amble over to the tack piano, sing a little "Desperado" or maybe "Tiny Dancer..." And there you go. I think it's a fine and remarkably unrealistic idea. A lot of times when I tell people that idea, I say that all the actors should wear big numbers to make them easier to identify. That sort of makes the idea sound like a slavery auction. I'm glad that I didn't include the big number angle in this description.

I love her.

-joe

"Sometimes, all I need is the air that I breathe..."

This morning, I woke up to this:



With the help of a little air and a lot of love, my friend's former glory was restored and all is right with the damned world.



I am ready to attack the day. Grrrrrrr.

-joe

MeTube

There is some hardcore Joe action happening all over the YouTube and I wanted to let everyone know about it.

First up, three clips from the legendary TRIUMPHANT BABY! The Songs of Iconis and Maddock, starring Lorinda Lisitza. This show was done a couple times over the past few months at the swanky Metroplitan Room. It's an evening of songs I wrote with the awesome Robert Maddock. I wrote the music and he wrote the lyrics. The music sounds sorta different from a lot of the stuff I do, so check it out. Also, how much does Lorinda Lisitza rule? So much, man.






Next, we got a super-talented chick from the University of Michigan singing "Blue Hair," from Black Suits. I never met this girl but I think that she is both cute and a good actress. Ya know. Like Annasophia Robb.




Finally, as many know, I've spent the past ten summers of my life working at the Hosfstra Summer Musical Theater Camp, a musical theater camp devoted to having teenagers sing age/race inappropriate songs. I'm not gonna be there this summer, but I am proud that I played a small role in performances as remarkable as these.

13 year old Brooke Shapiro, as evil alien Captain Piggy Butterflies, fuckin ripping it up with "Ladies Who Lunch"



12 year old Brendan McCann singing a Barbara Steisand medley and then ride away on a train he built himself.


To see an enchanted Mer-Man sing "I Am Changing" or a robot sing "I Am What I Am," just type in Iconis on youtube and be rocked and shocked by the talent of the young.

Should I like Ben Kweller? I got his last album and I liked it but it didn't stay with me. Nothing on there was as good as Radish's "Little Pink Stars." Anyway, maybe I should like him more. That "Penny On The Train Track" shit is good.

I wish the Bronx wasn't so far away.

I realized this morning that so much of my underwear is riddled with holes. I have holy underwear.

I find tall people tremendously frightening. Like, I realize it's not their fault that they are so scary and inhuman and tall, but I can't help but hate them. Well, I don't hate them. I'd be afraid that if I hated them, they'd get angry and try to get close to me. Gross. [Shuddering.] Okay. I need to put tall people out of my mind. There. Ahh. Much better.

I think that's plenty for my first real blog post. I would write more fantastic words, but today is Free Iced Coffee Day and there is a disturbing lack of iced coffee in my mouth right now.

-joe

Oh, and just to clarify comments made earlier, I am scared by all kinds of tall people. Not just people who have giantism. Don't get me wrong- those ones scare me bad, but I'm also creeped out by your run-of-the-mill tall folks as well. Basically anyone who is more than half a foot taller than me is frightening. It's worse if they are lanky.

"Gotta get up, gotta get out, gotta get home before the morning comes..."

Hey dudes. So, welcome to my "blog." I put the word "blog" in quotation marks just there because I feel like this isn't gonna be a blog in the traditional sense. I'm probably incapable of creating a blog in the traditional sense, as I don't read books and I'm not a Regina Spektor fan. At any rate, this will be more like an offshoot of my website, a place for Joe-related materials to hang out and lounge around and not worry about taking up space on my News page. But who knows. I guess if I'm inspired to write about owls, or why John Goodman is the greatest actor of all time, this would be the forum for it. We'll see.

As I write this, I am drinking Rose Petal flavored iced tea. I was hoping it would make me feel Japanese. It's not. Stupid fucking rose petals. Do they make red bean flavored iced tea?

Also, I'm watching this show on the Travel Channel where this dude eats weird things and he just ate a guinea pig. He says it's awesome. I would eat a gineua pig. Just not this one.

Also, there are no human words to describe just how much I love the new Arcade Fire CD. I think it's the greatest sophomore release since "Pinkerton."

Rose Petals? The Arcade Fire? Well Shit-God-Damn! I do have a blog after all.

-joe