Monday Song - I Would Be Your Slave

Walking in the snowy street
Let me understand
Drifting down a silent park
Stumbling over land
Open up your heart to me
Show me who you are
And I would be your slave

Do you sleep in quietude?
Do you walk in peace?
Do you laugh out loud at me?
No one else that is free
Open up your heart to me
Show me all you are
And I would be your slave

I don't sit around and wait
I don't give a damn
I don't see the point at all
No footprints in the sand

I bet you laugh out loud at me
A chance to strike me down
Give me peace of mind at last
Show me all you are
Open up your heart to me
And I would be your slave

I don't sit and wait
I don't give a damn
I don't see the point at all
No footprints in the sand
I would give you all my love
Nothing else is free
Open up your heart to me
And I would be your slave
(David Bowie)

40

Today would have been my brother Michael's 40th Birthday.

Wow.  40.

Not a day goes by where I don't think of him in some way.  A random memory, or I hear a song, or I wonder what he would have thought about what I've been doing, or if he would have liked Revenge of the Sith.  

I'm pretty sure he would love it and be part of this puppet madness!

Here's a goofy little hand puppet of him I made for an upcoming short film...

And I'm pretty sure he would have loved Revenge of the Sith

"Cat and Mouse"

Animated film by Jim Henson

More proof the man was a genius.

Mondy Song - Rock Crown

Well I haven't seen a doctor
since I can't remember when
But she tells me I've been a talker
since 1976
We went up to the lake and I, I remember
this: my family secret

Pits in my skin where I let you in
This Rock Crown never let you down

I'm a season in Hell- 20 years
from showing up, down on your scene
without a semblance of what I've seen
Tell me what I've seen
Tell me what I've seen
Enough to make this young man
Filthy. Filthy. Clean...

Pits in my skin where I let you in
This Rock Crown never let you down
(7 Mary 3)

Monday Song - The Luckiest

I don't get many things right the first time
In fact, I am told that a lot
Now I know all the wrong turns, the stumbles and falls
Brought me here

And where was I before the day
That I first saw your lovely face?
Now I see it everyday
And I know

That I am
I am
I am
The luckiest

What if I'd been born fifty years before you
In a house on a street where you lived?
Maybe I'd be outside as you passed on your bike
Would I know?

And in a white sea of eyes
I see one pair that I recognize
And I know

That I am
I am
I am
The luckiest

I love you more than I have ever found a way to say to you

Next door there's an old man who lived to his nineties
And one day passed away in his sleep
And his wife; she stayed for a couple of days
And passed away

I'm sorry, I know that's a strange way to tell you that I know we belong
That I know

That I am
I am
I am
The luckiest
(Ben Folds)

Down with O.P.P. (Other Peoples Puppets)

Duck Walks Into A Bar

Funny stuff!

I Have Some Bon Jovi CDs for Sale...

Tricky and I were thinking about going to see the Poison/Motley Crue/New York Dolls tour this summer... Then we saw tickets were 90ish bucks.
No thanks. Nikki Sixx and Bret Micheals already have enough money, not gonna pay them that much to hear the same songs they played in 1988, 1991, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2007, and so on...

So it got me looking at other tickets.
And BITE ME BON JOVI.
Bon Jovi sings songs about the working man. "Tommy" from Livin' on A Prayer, guys like that. Tickets for the bands concerts are now 200-500 dollars (even over $1,000.00 for the show in CT). So much for Tommy taking Gina out for a nite. So much for a band that cares about fans.
I culd see if some of the money was going to charity. But it's not.


Tommy used to work on the docks
Unions been on strike, he's down on his luck
It's tough, so tough
Bon Jovi's coming to town
He wants to take his girl
But the tickets cost more than his rent
So he'll just settle for beer and a shot and find a
New favorite band that cares
About fans
And not just money

There so many bands out there, playing, that are amazing. You can see one every nite. And not break the bank, look around, and try something new. Or you can finance Jon Bon Jovi's next mansion, and Richie Sambora's next trip to rehab.

Reruns!

We're showing "Josh and Todd" at Paris In Plantsville on 

4/22 and 4/23!!!

Be there!!!!

Finally relaxed enough to blog!

OK....

So we had the "Josh and Todd" screenings at Paris In Plantsville and it was amazing.

My (our) first feature film showed two nites in a row to packed houses. And it got lots of laughs.

"So what's next?"

I got asked that a lot those nites.

For "Josh and Todd" it's going to be some tweaking, and more screenings before the DVD release. And we're going to finish up "Steve the Vampire" and "Animal Behavior" this spring. And then start shooting this awesome series Gabe came up with called "Grimrod". And then hopefully by summer we'll be shooting a second feature film. A horror flick without puppets. Just to stretch a bit and do something different.

Another question I kept getting:

"Are you going to do a Johnnie Sojive movie?"

Short answer is YES.

Heheheheh....

Unintended Results...

I got a phone call last nite at the gallery from a dear old friend Rich.
We've been friends since high school.  Over the year we've managed to loose touch, get back in touch, loose touch, get back in touch...  And so on.  But we can always pick right up where we left off, and it's like going home.
Anyway, he and his wife and son came to see "Josh and Todd" on 2/19.  I'm not going to get into details, but apparently seeing this film help his family through a crisis.
Something wonderfully positive came out of the movie.  Sure, we got tons of laughs, and people really loved the flick, but I never expected the film to make a difference in a person's life.
That's an amazing feeling, and I thank you Rich for sharing with me.

Monday Song, on a Tuesday Nite...

Before the lyrics of the day I wanna babble here for a bit.

About Tricky Rock.

I met Pete (AKA Tricky) in the 1980's, in elementary school. We became friends quickly (being outcasts it was pretty east, we already had that in common!) and we've been friends ever since.

Earlier today he posted a Poison video of "Something To Believe In" on his Facebook page and said 'For my homie" and I knew it was me. In return I posted Poison's "Ride The Wind".

I know "Ride" makes him think of my brother who he got to know pretty well over the years too. And I know he misses him too.

Pete did something great for me back in 1993 when my brother died. He just hung out. Never asked if I was OK, never asked what I was thinking, never even asked if I wanted to hang out. He just did. And man, we did a lot.

In the first four years after he died Pete and I went everywhere and did everything, all the time.

We partied, we were in bands, we worked on movies, listened to Prince endlessly, and saw all of New England, we did whatever the Hell we wanted. We rode the wind.

We went from friends to brothers. And now, to this day he's still my brother.

Our lives have gone in drastically different directions in the past five years, and we don't hang out every day anymore. But not a day goes by without an email, a call, a text, something... Something between us.

He's always kept me in check. He'll always be my brother.

And now the Monday Song.... or songs

Late at night when the world's a-sleepin'

U are frightened cuz the power's creepin'

In your room, it's something U're afraid of

Life of doom is what this feeling's made of

Power fantastic is in your life at last

U're a little apprehensive

Cuz what it is, is what U want and need

Minor G is the chord of pleasure

It will be played 11 measures

U will see fire, but U're cool as ice

U are a liar, huh, if U say this isn't nice

Power fantastic is in your life at last

U're a little apprehensive

What it is, is what U want and need

(Prince)

We all carry the cross and speak what we're taught

Lies and money become the white man's god

We've burned all our bridges one too many times

The time has come now to draw the line

You know you've got to

Stand, stand, stand for what you believe

Express yourself in the face of change

Repress yourself, you surely seal your fate

You got to look inside, the answer lies in wait

Resurrect before it's too late

You know you've got to

Stand, stand, stand for what you believe

Somebody rescue me, come down and rescue me

I know the soul of a good man has got to be free

When you stand, stand for what you believe

(Poison)

What a weekend

Killed it Friday.

Owned it Saturday.

Felt at home Sunday.

I love my crews.

Elmwood and Paris.

Nuff said for now.

That went well!

Wow.  Wow...

So the screening went over great...  

A huge chunk of cast, crew, and more came out to see the preview.  

And they laughed.

And then we drank.  

Ok, I'll admit, we drank even before the show!  

Then  we really drank!

Here's Jim, Russ, and I after we got it all set up...

Here's Jordan, Sean, and I just before people started coming in...

Here's Brie (I love this picture)...  She's the best.  She made a peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake to celebrate my birthday and brought it to the show!

I'll be posting more pictures on Elmwood's Facebook by Monday

Josh and Todd...

Todd and Josh

Tonite's a big deal.

Yes, tomorrow is the big premiere of the movie for the public to see...  And you better come see it!

But tonite.

Tonite...

We screen the film for the cast and crew.  It'll be the first time we all see the film together. 

Eric, Jim, Russ, and I have seen several different cuts as we've gone on.  But this will be the big one.  All the cast will finally see what they worked so hard on, all our girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, wives, parents, kids, etc, will see what we missed birthday party's and holidays for...

Russ and I started this flick in spring 2003.  We had an idea with a buddy Josh Leder.  We cast Jim and Josh in it, and we started it.  

And it was bad...  So we let it sit.  

Josh and Jim stuck around for the next project.  Josh faded away when he got a girl...  But we couldn't get rid of Jim (we tried!  Just kidding Jim!) and he kept wanting to go back and do "Josh and Todd".  In 2004 or 2005 we tried again, but never even got it cast...  Then in 2008 Jim and I polished up the short film into a feature length flick...  and we were filming by the fall...  

Wow.  Seven years total on this flick, Hell, almost eight!  And now in a few hours we'll be watching it.  I have to admit I'm nervous.

I know it's good.  I've seen it.  

But will anyone else agree?

I'll let you know tomorrow!

And thank you Eric...

For being a true friend.  And honest human.  And for saying yes to being in the flick.

Without you I really don't think it would have been this good!

 Jon and Eric

Monday Song - Come On Get Higher

Happy Valentine's Day!

I miss the sound of your voice

And I miss the rush of your skin

And I miss the still of the silence

As you breathe out and I breathe in

If I could walk on water

If I could tell you what's next

I'd make you believe

I'd make you forget

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips

Faith and desire and the swing of your hips

Just pull me down hard

And drown me in love

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips

Faith and desire and the swing of your hips

Just pull me down hard

And drown me in love

I miss the sound of your voice

Loudest thing in my head

And I ache to remember

All the violent, sweet

Perfect words that you said

If I could walk on water

If I could tell you what's next

I'd make you believe

I'd make you forget

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips

Faith and desire and the swing of your hips

Just pull me down hard

And drown me in love

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips

Faith and desire and the swing of your hips

Just pull me down hard

And drown me in love

I miss the pull of your heart

I taste the sparks on your tongue

I see angels and devils

And God, when you come on

Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips

Faith and desire and the swing of your hips

Just pull me down hard

And drown me in love

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips

Faith and desire and the swing of your hips

Just pull me down hard

And drown me, drown me in love

It's all wrong, it's all wrong

It's all wrong, it's so right

So come on, get higher

So come on and get higher

'Cause everything works, love

Everything works in your arms. 

(Matt Nathanson)

Snow Is Now A Four Letter Word.

So it's snowing.

Again.

I live in New England, Connecticut to be specific, so I hear all the time "you should be used to this".  And I am.  I'm used to snow.  It doesn't mean I have like it.

I did like it this season.  At first it was refreshing to see it and hear Jingle Bells on the radio.   Then New Years came, and then there's been a storm pretty much every week since.  

And now it's just getting old.

I don't ski, my winter sports are drinking coffee and watching movies, so I have been doing a ton of that (thank you Netflix) but even that is running thin.

Anyway...  back to puppets for a second...

JOSH AND TODD: THE STORY OF A MAN AND HIS PUPPET

PREMIERE SCREENING 2/19/11

AT PARIS IN PLANTSVILLE

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS!

Monday Song - Dead Horse

Sick of this life

Not that you'd care

I'm not the only one with

whom these feelings I share

Nobody understands,

quite why we're here

We're searchin' for answers

That never appear

But maybe if I looked real hard I'd

I'd see your tryin' too

To understand this life,

That we're all goin' through

(Then when she said she was gonna like wreck my car...  I didn't know what to do)

Sometimes I feel like I'm beatin' a dead horse

An I don't know why you'd be bringin' me down

I'd like to think that our love's worth a tad more

It may sound funny but you'd think by now

I'd be smilin'

I guess some things never change

Never change

I met an old cowboy

I saw the look in his eyes

Somethin' tells me he's been here before

'Cause experience makes you wise

I was only a small child

When the thought first came to me

That I'm a son of a gun and the gun of a son

That brought back the devil in me

Sometimes I feel like I'm beatin' a dead horse

An I don't know why you'd be bringin' me down

I'd like to think that our love's worth a tad more

It may sound funny but you'd think by now

I'd be smilin'

I guess some things never change

Never change

I ain't quite what you'd call an old soul

Still wet behind the ears

I been around this track a couple o' times

But now the dust is startin' to clear

Sometimes I feel like I'm beatin' a dead horse

An I don't know why you'd be bringin' me down

I'd like to think that our love's worth a tad more

It may sound funny but you'd think by now

I'd be smilin'

Sick of this life,

Not that you'd care...

(Guns N' Roses)

Monday Song - Selfless, Cold, and Composed

I said what you wanted to hear

And what I wanted to say

So I will take it back

Are all the dishes intact?

Let them be broken

It's easy to be

Easy and Free

When it doesn't mean anything

You remain selfless, cold and

Composed

You've done me no favor

to call and be nice

Telling me I

Can take anything I like

You don't owe me to be so

Polite

You've done no wrong

You've done no wrong

Get out of my sight

It's easy to be

Easy and Free

When it doesn't mean anything

You remain

Selfless, cold, and

Composed

Come on baby. Now throw me 

a right to the chin

Don't you stare like 

You never cared

I know you did

You just smiled

like a band teller

telling me bleakly

have a nice life 

(Ben Folds Five)

Josh and Todd Screening At Paris In Plantsville!

February 19, 2011

8:00 PM

$5.00!!!

Monday Song - You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks

If you and your folks love me and my folks like

Me and my folks love you and your folks

If there ever was folks

That ever ever was poor

If you and your thing dig me and my thing

Like me and my thing dig you and your thing

And we all got a thing

Yeah, and it's a very good thing

Ha! 

But if in our fears, we don't learn to trust each other

And if in our tears, we don't learn to share with your brother

You know that hate is gonna keep on multiplying

And you know that man is gonna keep right on dying

Yeah

Yeah, yeah

The rich got a big piece of this and that

The poor got a big piece of roaches and rats

Can you get to that

Tell me where it's at

Yeah!

Hey!

You want peace

I want peace

They want peace

And the kids need peace

There won't be no peace

The rich got a big piece of this and that

The poor got a big piece of roaches and rats

Can you get to that

Tell me where it's at

If you and your folks loved me and my folks

Like me and my folks love you and your folks

If there ever was folks

That ever ever was poor

If you and your thing dig me and my thing

Like me and my thing dig you and your thing

Then we all got a thing

And it's a very good thing

(Funkadelic)

Monday Song - Timshell

Cold is the water

It freezes your already cold mind

Already cold, cold mind

And death is at your doorstep

And it will steal your innocence

But it will not steal your substance

But you are not alone in this

And you are not alone in this

As brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand

Hold your hand

And you are the mother

The mother of your baby child

The one to whom you gave life

And you have your choices

And these are what make man great

His ladder to the stars

But you are not alone in this

And you are not alone in this

As brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand

Hold your hand

And I will tell the night

Whisper, "Lose your sight"

But I can't move the mountains for you

(Mumford and Sons)

JOSH AND TODD SCREENING!!!

Todd and some mook...

YES!  

JOSH AND TODD 

IS READY TO BE SCREENED!

Here's a link to the Faceplant event page for it, CLICK HERE!

This flick is something I've been working on since 2003.  In some form or another it's been brewing that long.  And we (Russ, Jim, Tricky, and I) are now ready to show it off.  Hope you come to see it!

Monday Song - Mother's Little Helper

What a drag it is getting old
"Kids are different today"
I hear ev'ry mother say
Mother needs something today to calm her down
And though she's not really ill
There's a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day

"Things are different today"
I hear ev'ry mother say
Cooking fresh food for a husband's just a drag
So she buys an instant cake and she burns her frozen steak
And goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And two help her on her way, get her through her busy day

Doctor please, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old

"Men just aren't the same today"
I hear ev'ry mother say
They just don't appreciate that you get tired
They're so hard to satisfy, You can tranquilize your mind
So go running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And four help you through the night, help to minimize your plight

Doctor please, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old

"Life's just much too hard today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
The pursuit of happiness just seems a bore
And if you take more of those, you will get an overdose
No more running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
They just helped you on your way, through your busy dying day
(The Rolling Stones)

Norm

Norm
Mouth Puppet

Cammy and Norm, AKA Gummy and Gumpy

Cammy

Cammy
Mouth Puppet
Cammy is my father's mother... I decided to make her and my step-grandfather as puppets for their Christmas gift this year. I call them Gummy and Gumpy. They have been two of my biggest supporters in this madness I call a puppet life, so I wanted them to be included, hahaha...

Here's the picture I used as reference...Tomorrow will be Norm, aka Gumpy...

Kyhole:

Kyhole

Mouth Puppet

Here's how Mr. Kyhole came about...

I got offered a commission to remake the already well known Kyhole (featured on Blam!) by his creator, Wayne Poe.

And I took the gig! Hahaha...

Here is two pics of the original that I used to base the new one on -

And here his is done, full body, hiding his junk behind the book!

And some pictures of him in progress...

-

Kyhole's Makeover as he remembers it...

For more Kyhole check out

Facebook

and BLAM!

Triplets!

Triplet Three
Mouth Puppet

Trips in progress!

Triplets!

Triplet Two
Mouth Puppet

Triplets!

Triplet One
Mouth Puppet

Monday Song - Coffee Shop

I am just a lousy bum

Searching for the unknown crumb
The crumb the crumb
Something or someone to come
Come along and illuminate my lust
Combust
Confucius might have been confused
And Buddha might have blown a fuse
Jooze the muse

Meet me at the coffee shop
We can dance like Iggy Pop
Another go in the parking lot
Frewak the cheek on your hotspot

Back and forth my body's jerking
Will to thrill will not stop working
Work and work
I'll take you on a honeymoon
Jumping on a bed in a hotel room
The room the room

Meet me at the coffee shop
We can dance like Iggy Pop
Another go in the parking lot
Frewak the cheek on your hotspot
(Red Hot Chili Peppers)

Monday Song - We Close Our Eyes

We close our eyes and dream and the world has turned around again

When everybody is running in the big race
And having a good time
Who am I to cast a shadow
Who am I?
I looked Death in the face last night
I saw him in a mirror
And he simply smiled
He told me not to worry
He told me just to take my time

We close our eyes and the world has turned around again
We close our eyes and dream and another year has come and gone
We close our eyes and the world has turned around again
We close our eyes and dream ...

And if you come to me
And if you touch my hand
I might just slip away
I might just disappear
Who am I?
And if you think I'm worth it
And if you think it's not too late
We might start falling
If we don't try to hard
We might start falling in love

We close our eyes and the world has turned around again
We close our eyes and dream and another year has come and gone
We close our eyes and the world has turned around again
We close our eyes and dream ...

We're on the healing path
We're on a roller coaster ride
That could never turn back
And if you love me
And if you really try
To make the seconds count
Then we can close our eyes

We close our eyes and the world has turned around again

Oingo Boingo

So it's the end of the year... What a year too...

I'm looking forward to 2011. 2010 was good, made some great new friends, and sadly lost a few people I love and care about... But that's with any year...

The good...
Made a ton of flicks!
Finished Josh and Todd!
Joined Paris In Plantsville!
And Brie got her Masters!!!

The Bad...
Not even gonna worry about it!

2011... Puppet A Day... Still gonna be going! Elmwood is still going to be kicking butt! And I just keep getting better looking! Hahaha!!!

Happy New Year...  Early!