Friday, October 26, 2007

All I can say this morning is this: I should not watch “30 Rock” alone anymore. It’s too funny, too disturbing, too nightmarish, too smart for me to watch and not have someone there to make sure that I don’t slide down a rabbit hole afterwards. Tina Fey is so brilliant, Alec Baldwin is so damn hilarious, and it’s way WAY too real for me. It reminds me of my years at SNL and it reminds me that I’m older and not there or anywhere near the center of anything like that and probably never will be and it fills me with regret and dread and delight and relief! It’s a marathon of emotion for me just to watch the show and this week’s episode features Carrie Fisher as an older comedy writer and her character is so pathetic and familiar and I can’t believe she did that part and of course she did that part because it’s so real and true and funny and awful. Oh god. I was up half the night thinking about that show. And I drank two glasses of wine. I wrote a rambling email to my girlfriends from Spokane. Oh god.

I am going to put this up on my website, but I thought I would toss it out here first: Jill Sobule and I are doing two shows at Largo in November, on Nov. 6th and 13th. And we are going to make them have a quasi-Christmas theme and record them and put them out on CD and on audible by Christmas time. Jill has a few wonderful Christmas songs and I am going to try to think of some Christmas stories too. I’ll probably talk about Mulan and Santa Claus and Christmas Mass and the baby Jesus. I don’t know yet, but we usually have a lot of fun doing those shows at Largo.

Also, I am about to revamp my website. Probably in the next two months. It’s going to be more like a house, or rather, have a house type of theme. I have ideas, people!

I am also watching Mad Men and loving it. There is a lot of good TV on these days. My other new favorite show is a BBC show called, “How Clean Is Your House.” Oh god, it is really funny and interesting.

I just did my show, “Letting Go of God” in Seattle – or to be more specific, in Bothell last weekend. It was really fun. I sort of remembered how much I love doing this show. I have three shows scheduled for early November in Connecticut and New Jersey and then I just booked another show in Park City, Utah on Dec. 1st. I am thinking that I will let my booker book me to do about 15 shows a year of Letting Go. As far as the movie goes, I’m not sure what is happening yet. I am waiting to find out about if it gets into Sundance before I make any decisions. But I am sort of attracted to releasing the movie myself, more expansive, but somewhat like I released the CD, which has done well and it’s really fun that the internet makes this all possible, unlike when I had to release “God Said Ha!” through a distributor ten years ago.

Okay, I have to go get Mulan up for school. It’s Friday and I am not getting on a plane today and that is good news. Last Friday was so frantic and hysterical – we were flying to Seattle after Mulan got out of school and I had so much to get done before we left, I was running around and behind with everything all day. We rushed to the airport with all my stuff – the computers I need to do the show, Cds, even Christmas presents for my nieces who we were staying with in Seattle. And I handed our tickets to the person at the airline desk and he said, “These tickets are from Burbank.” I had driven to the wrong airport! Oh my god, I am losing my mind. Fortunately they rebooked us from LAX, but I have been marveling at my lack of togetherness ever since. I want to write a book called, “Slow Down” and last Friday’s craziness will be the first chapter.

24 comments:

Cliff O'Neill said...

Julia,

Oh, how I love you! Was wondering what you thought of that episode while I was watching it myself!

Oh, and you you ever stand at the airport news stand magazine racks and, as Pat, say "Wheeeere's Peeeeeople?"

I hate to admit it, but I do. Well, I have. Once. OK, twice.

Love ya!

Anonymous said...

ACK! - you were here ? and I didn't KNOW !!!! - sigh....ok fine, still love you and your work -

Jeff Pollet said...

Just saw you in your introduction for Sam Harris at AAI, and came to check out your site and blog, and wanted to say: If you ever do a show in the SF Bay Area, I'm there. I'll bring friends. Friends who are atheists. Several of them.

Anonymous said...

Julia, Julia, Julia -

I'm kicking myself! First, you don't know me, but I'll write this like we've been friends for a long time, like since 2003 or something ...

I'm kicking myself because you're performing in the my state, Connecticut, the Constitution State, and my darn father has forced me to go on a "boy's weekend trip" to Florida with him and my brother from the 9th to the 11th & I already bought the non-refundable ticket.

This is tragic because I adore your work and would have loved to see "Letting go of god" and tell you that in person. (Then my girlfriend would have jumped in and apologized for me, saying, "He's usually so normal and understated; please disregard the fact that he's screaming out of excitement ...")

Now, rather than basking in your wit, laughing hysterically at your humor & plucking the single tear from under my eye during the more emotional scenes (at the Bushnell in Hartford), I'll be drinking beer with my dad (who will be wearing a speedo) and my brother while watching the University of Miami football team either 1) lose to Virginia or 2) be arrested.

Anyhow, please enjoy the autumn weather in Connecticut and knock'em dead. Seriously, I'm totally bummed that I'm going to miss the performance.

Geoffrey

LesIsMore said...

Hi there: I've been a fan since the SNL days...but would like to help you. I am a professional organizer who needs a celebrity to boost my career...please be that celebrity. I would love to help you get organzied and live clutter-free. Here is my website www.lesmess.com Oh, and I also come with a TV show if you want to do in for TV...And, Geoffrey--I live in CT and would love to buy the ticket off you--so email me at leslie@lesismore.net

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I'm a 30 Rock fan as well! It's one of the few shows I watch these days. The Baldwin bit with the counselor was brilliant, though I was wondering the whole time if Tracey Morgan had mixed feelings while he did that scene; does he get annoyed that he basically had to watch a black face routine (!) about himself ("his character", fine), all in the name of teh funniez, while simultaneously being in awe of Alec Baldwin's incredible talent?

Carrie Fisher was so great too. Tina Fey and I are your children, Julia! Ha. I mean that in the least creepy way possible! THANK YOU FOR BREAKING BARRIERS FOR USSSSSS

-K.A.

Donita Curioso said...

Eek! Watching Carrie Fisher last night made me squirm. I also found that episode funny and disturbing.

Wow. I'm also totally stuck on Mad Men. I don't usually go for tv dramas but that show got to me. I'm 51 and I do remember that time. The way men and women related to each other! Jeez, that stuff actually happened. I love sharing it with my girls ( ages 17 and 21).

Woo-hoo, more Largo shows! We'll be there! And I promise I won't cry (yes, it's me, the front-row weeper from the Letting Go filming. Still embarrassed).

Sherri said...

I LOVE that insanity keeps you up nights and your pen drawer is a mess, because that is something to which I can relate.

In my mind, everyone who has ever been on TV... even for 2 minutes... employs a 24 hour staff that does nothing but tell them how they are totally not insane, taking breaks only to organize their pen drawers for them.

And chop their tofu. That's what TV people eat, right?

Spencer Troxell said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

30 Rock = perfection

R Middleton said...

I will try to be brief, because I do have a tendency to run on. Also, I am a little bit terrified of posting this out of a fear of being contacted by Leslie, but I'll push through those fears...

Love what you do! I've been listening to your stuff obsessively the past few days and sharing it with many others. I particularly like that your LGOG is the story of your journey, which I think draws people in and makes sense to those who might be put off by some others (all of whom I also love) who basically state: "Religion is so ridiculous, how could anybody ever believe it!?"

Re: Carrie Fisher tackling difficult showbiz stuff, did you ever see the special she did many years ago (for A&E, I believe) covering Children in Hollywood trying to become stars? It was one of the most disturbing views of our culture that I've seen. Track it down.

Thanks for what you do! Keep it up! ~Rob
PS: You can feel free to boost my career if you'd like :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Julia-
I'm a big fan of yours in Connecticut and I'm fuming!! I just got a call from the Bushnell Auditorium where you were to perform on Nov. 10 to tell me the show is cancelled. When I asked if it was due to low ticket sales, they said no, it was due to the uproar they got from the Bushnell "community" over the title of the show. Apparently, the local radio station (WRCH) even pulled their radio spots because listeners objected to ads!
Ugh! I am so disappointed, upset, angry.

People in CT who are reading this...what can we do?

Anonymous said...

Hi Julia,

I am very upset to hear from Kim's post that your show at the Bushnell was cancelled due to "uproar" from the "community" over the title? That's crazy talk! I find it hard to believe. I also can't imagine that the radio ads could have been so controversial that any great number of people would object. Good grief! I've seen your wonderful show twice in L.A. (once when you showcased it at the skeptics society) and was considering going again with my wife, but had trouble with what I thought was the Bushnell website.
I'll call them tomorrow, and if indeed what Kim has reported is true, I think we should offer up a "ruckus" at the very least, to voice our extreme displeasure with what amounts to censorship by a noisy and probably tiny minority.

I live in West Hartford now, and am certainly part of the "Bushnell Community", a part of the community that believes we'd be very lucky to see what is now a rare and special treat: seeing "Letting go of God" performed live. Let's check our facts Kim, and if we need to, let's create a responsible little "uproar" of our own to show our support for freethought, free speech, and Julia's whole uplifting take on it all.

Julia, I hope the rest of your trip is a smashing success, and rest assured that there are plenty of us here in the "Bushnell Community" who love and support you.

Anonymous said...

Jerry,
Please do call the Bushnell tomorrow and let us know what they tell you. I'd like to also call WRCH and find out more about the complaints they supposedly received about the ads. I haven't heard the spots myself, but can't imagine how they could be considered controversial!

After learning about the cancellation, I did call the theater in Ridgefield to see if they have any seats available for the Nov. 11 show and they have plenty. In fact, they are hoping that the Bushnell "cancelees" will buy up their tickets!

Unknown said...

I LOVE 'How Clean Is Your House?' :)
I got into it this past summer and it really is so funny. I think my fav/craziest episode was the bird lady one (if you've seen it you'll know what I'm talking about).

I'll see if I can get to the Largo show :)

Sheldon said...

Julia,

What's up with the Tuesday night shows in L.A. with Jill? Tuesdays??!

I'd fly down from SF for sure if it were Friday, Saturday, or hell, even Sunday (I can cancel classes on a Monday). But Tuesdays?

Anyway, break a leg, kiddo. And I freakin' LOVE the LGOG song you sent out! Is that you singing backup? It sounds like you, broken into a dozen voices.

You might consider posting that song to your YouTube account so everyone can enjoy it. : )

-- Sheldon

Anonymous said...

Okay, regarding the cancellation of the Bushnell show, The Hartford Courant today reported that the show was cancelled due to low ticket sales. I was told the same when I called the Bushnell, and again when I called WRCH. Sad as that may be, it makes more sense than any sort of controversy about the title or content of the show. We ARE in Connecticut, for God's sake. Not sure how or why you heard different Kim, but it just seems that Hartford doesn't know what they're missing, at least this time round. Enjoy the Ridgefield show.

Good luck, Julia, with the other east coast stops, the film, and all your other endeavours.

Anonymous said...

Well I'm not sure what the real story about the Bushnell show is then. I was just repeating what the guy at the box office told me on the phone yesterday. He said 200 tickets were sold (it's a 900 seat theater) but that they had only just begun to advertise so they most likely would have sold considerably more. (He also said they had 1200 postcards printed up and ready to mail but the show was cancelled before they got out). This just doesn't sit well with me.

Sandra Evertson said...

I'm a huge fan!
So glad I found your site! Visit me if you ever have a chance, I would love to share my work with you! :)
Sandra Evertson

Jefftexas said...

I've debated on whether to comment 4 times now in some strange fear of sounding nerdy-but what a small thing on the cosmic scale of things!

I can't imagine seeing 30 Rock from your perspective, it must be intense. I think it is one of the best written shows in years and I love the humor and I love that I don't have that feeling of being too stupid to know when to laugh since they don't use canned laughter!

Thanks for sharing-Jeff

Anonymous said...

Ooh! Julia and Jill and Christmas all together? Where do I send the money! It will make my Christmas CD collection smile.

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Documentaries said...

I LOVE that insanity keeps you up nights and your pen drawer is a mess, because that is something to which I can relate.

In my mind, everyone who has ever been on TV... even for 2 minutes... employs a 24 hour staff that does nothing but tell them how they are totally not insane, taking breaks only to organize their pen drawers for them.

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