I have to let you know right up front, the idea for this tune comes from the lovely and talented Lisa Firestone. (More about her in a minute*) It’s one of those clever song ideas that made me laugh, then grabbed me by the brain and wouldn’t let go. It’s called How ‘Bout That Game, [...]
In a shocking upset and thrilling finish, my tune “All These Atoms” came first in the featured “Most Uniting Song” contest Sunday at Orlando’s Marriott Airport Hotel. “All These Atoms” was a longshot underdog, going off at steep odds behind strong entries from respected platinum songwriter Tom Kimmel and international sensation Liquid Blue. It was [...]
NOTE: By request, I have excerpted this story from my book, Atilla The Gate Agent: Travel Tales and Life Lessons From A Musical Laf-ologist. During 1990 I lived in the Cayman Islands, working as an entertainer at a posh resort. Despite the laid back, exotic lifestyle, it was a period of great uncertainty in my [...]
Yes, amazingly, there’s a correlation. Here’s a short list: 1. Influences Are Important Or at least count for a lot. For example, there are many great love songs in the world, but there are a lot of other songs — masquerading as love songs — that are really about taking hostages. They say things like: [...]
For an American from Kansas, dining with a dozen fast-talking Jamaicans feels like a Bob Marley concert sped up to 78 rpm. It goes by quick, and the accents are thick. You have to pay attention with both ears, all of your brain, and preferably a slang dictionary). There are funny words and phrases you [...]
(Scroll down for more photos…) Three years ago a large group of us visited a girls orphanage in Bali. Many of these girls are not orphans, but their families can’t afford to keep them. Still, the girls are generally happy. They laughed with us, sang with us, and we shared inexpensive gifts with them. Then [...]
Here’s an interview I did recently with emPower Music and Arts, about living the humor lifestyle. (A great website and resource, by the way.) Greg,sharing laughter sounds like a pretty fantastic job description, but I bet it’s harder than it looks. What is the creative process like for you? It’s best in the shower. I [...]
Some people have asked me lately how to be funny, and my first response used to be, “How the heck should I know — I’m not funny.†But on the other hand, people have been laughing at me a lot lately. So maybe I can offer some clues. Great starting points are surprise and absurdity. [...]
I’m just back from Nashville and a few days writing songs, which as I’m sure you know is great fun and hard work. (What? You’re not falling for the hard work part? I think it was Oscar Wilde who said there are times when art almost approaches the dignity of manual labor.) Anyway, that’s why [...]
