"P" as in "Pneumonia" ...

Looking back over this blog you can locate the various points where I realize I had unwittingly (as opposed to intentionally) either emulated or stolen a gag or turn of phrase for use in I HATE THIS. Here's another one.

The entire Mailing List phone thing is straight out of Nichols and May. Now Henrik will tell me he always knew that and assumed I did it on purpose. The truth is, the phone gag doesn't belong to them, it belongs to an entire generation of comedians who made hay out of the emasculating power of the phone, whether speaking to your mother, Ma Bell, or trying to figure out from your best friend exactly what you did last night ("for God's sake - don't fizz.")

In most of these bits, made famous by Bob Newhart or Shelly Berman, you only heard the man, descending further into Hell during every pause which indicated the other person speaking. Nichols and May got to share both parts, Elaine May playing either the officious operator from Hell, or the angelic corproate savior, while Mike Nichols volunteered every shred of his dignity for a dime.

Listening to that routine last night, I didn't think anything of it until I heard something like my own voice say, "Is there someone else there I can speak to?"

The hold music gag, of course, is pure Simpsons. But I always knew that.

London, Summer '92. I think I've changed a lot since then, do you?

I have, from time to time, praised my inspirations for the play I Hate This in this blog. Sometimes other plays, or playwrights, or comic book authors, what have you.

I've been a fan of the band Everything But the Girl since 1988, because I am a weepy, sensitive guy with a thing for British easy listening ensembles. By the early 90s, however, they had gone seriously VH1, and had almost dropped below my radar. On a whim I bought Amplified Heartwhen it was released in 1994. Toni and I fell in love to that album.

It was different from what they had been producing, they'd gotten awfully sappy (see: Worldwide)and with AH they'd gotten back to some seriously cutting lyrics - wrapped in soft and delicate music. It wasn't until almost a year later Missingwas released as a disco remix and they become a club phenom.

When they came to the Odeon in Summer, 1996 to promote Walking Wounded- for their only Cleveland appearance, ever - they sold out, and we were there after the show, waiting for them to emerge for their bus. Though they were making a bee-line for it, Ben Watt was waving his hand to us to follow, saying, "Join us!" We met Tracey and Ben in the door of the bus signing autographs and accepting praise. They were sweet.

It wasn't until later that year that Ben's book Patientwas released in the US. I had no idea. He had been struck in 1992 with a bizarre, rare disease that dissolved most of his intestines. There is a big, ugly scar on his belly in the photos inside AH, but I didn't put it together. That and astounding and unhealthy looking weight loss. Again, what did I know.

It's a great, short book, about his ordeal working back from a near death experience. It's a quiet book. It's the first time I had ever had any insight into his and Tracey's relationship (for all I knew they'd worked together for years, but weren't involved. Straining to maintain your dignity, in fear, dealing with the medical community - which was we all know, is not nearly as brilliant as they pretend to be.

Knowing what he went through also put the lyrics he and she have written since into sharp relief. It also, I imagine, explains the third-life crisis that might send the late 80s light-jazz-pop dolls into the clubs, and turn Ben into an obsessed DJ.

They haven't released a studio album since 1999's Temperamental,which is irksome (the fact that they haven't released any new work is irksome, not Temperamental.) But they appear to have been busy. Serve your muse. Mind your business.

There was a time when I had toyed with adapting that into a solo perf. And sometimes it's better to tell your own stories than someone else's.

UPDATE: I was distressed that the track Love Is Strange from their 1992 release Acoustichas been approriated for a Hummer commercial. I was relieved to read their disclaimed on their website that they were never contacted about this arrangement, that they were opposed to their work being used in that way, and that there was unfortunately nothing they could do about it because though they control the rights to their own songs, it's a different story when you've covered someone else's.

Ode to Harvey

I can't remember when I was first made familiar with the work of Harvey Pekar. It was definitely when I was at school - I was big into comic books when I was an adolescent, less so when I was in my late high school years. I think I was still getting X-Men by habit when I was sixteen, but stopped around then.

There was a brief era in the late 80s/early 90s (well-documented in Reinventing Comics) where so-called "comix" were finally getting respect and attention. Or so they said. There were always well-written comics out there with an adult audience in mind, only they started getting reviewed in the NY Times. Harvey had been publishing American Splendor since 1976.

Again, can't remember who told me, "hey, you should read this." I'm fairly certain I was already collecting his work before I even knew he was making guest shots on Letterman. He can be a bad influence on a young writer. Harvey's mantra is that extraordinary things happen to ordinary people. And since most of his work is autobiographical, countless writers and artists have used him as a template for their own existential-funny-angst prose. It's an excuse to write about the crap you just took. For a very successful example, see Derf's The City.

One of his techniques is to narrate a story by simply telling it as monologue, with a page or more of images of himself, directly addressing the reader - which I felt was translated pretty well into the film version of American Splendor(see right: click on to enlarge.) In spite of any other solo performance I have ever seen - and I have seen a lot - I think this style, more than any other, had a great impression on my comic art, and on the route I chose to take with I Hate This. I don't know that I would have had the stones to just stand there and flatly state what was going on, and my reaction to it, and feel it was worth saying. I "perform" things a little, but feel much more comfortable just standing there, telling.

Thanks, Harvey.

"Warp your mind, curve your spine and lose the war for the allies."

When I was in fifth grade I was stuck on this book called I, Trissyby Norma Fox Mazer. It's a fictional journal, told from the point of view of an adolscent girl and her new (manual, of course) typewriter.

My obsession probably stemmed from 1) my fascination with anything that explains the inner workings of the female mind, 2) its frank and harrowing description of what it is like to watch your parents separate, which, at that point in time, only my best friends' parents had done and so it had a perverse fascination for me and 3) its colorful use of obscenities.

Also, I think the typography appealed to me, appearing as it did like poorly typewritten pages, complete with typos and a creative use of ========+++++!!!!!!!@@@@@@@@$$$$$$$$#########!!!!!!!!!!s.

So, of course, I was inspired to use our own manual typewriter to empty my head and write whatever the f*** I wanted with it, even about dark, personal issues and other b***s***. And that urge has never gone away.

Once my brother Henrik was in my room (this would have put him in ninth grade) and saw one of my "articles" replete with Carlin's Seven Words You Can't Say On Television (oh, and, yeah, Denny had a copy of that albumand I had been listening to it - I didn't understand it, but I listened to it) and said to me in that voice (if you've seen the show, you know the voice) "I don't want to see this ever again."

You know, it's better than that - I was in the middle of asking him a question, as part of this comedy routine I was recording on a cassette player when he gave me that little reprimand. That's why I remember it so well, I have it on tape.

I was ten. I wasn't quick enough to say, "Stay away from my desk, you never have to see it again."

I got a very kind email today from Jennifer D. at Akron City Hospital today about the performance there on Oct. 6. She had an evaluation for me, and the thing that struck me the most were the comments about language. I have gone back and forth about certain words I use in the show, but in spirit of realism (i.e.: what really happened) there are some I don't change.

However, on that very hot afternoon - 80+ degrees in the room, and the a/c was broken - I could feel a discernable chill when I uttered the "c" word. And from that point on I started censoring some of the more colorful language. Not that my show is foul, you understand, but you know, some people would rather you say "poo" or nothing at all.

The radio version has been entirely bowdlerized, but at least I wasn't doing it on the fly.

I don't know. The show went over well, most respondents got something out of it, and our hosts were excellent. And I know these comments are just going to piss all of you off.

... So I'll include all of them.

Awesome.
Difficult to follow. Boring.
All the programs were excellent.
Good but way too long!
David Hansen too long - lost my interest.
David - amazing!
"I Hate This" - Remarkable.
Good play but too long.
I did not appreciate the use of certain cuss words beginning with the letter "C"! It was not necessary!
Mr. Hansen, excellent - heartfelt.
Play was good but dragged a little too long.
David Hansen - bring him back - others need to see!!
The last guy did a great job - could have done without the swearing, esp the 3 times he used God's name in vain.
Thank you (David Hansen) for teaching us more.
Suggestions: Like uplifting things better than sad at the end of program.

Seriously, that was the last comment. Let's keep it light.

Remember, these are nurses. Go nuts, people.