But storytelling is different. It has a beginning, middle, and end. It requires description, it allows you to share genuine emotion. And it can be very funny or poignant. I tell personal stories all the time in this blog, why not give it a shot in front of actual people? And like the blog, storytelling offers no real financial gain, so that has me written all over it.
Anyway, I submitted a piece to Sit ‘n Spin. This is a once-a-month storytelling night at the Hudson Theater in Hollywood that’s associated somehow with Comedy Central. (Trust me, I have no illusions of being “discovered”) The readers tend to be working writers and their stories usually range from hilarious to deeply moving. Not having enough depth for the latter I strove for the former.
Many of the stories I’ve heard are autobiographical so I adapted a section from my book on growing up in the ‘60s (THE ME GENERATION… BY ME – available here). I submitted the chapter about my sort of first girlfriend, Eleanor.
Claudia |
Jill, Ron, Taylor |
We did a walk-through on stage. I was second up. I was assigned a music stand stage right. To get to it I would wait backstage in the corner until Jill Morely finished. There would be applause, the lights would dim, and I would go through the split in the side curtain and maneuver my way past some risers to my spot. When I was done, there would (hopefully) be applause, the lights would go down again, and I would exit the stage through the same curtain opening. Piece ‘o cake.
The show started. I took my position backstage. Jill read a very funny piece about receiving lesbian love letters from prison. She was getting good laughs. I felt relieved. This audience was responding to smart jokes about statutory rape.
Finally, she finished, there was enthusiastic applause, the lights dimmed, and I groped my way out to my waiting music stand. I was hit by a spotlight. AAAAGH! It occurred to me: I had never been hit by a spotlight before that wasn’t emanating from a police helicopter. I looked out at the audience and just saw blackness. I had no idea how many of them were on their phones or leaving.
I launched into my piece and thankfully started getting good laughs. Nothing relaxes you like laughter. In a few places they were laughing at straight lines. That’s when you know you’re scoring. I discovered where everyone’s confidence came from. When reading a personal story, who better than you delivering it?
I finished to warm applause, acknowledged with a nod, and the lights went out. This time they really went out. Not like the rehearsal. It was black. I staggered back to the curtain, somehow avoiding clocking myself on one of the risers.
I reached the back curtain but couldn’t find the opening. So I’m groping along, now terrified that the lights were going to come back up and there I will be on full display, spread-eagled, feeling my way along the curtain. What an exit that would be!
Fortunately, I found the slit and slipped through just as the lights went back up. Whewwwww!
Jesus |
We all ran out to take a curtain call. I hadn’t taken a curtain call since I was in the 8th Grade production of OKLAHOMA playing Curly in the dream sequence. Jill had to reach over and grab my hand. Oh, that’s right. Everybody holds hands. And bows. And acts humble. I have to say, the curtain call was the weirdest part of the night. I just don’t think of myself as a “performer.” When I had co-written that musical performed at the Goodspeed Theater I asked one of our stars, Andrew Rannells, what it feel like to be out there on stage feeding off the energy of the audience? He said, “Why don’t you just write yourself a part?” and I said, “Because I can’t sing, dance, or act.” But read my own words; that I can do. So the answer to my question to Andrew: it was very cool to feed off the audience’s energy. Cool enough that I plan to do it again in the future.
I have an idea for another story, but first I’ll have to see if Ron will loan me his rags and fake blood.
Thanks to Maggie Rowe, Jill, Jeff, Ron, Claudia, Taylor, and everyone at Sit ‘n Spin. You all made sure my story had a happy ending.
"...associated somehow with Comedy Central." Did the show start at 8:04 PM?
ReplyDeleteWasn't Taylor Negron in Three Dog Night?
That was Chuck Negron.
ReplyDeleteClaudia Lonow was Michelle Lee's daughter on Knots Landing. Weird thing about Twitter is that I ran into her tweets to Alec Baldwin asking if he remembered her. (He did. Baldwin started his career on that soap.)
over the past few years, i've been to a few hundred spoken word shows and even dared to read a few times myself, and ken's piece stood out as one of the best first time readings not only because he's a smart writer who knows how to craft a joke, but because he also chose a story the audience can connect to. a total success. and he should be doing more. nice work, sir.
ReplyDeleteYou should probably give a listen to "The Moth" and "Snap Judgment." Both are storytelling radio shows from NPR and available as free podcasts on their websites and iTunes as well.
ReplyDeletePolish up your stories, call the Speakers Bureau, hit the college lecture circuit. Mark Twain could do it, you can do it. Add another job title to the Levine resume
ReplyDeletecheck out The Vinyl Café on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Stewart McLean has been reading his Dave and Morley stories for twenty years.
ReplyDeleteYou might get better fees on the college lecture citcuit if you claim to be Ken Levine, game developer. Then you can get on stage and tell an amusing story about pretending to be the BioShock guy. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou're quoted numerous times by Mental Floss in its Cheers list today. http://mentalfloss.com/article/56133/30-things-you-might-not-know-about-cheers
ReplyDeleteI've seen Taylor on a gazillion tv shows, usually comedies...maybe he's been on some of yours. Anyway, interesting stuff, I'd like to attend such an event, if only I can find one. It's a 2 1/2 day drive to LA so that one's out. Do you all take your show on the road?
ReplyDeleteIt's "Stuart" McLean, and start with a couple of Christmas stories that are now considered classics:
ReplyDeleteDave Cooks the Turkey
Christmas at the Turlingtons
Link to Soundcloud
ReplyDeleteMore Claudia, please!
ReplyDeleteI heard Jean Shepherd read some of his writings about twenty five ago. He was very entertaining. Kind of wish he hadn't the the post Q and A. He came off as a real jerk.
ReplyDeleteActually remember a prof reading (from Playboy) "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories to our entry level broadcasting class in college.
Awesome idea for an evening! Very cool that such a thing exists.
ReplyDeleteAre you trying to get into prose writing, Ken? This post feels more fleshed out and in depth than usual. (Not a critique either way, I enjoy both styles!)
I write for a staged sketch show and Taylor Negron was one of our guest performers a couple years ago. He showed up to rehearsal without even having seen the script for the show that would be performed 12 hours later. We were all sure it was going to be a disaster, but when the lights came on everything that came out of his mouth killed. I've written for and seen over 200 shows like this and never have I laughed harder.
ReplyDeletewhen a hero of yours sites you as doing something right it's miles past a compliment.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Negron comes across dynamically onstage, but for some reason, he never translated across a big or small screen. He's great with showmanship, but as an artist, I never believe him for a nanosecond. I always think he's jerkin' me off. Like a carnival barker sharing false sentiment about the fat lady.
ReplyDeleteThe nearest to that I can think of is a folk club where people sing ballads - not "ballad" as popular music misuses the word but ballad as in long, traditional story songs, either comic or tragic.
ReplyDeleteWhen you get that just right it is indeed very cool.
Well done.
wg
"If I want thirty drunks to love me I can just buy them another round. I don’t need to craft a five-minute set."
ReplyDeleteI honestly thought you were going to say:
"If I want thirty drunks to love me, I'll just go pitch a show to them at NBC, I don't need to even buy the drinks, they're already liquored up."
Quick Friday question:
Would you ever turn down a pitch opportunity due to which network was asking for the pitch?
Robert