Merry Christmas everyone!
What would Christmas be without a holiday message from Sir Christopher Lee? He’s still going strong at 91–well, maybe not as strong as he used to, but the fact that he’s still going at all, and is releasing heavy metal music, is enough for me.
I met Sir Christopher and had lunch with him and some of his friends many years ago, and my wife is still jealous. I’ll write about that on an appropriate day in 2014. In the meantime, Merry Christmas to all!
And as promised, remembering Larry Lujack with this story.
If you are not of a certain age and you did not grow up in the Chicago area, the name of Larry Lujack probably doesn’t mean much to you. But if you listened to top 40 radio in the late 1960s, 1970s or 1980s, you listened to Larry Lujack. He was like no top 40 deejay that had come before. He was cynical, sarcastic, and very, very funny. He made no pretense of liking all of the songs he was playing and was often little more than tolerant. But he was my favorite disc jockey, by far, and when I went on to my own radio career, his attitudes influenced me way more than I used to admit.
He was best known for “Animal Stories,” and he and Li’l Snot-nosed Tommy (Tommy Edwards, whose air shift followed Larry’s), would go over the various animal stories in the news that day. (During one period, I used to send in stories regularly, and I even became the LaSalle County Bureau Chief). He started out presenting the “Clunk Letter of the Day,” and as his popularity grew, he gradually added other features, including “The Cheap Trashy Showbiz Report,” but “Animal Stories” remained the one for which he is best known.
He retired many years ago, and died this week, but he left behind a lot of laughter. Check back shortly for the story of the drooling horse and the biker.
It’s hard to imagine what a 49-year-old Chris Farley would be doing right now. Movies, of course. Naturally, SNL would have wanted to bring him back as their Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. So many things… But we’ll never know, because we lost Chris on this date in 1997. It’s hard to believe he’s been gone 16 years, despite the best efforts of so many friends who tried to help him.
My own favorite memories of him were when we were both part of the whole Chicago improv scene in the late ’80s, when everyone knew each other, closed the neighborhood bars after the shows, and crashed at each others’ places. It was an amazing scene, one that hasn’t been written about much yet, but eventually will be. (How could it not, with the talent that went through during that era?)
We had all heard about this kid from Wisconsin, the one that idolized Belushi and wanted to study with Belushi’s favorite director, but we hadn’t seen him perform. He had started taking classes with Del and Charna, but they kept insisting that he wasn’t ready to perform yet. Of course, this only made him want it all the more. Finally, they decided he was ready. I seem to recall that Del tipped some of us off, that we might want to catch this kid and his first time on a Chicago stage. Del did NOT say this sort of thing, ever, so when he told us that night, we made a point of watching.
I think we later came to accept the metaphor: Farley attacked the stage, with an intensity that blew us away. His was raw and unpolished talent, but he blew us away. Del later told him “You’re like one of those guys that the Vikings used to strap to the prow of their ships when they’re going into battle.” And he was right.
Of course, the more he studied, the more disciplined and professional he became, but I’ll never forget that first night. Miss you, Chris.
It’s difficult to overestimate just how popular BILLY JACK was when it was first released, but for many people, it was the first chance they had to see the now-legendary West Coast improvisational theatre, The Committee. While researching and interviewing for my book on The Committee, I heard stories about filming for Tom Laughlin, who passed away recently. He knew great comedic talent, however, and used it to great advantage for his film. This was shot in the square in downtown Santa Fe in the spring of 1970, with real passers-by in the background watching the filming. Billy Jack featured a number of Committee performers, including Howard Hesseman (who was then known as Don Sturdy), Dick Stahl, Ed Greenberg, Dan Barrows (now known as Beans Morocco) and Alan Myerson. Enjoy.
‘Tis the season for one of my favorite Graham Chapman performances, from Meaning of Life. I remember walking around the soundstage with Graham during the filming, and noticing the huge set of steps that he would have to walk down during the song. He admitted he was a little nervous–it was a huge, tall set of stairs, and his descent was being choreographed by Arlene Phillips. But he shot it shortly afterward–and the result should put you in the Christmas spirit…
I’m always delighted when I can pass along some great news about another Python-related project, following in the wake of the Python Reunion shows in London next summer. I’m even happier when it involves a long gestating project that my pal Terry Jones has been trying to put together for a while. There have been various announcements over the past couple of years, but it looks like it’s official: Terry Jones’ Absolutely Anything is set to begin filming next March in London, with Simon Pegg (Star Trek, The World’s End, Mission Impossible 4) in the lead. There are more details here, but most people here will be especially interested to know that John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, and Michael Palin will be lending their voices to the aliens who give Neil Clarke (Pegg’s character) his magical powers. Robin Williams will be voicing Neil’s dog in the comedy. Terry and Gavin Scott penned the script, and this is going to be great. And, after principal photograph wraps, Terry will be climbing on stage at the O2 Arena in London with the other Pythons. Yes, 2014 should be a good year…
As I write this, there are only two more spots open in my Python Process writing class at the iO Chicago. This is the one I warned you about here. This sold out almost as quickly as the Python reunion shows! If you missed out this time, cross fingers, and maybe we can offer it again soon.
If you were able to sign up for it, I’ll see you in January. This should be fun!
I just heard that the announcement for my Python writing class is about to be emailed out. And, since I promised yesterday that I’d give all of my blog followers notice, consider yourself noticed! The three-hour workshop filled up in just a few hours, so if you want to reserve a space in this lengthier, more detailed, four-week session, this might be a good time to do it, especially as there are only 14 spaces in the new class.
Both this workshop and the previous one will take a close look at the Python writing process–how they collaborated and re-wrote each others’ material–and how you can use their methods for your own nefarious means. It should be a lot of fun, so if you’re in the Chicago area and it sounds like something you’d like, contact the iO Chicago!
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