Monday, April 20, 2009
Viva Las Beatles!
Each year there are two weekends that I partake in that recharge my batteries, remind me who I really am and light me up like The Las Vegas Strip. Every August since 1997 I’ve attended Chicago’s Beatlefest (now known as the Fest for Beatles Fans). I haven’t missed one yet and I’ve performed on the big stage each year. And since 1999, I’ve gone to at least one therapeutic humor conference each year, although I missed out on the laughs last year. The therapeutic humor conferences have always been in February, March or April so the early spring laughter has been able to sustain me into the late summer music fest.
What would happen if I somehow combined these experiences? Although the New York/New Jersey Metro Fest for Beatles Fans happens in March and there is a Fest in Las Vegas in July, I made my first trip to Las Vegas this past April Fools Day and my weekend was filled with both Therapeutic Humor and the Beatles! I was invited to take part in the annual Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH) Conference as both the MC for our Friday night member showcase and as a co-leader for Saturday afternoon’s therapeutic clown field trip to an assisted living center. AATH gave us Saturday night off to go play in Vegas and I learned a long time ago to never go home the day the conference ends, so we had Sunday night open as well.
I’ve wanted to see LOVE, the Beatles’ Cirque du Soleil show since it opened in 2006. All of my Beatles’ pals loved it and I knew I would too, but could I get tickets? Could I afford to go? I looked into several options for discounted tickets and it came down to the stressful “let’s see if we can get half-priced tickets at the day of show discount booth.” All the usual worrisome thoughts filled my head… “What if they’re sold out? What if only the most expensive seats were discounted? What if I come all the way out to Vegas and I don’t get to see LOVE?” While I attended the morning keynote presentations at the conference, Barb went out to score the tickets. She has an amazing talent at producing the proverbial golden ticket at times like this, so I knew I was in good hands, but just how it would unfold remained a mystery. The Tahiti Village time-share condo sales team was out in full force and they had the cheapest tickets if we would sit through two hours of their repulsive sales pitch, but then Barb found a decent deal and bought tickets for the Sunday night early show. We were going to see LOVE!
I forgot about the Beatles-themed Revolution Night Club in the Mirage until we got there. I remember hearing that people weren’t too impressed with the club and I’d agree with them but I took some cool pictures of the Beatles Song Title Double Wall. A metal wall with Beatles song titles cut out of the metal reveals a hot pink wall with all the other song titles written in various styles, sizes and fonts. Very cool.
I’m not going to review LOVE. All I can say is, if you haven’t seen it, go see it. It’s a sensory overload experience that can give you a psychedelic trip without partaking in mind-altering substances. It was real interesting for me to watch the dynamics in the lobby before and after the show. While people are waiting in line for their $11 glasses of wine and $6 buckets of popcorn, they are listening to these great Beatles songs being played on the speakers, but few people react. I’m all jazzed up from the humor conference and I’m finding it odd that everyone in the lobby is all caught up in the “we’re on our best behavior because we’re going out to the theatre this evening” mentality. This is the perfect opportunity for a big Beatles sing-along, but for the most part we stand in single file lines like zombies. After the show is a different energy. People have allowed themselves to turn off their minds, relax and float downstream. Older ladies who might have been the cool moms in 1964 are now twisting and singing along. Smiles, wide eyes and loud voices fill the same lobby 90-minutes after it was inhabited by zombies. What if we lived our lives like that… ready to party at every opportunity instead of waiting for permission or appropriate times before we let loose?
The humor conference took place at the Riviera but we stayed down the street at the Sahara. Our local guide, Bob Brye, once upon a time from Ludington, Michigan told us they have better rooms and better deals. Two of the nights we stayed for $32! On our first trip up to the room I noticed the Beatles pictures and found out we were staying in the same tower the Beatles stayed in almost 45 years ago on the night of their one and only performance in Las Vegas.
Well, I had to go on the pilgrimage to see their room and documented it with these photos.
As a performer, there’s something about being able to say, “I played Vegas.” Of course when you get out there the game seems to be “whoever has the biggest advertising budget wins!” And not all venues are created equal. They say the LOVE Theater in the Mirage cost over $100 million to build… and then there’s the stage in the Sahara casino where a band called
Sixties Mania played for 4 hours each night, 5 nights a week. They pretty much supplied background music for the gamblers in the casino, although they had some tables and chairs and a small dance floor in front of their very simple stage. They always had people in the seats and a few would even venture out onto the dance floor. For some, this was their wedding reception. The bride had a T-shirt with “BRIDE” written on it and wore a white skirt. The groom had a tuxedo T-shirt. We were pretty exhausted from laughing all day, but we couldn’t go up to the room without sitting down to listen to a song or two each night. No, we didn’t hear them do any Beatles songs, but I noticed the bass player played left-handed. And then I noticed he had a Hofner bass sitting on stage behind him. But then the strangest thing was when he had on his glasses, he looked and acted exactly like John Lennon, more so than most of the Beatles’ look-alike bands I’ve seen. He is a big Beatles’ fan and hails from Australia, where the Sixties Mania band originated… “Imagine all the Aussies… Living life with sheep… yoo-hoo…”
With all of the Beatles parodies I’ve done at the Fest for Beatles Fans, maybe the icing on the cake would be performing a Beatles parody in Vegas. As the MC for the AATH Friday night member showcase, I had that opportunity, but chose to open the show with an Elvis parody instead. You can watch my “Viva Las Vegas” parody slide show presentation below. My version is called “Laughing in Vegas”… which is how I spent my Las Vegas vacation.
What would happen if I somehow combined these experiences? Although the New York/New Jersey Metro Fest for Beatles Fans happens in March and there is a Fest in Las Vegas in July, I made my first trip to Las Vegas this past April Fools Day and my weekend was filled with both Therapeutic Humor and the Beatles! I was invited to take part in the annual Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH) Conference as both the MC for our Friday night member showcase and as a co-leader for Saturday afternoon’s therapeutic clown field trip to an assisted living center. AATH gave us Saturday night off to go play in Vegas and I learned a long time ago to never go home the day the conference ends, so we had Sunday night open as well.
I’ve wanted to see LOVE, the Beatles’ Cirque du Soleil show since it opened in 2006. All of my Beatles’ pals loved it and I knew I would too, but could I get tickets? Could I afford to go? I looked into several options for discounted tickets and it came down to the stressful “let’s see if we can get half-priced tickets at the day of show discount booth.” All the usual worrisome thoughts filled my head… “What if they’re sold out? What if only the most expensive seats were discounted? What if I come all the way out to Vegas and I don’t get to see LOVE?” While I attended the morning keynote presentations at the conference, Barb went out to score the tickets. She has an amazing talent at producing the proverbial golden ticket at times like this, so I knew I was in good hands, but just how it would unfold remained a mystery. The Tahiti Village time-share condo sales team was out in full force and they had the cheapest tickets if we would sit through two hours of their repulsive sales pitch, but then Barb found a decent deal and bought tickets for the Sunday night early show. We were going to see LOVE!
I’m not going to review LOVE. All I can say is, if you haven’t seen it, go see it. It’s a sensory overload experience that can give you a psychedelic trip without partaking in mind-altering substances. It was real interesting for me to watch the dynamics in the lobby before and after the show. While people are waiting in line for their $11 glasses of wine and $6 buckets of popcorn, they are listening to these great Beatles songs being played on the speakers, but few people react. I’m all jazzed up from the humor conference and I’m finding it odd that everyone in the lobby is all caught up in the “we’re on our best behavior because we’re going out to the theatre this evening” mentality. This is the perfect opportunity for a big Beatles sing-along, but for the most part we stand in single file lines like zombies. After the show is a different energy. People have allowed themselves to turn off their minds, relax and float downstream. Older ladies who might have been the cool moms in 1964 are now twisting and singing along. Smiles, wide eyes and loud voices fill the same lobby 90-minutes after it was inhabited by zombies. What if we lived our lives like that… ready to party at every opportunity instead of waiting for permission or appropriate times before we let loose?The humor conference took place at the Riviera but we stayed down the street at the Sahara. Our local guide, Bob Brye, once upon a time from Ludington, Michigan told us they have better rooms and better deals. Two of the nights we stayed for $32! On our first trip up to the room I noticed the Beatles pictures and found out we were staying in the same tower the Beatles stayed in almost 45 years ago on the night of their one and only performance in Las Vegas.
Well, I had to go on the pilgrimage to see their room and documented it with these photos.
As a performer, there’s something about being able to say, “I played Vegas.” Of course when you get out there the game seems to be “whoever has the biggest advertising budget wins!” And not all venues are created equal. They say the LOVE Theater in the Mirage cost over $100 million to build… and then there’s the stage in the Sahara casino where a band called
Sixties Mania played for 4 hours each night, 5 nights a week. They pretty much supplied background music for the gamblers in the casino, although they had some tables and chairs and a small dance floor in front of their very simple stage. They always had people in the seats and a few would even venture out onto the dance floor. For some, this was their wedding reception. The bride had a T-shirt with “BRIDE” written on it and wore a white skirt. The groom had a tuxedo T-shirt. We were pretty exhausted from laughing all day, but we couldn’t go up to the room without sitting down to listen to a song or two each night. No, we didn’t hear them do any Beatles songs, but I noticed the bass player played left-handed. And then I noticed he had a Hofner bass sitting on stage behind him. But then the strangest thing was when he had on his glasses, he looked and acted exactly like John Lennon, more so than most of the Beatles’ look-alike bands I’ve seen. He is a big Beatles’ fan and hails from Australia, where the Sixties Mania band originated… “Imagine all the Aussies… Living life with sheep… yoo-hoo…”
With all of the Beatles parodies I’ve done at the Fest for Beatles Fans, maybe the icing on the cake would be performing a Beatles parody in Vegas. As the MC for the AATH Friday night member showcase, I had that opportunity, but chose to open the show with an Elvis parody instead. You can watch my “Viva Las Vegas” parody slide show presentation below. My version is called “Laughing in Vegas”… which is how I spent my Las Vegas vacation.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Blossom Tribute
In Loving Memory of Blossom the Wonderdog
April 17, 1997- December 30, 2008
Here is my slide show tribute.
Speakers On, Kleenex Handy, Roll the Film...
April 17, 1997- December 30, 2008
Here is my slide show tribute.
Speakers On, Kleenex Handy, Roll the Film...
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
More Hearse Pictures
I'm selling my hearse. Read the entry below this one for more details and more pictures
Hearse For Sale
I'm selling my Hearse. This was the Danny Donuts Tour Bus that I traveled cross-country in back in 1999! I have a 1-man show about that experience.
1989 Buick LeSabre Hearse $1500 or will trade for a London Taxi
142,000 miles
307 V-8 engine
Trailer Hitch (because you CAN take it all with you!)
Rear Air Shocks (for that extra load or a cool lift)
Rear inside door handle (I used the hearse as my camper and see, hearses don't come with inside door handles. Ya know not too many people get the opportunity to crawl out of the back of a hearse and start a brand new day!)
I have the creepy curtains and a homemade set of fun-print curtains
New exhaust and catalytic converter
New brakes and brake lines
Pictures are from last year. The pink letters and purple paint is almost all gone and it's back to the original black vinyl top. Runs great! Super smooth ride. e-mail: dannydonuts@hotmail.com
1989 Buick LeSabre Hearse $1500 or will trade for a London Taxi
142,000 miles
307 V-8 engine
Trailer Hitch (because you CAN take it all with you!)
Rear Air Shocks (for that extra load or a cool lift)
Rear inside door handle (I used the hearse as my camper and see, hearses don't come with inside door handles. Ya know not too many people get the opportunity to crawl out of the back of a hearse and start a brand new day!)
I have the creepy curtains and a homemade set of fun-print curtains
New exhaust and catalytic converter
New brakes and brake lines
Pictures are from last year. The pink letters and purple paint is almost all gone and it's back to the original black vinyl top. Runs great! Super smooth ride. e-mail: dannydonuts@hotmail.com
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Miracle's Second Chance
On September 18, 2006 I had the honor of looking into the eyes of a white buffalo calf named Miracle's Second Chance. Because it’s 2006, I’ll now refer to this sacred creature as M2C.
The news of the birth of M2C came to me via a news story and photo on the internet a few days before I was to make the trek to Spooner, Wisconsin to see my parents. Back in 1994 when I was living in Minneapolis, a white buffalo named Miracle was born on this same farm in Janesville, Wisconsin. I remember hearing how sacred this was to Native American tribes throughout the country. This same article mentioned that Miracle died in 2004.(My visit came a day before Miracle’s 2nd anniversary) A Native American elder was quoted in the article saying Miracle’s task wasn’t quite done yet. A prophesy states that the white buffalo will reunite all the races of man and restore balance to the world. Since I would be passing through Janesville, I thought I would stop by and check it out. Great photos, news, and stories can be found here M2C's Website
Not knowing what to expect, I was quite surprised to find the birthplace was a small 45-acre farm nestled between neighboring houses, a highway and a river. I pulled up the gravel driveway and parked. The scene was one you might expect on a small family farm. Ducks, geese chickens and peacocks wandered about. Horses and other farm animals went about their business. The gravel path extended beyond the buildings and led to the fenced areas where the buffalo roam. There was a modest building where one can buy buffalo meat and buffalo souvenirs and view gifts given to Miracle and the Heider’s, including a cloth from the Dali Lama.
There were a couple of guys with cameras chatting and standing by the fence, waiting to get a good shot of M2C. There were about 10 buffalo of all sizes standing around. Baby buffalo nursed and played. Adults stood proud and kept the little ones in line. In the back corner of the paddock a small white buffalo calf, 24 days old nursed from his mother. After a while M2C turned and looked at us. His black nose and deep dark eyes stood out from his fluffy white coat. There was something special about this moment. I felt fortunate and honored to have this opportunity to look into the eyes of this animal which Native Americans revere as sacred. I was born into the Catholic religion and people of that faith have similar experiences. A woman gets on the front page of the newspaper for discovering a big glob of chocolate that resembles the Virgin Mary. Traffic jams result from the congestion under a bridge where people flocked to look at a water stain in Mary’s likeness. I do not wish to discount the spirituality in any of this, but for me I found connection looking into the eyes of this living, breathing animal. Miracle, M2C and Jesus do have a lot in common. They were all born amongst farm animals, people came from all over with gifts and people looked at them with a greater connection to their higher power.
I drove away from Janesville in silence with my thoughts. I decided to let Miracle’s Second Chance be the theme of my week-long getaway. I also had a second chance. This would be my second visit to see my parents this summer. The first time was busy and chaotic with our immediate family reunion. Seven of us (8 counting Blossom) all crammed into a standard-sized house trailer forced us to be creative with our sleeping arrangements. For the second straight year I slept on a cot mattress under the kitchen table. My nephew slept in a chaise lounge lawn chair in the living room. The important thing was that we were all together. I have happy memories from that experience. But this would be different. It would just be the three of us (4 with Blossom) and there was work to be done. The biggest job was patching holes in the basement ceiling. (Yes, my parents live in a trailer with a basement- they’re very wealthy, you know!)
Working with or for my dad has been an interesting journey. Growing up in the country there was always work to be done. I wanted to spend my summer vacation watching “Family Feud” and “The Love Boat” reruns. Dad had this idea of instilling a good work ethic in his children and made us work in his half-acre garden for a whole hour every day. I was sure he was breaking child-labor laws and I resisted the whole way. I boycotted eating strawberries because I hated picking them. Jaime and I would be embarrassed to have friends over because Dad would have all of us picking beans or peas. It really sucked when our friends thought it was fun. “THIS ISN’T FUN!” We weeded the garden, stacked firewood, and dug our way through 10-ft high snow drifts to get to the garage. And then there was the annual putting up the snow fence family event. What? Didn’t your family put up 300’ of snow fence in your front yard every November?
I’m happy to say I transformed my attitude about working with my parents. Actually, I wouldn’t mind having them for bosses. We all slept in. I started each day taking time to write before having a nice big breakfast. We went to the basement and started to work but before I knew it, they were already talking about lunch. We ate a huge lunch and it was ok that I worked on some of my own things before going back to work. We worked a little more then it was time for supper. We ate a lot and worked a little. We stayed up late playing games and watching videos. We got the work done. We relaxed. We visited. We even went on the boat. We all had a great time. I was present to the love and the fun and the opportunity that it was. I give thanks to that little white buffalo for it was that experience of seeing Miracle’s Second Chance that had me stay present and live in the moment. Perhaps that’s the miracle. The world looks a whole lot different to me when I’m living in the present. A line from one of my Christmas parodies, “Harmony (That’s What I Want)” is “you say that you want to have peace worldwide, well the first thing you do, you got to look inside…” Perhaps M2C will fulfill the Native American prophesy and reunite all the races of man and restore balance to the world. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.
Peace, Love and Donuts,
Danny
The news of the birth of M2C came to me via a news story and photo on the internet a few days before I was to make the trek to Spooner, Wisconsin to see my parents. Back in 1994 when I was living in Minneapolis, a white buffalo named Miracle was born on this same farm in Janesville, Wisconsin. I remember hearing how sacred this was to Native American tribes throughout the country. This same article mentioned that Miracle died in 2004.(My visit came a day before Miracle’s 2nd anniversary) A Native American elder was quoted in the article saying Miracle’s task wasn’t quite done yet. A prophesy states that the white buffalo will reunite all the races of man and restore balance to the world. Since I would be passing through Janesville, I thought I would stop by and check it out. Great photos, news, and stories can be found here M2C's Website
Not knowing what to expect, I was quite surprised to find the birthplace was a small 45-acre farm nestled between neighboring houses, a highway and a river. I pulled up the gravel driveway and parked. The scene was one you might expect on a small family farm. Ducks, geese chickens and peacocks wandered about. Horses and other farm animals went about their business. The gravel path extended beyond the buildings and led to the fenced areas where the buffalo roam. There was a modest building where one can buy buffalo meat and buffalo souvenirs and view gifts given to Miracle and the Heider’s, including a cloth from the Dali Lama.
There were a couple of guys with cameras chatting and standing by the fence, waiting to get a good shot of M2C. There were about 10 buffalo of all sizes standing around. Baby buffalo nursed and played. Adults stood proud and kept the little ones in line. In the back corner of the paddock a small white buffalo calf, 24 days old nursed from his mother. After a while M2C turned and looked at us. His black nose and deep dark eyes stood out from his fluffy white coat. There was something special about this moment. I felt fortunate and honored to have this opportunity to look into the eyes of this animal which Native Americans revere as sacred. I was born into the Catholic religion and people of that faith have similar experiences. A woman gets on the front page of the newspaper for discovering a big glob of chocolate that resembles the Virgin Mary. Traffic jams result from the congestion under a bridge where people flocked to look at a water stain in Mary’s likeness. I do not wish to discount the spirituality in any of this, but for me I found connection looking into the eyes of this living, breathing animal. Miracle, M2C and Jesus do have a lot in common. They were all born amongst farm animals, people came from all over with gifts and people looked at them with a greater connection to their higher power.
I drove away from Janesville in silence with my thoughts. I decided to let Miracle’s Second Chance be the theme of my week-long getaway. I also had a second chance. This would be my second visit to see my parents this summer. The first time was busy and chaotic with our immediate family reunion. Seven of us (8 counting Blossom) all crammed into a standard-sized house trailer forced us to be creative with our sleeping arrangements. For the second straight year I slept on a cot mattress under the kitchen table. My nephew slept in a chaise lounge lawn chair in the living room. The important thing was that we were all together. I have happy memories from that experience. But this would be different. It would just be the three of us (4 with Blossom) and there was work to be done. The biggest job was patching holes in the basement ceiling. (Yes, my parents live in a trailer with a basement- they’re very wealthy, you know!)
Working with or for my dad has been an interesting journey. Growing up in the country there was always work to be done. I wanted to spend my summer vacation watching “Family Feud” and “The Love Boat” reruns. Dad had this idea of instilling a good work ethic in his children and made us work in his half-acre garden for a whole hour every day. I was sure he was breaking child-labor laws and I resisted the whole way. I boycotted eating strawberries because I hated picking them. Jaime and I would be embarrassed to have friends over because Dad would have all of us picking beans or peas. It really sucked when our friends thought it was fun. “THIS ISN’T FUN!” We weeded the garden, stacked firewood, and dug our way through 10-ft high snow drifts to get to the garage. And then there was the annual putting up the snow fence family event. What? Didn’t your family put up 300’ of snow fence in your front yard every November?
I’m happy to say I transformed my attitude about working with my parents. Actually, I wouldn’t mind having them for bosses. We all slept in. I started each day taking time to write before having a nice big breakfast. We went to the basement and started to work but before I knew it, they were already talking about lunch. We ate a huge lunch and it was ok that I worked on some of my own things before going back to work. We worked a little more then it was time for supper. We ate a lot and worked a little. We stayed up late playing games and watching videos. We got the work done. We relaxed. We visited. We even went on the boat. We all had a great time. I was present to the love and the fun and the opportunity that it was. I give thanks to that little white buffalo for it was that experience of seeing Miracle’s Second Chance that had me stay present and live in the moment. Perhaps that’s the miracle. The world looks a whole lot different to me when I’m living in the present. A line from one of my Christmas parodies, “Harmony (That’s What I Want)” is “you say that you want to have peace worldwide, well the first thing you do, you got to look inside…” Perhaps M2C will fulfill the Native American prophesy and reunite all the races of man and restore balance to the world. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.
Peace, Love and Donuts,
Danny
Friday, August 25, 2006
DD at The Fest
Here are two photos of me performing at The Fest For Beatles Fans August 11-13 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare. A big Thanx to Michelle Greco and Rose Steagerman for taking pictures of everyone at The Fest. I did a Sunday Night Wrap Up of the Fest / Photo Slide Show and you'll get to see those photos soon at http://thefestforbeatlesfans.com
Peace, Love n' Donuts,
Danny
Monday, July 31, 2006
Beatles Summer
The summer of 2006 could very well be remembered by me as that great Beatles Summer. With two major events behind us and two major events right around the corner, I think this is the perfect time to share my Beatles Summer with you. America’s unofficial start to summer is Memorial Day weekend, which usually falls on my birthday and this year was no exception. I celebrated my new year and the new season in Louisville at Abbey Road on the River, a mostly outdoor Beatles Tribute Band Festival. On June 18, Paul McCartney finally got his big questions answered (Will you still need me? Will you still feed me?) almost 50 years after he wrote "When I’m 64." I celebrated the old geyser’s birthday at The Wise Fools Pub in Chicago, where Eric Howell threw probably one of the coolest Paul birthday bashes on the planet. The 2 events coming up are Chicago’s Annual Fest for Beatles Fans (August 11-14) and The Old Town School of Folk Music’s Brendan Hedges Scholarship Night on Friday, August 18. I will be performing at both events. Read On!
**Abbey Road On The River -This was my first year attending AROTR and what a great time I had! I was just attending as a spectator which is often hard for me considering how much I like being on stage! It didn’t take long before I became the official camera man for both The Yellow SubMorons and The Johnny Doughnut Experience In fact, I just went to the AROTR site and saw that my footage is posted on their site. Duncan Doughnut posted a video clip on July 9. I have my first YouTube video and it’s from BEHIND the camera. There’s also a great 5-minute video clip posted on July 22 by Jason, the AROTR web and video guy. Check it out. Chicago bands dominated the Festival with 8 bands and lots of other Beatle people we know from The Fest for Beatles Fans like The Jukebox from Puerto Rico and Gavin (George, Harry’s Son) who played with British Export in Chicago for a spell. Instant Karma always had a packed dance floor and special thanks to Jay Goeppner for convincing the Security Guard that I was with the band so I could be in the reserved seating section. There’s no way you can see all the bands so I can only report on the ones I did see. There was this band from Portland, OR called The Bad Dates. They did really good rockabilly versions of Beatles songs and the band was headed up by Col. Sanders! The lead singer bleached his hair and goatee, put on a white suit and horn-rimmed glasses and was a dead-ringer for the KFC founder. Nicole Nigh (as heard on many Danny Donuts recordings) served up wacky British humour with her Rutles tribute band, The YelowSubMorons. They drew an interesting crowd! I was proud of them for doing so great in their debut. And I felt like my Beatles family multiplied exponentially as I was immediately adopted into the Johnny Doughnut Experience family. The Louisville band had fun pointing me out as their cousin from Chicago. Johnny and his cousin Duncan (who has the COOLEST doughnut bass) along with drummer, Freddy Krueller and background singers Sprinkles and Jelly totally rocked out. They were a band I would stop and watch even if we didn’t have similar last names. They won the "We hope we passed the audition contest" last year. This year Chicago’s Apple Scruffs acappella trio (Wynona’s pregnant so they’re really more than a trio) made it to the top 3. I had to leave on Sunday afternoon to get back for Monday’s Cubs game so I missed the huge rainstorm and Woodstock-like mud fest. I’ll have to get more time off next year! Geez, I sound like a Cub fan- "Wait 'til next year!"
** Paul McCartney’s 64th Birthday Bash- My promotion idea for Eric Howell was to once again rent Trader Todd’s party bus, the Tiki Transit, except this time I would drive him out to the Rosemont Theatre and when Beatles fans exited the Ringo Starr concert, Eric could start his own rooftop concert from the roof of the bus and promote his Paul McCartney Birthday Bash the next night. Eric was out of town, so we can only wonder how long it would have been before he got arrested. And we can only wonder what the atmosphere would have been like at a packed Wise Fools Pub. Maybe it was because it was a Sunday night, maybe it was because it was Father’s Day, but the spectator turnout was fairly low. It was still an awesome night. I guess I could say "Baby, I was amazed!" I heard stories how The Rolling Stones would show up at a Chicago blues bar and they would lock the doors and whoever was in the club would get treated to an unforgettable intimate performance as The Stones would get up on stage and jam with their blues heroes. This was the closest thing I’ve experienced to something like that. Eric advertised it as Eric and The Implants with Casey McDonough sitting in on bass and other special guests. I knew we were in for a treat when Phil Angotti showed up with a guitar strapped to his back. And moments later Tony K walked in followed by Scott Ligon. This wasn’t going to be the typical Eric and The Implants show. It turned out to be an awesome McCartney and Beatles jam session. Tony, Scott and Casey play together in The Federales and they are all multi-instrumentalists who often switch instruments, sometimes even in the middle of a song. They were all over the stage taking turns at the keyboard, bass, guitar, and lead vocals. Perhaps it was Tony K with the most memorable moment of the evening when he pulled out the clarinet during "When I’m 64" (See Clip #5 at EricHowellMusic.com ) Eric has video footage posted on his website so check it out to kind of get a feel of how we celebrated in Chicago!
**The Fest for Beatles Fans- This will be number 10 for me! It all started back in ’97 in the pre-Danny Donuts days when I did "Lucy is Disguised as Linus" in the Sound-Alike contest and ended up in the finals, playing on a huge stage in a packed ballroom. It was like, "Toto, I don’t think we’re in Ludington anymore!" Well, after 8 appearances in the Sound-Alike finals and 5 Battle of the Beatles Bands appearances, I have chosen to remove myself from both contests. I’m making that choice because I’m moving up to something more insane! I sent a proposal to Mark and Carol Lapidos and they liked it enough to say "yeah." So Fest attendees will get a chance to see me on the main stage each night! On Friday I will be musically welcoming folks (back) to the Fest, Saturday will be my musical tribute to the special guests, and on Sunday the not-to-be-missed Fest wrap-up. I can’t even start writing that song until the Fest because the lyrics are going to be about what actually went on over the course of the weekend! Each year I’ve been challenging my creativity at the Fest and this year, I’m taking that to a much higher level. I invite you all to be there with me. I’m thrilled that the pool I get to play in will no longer be structured around competition. That opens up huge avenues for creativity, collaboration and sharing. I hope to see you there!
**Old Town School of Folk Music’s Brendan Hedges Scholarship Night- Friday, August 18. One week after the Fest for Beatles Fans will be another huge Beatles night. A few years before I started going to The Fest, Brendan lost his life on the" L," Chicago’s Public Transportation Train System. He was shot by someone who wanted his guitar. He was just a kid, but had already become a Fest regular and had a real love for music and The Beatles. Although I never met him, I’ve gotten to meet his family over the years. Every other year, the Beatles community comes together to put on a words-can’t-describe-it kind of evening lead by WXRT’s Terri Hemmert. They created a scholarship in Brendan’s name that allows kids from low-income families to be able to take guitar lessons. I performed there in 2002 and in 2004 made a special appearance as a bulldog during Eric and The Implants’ "Hey Bulldog" rendition. (Eric kept that surprise from everyone- including his band!) I’ll be doing a couple songs. Buy your tickets in advance. It could sell out.
This Beatles Summer is just beginning to warm up. See you at the Fest!
Peace, Love and Donuts,
Danny Donuts
**Abbey Road On The River -This was my first year attending AROTR and what a great time I had! I was just attending as a spectator which is often hard for me considering how much I like being on stage! It didn’t take long before I became the official camera man for both The Yellow SubMorons and The Johnny Doughnut Experience In fact, I just went to the AROTR site and saw that my footage is posted on their site. Duncan Doughnut posted a video clip on July 9. I have my first YouTube video and it’s from BEHIND the camera. There’s also a great 5-minute video clip posted on July 22 by Jason, the AROTR web and video guy. Check it out. Chicago bands dominated the Festival with 8 bands and lots of other Beatle people we know from The Fest for Beatles Fans like The Jukebox from Puerto Rico and Gavin (George, Harry’s Son) who played with British Export in Chicago for a spell. Instant Karma always had a packed dance floor and special thanks to Jay Goeppner for convincing the Security Guard that I was with the band so I could be in the reserved seating section. There’s no way you can see all the bands so I can only report on the ones I did see. There was this band from Portland, OR called The Bad Dates. They did really good rockabilly versions of Beatles songs and the band was headed up by Col. Sanders! The lead singer bleached his hair and goatee, put on a white suit and horn-rimmed glasses and was a dead-ringer for the KFC founder. Nicole Nigh (as heard on many Danny Donuts recordings) served up wacky British humour with her Rutles tribute band, The YelowSubMorons. They drew an interesting crowd! I was proud of them for doing so great in their debut. And I felt like my Beatles family multiplied exponentially as I was immediately adopted into the Johnny Doughnut Experience family. The Louisville band had fun pointing me out as their cousin from Chicago. Johnny and his cousin Duncan (who has the COOLEST doughnut bass) along with drummer, Freddy Krueller and background singers Sprinkles and Jelly totally rocked out. They were a band I would stop and watch even if we didn’t have similar last names. They won the "We hope we passed the audition contest" last year. This year Chicago’s Apple Scruffs acappella trio (Wynona’s pregnant so they’re really more than a trio) made it to the top 3. I had to leave on Sunday afternoon to get back for Monday’s Cubs game so I missed the huge rainstorm and Woodstock-like mud fest. I’ll have to get more time off next year! Geez, I sound like a Cub fan- "Wait 'til next year!"
** Paul McCartney’s 64th Birthday Bash- My promotion idea for Eric Howell was to once again rent Trader Todd’s party bus, the Tiki Transit, except this time I would drive him out to the Rosemont Theatre and when Beatles fans exited the Ringo Starr concert, Eric could start his own rooftop concert from the roof of the bus and promote his Paul McCartney Birthday Bash the next night. Eric was out of town, so we can only wonder how long it would have been before he got arrested. And we can only wonder what the atmosphere would have been like at a packed Wise Fools Pub. Maybe it was because it was a Sunday night, maybe it was because it was Father’s Day, but the spectator turnout was fairly low. It was still an awesome night. I guess I could say "Baby, I was amazed!" I heard stories how The Rolling Stones would show up at a Chicago blues bar and they would lock the doors and whoever was in the club would get treated to an unforgettable intimate performance as The Stones would get up on stage and jam with their blues heroes. This was the closest thing I’ve experienced to something like that. Eric advertised it as Eric and The Implants with Casey McDonough sitting in on bass and other special guests. I knew we were in for a treat when Phil Angotti showed up with a guitar strapped to his back. And moments later Tony K walked in followed by Scott Ligon. This wasn’t going to be the typical Eric and The Implants show. It turned out to be an awesome McCartney and Beatles jam session. Tony, Scott and Casey play together in The Federales and they are all multi-instrumentalists who often switch instruments, sometimes even in the middle of a song. They were all over the stage taking turns at the keyboard, bass, guitar, and lead vocals. Perhaps it was Tony K with the most memorable moment of the evening when he pulled out the clarinet during "When I’m 64" (See Clip #5 at EricHowellMusic.com ) Eric has video footage posted on his website so check it out to kind of get a feel of how we celebrated in Chicago!
**The Fest for Beatles Fans- This will be number 10 for me! It all started back in ’97 in the pre-Danny Donuts days when I did "Lucy is Disguised as Linus" in the Sound-Alike contest and ended up in the finals, playing on a huge stage in a packed ballroom. It was like, "Toto, I don’t think we’re in Ludington anymore!" Well, after 8 appearances in the Sound-Alike finals and 5 Battle of the Beatles Bands appearances, I have chosen to remove myself from both contests. I’m making that choice because I’m moving up to something more insane! I sent a proposal to Mark and Carol Lapidos and they liked it enough to say "yeah." So Fest attendees will get a chance to see me on the main stage each night! On Friday I will be musically welcoming folks (back) to the Fest, Saturday will be my musical tribute to the special guests, and on Sunday the not-to-be-missed Fest wrap-up. I can’t even start writing that song until the Fest because the lyrics are going to be about what actually went on over the course of the weekend! Each year I’ve been challenging my creativity at the Fest and this year, I’m taking that to a much higher level. I invite you all to be there with me. I’m thrilled that the pool I get to play in will no longer be structured around competition. That opens up huge avenues for creativity, collaboration and sharing. I hope to see you there!
**Old Town School of Folk Music’s Brendan Hedges Scholarship Night- Friday, August 18. One week after the Fest for Beatles Fans will be another huge Beatles night. A few years before I started going to The Fest, Brendan lost his life on the" L," Chicago’s Public Transportation Train System. He was shot by someone who wanted his guitar. He was just a kid, but had already become a Fest regular and had a real love for music and The Beatles. Although I never met him, I’ve gotten to meet his family over the years. Every other year, the Beatles community comes together to put on a words-can’t-describe-it kind of evening lead by WXRT’s Terri Hemmert. They created a scholarship in Brendan’s name that allows kids from low-income families to be able to take guitar lessons. I performed there in 2002 and in 2004 made a special appearance as a bulldog during Eric and The Implants’ "Hey Bulldog" rendition. (Eric kept that surprise from everyone- including his band!) I’ll be doing a couple songs. Buy your tickets in advance. It could sell out.
This Beatles Summer is just beginning to warm up. See you at the Fest!
Peace, Love and Donuts,
Danny Donuts
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Dress Like Me-Get On TV
Before the USA-Poland Game, Summer 2004, Soldier Field, Chicago.
I had this same outfit on when the TV cameras came into Ginger's Bar during the USA- Czech Republic game. My interview was aired on Comcast SportsNet later that evening.
I had this same outfit on when the TV cameras came into Ginger's Bar during the USA- Czech Republic game. My interview was aired on Comcast SportsNet later that evening.
The Whole World Is Watching
It’s the eve of the 2006 World Cup Soccer Championship game. Sad to say the good ol’ US of A did not advance out of their group. The longer a team stays alive, the longer the country is united and has something to cheer about. It was exciting to see the surprise teams of Ghana, Australia, and Ecuador make it to the second round. The excitement and passion on the faces of the players, coaches and fans say it all. This is what this tournament is all about. Even though American fans had little to cheer about, I’ll still be watching until the end. I’ll not only be watching because of my love for the game and the tournament, but because I have something at stake. At the onset of the tournament I got in a pool. Now, this isn’t an office pool or one amongst a big group of friends. This pool has only two participants, me and my dad.
I came up with my own rules, where before Game 1, we pick the winner of every game in the first round, then pick the final 16, the final 8, the final 4, the third place winner and the champion. It’s based on a 500-point system. You pick the winners and sit back and watch. My dad also came up with his own rules. His is based on a 1,000-point system and required us calling in our predicted winners at the start of every round. He did take what he liked from my proposed rules and incorporated that into a complex bonus points system. So complex in fact, that I haven’t quite figured it out. I just keep picking the winners and he keeps letting me know that I’m still in the lead.
We both invested a lot of time into this. I would get up and turn on Univision, the Spanish television station, to see who was winning the 8am game. I paid attention to teams representing countries I’ve never heard of before. I would check the scores online and figure out the next match ups. According to my mother, my dad has had newspapers, crayons, color-coded charts, and an adding machine cluttering up the entire living room for the past month. She assists him in watching the newscasts just in case they mention something about soccer. My parents are living up in the Wisconsin Northwoods with no cable, Spanish stations or computers. I’m living in one of the biggest melting pot cities in America. Every country in the tournament probably has a community in Chicago and I can go to their viewing parties and experience their passion. It’s funny. With this much involvement, which at times borders on obsession, you would think we have something big riding on this: large amounts of cash, a trophy, an “if I win you get to be my personal servant for a week” wager. But no, there’s been no mention of any of that. We don’t even have a dollar riding on it. I guess there are bragging rights, but that will get old after about 30 seconds. Neither one of us had to be talked into playing or talked out of betting on it. We both just jumped in and went for it. No amount of money, prizes, or glory can equal the fun of playing, and yet we’re both playing to win. As the tournament progressed we paid even closer attention to the points and Dad had to develop some risky strategies to stay in the running.
Our involvement of viewing the game and cheering loudly feels like we’re contributing to the outcome. Watching soccer can be a mood-altering drug. People around us are actually affected by our competency of picking the winner. Our moods will affect their moods which will affect others. Our seemingly harmless soccer pool has the power of an epidemic and there’s no turning back. And yet there’s something magical about bonding through a shared interest. For my dad and me, it’s been soccer. He coached me from 3rd grade all the way through high school. We attended games during the ’94 World Cup and the ’99 Women’s World Cup. In 2003, we watched the US and Mexico national teams play to a scoreless tie in a sold-out Houston stadium. So when the World Cup came around, we didn’t think twice about putting our everyday lives on hold for a month. For us, it’s about connecting with each other and the world. For the past month, along with the rest of the world, we’ve watched the colors, the flags, the fans, the goals, the saves, the yellow cards, red cards, the penalty kicks, the jubilant celebrations and the brain-numbing disbelief that hits both fans and players alike when it’s all over for their country. It’s all passion and I feel richer for having shared in that collective passion. The way both our pool and the tournament is designed is that there can only be one champion. It’s just a matter of hours before the captain for Italy or France hoists the trophy for the whole world to see. But even the coveted trophy can not even hold a candle to the real prize… Connection. One Game, One World, Oneness.
Peace, Love and Donuts,
Danny Donuts
© 2006, Danny Donuts, dannydonuts.com
I came up with my own rules, where before Game 1, we pick the winner of every game in the first round, then pick the final 16, the final 8, the final 4, the third place winner and the champion. It’s based on a 500-point system. You pick the winners and sit back and watch. My dad also came up with his own rules. His is based on a 1,000-point system and required us calling in our predicted winners at the start of every round. He did take what he liked from my proposed rules and incorporated that into a complex bonus points system. So complex in fact, that I haven’t quite figured it out. I just keep picking the winners and he keeps letting me know that I’m still in the lead.
We both invested a lot of time into this. I would get up and turn on Univision, the Spanish television station, to see who was winning the 8am game. I paid attention to teams representing countries I’ve never heard of before. I would check the scores online and figure out the next match ups. According to my mother, my dad has had newspapers, crayons, color-coded charts, and an adding machine cluttering up the entire living room for the past month. She assists him in watching the newscasts just in case they mention something about soccer. My parents are living up in the Wisconsin Northwoods with no cable, Spanish stations or computers. I’m living in one of the biggest melting pot cities in America. Every country in the tournament probably has a community in Chicago and I can go to their viewing parties and experience their passion. It’s funny. With this much involvement, which at times borders on obsession, you would think we have something big riding on this: large amounts of cash, a trophy, an “if I win you get to be my personal servant for a week” wager. But no, there’s been no mention of any of that. We don’t even have a dollar riding on it. I guess there are bragging rights, but that will get old after about 30 seconds. Neither one of us had to be talked into playing or talked out of betting on it. We both just jumped in and went for it. No amount of money, prizes, or glory can equal the fun of playing, and yet we’re both playing to win. As the tournament progressed we paid even closer attention to the points and Dad had to develop some risky strategies to stay in the running.
Our involvement of viewing the game and cheering loudly feels like we’re contributing to the outcome. Watching soccer can be a mood-altering drug. People around us are actually affected by our competency of picking the winner. Our moods will affect their moods which will affect others. Our seemingly harmless soccer pool has the power of an epidemic and there’s no turning back. And yet there’s something magical about bonding through a shared interest. For my dad and me, it’s been soccer. He coached me from 3rd grade all the way through high school. We attended games during the ’94 World Cup and the ’99 Women’s World Cup. In 2003, we watched the US and Mexico national teams play to a scoreless tie in a sold-out Houston stadium. So when the World Cup came around, we didn’t think twice about putting our everyday lives on hold for a month. For us, it’s about connecting with each other and the world. For the past month, along with the rest of the world, we’ve watched the colors, the flags, the fans, the goals, the saves, the yellow cards, red cards, the penalty kicks, the jubilant celebrations and the brain-numbing disbelief that hits both fans and players alike when it’s all over for their country. It’s all passion and I feel richer for having shared in that collective passion. The way both our pool and the tournament is designed is that there can only be one champion. It’s just a matter of hours before the captain for Italy or France hoists the trophy for the whole world to see. But even the coveted trophy can not even hold a candle to the real prize… Connection. One Game, One World, Oneness.
Peace, Love and Donuts,
Danny Donuts
© 2006, Danny Donuts, dannydonuts.com
