Director's Reel

This is my director's reel.

Adult Swim 2-26-07

Adult Swim 2-23-07

Mistake? Or famed re-post...

Adult Swim 2-22-07

Adult Swim Billboards #2

Adult Swim 2-21-07

Adult Swim Billboards #1

Interview with Spirit Animal's Steve Cooper

This is an interview I did with Steve Cooper from the band Spirit Animal for Looseworld.com. Here's the link to the original.

On Friday night I went to Cameo Gallery to see Spirit Animal. Spirit Animal blends soul, funk, punk and rock and roll (and I even might have heard a little ska in there) allowing them to play harder cords while still being able to do a funk breakdown. Spirit Animal takes what marries well with each of these genres for a fun sound and an even better live set. After their show, I got a chance to do a quick interview with the lead singer, Steve Cooper, where we talked about their upcoming album The Cost of Living, funding the tour by cooking and whether dub is actually reggae.


LOOSEWORLD: You’ve been doing shows right?

Steve Cooper: This is the fourth show in four nights. We did D.C., we did Manhattan, we did Philly and we did Brooklyn.

LW: I read on your site that you will cook for people to play certain cities.

SC: Yeah, the tour was funded by a kickstarter fundraising effort that offered dinner parties in exchange for tour support, as the main reward. There were other rewards like remixes and music as it was finished, but the prime prize was dinner party, in your house, before we play. So we did a couple of those and we got here.

LW: How did those go?

SC: It was great. I mean one of them was 25 seats and five courses. And the bassist [Paul Michael], that we have on the east coast, he’s actually a wine buyer for a really nice restaurants in D.C., he’s worked in kitchens and stuff, so the line up from the stage was a chef’s line up. It was great; we worked well together and met a lot of cool people.

LW: You guys are touring for your new album that’s about to come out.

SC: Album’s coming, looks like October. It’s in the can. It features 15 musicians including one of the other founding members of Spirit Animal, Computer Jay. He was like an old school LA vintage-synth crazy-beat producer. And all kinds of other guys that are in other cool bands like Ben Harper and the Relentless 7, Robotanists, Breakestra…guys on the east coast. It’s just all over the place. It’s really been inclusive.

LW: Touring outside of LA, how do you like playing on the East coast?

SC: East coast shows, to be honest, are just crushing the LA shows. I don’t know if it’s because we have some history here or what it was, but it just worked out that we had these great opening slots for these really cool bands like Wallpaper, Asa Ransom, Game Rebellion, Dãm-Funk and it’s been a blast. It’s a really good reunion. I went to high school with the kid who’s playing guitar; I live with the kid who’s playing bass…you can’t recreate that kind of solidarity.

LW: After the album comes out, will you guys tour some more?

SC: Yeah. It looks like maybe right back to the east in September. Just trying to throw stuff together, while the clubs remember who we are. Ask them to play again. And then see from there. But yeah, just trying to make sure there’s a lot of activity leading up to the release.

There will be a second season of Feed Your Head, which is my like, sort of reality cooking show, where I like mess things up but also make things really good. And there will be guests on that and it includes some really cool people that are online and off. That will be every Tuesday in September to help build up for the record; more shows and hopefully some sort of awesome break.

At this point the interview was interrupted by this:



SC: That has got to be the worst Trinidadian accent I have ever heard in my life.

LW: Pretty bad.

SC: Stuff white people like…doing black people accents.

LW: Yep, totally OK when they’re talking to you.

SC: [laughs] Reprehensible.

LW: If people are interested, where can they hear Spirit Animal?

SC: Spiritanimal.us. Dot us. Spirit Animal dot us. There’s two free songs on there, our singles “Ants” and “Making it Work”. They’re also on iTunes if you have money. But if you go to Spiritanimal.us they’ll be the first things you can get for free. There’s links to the cooking show. It’s really like a big hub for dummies. Bunch of huge buttons you can just planet of the apes on it and you’ll get something cool.

LW: What are some bands you are listening to now that’s different from the bands you open for/with when you play.

SC: This year, Taman Paula (sp?) Seu Jeorge has been on heavy rotation. I’m listening to lots of old dub. This Trojan record label in London has complied something like 3,200 Jamaican songs. And old dub is basically soul music made by Jamaicans. It’s not even like reggae, to me. It’s so heavy. I’m not sure when it started to get called reggae that could be completely erroneous, please fact check that for me. (Dub was created out of reggae and is considered a subgenre of reggae) I actually got introduced to all this sort of ambient European techno music. I don’t know even if that’s the right word…like Stephan Bodzin and Oliver Huntemann. I have a new roommate who kind of opened my eyes to some of that stuff. It’s really good to email to, which is pretty much how I spend all the time I’m not sweating on people.

spiritanimal.us for more Spirit Animal and check out Steve “Chef” Cooper in the great cooking series Feed Your Head.

The Torture Never Stops: A semi-torturous photo show

This is an article/review of Jerry Hsu's Photo Gallery that I did for Looseworld.com. Here's the link to the original.

This past Thursday, Vice was holding an opening reception for one of their featured photographers called The Torture Never Stops: A selection of photographs by Jerry Hsu. Jerry is more notably a professional skateboarder for Enjoi. It’s easy to like someone who’s just good at whatever they do. And that’s Jerry.

To learn more about Jerry watch a profile on him on Patrick O’Dell’s great series Epicly Later’d:




The gallery was a few blocks from Canal St so it wasn’t to far from where I lived, which was good because it was hot. It wasn’t unbearable heat, but I made the dumb choice of wearing thick jeans, because I was too lazy to change into shorts.

As soon as I entered the gallery I realized I wasn’t going to stay long. Besides the environment of “cool” people looking at pictures, it was somehow hotter in the gallery than it was outside.

I quickly went to my self-confidence move of checking my phone. I didn’t go to the show with anyone, so I needed to collect my thoughts before I really walked into the seemingly judgmental stares.

After checking on my phone (which consisted of browsing the pictures I have taken) I proceeded to find the free drinks table. Besides liking Jerry’s pictures and needing a reason to get out of my apartment, the reception did advertise free tequila. I don’t know why this made my decision to go that much easier, considering I don’t really get drunk from tequila (long story) and getting really drunk as a goal never is enjoyable, just really sad (longer story).

I walked from the entrance to what seemed to be the drink table. I cautiously approached it, convinced I already looked like an idiot, and asked what was going on.

Lady: Do you want to get your picture taken?

In my head: No. I hate pictures of myself. Especially if they are taken by people I don’t know who might use it for things I don’t want them to be used for.

What I said: Yes.

I walked over to the table, which was actually just had a pile of shirts on it. The tequila company was doing promotions, by giving out a free V-neck if the person got their picture taken in front of a stack of boxes of their tequila.

I got my picture taken with the shirt on and asked the lady behind the table if I had to keep it on. She said yes, but in a way where I knew she was just fucking with me, but possibly not. I walked away, already sweating and took off the shirt.

I then proceeded to look around. There were stacks of free Vice magazines as well as little pocket-dumb-promotion-guide to the city thing. I grabbed a magazine and I spotted the actual drinks table.

I saw the DJ booth, next to the drinks table, which was odd because I couldn’t hear any music over the whirring of the industrial fans that were going a max capacity to stem the stagnant heat.

I walked over to the table not knowing really what to do. I’ve been to an open bar before, so I was sure to bring tip money, meaning it wasn’t really an open bar. Is it really ever? If you leave with the drink and don’t leave a tip does that guilt really constitute the openness of an open bar? I wish I could ask someone who didn’t feel guilty doing that and see what they say.

Behind the drinks table were what I could only describe as hunky men in the aforementioned v-neck t-shirts. I stood in line as I eyed two men behind the table next to a cooler, who had no one in their line. I didn’t realize they were also serving beer so I went to them, tip in hand.

Walking away from the table, beer in hand (guilt free) I saw Jerry’s photos from his photo blog http://nazigold.tumblr.com. I saw many of them before on his site, but I looked at them again, not wanting to just stand around.

I felt odd standing there. Maybe it’s because I didn’t know what the standard/respectful time of viewing photographs is or the fact that I honestly tried to study a picture that was simply a man (Kevin Long) on one knee holding an engagement box.

I mean how long can you really study a picture, before you go “OK. I get it.” Trying to study a photograph also doesn’t help when Jerry’s photographs are anything but complicated. They’re often just single note joke pictures or odd juxtapositions that are great, they just don’t lend themselves to intellectual discussion.

Pretty soon it got to the point where thick jeans and heat means leaving a fairly dull reception. I finished my beer and waddled home fantasizing about a cold rejuvenating shower.

The pictures are great. Even better on the numerous websites they can currently be found on, in the comfort and convenience of your home PC.

GIVE AWAY:

If you want the free t-shirt I was given (and wiped my sweaty forehead with, which I later washed) email us at holler@looseworld.com and you will be put into a drawing to win the shirt. The winner will meet at an undisclosed location (probably the looseworld office) and receive the t-shirt and a pat on the back.

Caption Comics #4

Adult Swim 2-20-07

Caption Comics #3

Adult Swim 2-19-07 Part 2

Adult Swim 2-19-07 Part 1

Caption Comics #2

Caption Comics #1

Adult Swim 2-16-07

Adult Swim 2-15-07

Delocated & Children's Hospital

Do this:

And this:

Adult Swim

8/22/10

Starts at 10pm

Del Close Marathon 12: Day 2

The first day of the Del Close Marathon is a wonderful appetizer for the weekend. It brings back people and shows that you haven't seen since the last DCM and brings an energy that only arises when people who love the same thing get together and crowd a basement theater for a weekend.

Just by construction, the second act is always the best act, which is why Saturday is the day to see great shows. After a nice, but antsy rest, my roommate and I made our way back to get in line for Improvised Shakespeare. Last year he overslept and missed the phenomenon that is Improvised Shakespeare and vowed to not miss it this year.

So we got prepared.

A man points us in the direction to the UCB.

We decided to get in line a few hours before the theater cleaning to get prime spots for Improvised Shakespeare, but by 4pm there was already a line.

Improvised Shakespeare sounds like an interesting concept, but it also seems impossible. How can these performers create (let alone improvise) a Shakespearean play? I have no idea, but they do it.

Standing ovations at improv shows seems like it would be a common thing. People getting on stage and creating utter brilliance from nothing would seem like it would warrant standing ovations, but it doesn't. I don't know why (I should ask Will Hines). I, personally, have only given/seen one standing ovation (discounting the last show for a group). Not oddly enough that standing ovation was given at Improvised Shakespeare at the last DCM.

Shakespeare got his suggestions from Christopher Marlowe. Improvised Shakespeare gets them from sweaty improv nerds.

If you were there, needless to say, Improvised Shakespeare didn't disappoint and they deserved every second of their standing-O. They deserved it, if not for their set, then for their amazingly high bar that they set that permeated throughout the night. And what better show to follow brilliant improv? How about the Greatest Mother Fuckin Improv Team in the Mother Fuckin Universe?

Death. By. Roo. Roo.

*sigh* I'll say it. I miss Curtis getting frustrated with the audience when he asked for a suggestion.

Roo Roo did a patented monoscene that could only be summed up in John Gemberling's outrageously yelling like an umpire "YOU'RE OUT OF HERE! GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" to Gil.

Then some other show happened. You know which one. We won't talk about that.

But a great show was The Smokes.

Joe Wengert is a safe driver.

The Smokes were a great example in pulling focus to play and explore each of the characters. It was grounded and silly and a lot of fun. LA is so lucky.

After The Smokes a bloated Reuben Williams graced the stage with 11 performers. Imagine all 11 improvisers on stage, which is a lot, being funny. That was Reuben's set.

I wanted to stay for Apples & Oranges, being an obsessive Jon Glaser fan, but I had a schedule! And really it worked out for the best, seeing as I barely got a seat for the first show after the theater cleaning, The Benson Interruption.

It seems out of place that Doug Benson would have two shows at an improv marathon as a non-improviser, but you would be dumb to think that. Doug has been adopted into the improv community whether he has realized it or not.

[NOTE: Image is messed up and will be back up momentarily.]

Doug wonders why no one is sitting in chairs in the front row, then comes to the realization that the chairs are for the next show that he's in.

Doug's first guest was Paul Scheer.

"Tweet Off!"

Doug then had on Morgan Murphy and Todd Barry. Really it ended up being Doug and his guest talking, then having a tweet off. It was great.

The Smartest Panel of Experts is the best premise for being able to do a ridiculous character in a free form panel. Whether it's an impersonation (Rob Lathan's Mel Gibson) or a original creation (Seth Morris' Bob Ducca) or just a tree (Jon Daly's Sappity Tappity) they all take questions curated by Besser from the audience. This is officially the tipping point to the crazy late night shows, fyi.

Besser points.

Last year this next show was a sensation to be talked about in classes for months to come. It's a simple premise: The best "Straight Men" are all in a show together and through endowing either a character or a scene, they make themselves the straight man by making their scene partner the crazy one.

I think it's talked about a lot because it's the only gimmick show that actually teaches you something. Because you can't deny what you were endowed with, so you have to come up with how that detail actually makes you the straight man in the scene. It's the only show where someone walking off the back line to wash their hands in a bathroom is an edit line.

The Straight Men is a gimmick show that works as actual improv. Something that I hoped the next show would be. One Table, Infinite Waiters is what I would call a high concept show.

But having 40+ people on stage at one time is hard to follow.

But you can't be mad at a show that's just having fun.

Match Game '76 is fun every year, but the sheen of the gimmick wears off when the audience is prompting for the rape of a contestant even before a character on the show can. I think it was a mistake to release a video of last year's Match Game before the marathon started, if only for the fact that the audience came with an expectation and when that wasn't being met, they took it into their own hands.

That being said it still produced some great moments. Like Gethard (as the boy from Deliverance) getting into a paper throwing fight with an audience member that didn't seem playful or Jesse Falcon (as Buddy Holly) drawing the plane crash that killed him years earlier or Besser (as Iron Eyes Cody) picking up trash as various characters threw them at James Murphy (as the token Jack McBrayer).

Hype Man brought two things together: great improv and silly gimmick. The silly gimmick could have been a show itself, but it worked really well with the great improv. It also doesn't hurt that Eugene Cordero's playful energy naturally makes the audience on his side and up for anything.

Following the Hype Man was a welcome surprise replacement for Constantly Fighting Guys, Drawings by a Baby Eater. I've seen Howard Defendorfer draw people and I secretly want a drawing of myself, but I know better.

(The photo was double exposed on accident, but I love how it turned out. I wish this was a picture of just one show...)

Left Half: "When I say sweep, you say edit. SWEEP!" Right Half: Howard wants people to get their own fucking show.

Darryl! Darryl! Darryl was the chant, before a white man in a bright blue Darryl Strawberry Jacket emerged wielding a yellow bat. "Stand the fuck up!" he yelled and we obeyed. What followed was a 13 minute bit of people coming out as the NY Met's players. That might sound awful, but I assure you it was not.

Last year gave us the "9/11 Never Again" chant. It's safe to say they topped that this year.

"A black man, in black face. A black man, in black face."

From there I decided to make a break for the Urban Stages. There I caught the end of Woods & Garguilo so that I could see Stuck in a Whale.

Gavin and Gil hear a noise...turns out to be Alan Starzinki.

The show I regretted missing last year was Five Dudes. My friends never stopped talking about that show and how silly and crazy it was. I wasn't going to miss it this year and I'm glad I didn't.

Yes they danced. Charlie Sanders and Zach Woods weren't at the show so they were represented by a 5 gallon jug and a tall music stand respectively.

Eugene as Charlie Sanders. If only it were that easy to be Charlie Sanders...

I left after Five Dudes wanting to catch To Catch A Predator. It was twisted, wonderful, funny and just the right amount of male genitalia. To be honest I'm kind of over talking about how shocking it is to see Andy Rocco bottomless, because frankly it happens to much for it to be shocking anymore.

The final show before the theater cleaning was DAR SILICON. DAR SILICON consisted of Brendan and Jeff (correct me if I'm wrong) from the Kane Brothers along with Brendan's actual brother Owen Burke. What happened can only be explained by the rock nerd in me. If you asked me about the show it would probably go like this:

Random Person: What was good about the show?

Me: Everything!

Random Person: What did they do?

Me: Fucking rocked!

Random Person: Was there a trombone?

Me: Fuck yeah! It rocked!

The left picture was Chris Gethard talking to a 5 gallon jug alone on stage, while Bobby and Eugene are behind the curtains. The right picture is DAR SILICON in all their glory.

Again I double exposed this picture. It's my favorite picture because it captures what DCM is to me. It's the only time of year when the chorus line to an improvised punk show is "Pancakes" and when someone talking to a 5 gallon jug on an empty stage for (at least) 5 minutes can have a quite brilliance to it.

DAR SILICON was the only show I saw that deserved an encore performance and really Owen Burke failing across the stage is only transcendent if you get to see it twice. I left DAR SILICON's show pumped and ready for the strawberry sky just emerging. I was so happy, I felt guilty for going to sleep. Well not that guilty.

Second Day Awards:

Best Improv Show: Improvised Shakespeare, Death By Roo Roo, The Smokes, Reuben Williams (I really couldn't pick just one, they were each too amazing.)

Best Premise Show: Hype Man

Best Surprise Replacement Show: Howard Defendorfer

Best Quote: Doug Benson (as he hands out posters to people waiting in line): "Where the weed at?"

Sorely Missed: James Adomian & Rob Huebel

Best Seth Morris Show: The Smartest Panel of Experts

Best Use of the Stage: Owen Burke in DAR SILICON (You just had to be there.)

NOTE: I ran out of money to buy film, so Day 3 has no pictures. I'll just do a short wrap up of what I saw, as well as some of the craziness of the after party.