theprotagonist5

I have been reading some posts here today and trying to catch up on what is happening with everyone. It seems like everyone is located pretty far away now and it is almost hard to remember when we were all in the same city and (most of my friends here) were dancing swing at various places like rumors, willowbrook ballroom and fizz every week. Although I am not buying any houses, changing jobs, having babies or having any other drama in my life right now I should probably write something to sum up life latley. 

Steve and I are doing well. He is still as awesome as ever. I think he and I are probably as compatible as you can be and I think we both hope we are going down the same direction path type thing. We think we know where it will end up but not to jinx anything we will just wait and see. I think that might be my only small frustration, that I am ready to jump into the lets make it official phase and he is not quite yet. He thinks he will but it's just a bit fast to know forever type things when you haven't had a lot of experiences to compare this to nor maybe enough time to date and be super super sure. (it's been 11 months) I guess people's emotions move at different paces even if they are both very much in love. At least I feel good that we are happy together, we never really fight and we seem to have the same aspirations and goals in life. After all the ups and downs I have had in my dating life I feel lucky to have found him and that our relationship has grown into something serious like this and that it makes us both happy.

Otherwise work is ok allbeit a bit boring at times since things can be repetitive but hopefully the company and product will be stable for a while considering that there are no web marketing jobs out there right now, not even with my varied web marketing background. I am also trying to continue gathering more knowledge and am in a Statistics class on Thursday nights at Triton (community) college. I know it's hard to remember college but back then I studied education and had no purpose for a stats class. So, even though I know a lot of the concepts from every day use, I thought going back and taking the class would be helpful for now and for later if I needed it as a pre-requisite.

I am also happy that ChicagoWeekendFun.com is continuing to grow. Some days it is one step forward and two steps back but month over month I usually see growth. I just have to find time in addition to everything else going on to do research and post. I hope it continues to grow and be an interesting side project for a while, I really enjoy being in charge of my own site after working for a site and it is really exciting to see what happens new every day and figure it all out. These new blog ad networks have also made it worth just about anyone's while to start a site with no minimums as far as impressions or clicks go. This is really revolutionary in the online ad world. Some will drop out though, I have noticed a big drop in inventory latley, I hope a few good ones survive.

In other news Zeus is still here being as cute and lovey dovey as an 18 lb cat can be. He enjoys many belly-rubs and mornings watching the birds outside. It has been a year now since I adopted him and I really think he has taken all that time to adjust to the change in living quarters and having me as an owner. He is much more relaxed and social now than he was a year ago at this time.

Hmm...not much else happening really. I joke that Steve and I are the most consistent people in the world. Nothing super interesting or dramatic ever really happens to us. But then again, we kinda like being boring. We are going to go see "Turn of the Century" at the Goodman on the 24th (with Jeff Daniels in it of all people) and Robin Williams Standup Comedy at the Chicago Theater on the 27th. (my Bday, ack! 33) Of course I will blog about both on CWF. We also will be heading out to his folks lake house in Indiana one last weekend to put the boat away for the winter soon. (did I mention I have 3 gallon ziploc bags of Indiana picked bluberries in my freezer?) Otherwise, his mom continues to try and teach me to cook as we have the opportunity, and my parents continue to let me make a mess of their kitchen cooking on Sundays when Steve, Scott and I come over to visit. Somehow cooking and working can't happen on the same days though...too much stress there. (that is why I avoided it for so long!!)

In other people's news, Lisa D had her second baby Rachel and Janice is pregnant with her second child due in February. I can't wait to see all the holiday cards this year. Steve and I should do one with all 3 cats just so we don't feel left out. I have posted a few pix on here of Amy and DJ's baby Zoe and she is doing well at 6 months also. It's just baby crazy right now... well not with me specifically...

Anyway, I hope that is a telling update and that everyone else is having a fun fall and  that things are going well.

This review will make more sense if you read the Thursday night review first.

The other times I have seen Eddie Izzard live and seen him after the show in person I have been completely giddy and in a hurry to archive the feeling of that moment before it passes. I did not have that happen this time at the Stripped show. I am not sure if the change was from him or me, or possibly both, but it wasn’t quite the same.

First off, I am different regarding my understanding of comedy now that I did 2 years of Second City’s Training Center improv programs. I am not an expert in it, but I have a lot more fun in conversations with improv. Also, I am in a very different place with comedy now that I am in a solid relationship and good job now, and doing improv and comedy for fun pale in importance when compared to those more concrete aspects of my life. Since comedy/improv are not career options for me, it seems less important and less a reason to agonize over all the details for hours. I still occasionally feel the urge to get up and play on a stage, or launch into a character in a conversation, but it isn’t the “I’m looking for direction in my life” kind of experimentation it once was and these shows are less a look at a life I would like to lead and more a fun entertaining night out.

That said, my take on Eddie Izzard and Stripped is different too. He is less of a “god-like comedy being” and more of a hard working business man who has some very funny things to say. I have the ultimate respect for him, but I no longer get giddy at the sight of him and his show. Maybe this is also because I have seen shows live before. I do intend to be a loyal fan for a long time since he has had a profound impact on my life and opened the door to a new way of thinking about the idiosyncrasies of life and embracing improv and comedy as a personality characteristic.

Honestly before the show I spent more time making fun of the naked guy in a chariot painted on the ceiling above the stage and singing along in improv to the classical music than thinking about Eddie Izzard. What on earth are all those naked people on the ceiling of the Chicago Theater about? And Steve humored me by laughing at my improvised singing.

Eddie Izzard entered with the usual fanfare and light show that serves him well and he seemed less stiff and abrupt this time around while starting the show. He must have seen the Chicago River at some point, because he mentioned it in the opening and it was a great deal funnier than the night before. 

He launched into many of the same ideas as on Thursday but he did not phrase them the same or use the same details. Eddie must enjoy seeing what changes work and don’t and everything was about 20% funnier and 40% different on Friday night. He was in the groove more. Less people heckled him. He moved quicker through the material (1 hr 30 min vs. 1 hr 45 min) and jumped quicker from subject to subject. I like the disjointedness of jumping around with non-sequiturs. I also liked the pace speeded up and less of the wandering details and more quick “concept and go” pace.

Steve said on Thursday he thought the show was a bit “preachy” and it probably is. It actually has moments when he introduces a segment by explaining his ideology for several minutes on it first and then acting it out. The acting it out is funny, why the ideological explanation first? Why not let people come to their own conclusion from the comedy rather than telling them all the theories? I think we can handle the "no-god" idea, it’s not that controversial. I don’t remember him having to explain as much about what he was doing and why in past shows.

That said everything was quicker, punchier and moved along faster. Even the encore was funny this time. On Thursday it left me with a feeling of “what was that?” and on Friday he illustrated the point of the funny more than wandering about his ideas and explanations. I still think the mix of ideology & comedy was 80/20 in past shows with comedy being the lion’s share.

I don’t want to give the impression that these shows were not funny because they were! I just didn’t write down every joke and story to re-tell online. It would be rude to give the show away to the next 15 cities on the tour and a bit immature also. I will say that badgers, giraffes and ducks return and many other funny concepts he has visited before but rolled around in a new way. Languages and cultures and a lot of Roman and hunter-gatherer history come in as well. And who could forget the  million ways to disprove religion? He has a lot of good points I believe in, but not all of them are completely funny.

If you are a dedicated and loyal Eddie Izzard fan, don’t miss this tour and an opportunity to see him rekindle some of the magic that was lost in the Sexie tour. It is never a bad way to spend an evening. If you don’t know who Eddie Izzard is, you probably won’t like this tour so much and will leave a bit confused on whether it was a funny university lecture or a comedy show.

On Friday Eddie also came out the stage door on the side of the theater to chat with the waiting fans for a few minutes and answer questions rather than sign autographs. (The problem is that they clearly label the door) It seemed that he was more relaxed and less tired this time and there were about double the people that there were on Thursday night. (200+) I still think he is generous to do this with his time and even though it makes his work day longer, it is probably one of the strongest marketing techniques out there. Everyone who got to ask a question got an honest and direct reply looking you straight in the eye for a minute or two and when I got my answer to my hair-brained question I was shaking. (Why did I ask if he would ever do TopGear again if I knew he gets motion sickness? Duh!) How can you not love this man and tell everyone you know about his work when he takes time out to be genuine like this?

Eddie was wearing eyeliner on top and bottom of his eyelids on Friday rather than just the lids on Thursday. I can see more guys doing this look in the future since it doesn’t really look like makeup, it just looks like you have more prominent eyes. And it looks like a rock and roll type style. Steve isn't sold on wearing it yet though.

One interesting question was a thank you from a group of opera singers for doing that bit about opera in the show. Eddie had the guts to do a bit of fact checking on the spot and ask if people in Italy and Germany really did understand the operas or not and they said they do rather than his bit that they don’t. So, maybe that will get integrated into the show? I think it is cool to have an interaction with fans and information like that and let the show form with feedback in a web 2.0 way. No one can replace Eddie’s mind, timing, or cleverness but feedback ala wikipedia and fact checking can only strengthen the comedy and show content.

I am also always impressed by Eddie Izzard’s fans. They are always very respectful well mannered polite folks that never do anything crazy or out of hand. They were nearly on top of him in the alley because of the tight space, and Eddie returned the favor with respect by not acting at all scared that someone was going to overstep a boundary in any way. He did have 3 very big bodyguards standing behind him, but for a Hollywood star guy, he had a great populace feel to the chat and his openness in answering questions even though we weren’t press or famous people.

After about 20 minutes and lots of interesting questions he called it a night and said they were going out. I am glad they got to go out on the town and enjoy some of what Chicago had to offer. I also hope Eddie Izzard and his crew all enjoyed some big thick Chicago steaks and great drinks that evening, since they did a great job with the tour and deserve a fun night to celebrate it. 

Also, I would like to thank Steve for going with me to these shows TWICE and at hopefully enjoying them. I am happy that my appreciation of Eddie hasn't freaked him out and now Steve has seen the action in person and likes to quote Eddie too. Actually, Steve gets a kick out of the fact that Eddie likes to use the name Steve in his bits. We joke that Steve is really an invisible co-star in the show that no one knows about, and he shares credit with the 5 million other Steves out there.

The Eddie Izzard Stripped show was packed on Thursday night, and started about 10 minutes after 8 due to people still trickling in late. They were staunch about no cameras and even checked purses and handbags at the door of the chicago theater to make sure no one had a camera with them. If you did it got confiscated at the request of the artist. (a bit harsh maybe?) This is most likely because it’s early in the tour and things haven’t quite gelled yet. Chicago was only the 4^th or 5th city on the tour so spoiling it for people later through the cunning use of digital devices isn’t really fair. Anyway, mine wasn’t in my purse so they didn’t have a problem with me. I also respected the camera ban and did not take any inside the theater.

Eddie had a very traditional bunch of songs playing beforehand like pomp and circumstance and fancy opera stuff. I assume he liked the history about them or something because they wouldn’t be expected choices for before a standup comedy show. When he was going to come on stage the lights dimmed and a short lights show ala Glorious happened with some hip yet mature instrumental music and then voila the lights pivoted to the stage and there he was. If you have a good trick like this you should re-use it and bringing back the Glorious-esque opening was a good move.

The audience was enthusiastic and cheered wildly when he walked on stage with his trademark chin up swagger, yet they did not give him a standing ovation and they quieted down relatively quickly when he started talking. It is nice that Eddie tries to localize his opening to talk a little about the city he is in, because we know these tours go on forever and everything looks the same from on stage. The audience likes that you actually know where they are and something about their city. He did have some weak facts though about the windy city being a name from politicians being long winded and not because of the wind. But it’s still windy here anyway. Not so funny. He could have had just about anything and he chose that? But then again maybe he hasn’t had a chance to walk around and see the city yet, taste the steak and pizza and smell the pollution and traffic. 

The stage is a simpler backdrop and design than in the past but still a bit puzzling. Really he doesn’t need anything behind him at all, because he sets the stage, themes and mood with his comedy, not with sets. There were large beige fabric panels hanging with rock patterns and cave painting hieroglyphics on them. We thought maybe he was going to do something from “Defending the Caveman” perhaps? And on the top left quartile of this fabric backdrop was a rectangle cut out that was a digital screen that seemed to have nothing to do with the performance itself. It looked like a hanging flat screen TV with different images on it that changed from an ocean behind 2 palm trees to a human’s eye which changed colors behind two bars to a moon rising and setting behind these 2 bars. What does that mean?

His comedic bits start at the beginning of time and try and get somewhat bouncing around through major points of civilization’s history. Yet there was no story or relevance rooted in his life or ours in the telling. He does hint at the US not allowing its citizens to travel anymore because we start too many wars by pissing over the fence but doesn’t make a strong sociopolitical argument in the show. He also points out (rather weakly because someone most likely told him there are Catholics in the audience) that there is no god and all the historical evidence backs this up.

If anything is the basis for the content of the show, "disproving religion with history" is it. But why is that earth shattering? We have all known that for years. In fact I don’t think that anyone could be a fan of Eddie Izzard without that as a given. He mentioned later that he had been back to Yemen (where he was born) recently and that it had a profound impact on him. Maybe seeing the cradle of civilization and interacting with many different religions and cultures was what prompted this thought process? Maybe just late night TV? Why not mention some origins of thought in the beginning to justify all this re-examination and make it relatable? Not all of us watch the history channel every day and naturally have these inclinations.

I have a theory that the further you go back in history, the less people care about it and the harder it is for them to relate to. Personally I used to have a before 1900 – I don’t care policy. I realize now this was short sighted, but how much is really relevant to my daily life from before the industrial revolution?

I think what Eddie is getting at as a point or theme in the show is “How did we get here?” How did we-him-me-us-you-and-them all end up here, right now, doing what we are doing, thinking, believing and living as we are? And what is funny/weird about it? What beliefs do we have that are completely illogical, bizarre and disproved by science and history? What unthinkable things have changed effortlessly because of the new technology available now? Where the hell are we going? 

Later he does return to his talking animals and surrealist sound effects that he likes to do with the microphone. He enjoys pointing out it’s only a mime when people go ewww when he makes a particularly gross skin ripping sound. (at least these are faster than the 15 minute wind horseback riding wind sound from Sexie) He also has fun with some hecklers and looks like he almost looses his train of thought when they interrupt him. He also has less energy and a less manic pace at which he moves these days. Maybe that is from the contrast of doing drama work, maybe he was tired for all this travel or maybe this isn’t as fun 20 years later?

I also heard that he uses his iPhone to look up things he doesn’t know about while on stage performing. And since I got no signal on my phone in the theater I didn’t know if he would be able to pull this off. He did use the iPhone but not to look something new up, but to look up the exact wording to prove a point on a definition. This worked either because they came prepared with their own cell tower or because he had archived the page in the phone just in case. Anyway, I did look the term up he used in the show and it was exactly what he said it was, so he wasn’t ad-libbing that part.

I still had 3 or 4 other spontaneous laugh out loud moments and the audience generally chuckled throughout the entire show. My eyes were literally blurry because I need glasses and I only saw that devilish grin of I’m having fun up here maybe once or twice from the 15^th row.

Yet, I got the feeling that although the Thursdy night audience was very polite and so was he, it wasn’t a totally “on” performance. Chicago loves Eddie Izzard and wants to see him more often. Eddie Izzard loves a 3,000 seat sold out theater even if it is in the middle of America. So, we were both mutually pleased but not wowed. He not with us, and us not with him. So, we will see if the funny gets funnier tomorrow at the second show.

After the show I found the group of addicted Eddie fans behind the theater in the alley patiently waiting to meet him as the garbage truck picked up the trash. There was a ginormous bodyguard guy by the door of the theater and we sensed that if we waited something would eventually happen. And it did. The bodyguard told everyone to come in a semicircle and they couldn’t follow directions fast enough. Then Eddie came out and did a Q&A with the 100 or so of us there waiting to see him. It was nice because he admitted he didn’t have time to meet and autograph things for everyone, but he could talk for 15 minutes and answer questions. As always, you think he is taller until you see him in person and realize not only is he a regular guy in eyeliner, he isn’t a million feet tall either. These are a summary and paraphrasing of some of the Questions and Answers Eddie Izzard gave from standing up on a concrete parking divider.

Q: Where were you born and educated?

A: Born in Yemen, then moved to Northern Ireland and then to Wales and then to Bexhill. He mentions college in Sheffield and another school also.

Q: Which football team are you routing for?

A: Either, Crystal Palace will level them all. Too much money in these teams, it’s not such an interesting sport anymore. Not a level playing field.

Q: Is it true that you and Minnie Driver had never met before that coffee shop?

A: Yes

Q: Did you just ad-lib that whole wikipedia definition?

A: No, it was really there on the phone, see? (holds up phone)

Q: What advice would you give someone who wants to get into comedy?

A: It’s about doing it over and over again. You have to just do as many shows as you can, and you don’t even know where you are until after 100 shows. Keep persisting and you can get through. I didn’t do everything right and had upsa nd downs but kept on pushing for it and got through eventually.

Q: Which do you like better? Stage Comedy Shows or TV work?

A: They’re both great, the Riches is so fast you get up really early and everything gets done very fast. Comedy is different, you wait around all day and then expend all your energy in about 2 hours in the show. But if I had my choice I would just do films because that is my favorite thing to do.

Q: How do you like Chicago?

A: It’s a bit cold really. But it’s nice that people really walk around the downtown area everyday. In some of these downtowns, there isn’t anyone walking around ever.

The Zeus heckler guy was there re-affirming the greek pronunciation of Jesus that he was shouting from the balcony during the show. Something like e-zeus or hesus? Eddie thought the Spanish pronunciation was what he was saying but I am not sure they ever quite understood each other. Another heckler yelled out Jeezy Creezy from Circle also, but they didn't come to the stage door afterwards.

The woman who plays his assistant from The Riches was also in Chicago and came into the alley while the swarm of people was asking him questions. The waters parted, they walked through and went inside and he went on chatting.

Eddie seemed a bit tired and it was hard to hear him over the Chicago downtown outside noise. He was polite as people gushed over him and everything went on for about 25 minutes. Then he took 2 final questions and went back inside with the 6 person entourage and that was it. 

Overall, I would say this was a good show to see, but not at 100% yet. My comments about Friday get better.