.The Elves Attic Live Shows Have Been resurrected. PRAISE DOG!!!!

The Elves Attic Live show has been resurrected. PRAISE DOG!!!!




The cafe where I was holding a literary reading, where I basically read a lot of comedy which got everyone laughing, and a lot of other talented people did their things, closed down and we stopped having our show for awhile.

I miss the scene. One women read chapters from her on going novel about her life with a severely ill child. Another read poems. There was some music. An acapello Doors song that was astoundingly good -- from a drunken lawyer who is one of my most loyal fans and is very cool.

The new show is going to be a little different. I started the old show as a sort of traditional reading but I welcomed any kind of act, where I featured one person or a band, then we took a break and opened up the stage to anything. I always tried to have like twenty minutes worth of material just in case no one showed up, but that never happened.










The new show will emphasize my reading the comedy stories of Johnny Pain. I will go back to the beginning of him in this blog, and read all of his entries. This will all be taped and made available on DVD's... I have all the software to edit the DVD's, so I hopefully those two years of film school taught me something and I can make fun out of the footage. This stuff does make people laugh.

I am not saying this to brag... I am kind of surprised by it. I really was much more into writing serious prose, but then when I started the live show at the same time I started this blog, the comedy got such a good reaction that it kind of took over. I have the drunken georgie boy bush, too... And massah jackoffyhourson. It should be a cool scene. I am kind of the only punkish guy there. If Punk is how my comedy should be defined? I have called the writing different titles in the flyers I passed out all over the neighborhood. I will just make up some temporary definition for the new posters, too, I suppose.



The comedy is serious as hell, I should add, because I am a serious guy... Not morbid or anything, just sort of... Serious.


Ah, the new show . . .



I am going to have bands, a great hip hop guy, Talib, who writes some searing, powerful poetry. The woman I mentioned earlier, who is writing a novel... She may have finished it, but I don't think so? Oh, a lot of people. We will be advertising in the paper in the huge city of Chicago so all kinds of people will show up. Like last time, some will come back and become regulars, etc...

I treat everyone really nicely at these shows, and welcome everyone and kind of make the audience laugh at my little asides between performers. We try to be poet friendly, that was the concept. Because here in Chicago, the Poetry slams began, and they often involve berating the poets and throwing them off stage. I have been in many of them at the place where they started, the green mill. They are mean to the bad poets or anyone who goes on too long. I went on too long once and they started snapping their fingers.,.. But Mark Smith, the host, was into the poem and shushed them. I thought that was very cool. That guy recites poetry at the shows and he is powerful. This goes on every Sunday here in the windy city. I read there when I was thinking I was going to be a poet.
Now I think the poetry was merely good training in how to write power sentences, etc...



I guess this is another one of those entries where I am kind of stepping away from being Johnny Pain and being Scott Ridgway. Scott Ridgway is indeed as pathetic as Johnny Pain, but he is not nearly as funny and interesting. The reason I have not been writing is that I am painting -- and getting some fine results; this new apartment has a sunroom that is my office/studio. It is great. But I promise to come back and be funny again soon.





You know, it's funny... Today went amazingly well for me. I saved like a hundred bucks on something, giving us a bit of extra money, an d then I found out we could do the show at this new cafe, and I spent hours walking the dog and got dragged into lake mich... Did more decorating on the new apartment, hanging pictures and paintings. Today we had cable installed. A big package we are getting cheap for a special. I actually saved some money that I thought I had to spend on that one too. Anyways, the point is that when things really suck I am funny, but when I am all happy and stoned and all, I just want to paint and watch TV and... Just this boring dribble... There is none of the anger.... Righteous indignation... None of the 'my sense of justice is wronged... No one I want to fight... Etc...

I loved today, when a lot of cool things fell into place, and I finished a great (for me) painting ( and have three more I am getting going, and another that is almost done). I keep saying I will get more drawings and the new paintings in here. Saturday I may actually do so... The drawings are very intricate, and will become large paintings... I mean huge... You will see what I mean when you see them. The problem is that I just moved, and cannot find the cord to attach the phone to the damn computer, so I have to go to a friend's' with a similar camera and... A hassle.




Well, on this day of peace, where I walked around the neighborhood all day doing various little chores, the dog at my side, cheerily saying hello to everyone I met, I am blathering.... People usually smile and say hi back. It is something M. And I do as part of our revolution -- we say hello to everyone we pass... Well, at least out in the neighborhoods. Downtown is a different matter, of course. But I walk past people mostly in the park across the street, or on the beach, but also on the streets. I once said hello to this guy as I left to walk the dog, and when I came back he was still there. He told me that he was locked out and having this shitty day and was feeling like hell, but when I said hello to him, he kind of just felt better... Interesting. Some people ignore me. Real cute girls sometimes think I am hitting on them and ignore me. I understand. I hate being seen as prey, too.




Sorry to be so fucking boring. Don't worry, my life will suck again at any second, certainly before the end of the weekend some crises will come up... Dog only knows...




So, hey, did you know that looking at bright colors sets off chemicals in your brain that make you happy? This is why I started painting in the first place, and part of why people get so addicted to doing it. I recommend painting very highly. Just read some books and play around, you will probably be surprised by how good you are. People are always making decisions about colors and stuff with clothes, etc.. So they unconsciously already have a lot of the training that goes into making a pleasing composition with the colors...




Enough of this fucking prattle. Have a good night. No guarantees on tomorrow though... None at all...