Wonderful Being

Click here for a summary and links! An interview with Angelique Fustukjian, Matt Namik, and Jack Filsinger part of the creative team for Our American Tragedy, a 2024 Hollywood Fringe Festival selection. Remember how John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln at a play? This show tells a story I’ve never seen in a history book - That of the actors onstage that night.

Click here for an episode summary! 🌟Who WAS the original touring #girlboss ?Maybe it’s Jenny Lind,whoShelley Cooper( @musical_shelley ) brings to life in her newone-woman showJENNY LIND PRESENTS PT BARNUMMaybe it’s Beyoncé or Taylor Swift…Or maybe it’s Shelley Cooper herself!If you want to know about:🌟performing a solo show in a 13th century European castle,🌟Touring successfully with an original one-woman show, or🌟Bringing history to life in the age of TikTok…This is the interview for you!Now go buy your tickets to see Shelley @hollywoodfringe !

Here’s my interview with Karen Hall, cellist and solo theater artist. She’s the performer and creator of the show  Delusions and Grandeur -  a solo cello recital meets clown show. If you see one show at this year’s Hollywood Fringe, Make this the one! For a list of episode highlights with timestamps, click here.

It was a big year for this neurodivergent media maker, but instead of regaling you with a boring "Year in Review" list, here are my top three takeaways from 2022...and my focus for 2023. Visit my website for links, a summary, and video.

Meet Tori Noquez, a magician who the New York times calls a “math professor by day, conjurer by night.” You’ll learn how math and music interact in her life, her advice for multipassionate folks…and why linear algebra is cool! Click here for links, video, and a summary.

Here's my full interview with Hima Joshi, soprano and chemist. The San Diego Troubadour will publish an edited version of this interview on September 1, 2022. We discuss her singing, her career as a chemist and professor, and her return to performance after the pandemic. We also had some interesting tangents about the connections between music and science education along with the nature of creativity. For links and video, click here. 

I'm fixing my Black Swamp beryllium copper tambourine on Instagram Live  TOMORROW, 8/18 at 2pm Pacific time. VIDEO/LINKS: https://bit.ly/3QznY34

David Hirata is one of my favorite Fringe artists of all time thanks to his insight, skill, and experience. He also taught me how to create community with others at Fringe festivals. I consider him to be a role model, and after you hear this interview, I bet you will, too! LINKS/VIDEO: https://bit.ly/3uL4Juz

As an autistic/ADHD double winner, organizing and planning is a challenge for me. I found that paper planners help. What helps YOU stay organized? LINKS/VIDEO: https://bit.ly/3yKZDB5 PS, I am NOT PLEASED with this audio; please be patient with me as I figure out which tools will help me improve this podcast!

I'm struggling with the competition between my own personal grief and the collective grief from current events. How do I balance the two? VIDEO/MORE INFO: https://bit.ly/3Av1tYd

Dancer, teacher, producer, choreographer, fitness professional, business owner - Erica Buechner tells me about her many skills, and how they influence each other. LINKS/VIDEO: https://bit.ly/3AfiYeY

I just finished 8 years of teaching middle school. Here's a message for my students...or a message from a Millennial to Gen Z. For links/summary/video, click here.

Mother and son performers Blaize and Marybeth Berry and director Tyrie K. Rowell told me all about the emotional creation process for their 2022 San Diego Fringe show "On the Spectrum." YES, this show is about autism, and it's also on tour. If it stops in your city, GO SEE IT! For video, click here.

Phillip Magin wrote, co-produced, and directed the San Diego Fringe show “Turn Me On, Dead Man,” which gives a potential rendition of how the “Paul McCartney is Dead” conspiracy theory came to be. For video, click here. 

Get excited for "The Pandemusical Diaries," BJ Robinson's one-man show filled with music, parody, and multimedia! BJ told me all about his creation process and his advice for aspiring solo performers. TICKETS: click here. LINKS: click here. VIDEO: click here.

Katie Turner sat down with me to talk about "Iris and the Axe," a Turnkey Theatre production featuring animation, period costume, and floriography - the Victorian language of flowers. TICKETS: click here. LINKS: click here. VIDEO: click here.

Comedian Paco Erhard lived up to the title of his show, "Worst German Ever," (click for San Diego Fringe tickets!) when he showed up late to this interview - but he was a little tired from winning Patron's Pick at this year's Orlando Fringe. If you like political commentary shows like "The Daily Show," you'll love this interview! Click here for a summary and links. Click here for video.

Strippers...nudists...hippies...an unboxing...Al Gore...and an Emmy?! It got pretty fringey in my first interview with Gabriela Sosa, writer and performer of the San Diego Fringe show "Love in the Time of Taksim." Click here for TICKETS to "Love in the Time of Taksim:" https://bit.ly/3NZV4b1 Click here for video: https://bit.ly/3t35jDo 

I've got a lot on my plate - but the biggest portion is grieving the end of my eight years as a middle school teacher. How can I grieve in a healthy way in a society that doesn't teach us to do that? Here are some of my thoughts. Click here for tickets to "Yes, No, Maybe So?" at San Diego Fringe. Click here for a summary (including links to cited authors). Click here for video.

I recorded this the day after performing my solo show, "Yes, No, Maybe So?" at Hi-Desert Fringe without any tech except for what I brought myself. I DID IT! HOORAY! Find out where you can see the show next along with my tip for anyone running sound cues off an iPhone. Click here for tickets to "Yes, No, Maybe So?" at San Diego Fringe. Click here for a transcription. Click here for video.

My solo show "Yes, No, Maybe So" has a TON of tech. I'm getting ready to perform it at Hi-Desert Fringe on May 14, 2022 at 8:15pm with NO TECH except for what I provide myself. Will the show still work? Click here for a summary and links. Click here for video. 

I spoke with actor Tanya Thomas about the artistic and emotional process behind the creation of her award-winning solo show, “Naturally Tan.” If you’re a solo performer – or if you want to be one – this is required viewing! For links and a summary, click here. For video, click here.

Here's what happened when I took a sailing class while dealing with some serious autistic burn out. While it was a complete disaster, it gave me compassion for my students...and anyone else who has ever run out of a stressful situation!

Kat Dishongh is a singer, guitarist, lawyer...and literally the most interesting woman in the world. For more information and a video of this interview, click here.

Here's my interview with music journalist Enrique Lopetegui, who has just released a new book, "Nobody Told Me Nada: Latin Pop, Llama Poop, and Other Unexpected Writings." For video and a summary, click here. 

I recently found out that San Diego Fringe is happening this year. Should I do "Yes, No, Maybe So" even though most folks I know have already seen it streaming? For a summary and video, click here. 

Lynne Jassem is a tap dancer, comedian, and solo performer extraordinaire. We sat down to talk about her new show, "Being Richard Greene," which tackles Lynne's struggle with gender identity starting in the late 1940's - long before anyone was asking for pronouns - using spoken mime, characterizations, and multimedia. For video and ticket information, click here.

Here is my pandeiro cover and English translation of "Nada a Declarar" by Ultraje a Rigor, a Brazilian rock band. For video, lyrics, and more, click here.

As a neurodivergent musician, I am actually very glad that I know how to read (musical) notes. Here are some situations where it has come in handy. How has your ability to read notes (or not) helped YOU as a musician? For video and a brief summary, click here.

Not all cultures rely on note reading to communicate musical ideas. Here's what happened when I went to Brazil and experienced a culture with a very different viewpoint on reading notes. For video and/or a brief summary, click here. 

I saw "Admissions" at OnStage Playhouse in Chula Vista last Saturday night (2/5/22), and it was OUTSTANDING. Here are my thoughts about the show. Warning: there are spoilers at the end! For ticket links, additional commentary, and video, click here.

Nothing gives me anxiety quite like recording does. Here are the top three things I learned from recording six songs in two weeks for my Zoom musical, "Thank You! It's True." What recording tips do YOU have to share? For a brief summary, click here. For video, click here. 

I just got done performing my new musical (or perhaps "play with music" is more appropriate) "Thank You! It's True" at the Tucson Fringe Festival. Here are my tips for anyone else looking to perform a musical (or "play with music") live on Zoom.

At last...an interview with One Man Bond himself! Tune in to hear Tom Steward talk about his TWO SHOWS playing at this year's Tucson Fringe Festival. For tickets to "The Godfather Two Parts," click here. For a recording of One Man Bond, click here. For video and more information, visit queenmabmusic.com.

Besides having the coolest name on the planet, Lion Fludd is a magician who will be performing his show "The Hustle" in person at Tucson Fringe on January 13 at 6:30pm, January 14 at 7:30pm, and January 15 at 12:30pm Get your tickets here. Find Lion on Instagram @lionfludd. For a video of this interview, click here. 

Azo Safo and Catherine Barnes went live on Instagram on December 27, 2021 to discuss their new show "Thank you! It's True," which will be premiering on Zoom as part of the 2022 Tucson Fringe Festival. Show dates are 1/13 at 5:30pm PT and 1/15 at 6pm PT. Get your tickets here! - Find Azo on Instagram or Twitter - Visit Catherine's website

I sat down and talked with Matt Denney about his new solo show "Matt-chong: A Swagapino's Search for Identity" that will premiere at the 2022 Tucson Fringe Festival! Buy tickets here, and catch his show in at The Screening Room in downtown Tuscon on January 15th at 8:30pm and January 16th at 1:30pm  Matt's Website: https://www.mattdenney.net/ Matt's Social Media: @therealmattdenney on all platforms For video of this interview, click here.

I am sorry for not having posted an episode in so long! To be honest, my video frequency will likely remain slow; I'm in get down mode finishing my new show, "Thank You, It's True," which premieres on Zoom January 13 at 6:30pm Mountain Time as part of Tucson Fringe! This show is all about metabolizing a crappy experience I had several years ago. Have you ever used a creative project to make something positive out of a painful experience? (UPDATE: Turns out tickets are already on sale; click here to buy yours!) For a transcription, click here.  For video, click here. 

I’ve been a fan of comedian, podcaster, drummer, and solo artist Bethany Vee ever since we started working together in Jessica Lynn Johnson’s solo theater classes. We sat down together to talk about comedy, podcasting, recovery, neurodivergence, and of course, drumming. For a summary of the interview, click here. For video, click here. 

I took a break from video blogging because my students had a concert. In my opinion, it's much harder to do a concert with my students than it is to do a concert on my own. So why is there such a stigma about being a teacher and not a "performer?" For a transcript, click here. For video, click here. 

Here's the opening chapter from "The Three Fleas," the novel I started writing last year as part of National Novel Writing Month. We meet Andreas Kaladro - sailor, navigator, and bounty hunter - who arrives at The Three Fleas tavern in search of Aurelia Gonzaga, the notorious proprietress of the establishment. But the tavern is full of surprises, as he finds out to his dismay... For a transcript, click here. For video, click here. 

I participated in National Novel Writing Month last year. I made it to 50,000 words, but the novel isn't finished. Here's a word about my plans for participating this year. Have YOU ever done NaNoWriMo? What was your experience like? For a transcript, click here. For video, click here. 

While watching a lot of streaming solo theater during the pandemic, I noticed that I have intense reactions to certain shows. I thought this might be a result of online viewing, but then I remembered that reactions like this started for me in high school with "Oedipus Rex." If you're too emotional to attend a talkback, how do YOU handle a strong reaction to a show? For a transcript, click here. For video, click here. 

Today I ran across the weirdest thing I have ever seen...ASMR videos on YouTube. My faith in humanity has evaporated completely. Can someone please explain to me why people like to watch/listen to this?!?!?

I've spent the past few videos ranting about the aspects of 12 Step Programs that I don't care for. Here are some of the things that have kept me coming back for the past 10 years...especially as a neurodivergent person. What aspects of the program work for YOU? For a transcript, click here. For video, click here. 

The word "ego" has a very negative connotation in our society, and it might as well be a swear word in the Twelve Step rooms. However, I haven't found obliteration of the self to be helpful to me in my own recovery journey. What does YOUR relationship with ego (or self) look like? For a transcript, click here. For video, click here. 

I have always struggled with the insistence in 12 Step Programs that "God's will" is good and "self-will" is bad. At the same time, I'm grateful for having learned to surrender the things I can't control. How do YOU decide whether to push through a challenge or let it go? For a transcript, click here. For video, click here. 

I'm working on a new show that will premiere in January as part of the virtual arm of the Tucson Fringe Festival. It's all about a struggling mid-thirties woman who is seduced into an Internet self-help program by an unscrupulous female empowerment guru. What's YOUR experience with these types of self-help programs? For a transcript, click here. For video, click here. 

I've been attending 12 step groups for codependency issues for the last ten years. After looking at my own experiences with the program and reading three books written by women in the program, I have some questions about whether or not it actually works. What's YOUR experience with 12 step or any other form of support group (provided you're comfortable sharing, of course)? For a transcript, click here. For video, click here. 

I've been publicly sharing my art - in a gallery exhibit at work and on Instagram - even though I am not a trained artist. This is both frightening and liberating. I discuss why it's much harder to share my music with the same abandon. Have YOU ever tried creating in an art form in which you weren't trained? What was the experience like for you? For a transcript, click here. For video, click here.