Focus on Focus
Every two years, Highland Park High School sports a week-long extravaganza of arts and performance called Focus on the Arts. For one week, our school is teeming with drummers, bands, artists, movie producers, actors, theater companies, and television people, preforming in every open space for students five, six, and seven at a time. It is literally impossible to see everything.
I made myself a press pass for the event, so I could go where I wanted without trouble:
I'll walk you through my schedule, but you should check out the full artist listing at the HPHS page to see everyone there.
Focus started for me on Tuesday morning. Soble and I saw a pre-opening act... a drummer named Evelyn Glennie, who our focus booklet advertised as a "deaf drummer that played by sensing the vibrations of her drums with her feet." She wasn't deaf, but rather, hearing-impaired. Soble and I both felt ripped off. The school owes us a deaf drummer. For her "workshop" she listened to and critiqued the drum arrangements of some college drummers who had come in for focus. Her comments were along the lines of, "Let me hear that beat in a different color!"
Things took a turn for the better as soon as I got to the opening act. I sat with Molly and Alyse in the main auditorium, and who should walk onto the stage but National Security Adviser Nancy McNally!
Yes, actress Anna Deavere Smith was at my school, doing a series of monologues that can best be described as "gonzo-theater." She took interviews with interesting people from all over America, and acted as them delivering a speech in their voice. She was funny, engaging, and energetic. A perfect opening to Focus.
From there, I was off to see actor, director, and producer Harold Ramis. Harld Ramis is most famous as "Egon" in ghostbusters, as the director and producer of Groundhog Day, Bedazzled, and Analyze This, and as the writer of Animal House and Caddyshack.
He was a great speaker... a little nervous to be speaking, I think, but he warmed up to the crowd. He spoke about politics and religion, and how we have too much of one in the other. His soon-to-be-announced-movie with Owen Wilson deals with the absurdity of basing a government on the mandates of a deity, and he told us about it. I asked him if the rise of independent films in America is a signal that the average citizen is tired of dealing with a corporate media filter. He said it was a "good question," but pointed out that most "independent" labels are owned by major studios. Still, Harold Ramis said I asked good questions. In your face, Justice Antonin Scalia, you dumb bastard! "Sandal wearing hippy" my ass!
Then I had a lunch break, and ate in the AV room with Jessica and Gail while I edited some video projects.
Next, I was off to a drum circle with drumline expert Matt Savage. I got an enormous pan drum that resonated with the rumble of a thousand stomachs. We started by beating out a heartbeat, and then listening to Matt play variations on our beat with his Djembe. Then we freestyled on the the heartbeat, and Matt gave Felipe Croce and I a solo together. We sounded cool.
I finished the day off with the Attic Playhouse, which was basically bad improv in the Student Commons. I left a few minutes early, and went to hang out with Joel.
The next day, I began with the Slackdaddies in the Main Exhibition Gym. They're a band of local dads, and they sound ok, but they were playing with KOKO FREAKING TAYLOR. Let me repeat that. KOKO TAYLOR WAS PLAYING A CONCERT IN MY GYM AT 9:30 IN THE MORNING. I alternated between that and Karen Dillon, the mom of my friend Josh, who used to work for CBS news.
Then I was off to meet Robert Hellenga, the author of The Sixteen Pleasures. He read us some short stories, and played blues guitar. A low key and small presentation, but one of my favorites. I am still looking for one of his short stories, which, when I find it, I will post on this blog.
I had an early lunch, and had forgotten to get food. But Gail had told me before that because she was "hosting" an artist (introducing before their performance) that she was allowed into the "artist hospitality room" for free food. I wasn't expecting good food, but the "artist hospitality room" was the library, and I was just excited to get to eat in the library, so I tagged along with Gail. We were stopped at the door by an ornery volunteer mother, who took great joy in telling Gail cantankerously that no hosts were allowed into the free food anymore. We both walked away, defeated, when she tapped my on the shoulder and said, "No, young man, press is allowed in."
What had she just said? There WAS no press. I MADE my press pass on my computer.
"What did you just say?"
"Press is allowed in."
"Um, ok. Thanks."
I reluctantly headed into the food line, wondering what had just happened, but what I was about to see would soon wipe all doubt from my mind. Suddenly, as I approached the table, a light from the heavens opened up above my head to reveal Chipotle, Potbellies, Carol's Cookies, and Thai Salads from the Thai place by Love's.
After Free Chipotle Marathon, I was ready for Dan Marder... the guy who owns the glassblowing studio on Old Deerfield, by my house. He had set up his entire studio in the Metal Studio in the garage, and was doing live demonstrations of glass blowing. If you've never seen glassblowing, I highly suggest checking it out. It was quite the spectacle.
After the demonstration, I headed up to the Intramural Gym for "Baseshot Scenario." They took 20 minutes into the period to set up due to technical difficulties, and then proceeded to generate noise that sounded like computer beeps over an arrhythmic drum beat on complicated equipment that they waved their hands over. The audience consisted of about 50 bored and hot high school students, and 50 young kids aged 10 or so in an elementary school, waiting for the music to begin. Josh and I finally determined that this wasn't going to get any better. We left early, and worked in the AV room for the rest of the day.
Thursday morning started with "Rhythm Revolution," an enormous freestyle drum circle. I played on a hand drum, and it was total and complete chaos. An awesome morning.
Next, I was supposed to meet with Google executive Seth Barron, but he didn't show up, so I got lunch (Free Chipotle Fest II), and then I was off to see French artist David Gista. He taught us how to paint abstractions on paper bags using acrylic paints, and then he passed out supplies and pictures of peoples' faces. I got Reagan, and painted him as "evil Reagan" with red eyes and a huge cowboy hat.
Then Kalish and I went to see the Comic Thread, which is a professional theater company that was performing with Veronica Berns and David Pinzoff. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen, and Veronica is getting me the script for one of the monologues so I can post it. Other features included, "Great Moments in Amish Pornography," which consisted of Veronica and another woman actor holding hands as the 2001: A Space Odyssey played.
Focus was closed off by a thing in the main auditorium called, "The Giants of Rythem," which was a series of drummers including an African drum trio, an Indian Tabla player, Matt Savage (the drumline guy), and the HPHS drumline, who played one after another, each leaving the beat going for the next performer.
All in all, a great focus, and a great time. But most importantly, Free Chipotle!
I made myself a press pass for the event, so I could go where I wanted without trouble:
I'll walk you through my schedule, but you should check out the full artist listing at the HPHS page to see everyone there.
Focus started for me on Tuesday morning. Soble and I saw a pre-opening act... a drummer named Evelyn Glennie, who our focus booklet advertised as a "deaf drummer that played by sensing the vibrations of her drums with her feet." She wasn't deaf, but rather, hearing-impaired. Soble and I both felt ripped off. The school owes us a deaf drummer. For her "workshop" she listened to and critiqued the drum arrangements of some college drummers who had come in for focus. Her comments were along the lines of, "Let me hear that beat in a different color!"
Things took a turn for the better as soon as I got to the opening act. I sat with Molly and Alyse in the main auditorium, and who should walk onto the stage but National Security Adviser Nancy McNally!
Yes, actress Anna Deavere Smith was at my school, doing a series of monologues that can best be described as "gonzo-theater." She took interviews with interesting people from all over America, and acted as them delivering a speech in their voice. She was funny, engaging, and energetic. A perfect opening to Focus.
From there, I was off to see actor, director, and producer Harold Ramis. Harld Ramis is most famous as "Egon" in ghostbusters, as the director and producer of Groundhog Day, Bedazzled, and Analyze This, and as the writer of Animal House and Caddyshack.
He was a great speaker... a little nervous to be speaking, I think, but he warmed up to the crowd. He spoke about politics and religion, and how we have too much of one in the other. His soon-to-be-announced-movie with Owen Wilson deals with the absurdity of basing a government on the mandates of a deity, and he told us about it. I asked him if the rise of independent films in America is a signal that the average citizen is tired of dealing with a corporate media filter. He said it was a "good question," but pointed out that most "independent" labels are owned by major studios. Still, Harold Ramis said I asked good questions. In your face, Justice Antonin Scalia, you dumb bastard! "Sandal wearing hippy" my ass!
Then I had a lunch break, and ate in the AV room with Jessica and Gail while I edited some video projects.
Next, I was off to a drum circle with drumline expert Matt Savage. I got an enormous pan drum that resonated with the rumble of a thousand stomachs. We started by beating out a heartbeat, and then listening to Matt play variations on our beat with his Djembe. Then we freestyled on the the heartbeat, and Matt gave Felipe Croce and I a solo together. We sounded cool.
I finished the day off with the Attic Playhouse, which was basically bad improv in the Student Commons. I left a few minutes early, and went to hang out with Joel.
The next day, I began with the Slackdaddies in the Main Exhibition Gym. They're a band of local dads, and they sound ok, but they were playing with KOKO FREAKING TAYLOR. Let me repeat that. KOKO TAYLOR WAS PLAYING A CONCERT IN MY GYM AT 9:30 IN THE MORNING. I alternated between that and Karen Dillon, the mom of my friend Josh, who used to work for CBS news.
Then I was off to meet Robert Hellenga, the author of The Sixteen Pleasures. He read us some short stories, and played blues guitar. A low key and small presentation, but one of my favorites. I am still looking for one of his short stories, which, when I find it, I will post on this blog.
I had an early lunch, and had forgotten to get food. But Gail had told me before that because she was "hosting" an artist (introducing before their performance) that she was allowed into the "artist hospitality room" for free food. I wasn't expecting good food, but the "artist hospitality room" was the library, and I was just excited to get to eat in the library, so I tagged along with Gail. We were stopped at the door by an ornery volunteer mother, who took great joy in telling Gail cantankerously that no hosts were allowed into the free food anymore. We both walked away, defeated, when she tapped my on the shoulder and said, "No, young man, press is allowed in."
What had she just said? There WAS no press. I MADE my press pass on my computer.
"What did you just say?"
"Press is allowed in."
"Um, ok. Thanks."
I reluctantly headed into the food line, wondering what had just happened, but what I was about to see would soon wipe all doubt from my mind. Suddenly, as I approached the table, a light from the heavens opened up above my head to reveal Chipotle, Potbellies, Carol's Cookies, and Thai Salads from the Thai place by Love's.
After Free Chipotle Marathon, I was ready for Dan Marder... the guy who owns the glassblowing studio on Old Deerfield, by my house. He had set up his entire studio in the Metal Studio in the garage, and was doing live demonstrations of glass blowing. If you've never seen glassblowing, I highly suggest checking it out. It was quite the spectacle.
After the demonstration, I headed up to the Intramural Gym for "Baseshot Scenario." They took 20 minutes into the period to set up due to technical difficulties, and then proceeded to generate noise that sounded like computer beeps over an arrhythmic drum beat on complicated equipment that they waved their hands over. The audience consisted of about 50 bored and hot high school students, and 50 young kids aged 10 or so in an elementary school, waiting for the music to begin. Josh and I finally determined that this wasn't going to get any better. We left early, and worked in the AV room for the rest of the day.
Thursday morning started with "Rhythm Revolution," an enormous freestyle drum circle. I played on a hand drum, and it was total and complete chaos. An awesome morning.
Next, I was supposed to meet with Google executive Seth Barron, but he didn't show up, so I got lunch (Free Chipotle Fest II), and then I was off to see French artist David Gista. He taught us how to paint abstractions on paper bags using acrylic paints, and then he passed out supplies and pictures of peoples' faces. I got Reagan, and painted him as "evil Reagan" with red eyes and a huge cowboy hat.
Then Kalish and I went to see the Comic Thread, which is a professional theater company that was performing with Veronica Berns and David Pinzoff. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen, and Veronica is getting me the script for one of the monologues so I can post it. Other features included, "Great Moments in Amish Pornography," which consisted of Veronica and another woman actor holding hands as the 2001: A Space Odyssey played.
Focus was closed off by a thing in the main auditorium called, "The Giants of Rythem," which was a series of drummers including an African drum trio, an Indian Tabla player, Matt Savage (the drumline guy), and the HPHS drumline, who played one after another, each leaving the beat going for the next performer.
All in all, a great focus, and a great time. But most importantly, Free Chipotle!