• Clown Car’s Out of Control This Time

    A bullet was stopped by a man with a plate of gravy. white gravy. He was on his way to table where chicken fried steak was being served. The gravy was from home. He made his own gravy. With flour, salt, water, pepper, and some grease. He had covered the plate with cellophane to keep dippers out and freshness in. A man named Poison Ivy Sally pulled out a civil war instrument called a musket and shot the man, delivering a bullet through the cellophane and into the gravy, splattering the onlooking Shriners. Templar Steven pulled out a gun and rattled off “Android” to the man with the gravy, thinking he had the white blood. As he shot his 22 pistol he had a second thought and then noticed red blood flowing out of the man’s arm, like a tattoo pop-up.
    “Sorry about the bullet, Justin. It was the gravy that threw me. I’ll wash your car for a month. Starting next year.”

  • Getting Ready For TMBG

    I’m getting ready for my tour. I’m stressing a bit. I’ve never taken a piano on the plane before. I know they’re gonna overcharge me for bringing it. But that’s the way it goes. I added a few dollars to fly Jet Blue straight on. I don’t want to chance losing anything due to changing planes. And I’ve had good luck with Jet Blue so far. There’s some airlines I avoid. Truly avoid.
    Northwest is good at being mean. I mean really good at it. So good I would say they are masters at being mean. And the lady who called me to apologize about the ordeal was mean, too. Kudos!
    Air Tran was good at being mean to cover up their mistake and then being nice to keep their mistake covered up.
    Continental is good at copying the customer service of the post office.
    One time I was flying with Continental to the UK and they wanted to charge me $90 for checking my keyboard stand. My keyboard stand was a walker from Goodwill. I told her she could have it. She threw it on for free.
    You know who didn’t give me shit about oversize? Air France. That’s a good airline. They didn’t blink at the size of my keyboard. And they gave me a bottle of wine with my meal.
    This is one of those weeks where my life has been dropped on the floor and I can’t find the pieces.

  • Boulder

    Jet Blue was real good to me. They didn’t charge me for oversize bags (ie my piano). Continental did. They even called me from the gate to come back to the ticket counter to pay for it: $75. I hope they put that money to good use.
    My friend, Eric, picked me up at the Denver Airport took me to the great town of Boulder.
    It was good seeing everyone again. The Giants are really good guys.

    And tonight we debuted “Hocus Pocus” by Focus! That song is awesome. They brought me out on their 2nd encore and we rocked the shit out of that song. wait, they did and I ran out of breath due to the rocky mountain levels and couldn’t yodel the second time through but squeezed in some “Stayin’ Alive”. That’s a good song, too. The Bee Gees wrote good songs.
    Oh, and some guy named Dave is bringing me some beer he made tonight. This is our second show in Boulder and he’s coming back. “They’re in cans. I hope you don’t mind.” Home brew in cans? That’s fantastic drinkin!
    Speaking of drinking, we went to K’s China afterwards. Its a good old fashioned frat bar. This drunky dude was telling me about the time he “high-five-saturday-night”-ed Chuck Woolery at the Kentucky Derby. I enjoyed his brief company. I did a shot of Tuaca (girls drink that) with a Vailian local. I was on NY time in Boulder and had been up since 5am so I was getting sleepy. Me and Eric and his sweet ladyfriend, Jen, drove back to Denver and I passed out as Eric was telling me how hot it was in the house.
    I woke up to an atomic alarm clock and made up something in my dream state on how important that alarm was but that I didn’t need to get up at 6am. When the clock goes off it shoots a beam to the ceiling with the time on it. I was too tired/stupid to turn it off.
    I got up and hung out with JC. Not the famous JC but the fellow who was visiting from Dallas. He showed me the obsidian knife he was making. Yeah, it was a blade made from obsidian rock embedded in a deer antler, wrapped in faux sinew. That blade was pretty. Its translucent purple. I’ve never stabbed anything but I bet it’s not too hard to stab with a rock blade though its probably only good for slicing a piece of flan.
    JC’s part Native American but doesn’t know which tribe because his grandmother won’t give up that info. I think I’m part Native American but am too lazy to find out if its true. That’s a shame. I have alot to be ashamed of but being a fool has its prizes.
    I gotta go practice Hocus Pocus by Focus with the great They Might Be Giants now. I’m lucky today.

  • Bad Day

    If you’re having a bad day, call this number. It may help or hurt more. I like this lady’s voice: 510-351-7654

  • Jesse’s Girl

    I got this witch to come over. She had some kind of lizard’s breath sealed in a jar. I called bullshit on her because you can’t seal breath.
    So, she farted and said, “You smell that?”
    “Yes.”
    “Hold on.”
    So, she grabbed a mason jar out of my cabinet and went to the bathroom where I heard her fart again but this time it sounded muffled. She came out and showed me a sealed jar.
    “Here.”
    “What.”
    “Open it and smell.”
    “Okay.” And I did. And it smelled like a fart.
    “It smells like my fart, right? Cause I just farted in front of you earlier and it smells the same, right?”
    “Yes it does but it doesn’t answer how you got a lizard to breathe in a jar.”
    And then, she levitated and slid on her toe tips to my bedroom and came back out and said,
    “You want to see what lizard’s breath can do?”
    “Okay, but Jesse will be home, soon. You shouldn’t try to come on to me. You’re kind of seeing him aren’t you?”
    She opened the jar and out came a light the color of rainbows and I was blinded by magicked rave lights and when I could see again, the room was filled with water and a giant goldfish (larger than a koi, smaller than a whale) and I had gills.
    And then Jesse came home and the water fell out the door. And when he saw that I had gills he thought that I had had sex with his girlfriend. How did he know?  What an amazing day!

  • The Blood House

    Once I went to this haunted house and it was nothing but blood. Blood, blood, blood. Blood this, blood that. All just blood. No characters like ghosts or zombies or vampires or anything of that sort. Just blood. That’s it.
    Huh.

  • Field Monitor

    Two field monitors waited for someone to pass by. There were many cicadas about making their wondrous noises blending in and out of the bursts of wind. One fellow who popped out of the wood about 300 yards in the distance made his way to where the monitors stood. As he got closer they noticed he had jerking limp, almost as if a puppeteer had something to do with the way he walked.
    “Hello, stranger, have you got a pass?”
    “No, I don’t think I want to come this-a-way. I think I should be going that-a-way.”
    And his leg jerked out.
    “Oh dear,” said a monitor.
    “Look at my foot!”
    And as sure as there is a good time to be had somewhere else, this fellow had a fishing lure stuck to his shoe and was being reeled in.
    “I was a little sheepish at first. But anyhoo.”
    And he limped on past the monitors, turned around and goes,
    “Happy Stoopid Day! You assholes!” and he pulled the lure out of his shoe and limped away a little more, falling over himself and landing limp-style on top of a sheep and stayed there for a very long time.

  • June, 2004

    JUNE, 2004
    TMBG TOUR!
    I received this email a few days ago:

    the second week of July we are going cross the US and then we got a couple of
    shows on the weekend after. You want to open ?
    —
    – Mr. John Flansburgh

    So, I’m taking that offer and will see many good times ahead.

    Speaking of the Giants, you can download Particle Man featuring the Linnell/Corn Mo duet.

    Dallas Genius, David Hanson, Makes Another Robot Head
    The first one was his wife. This one is Philip K. Dick. Brilliant. I think you can see it at Wired’s Next Fest.

    Read his paper on making robots look like humans as opposed to machines.

    “When a robot looks too much like the real thing, it’s creepy”. – Osaka University Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro.

    So, more on robots, if you’re in Edinburgh visit here. They had a robot jellyfish in the window. It’s really cool. Real nice folks.

    Shoes
    I bought some black dress shoes for shows. I’ve never bought dress shoes.
    My friend, Quincy, wore his grandfather’s preacher shoes during his set.

    Automatons
    Oh, and the Tiffany Automaton is a Fake.
    And so are the monkey ones.

  • Sorry about Seaports

    For those that came out to the show Saturday night expecting a full show, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I was supposed to do a 30-45 minute set and was told 15 minutes before I went on that it was going to be a 3 song set. I had my piano and drummer with me and had to leave those offstage. After hearing some lamentations from folks after the set and from those who missed it completely due to the debacle (what a lovely word) I decided to treat myself to an Italian ice. Cherry. And it was tasty. But for real, I feel a little showtime blue balls (I don’t know how else to put it). So, I’m hoping to do a set, soon. Keep watching the site because I may get one this week.
    Ding Dong,
    mo
    The Giants are very gracious.

  • Fun with Math

    I tried to get dead reckoning put on my slide rule but couldn’t upload it because its a slide rule. So now I can only multiply and divide and all other calculations are done on my fingers. My left hand is (x) and my right is (y) and when I calculate the cosine of 5 against the lamp, the shadow of my hands look like a horse eating time.

  • Online Gaming Eavesdrop

    I heard this on my computer’s speakers today. I couldn’t tell what game it was but I think it was Divine Intervention. This is what my computer picked up:

    Let’s go let’s go
    Divine intervention
    I can’t move him
    What the hell
    Omigod
    (lost)
    I didn’t think you could cast with that shit
    Omigod
    God dammit Leroy
    You moron Leroy
    Not my fault
    We do have cyst on don’t we?
    Leroy you are just stupid as hell
    We got fried chicken
    (and then it was gone)

  • Philadelphia 9:20

    Got some peanuts at the drug store.
    Got some liquid glue.
    Poured the glue into the peanut jar.
    Shook it up.
    Waved the open jar Pollock-style so the peanuts hit the outside window of the drug store.
    Backed away and saw the face of Ben Franklin. Just like a $100 bill.
    I shit you not.
    9:21
    Stared at glass.
    9:22
    Looked around to see if anyone noticed the glass.
    9:28
    Began to pull glue-trapped squirrels off the window with loving hands and the jar filled with warm water.
    9:30
    Heard a squirrel say, “Thank you”. I shit you not.
    11:00
    Finished Halo.
    11:01
    Wept.

  • Parkside Lounge

    Thursday, June 2
    Parkside Lounge
    317 E Houston
    b/n Ave B and C
    9pm
    $5
    parksidelounge.com
    I’m gonna try out some new stuff; play some piano and play the requests i normally refuse.

  • If it’s hot don’t wear the jacket

    I wore my sequin jacket during my set at Jam on the River. It looks good but I got a bit slow from the heat towards the end of the set.
    I went to the FYE tent to sign some cd’s and a storm came in. Holy shit was it awesome. The cd’s blew off the table and the canopy began to blow away. If not for my dynamic Lose Weight Exercise holding down the tent, FYE would have lost it all. The three employees and I were holding onto the greatest kite ever. And then I thought, idiot, I’m gonna get struck by lightning. And then, someone who had their cd signed, asked for a picture. So, I had one arm around her and one arm holding the shelter. Shit man, I was Thor.
    We took down the roof and I went back to my dressing room and hung out with DJ Logic and was rewarded with a Yuengling. Good times.

  • The Birchmere in Alexandria, VA

    Burlesque at the Birchmere
    starring
    The Pontani Sisters
    Miss Dirty Martini
    Corn Mo
    Trixie Little
    The Evil Tap Dancing Hate Monkey
    hosted by..
    Todd Robbins
    w/ live music from
    The Fisherman Xylophonic Burlesque Orchestra

    The Birchmere
    3701 Mt. Vernon Ave
    Alexandria, VA 22305
    703-549-7500
    Advance tickets available at The Birchmere box office &
    www.birchmere.com
    $16.50