Adopted Actor David Patrick Kelly In Louie!

If you haven't seen Louis CK's new show, Louie, on FX, you really should. It's a very nice, human show. It's funny, but is also grounded in a very real emotional place. I have seen other people describe it better than I on the Internet, so that's all you'll get from me. Don't try to wheedle any more out of me. I'll cut ya!

Anyways, I was watching Louie last week, and in that particular episode he uses some framing scenes with a low-key but slightly disturbing therapist. You never get a close shot of the guy, but it looked kind of like David Patrick Kelly. Well, it looked a little tall for DPK, but it looked like him. A tall version of him. Of DPK. Okay, onward.

I checked the credits and didn't see DPK's name, so I figured it wasn't him. I watched the show again, and decided, well, to be sure, better check out the IMDB, the font of all verified and truthful knowledge about movies and television. Sure enough, it *was* DPK playing the therapist. Hurray! I was very happy it was him.

About five minutes ago, I found this interview with Louis CK where he talks about DPK.

Interviewer: First a little quick thing. I want to make sure that that was David Patrick Kelly playing the shrink, but that's not my real question. My real question is, looking at the pilot and then the first episode that follows it, there's quite a bit of a difference between them that I kind of want to see, what evolved between the making of the pilot and that first episode? Which, they're all fantastic. I mean, as somebody who has seen you live many, many times, it was amazing to see that captured, both the live stuff and then just your personality that comes through a lot of your work. What evolution took place between the pilot and then that first episode?

Louis C.K.: It's a good question. First of all, it is David Patrick Kelly, who I love from Warriors and 48 Hours and Dreamscape. He's an actor I always connected with. We did an audition for that therapist part and a lot of people did a really corny, kind of beard stroking Freudian therapists, and he just did this really wild, really freaky character and it made me laugh the instant I saw the audition, so he came in. We only had one scene planned for the therapist, and as we started shooting it, he was just so funny I started throwing things at him, saying, "Try saying this," and he would do it and it was perfect. So I think we have about eight therapist segments. I'm not done editing all the shows yet so I don't know if I'm going to use them all in this season. I think we've used about four.

Interviewer: It was a huge victory seeing him.

Louis C.K.: He's so great. He's another example. There's actors that you love, that you've seen in great movies, and they're just living in New York City, and they're so happy to work. And it's so much a better process to just call New York actors and pay them just a ... check to come in and really work hard for a day.

The full interview

Watch Louie on Hulu (DPK's episode is #4 -- should be uploaded some time within the week)

Happy Adopt-An-Actor Day!

My attention has been diverted a little lately, but not enough to ignore the new holiday I created.

For those who have already adopted an actor, please dedicate a post today to them. It can be a videoclip, description of a favorite performance, maybe just a picture. It's up to you to decide.

And for you thespian empty-nesters out there, please consider adopting an actor. All that is required is announcing your intent to adopt on your blog, and letting me know about it. You may want to check the adoption roster to make sure your actor has not already been adopted.

Who is my adopted actor, you ask?

Why it's none other than the wonderful David Patrick Kelly.



I'll use my Adopt-An-Actor Day post to run down his career in films and television.

When I started the Adopt-An-Actor program, I said that I didn't expect an adoptive parent to see every single thing their adoptee had been in. You'll see that I haven't seen a lot of DPK's work, but my support and affection for him is nevertheless genuine and unwavering.


The Warriors (1979)
Ooh, mama. What an awesome performance. He was the best part of the movie, by far.

Sanctuary of Fear (1979) (TV) (uncredited)
Didn't see it.

American Playhouse - Working (1982) (TV)
Didn't see it. Apparently, a musical adaptation of the Studs Terkel book. Sounds interesting.

Hammett (1982)
Didn't see it.

48 Hrs. (1982)
He was great as Luther. He was so angry and abusive towards Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte, but then in his final scenes you see he's very distraught about his girlfriend being taken hostage. He didn't have a lot of screentime, but he came across with a strong character.

Dreamscape (1984)
I haven't seen this movie in a long time. My guess is that it hasn't aged well, but I loved it when it was playing non-stop on pay TV. DPK was scary and cool. He had some creaky dialogue that he had to deliver, but in his hands it sounded good. He had a nice moment giving a little monologue on a dream subway, swinging nunchucks, ending with "In this world, Alex, you're nothing. And me, I'm God." Just as in 48 Hours, what starts as an aggressive, unsympathetic character becomes a little tragic near the end.

Tales from the Darkside (1984) (TV)
I saw at least part of this, though my memory of it has faded. DPK is the star of the episode, and I think he plays a man who slowly loses his identity, and winks out of existence at the end. I guess it's appropriate I can't remember it.

Miami Vice (1985) (TV)
Didn't watch this show.

Commando (1985)
Oh, Sully. Yet another great performance. There was really no redeeming traits in this character. It's hard to be poignant when you're hanging upside-down, held by the pantleg by Arnold Schwarzenegger.


Moonlighting (1985) (TV)
I sort of remember seeing this. I believe that the episode DPK was in sort-of went crazy at the end, where they sort of broke down the fourth wall and we saw Moonlighting behind-the-scenes, or some such thing. I recall DPK being the heavy, and Whoopi Goldberg was in it too. I think the final shot of DPK and Whoopi had them smiling as they were walking out, then it abruptly changed to a scowl. Why am I bothering you with this? Sorry.

Our Family Honor (1985) (TV)
Didn't see it.

The Misfit Brigade (1987)
Didn't see it.

Spenser: For Hire (1987) (TV)
Never watched this show.

ABC Afterschool Specials - Date Rape (1988) (TV)
Didn't see it. Yikes.

Cheap Shots (1989)
Nope, didn't see.

CBS Summer Playhouse - B Men (1989) (TV)
Nope.

Penn & Teller Get Killed (1989)
This was a really weird movie. It was sort of a narrative, but they kept on yanking you out of the story. It was kind of sloppy, intentionally so, I think. I had thought there was some commentary on DPK's role in The Crow. At the time I had seen this, I thought Brandon Lee had died by a blank fired by DPK's gun, which I learned later to not be the case.

Wild at Heart (1990)
I saw this, but I can't remember him in it. All I can see in my head is the grinning menace of Willem Dafoe's Bobby Peru.

The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990)
Andrew Dice Clay kept me away.

Twin Peaks (1990-1991) (TV)
I saw a couple episodes, but I don't think DPK was on it yet. I don't remember him from it, at any rate.

A Marriage: Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz (1991) (TV)
Didn't see.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) (scenes deleted)
Didn't see.

Malcolm X (1992)
I saw it, but I don't remember DPK from it.

Exterior Night (1993)
Nope.

Ghostwriter (1992-1993) (TV)
Nope.

The Crow (1994)
I saw it, but don't remember it very well. I don't recall DPK having an awful lot of screentime. I was bummed out about the Brandon Lee accident.

Crooklyn (1994)
I didn't like this movie too much. There was a stylistic thing Spike Lee did in the middle of the movie that didn't really work for me, and it was kind of obnoxious. I remember DPK from it, one particular shot of him playing an organ and wearing very thick glasses.

Cafe Society (1995)
Didn't see it.

Heavy (1995)
Didn't see it.

Flirting with Disaster (1996)
He was one of the best parts of this movie. I was very happy to see him in a movie again.

The Funeral (1996)
An Abel Ferrara movie I haven't seen. I have heard it's good, just haven't seen it.

Last Man Standing (1996)
Another Walter Hill movie for DPK! (The Warriors and 48 Hrs. were the previous two). Didn't see this, mostly because I was sick of Bruce Willis.

Trojan War (1997)
Nope.

Twelfth Night, or What You Will (1998) (TV)
Didn't see.

Mad About You (1998) (TV)
Saw this a few times, but didn't see his episode.

In Too Deep (1999)
Didn't see.

Songcatcher (2000)
Didn't see.

K-PAX (2001)
Kevin Spacey kept me away from this one.

Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (2002)
Didn't see.

Hack (2002) (TV)
Didn't see.

Justice (2003)
Didn't see.

Third Watch (2005) (TV)
Never watched this.

The Longest Yard (2005)
Didn't see it. Adam Sandler kept me away.

Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
I like a lot of Clint Eastwood films, I just didn't see this one. DPK plays Harry S. Truman.

Babylon Fields (2007) (TV)
Didn't see.

Kidnapped (2007) (TV)
Didn't see.

Gardener of Eden (2007)
Didn't see.

Law & Order (2008) (TV)
Didn't see.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2008)
(TV)
I actually was flipping channels and caught some of this. It made me smile.

Happy Birthday, David Patrick Kelly!

Has it been a year already? Happy birthday to my adopted actor, David Patrick Kelly.

I hope you are doing well.

Sally Gardens

A song from my adopted actor David Patrick Kelly, with lyrics from William Butler Yeats' poem Down By The Salley Gardens.

Adopted Actor Update: Yes, He Can Grow A Nice Beard

Here is a David Patrick Kelly update for you.

Unlike me and my ineffectually mangy face, my adopted actor is quite capable of growing a full beard.

I believe he grew one for last November's production of The Glorious Ones.

l-r Marc Kudisch, David Patrick Kelly

We're Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together

Phew!

I'm back from my whirlwind trip to NY/NJ. I've got two or three posts in me to describe my journey, but I might as well start out with the whole purpose of the trip: The Feelies!

After a long day of travel, blogger-lunching and wandering around Manhattan, I caught the PATH train to Hoboken late Tuesday afternoon, the location of Maxwell's, where the Feelies were playing that night.

Hoboken seemed very nice. It reminded me a lot of Evanston, a northern suburb of Chicago. For those from Hoboken reading this unfamiliar with Evanston, Evanston is a lot like Hoboken.

I had been to the NYC area one time before, with MizSplotchy back in 2000. At that time I was subscribed to a Galaxie 500/Luna mailing list, dedicated to the band Galaxie 500 and all its offshoots, run by the lovely and talented Brit Andy Aldridge. I'm not sure how it happened, but I must have mentioned on the list that I was going to New York. I then corresponded with fellow listmember Chris, and he trusted me enough to not be a stab-happy Internet psychopath, and was willing to actually meet me in person.

He and his wife took MizSplotchy and I to their favorite Mexican restaurant in Greenwich Village, and then gave us a great little driving tour of Manhattan before dropping us at our hotel. It was a great pleasure getting to meet and talk with them. They is good people.

I had exchanged emails a couple times since then with Chris, but hadn't really kept in touch. Still, after I found out about the Feelies shows at Maxwell's, I emailed him and asked him if he was going (and if he remembered me). Yes, he remembered me, and yes, he was going. He suggested that we meet up at Maxwell's for dinner prior to the show (there's a restaurant there as well).

So, I walked the relatively long walk from the PATH station up Washington Street to Maxwell's. Chris was running a little late so I just milled about on the corner in front of the bar. Then I saw Dave Weckerman (one of the freakin' Feelies!) round the corner and my already happy day brightened up considerably. I walked up to him and introduced myself. We talked for ten minutes or so, about the Feelies, Maxwell's, Roky Erickson, etc., then he went on his way. I had personally met a Feelie! Yayyyy!

Soon after, Chris and his wife showed up and we headed into the restaurant. It was around 8:15pm, and the show was scheduled to start at 9:00pm. It took a long time to get seated, so we stood around a bit and had some drink. Chris had some friends with him, too -- Bowman, a really nice guy from Brooklyn, and Jen, a fellow Galaxie 500 listmember, also very nice.

So, I see bassist Brenda Sauter having dinner. Singer/Guitarist Glenn Mercer walks past me. Chris introduces me to drummer Stanley Demeski. Holy crap. I am here. The Feelies are here. We are both here.

I think Chris was a little bemused by my starstruckedness. He plays in a band with Brenda, and he works with Stanley. The Feelies are people he knows, and has known for years. Hey, I'm a dork. What can I say?

So it's getting close to 9:00pm and we have just gotten our food. I eat my delicious crabcake sandwich as quickly as humanly possible, and excuse myself from the table. I am not going to miss a single damn song.

The music venue part of Maxwell's is a small, cozy rectangular room. I really couldn't have asked for a better place to see a show. It was crowded so I didn't really have room to dance, but I did a lot of whiteguy head-bobbing, so that's something.

The Feelies played two sets, and pretty much played every song I could ever have wanted them to play. I had wanted to nab a setlist but I didn't have any luck. So, I can give you the songs that I remember them playing (I'm probably going to miss a couple), though not in the order they played them in.


From Crazy Rhythms:
Fa Cé-La
Original Love
Raised Eyebrows
Crazy Rhythms

I do remember that Crazy Rhythms followed Raised Eyebrows, and that Crazy Rhythms was the last song in their first set. The two songs fit together so well on the album, and the song transition is so "magical" for lack of a better word, I was a little giddy when they did the same song transition live.


From The Good Earth (perhaps the best album ever made -- yes that's right, that's what I said):
On the Roof
The High Road
Slipping (Into Something)
Let's Go


From Only Life:
It's Only Life
Deep Fascination
The Final Word
Away
What Goes On


From Time For A Witness:
Sooner or Later
Doin' It Again


Non-album songs:
We're Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together (VU cover)
Outdoor Miner (Wire cover)
Barstool Blues (Neil Young cover)
Dancing Barefoot (Patti Smith cover)
Fun To Be Happy (Love Tractor cover)
She Said She Said (Beatles cover)
TWO NEW ORIGINAL SONGS! -- One of the songs they did was kinda punky. Had the word "Time" in it. I'm sorry, but that's the best I can do for you folks. Chris said he thought they had four new original songs cooked up, and they played two of them during the show. I must have not recognized the other one as being unrecognizable.


When they took a break from their first set, despite the fact that my legs were tired, despite the fact that I had to pee, despite that my inner thighs were raw from walk-chafe, I moved closer to the stage. And there I stood until the second set began. Bowman came up and hung out with me for the second set. The second set was even better than the first. They played a lot of the songs hellaciously fast. It was really quite wonderful.

So, after a few encores (yayyy!) the show finally ended. We hung around after the show. Yes, I talked to every single damned Feelie after the show.

Here is a list of Feelies I spoke with and the degree to which I embarrassed myself by my fanboi babbling.

Stanley Demeski - No embarrassment
Bill Million - Mild embarrassment
Dave Weckerman - Mild embarrassment
Glenn Mercer - Moderate embarrassment
Brenda Sauter - Extreme embarrassment

Brenda, if you happen to read this, sorry! Y'know, I was geeking out talking to everyone. I don't really feel that bad at all about it, though one never wishes to look like a doofus. What the hell. I think my appreciation of the band came through, at least.

As I carefully pointed out to each Feelie, I had gone to great lengths to see them play live. This was the script I started with -- "Hello [Feelies member]! It is so nice to meet you! I came all the way from Chicago for this show!" But wouldn't you know, some guy flew in from Belgium and another guy flew in from Japan for the Maxwell's shows. So, of course my trip from Chicago looks completely puny in comparison. Damn you Belgium and Japan! Damn you!

When I crept up to Brenda to speak with her, she was having a conversation with Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo. I sort of weaseled my way into their conversation (in my defense, Chris told me I should go talk to them, so he should be held fully responsible for whatever damage I have done to my cred with the Hoboken Musical Illuminati). I had seen Yo La Tengo a few times but had never spoken with Mr. Kaplan. He was a very friendly guy. It was kind of weird that I was talking to him and never even mentioned Yo La Tengo or indicated I knew who he was. Hey, it was all about the Feelies that night.

Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, formerly of Luna and currently of Dean & Britta (I wonder how they came up with that name?) were also milling about after the show, talking to Stanley (Stanley was Luna's first drummer). I own pretty much everything Luna has ever put out. Dean glanced in my direction and I could have talked to him, but I didn't make any effort to speak with him. As I said before, it was all about the Feelies that night.

I wish I could have talked to Stanley a bit more. He seemed like a really nice guy. Hey, he even introduced me to his wife and friends, saying "This is SPLOTCHY!" After a little chitchat, I got an unexpected spell of social shyness and excused myself to move on to the next person to embarrass myself in front of. Oh well, perhaps next time.

I was a little nervous speaking with Bill Million, but he was quite friendly, and seemed to really appreciate (perhaps touched by, even) the fact that I made the trek to the show.

I am really encouraged that the Feelies are working on some new material. It's pretty darned nifty. I spoke with a few members of the band about the possibility of touring, coming to Chicago, etc. They had mentioned getting some offers for coming there in August, but it sounds like they're just going to see how things organically grow or don't grow.

Whatever happens, I am so happy to have finally been able to see my favorite band play live. It was wonderful.


UPDATE:

Oh, I forgot to include this in the original post. David Patrick Kelly actually contacted me last week via his assistant regarding my extra ticket. He appreciated the offer, but was unable to make it. I ended up giving my extra ticket to a friend of Chris'.

As DPK said in the email, "The Feelies are great!"

DPK On Record

In his interview with the Drunken Severed Head, David Patrick Kelly had mentioned his intent to collect some of his musical recordings for a future release.

Well, the future is now!

Rip Van Boy Man is currently available for purchase as a CD or MP3 download at CD Baby.

He's got a really nice voice.

Samples are available for your listening pleasure on the bottom left of the page on CD Baby.

A Reminder To David Patrick Kelly

Hi, this message is for my adopted actor, David Patrick Kelly. As mentioned previously, I have an extra ticket for the Feelies' July 1st show at the Hoboken, NJ bar Maxwell's.




If you're interested in using the extra ticket, send me an email on the address listed on my profile.

Whether I hear from you or not, I'm planning on leaving the ticket for you at Maxwell's, but if you don't show up by 10pm (the show is supposed to start at 9pm), I'll probably just go outside and hand the ticket to the first Feelies fan that will take it (I would want someone to get some use out of it).

I hope to see you there. If you can't make it, you will have missed what I'm sure will be a great show.

Peace out!


Splotchy

Full DPK Interview Up!

The Drunken Severed Head's full interview with my adopted actor has been posted!


My previously posted interview bits 'n bobs:
Excerpt 1
Excerpt 2
Excerpt 3
Excerpt 4


Thanks again to Max for conducting the original interview, giving me the opportunity to post some choice pieces of it, and allowing the rest of us to be privy to his conversation with Mr. Kelly.

Yay for the Internets!

Attention: David Patrick Kelly

So, I bought two tickets to the Feelies' July 1st show at the Hoboken, NJ bar Maxwell's.

Both the July 1st and 2nd shows are sold out.

I was picking up the extra ticket for MizSplotchy. I had hoped my folks would have been able to babysit our three chilluns so we could jet up to Jersey for a couple days (they had been very gracious to take care of our kids during our trip to San Diego last fall).

Unfortunately, they have prior plans. Hey, I realize that's a lot to ask of my folks, particularly with such short notice, but my desire to see the Feelies has blotted out my sensitivity to others' schedules, emotions and plans.

Anyways, unless something unforeseen happens, chances are I'm going to be headed to Maxwell's by myself. But, I will have an extra ticket that is already paid for.

David Patrick Kelly, my adopted actor, if you want to see a sold-out live show for the low cost of nothing, I have a ticket for you. I am serious. You don't have to hang out with me or anything, just take the ticket with my compliments.

Hey, I'm not creepy or anything. I'm just a faceless person on the Internet offering you something. And what could go wrong with that?

Send me an email on the address listed on my profile if you are interested. I am fully licensed, bonded and insured to see concerts in the Tri-State area.

Love,


Splotchy

Max and DPK Interview, Part 4

Here is the fourth and final part of some excerpts from an interview conducted by Max The Drunken Severed Head with my adopted actor, David Patrick Kelly.

The interview was conducted in Pittsburgh on May 19th, 2007.

In this portion of the interview, Kelly shares some thoughts about Brandon Lee with Max and Max's wife Jane.


Some background:
On March 31, 1993, during the filming of The Crow, Brandon Lee was accidentally shot and killed as a result of a firearm malfunction. Lee was twenty-eight. David Patrick Kelly played the character T-Bird in the film.


DPK:
The first time I met Brandon Lee, I said to him, "You know your father was a big influence on me!"


Max:
Really? Ah!


DPK:
Brandon said, "He was on me, too!" [laughs]. And he was, Bruce was a great genius. Brandon was too.. He was.. It was just a horrible tragedy.


Jane:
It is tragic.


DPK:
Yeah.


Jane:
He had a presence, you could tell in the film, you know? He really did.


DPK:
And a passion, and RESPECT. He was such a nice kid. He was such a, he was so respectful of the process. He worked so hard. Film was such a hard thing for him to do. And I want him to be here, rather than the film, but we finished the film for him. And I think he would have been proud.

It was kind of a "Rebel Without a Cause" for the goth kids, it really was. I didn't even realize it until years later. I wouldn't even look at it for years.

Max and DPK Interview, Part 3

Part 3 of some excerpts from an interview conducted by Max The Drunken Severed Head with my adopted actor, David Patrick Kelly.

The interview was conducted in Pittsburgh on May 19th, 2007.

This portion deals with DPK's early work as an actor and musician in New York City in the 1970's.

Max's wife Jane also puts in an appearance.


DPK:
Max's [Kansas City] had 150 seats with little tables that were lined up in rows. I saw everybody -- from Bruce Springsteen with his first record out, "Greetings from Asbury Park"; the Wailers, the original Wailers, Bob Marley and Peter Tosh; Robbie Shakespeare and Sly Dunbar...


Jane:
Wow, I'm jealous of that.

[Max laughs]


DPK:
It was great -- [the Wailers] had just had Burnin' out on record. Patti Smith made her first appearance there, when when it was just her and Lenny Kaye on guitar... Charles Mingus quartet...

So once in a while it'd be really packed with people. We'd have to help down the stairs. Then I did a play there, and that moved into what they called a punk -- we didn't call it punk rock -- but it was the punk rock era.

And we'd read about the band Television playing at CBGB's, and so I went there too with my band. Very good band, still got some live tapes, gonna bring them out. I had to dissolve my band, and then...


Max:
You played guitar?


DPK:
I played guitar, and played all the cabarets in rock. It was a wonderful scene, actors and songwriters in the 70's in New York, and that new music, or punk, if you wanna call it that, that THING was going on.

It was very creative. It was a wonderful time in the theater too. There were a lot more theaters then. And I did a play at Max's, and then my first New York job, big job, was Sergeant Pepper on stage.

I played Sergeant Pepper himself and sang "Get Back" and "Saved the Day" at the end of the show. It was by the people who did "Hair" and "Jesus Christ Superstar". John Lennon and Paul McCartney came to the opening. It was really fantastic.


Jane:
VERY nice...


DPK:
It was like a dream. Did you ever see that book "Rock Dreams"? By a guy named Guy Peellaert? David Bowie has an album called "Diamond Dogs".


Jane:
Uh-huh.


DPK:
The cover of that, where he's half dog and half human -- it was done by an artist called Guy Peellaert. He had a book called "Rock Dreams" where it was just fantasies, like Dylan sitting at a diner with Elvis, and stuff like that.

And so, being with John Lennon at the party was a little bit like one of those rock dreams. There he was, talking to me!! Taking me around, introducing me to people.

Because, it's a long story, I know I had gone on in place of somebody, and I know all the words, and he said [imitating Lennon] "Here's Dave, he knows all the words, I don't know all the words to my songs". [laughter]

He was being hounded by Nixon during that time, because he was in protest at the big convention that was coming up. He'd done an interview with himself, "Dr. Winston O'Boogle Interviews John Lennon". And so I told him, "John, you did a good interview with yourself". He says, "Yeah, I asked myself some very pertinent questions". [laughter]

He was a wonderful guy. It was just another horrible tragedy, you know...


Jane:
Yeah.


Max:
I was so...


DPK:
Inconsolable?


Max:
Saddened about that.


DPK:
I'd seen the Beatles. I'd seen them in Detroit, at the Olympic Stadium. Yeah, it was me, Larry Francis, and 12,000 screaming 12 year old girls. That was it.

Max and DPK Interview, Part 2

Part 2 of some excerpts from an interview conducted by Max The Drunken Severed Head with my adopted actor, David Patrick Kelly.

The interview was conducted in Pittsburgh on May 19th, 2007.


Max, The Drunken Severed Head:
Do you get impatient with actors who don't place emphasis on the story but more on their role?


DPK:
We're all crazy in our own way, and I judge actors that I want to work with again about how they are "in the moment", as we say.

Onstage, or in a film scene, when you're with people and you're looking in their eye, you can really tell what they're about. You can tell everything about them. And you can tell how generous they are or how selfish, A lot of that gets confused because of the roles they're playing. You cut a wide allowance for how people are offstage, because everybody has their own discipline, and their own ways, and their own philosophies.

But when you're doin' the THING, you can tell how people really are. You can tell if they're selfish, or if they're generous. You can tell what kind of an ARTIST they are, and that's how you judge. In the world everybody's crazy in their own way. So you just have to find a way to tolerate and allow people to be what they are.

Then there's certain times where you get to see what people really are. And, that's how you deal with who you keep connecting up with, and who you want to work with again. But impatience, you gotta let that go.

Martial arts taught me a lot about patience. I only started martial arts when I was 35, and it was very meaningful, because it shakes off, it goes back to looking in people's eyes. To me, martial arts, with men and women, in my karate school [smiles] you really get to see how people are.

We're animals with big brains. So we have the perfect ability, that's possible, but we're really animals. And the real nature of people when they're fighting each other comes out. And once again you see how they really are. So that it was a different way to get more TRUTH. It was kind of a goal for me.

I wanted to play Shakespearean generals, so I wanted to have martial arts. And I've been there twenty years now. So it's once again, a spiritual discipline. I call myself a Zen Taoist. Christian is what I am. Meditation is a part of it, Tai Chi, and martial arts, these things give me structure, and some way to stay fit as I get into my creaking years.

And, larger than that, it's a spiritual discipline as well. It teaches you a lot about patience, about your patience with other people. Because it's like an army experience almost. People talk about the army being "the best time of their life". They didn't want to go in, but, "Oh, my buddies," all that stuff. Because you're with people you wouldn't normally be with.

Being in a locker room, and people saying [mocking tone] "Hey! Ain't cha gonna do no more movies man?" or, "Whattsa matter witcher' career?", or something like that... They don't know anything [about me], but still you get to learn something about them. You ask about them and they say "Well, I got five kids, and three wives, and I'm strugglin', but my martial arts keeps me together." And it's true. You get to -- for an actor it's a goldmine. You're doin' this research, you've got different people that you don't get to meet, instead of hanging out with actors all the time. So that's waaay more than you wanted to know about martial arts...

The Drunken Severed Head Meets DPK

Part 1 of some excerpts from an interview conducted by Max The Drunken Severed Head with my adopted actor, David Patrick Kelly.

The interview was conducted in Pittsburgh on May 19th, 2007. It has not been published to this date.

Yes, this is brand new, never-before-seen interview material with my adopted actor! Thanks again, Max!


Max, The Drunken Severed Head:
My first question would be, basically, how did you become interested in acting? What were the circumstances?


DPK:
I think it was the Catholic Church. I had a happy upbringing. I was an altar boy in the 50's, and saw all that ritual, and the costumes, all the vestments and everything else. There was something about it that was mysterious and great.

My father was a painter, so we always had painting going on in our basement. There were big scenes. He painted the furnace to look like a tree, and the walls were always covered with paintings, so I think it was just an environment. My mother taught me music. And it was a combination of these twin things in my family, art and music.

So I think that combination made it obvious, just combined to make that all interesting for me. And then, literature too. My family was always bookish. So the combination of all those things made it happen. And the first thing that I was interested in was Samuel Beckett and things like that. And Dostoevsky in high school. These were great characters.

I'll always remember a kid saying to me once, "You're an actor," just out of the blue. I was just playing in bands in high school, and things like that. And he said "You're an actor" and it sort of stuck. It was sort of prophetic.

So, the combination.

The biggest influences on me growing up in Detroit was MUSIC, really. 'Cause I'd seen these great acts. My high school friends and I, we had the MC5 -- I don't know if you know them -- and Iggy (Pop) were around, in Detroit, and the MC5 played at our junior high school dance. You know, this theatrical, amazing group of people with this powerful thing. But then we would journey around. I saw Jimi Hendrix, and the Beatles. I saw The Doors at Cobo in Detroit.

And this was a very theatrical time. All my friends and I, we wanted to go to the circus school. For some reason, circus was a big influence. Going down to Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey. But then, just reading the literature, and getting involved with Shakespeare in college, at the University of Detroit, where I graduated. My first show in Detroit was a combination of music and theater, HAIR.

Happy Birthday, David Patrick Kelly!

This is what one calls a multipurpose post.

First, I would like to wish my adopted actor David Patrick Kelly a very happy birthday.


Happy Birthday!

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Second, we continue to honor the fact that January Is Meme Month. I was tagged by Allen L. to do a My Dinner With Andre kinda meme.

Here is the meme:

1. Pick a single person past or present who works in the film industry you would like to have dinner with. And tell us why you chose this person.

2. Set the table for your dinner. What would you eat? Would it be in a home or at a restaurant? And what would you wear? Feel free to elaborate on the details.

3. List five thoughtful questions you would ask this person during dinner.

4. When all is said and done, select six bloggers to pass this Meme along to.

5. Link back to Lazy Eye Theatre, so people know the mastermind behind this Meme.


And my answers:

1. Well, c'mon, who do you think I am going to pick, on this day of all days? David Patrick Kelly, of course.


2. I don't like setting the table. I don't like cooking. If his IMDB entry is factually correct, Mr. Kelly is a vegetarian, and from what I can gather he probably lives in NYC. He is welcome to pick the place to eat -- it doesn't matter to me, though perhaps it could be on the inexpensive side as I would most likely have to travel from Chicago for this meal. I'll wear what I please, unless there is a dress code that would prohibit me from my standard casually sloppy ensemble.


3. Ahhh, I have actually thought about this already! A few months back, I mailed a letter with some interview questions to what I think was DPK's talent agency, but unfortunately did not receive a response. I didn't want to overwhelm the man, so I just sent him six questions. Here they be:

• How did you first get into acting?


• How did your casting of the role of Luther in The Warriors come about?


• Does it surprise you how iconic your "come out to play" lines have come to be?


• Did the producers of the recent Warriors videogame approach you about reprising the role of Luther? If so, why did you decline their offer?


• I see that you have many credits for the theatre (though unfortunately, not in my neck of the woods). Do you have a preference for theatre or film acting? What gives you the most joy, and why?


• From what I can tell from information gathered from the Internet, it indicates you are a composer and musician. Do you have any music that is commercially available? Do you play music regularly in NYC or other cities? Were you involved in the CBGB scene in the late-70's (Blondie, Talking Heads, Television, etc.), either as a performer or a spectator?

If by the remotest chance in hell DPK actually reads this post, I'd still love to hear your answers. If you'd like to email your answers to me at i DOT splotchy AT gmail DOT com it would be truly wonderful.


4. Nope. I am not linking to six people. That's ridiculous.


5. I would link back to you, but then you pissed me off with the fourth rule. Sorry.


_______________________________________________________

And one more tantalizing tidbit of DPK news:


There is some very exciting news on the DPK front at this humble blog. I have been in touch with Max the Drunken Severed Head, who indicated to me that his interview with DPK was close to being transcribed. He has also told me he will allow me to publish the interview on this very blog!

Thanks, Max!

DPK in ASCII

I love David Patrick Kelly.
I love ASCII art.

Thanks to the ASCII Art Generator, I can have both.

Talk To The Drunken Severed Head

Hi, if you would like doing a favor for not only me, but for my adopted actor David Patrick Kelly as well, please leave a comment for a certain Drunken Severed Head here.

He was granted an interview with Mr. Kelly back in May (and has a pic to prove it!), but has yet to post it. I tried leaving a comment showing my enthusiasm for the yet-to-be-published interview, but was met with the cold sting of silence (though I believe I saw the head briefly poke around my blog after I left my comment).

The head, despite the fact it is drunk and severed, seems to be a most jovial and agreeable sort of appendage. I was hoping I could enlist your support in urging him to share the thoughts of David Patrick Kelly with the rest of the DPK-deprived blogosphere.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

DPK On Stage

David Patrick Kelly spends a healthy amount of time acting on the stage.

Here are a few recent highlights.

Production: Snow In June
Dates: November 20 - December 28, 2003
Location: Loeb Drama Center, Cambridge, MA
DPK played: The Widow/The Doctor
More information:
American Repertory Theatre
Harvard Gazette article

The Widow

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Production: Festen
Dates: April 9 - May 20, 2006
Location: Music Box Theatre, NYC, NY
DPK played: Poul
More information:
Broadway World

Opening Night


DPK, second from left

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Production: The Glorious Ones
Dates: April 19 - May 20, 2007
Location: Pittsburgh Public Theater, Pittsburgh, PA
DPK played: Pantalone
More information:
Pittsburgh Public Theater
Creators Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty site

The Glorious Ones will have its New York premiere at Lincoln Center beginning October 11, 2007!

From what I can tell, DPK will reprise his role in the NYC run.

DPK, seated, wearing red

Reaching Out, Future Post Topics

Some nice things happened over the weekend.

Andy Aldridge dropped in to say "hi" on a post dedicated to my 3000th visitor. Hi, Andy! To see how great and loving a fanpage can be, check out his A Head Full Of Wishes (*especially* if'n you like the Galaxie 500 or the Luna -- there be no greater site).

I also received an email from Stanley Demeski, drummer for the best band in the world saying, "Thanks for the kind words." Hi, Stanley! And you're welcome! And you're wonderful! To hear what I am constantly pumping up, you can pick up a custom, burned CD of The Feelies' second album, The Good Earth at Twin Tone Records.

However, if'n you don't feel like spending money due to the high cost of gasoline, you can instead devote a portion of your reserved stock of psychic energy (yeah, I know you have been squirreling some away) to will a full-fledged Feelies reunion into existence. For God's sakes, tell me if your efforts work! I don't want to miss it.

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This kind of feedback gives me not only encouragement to slosh my feelings, thoughts and opinions onto the Internet, but also to reach out and attempt to make contact with others.

Here's a few of my "reaching out" ideas currently in the hopper.

1) I outlined my idea for an online application where users can supply a hummed snippet of a song, and others would then try to help the user identify the song. Well, it appears that this concept already has a name -- Query by humming. In the cases I have found of this on the web (at NYU for example) the project seems more geared to having a machine doing the song recognition, rather than other people. I am going to try and contact someone at NYU regarding their project, asking them if it's possible my idea could somehow be integrated with theirs. If a "humming library" could be gradually built up organically by people identifying other people's song submissions, this could complement their machine-identification algorithm application nicely.

2) The recent movie I worked on that I mentioned briefly had a majority of its scenes shot at the lovely Portage Park Center For The Arts, which was formerly the Nebo Lutheran Church.

The church was deconsecrated before being converted into a neighborhood arts center. I find the concept of a sacred space fascinating, especially the unsacred-ing of it (even the terms of the sacred are interesting -- consecrate, desecrate, deconsecrate). I asked the Portage Park Art Center's director Jennifer La Civita what had to be done to deconsecrate the church prior to the handover, but she indicated that whatever ritual was done had already taken place when she got the building. I'd like to ask various denominations what actions have to take place for a sacred place to become a space of the profane.

3) David Patrick Kelly hopefully has my interview-by-letter racing towards his eager eyes.


Okay, ta-ta for now.

January 22nd, January 22nd, January 22nd

My wife was looking at my blog tonight, and saw my post about David Patrick Kelly's birthday of January 23rd, and how it was strange that he had the same birthday as my eldest son and daughter.

She said to me, "You know the kids' birthday is on January 22nd, not the 23rd, right?" After a short, informal ceremony I was then awarded the following certificate: