Thanks to Marina Williams and everybody at ARTpool Gallery for having me out to perform a couple of my literary parody songs on Saturday night in celebration of their 5th Anniversary. It was a wonderful way to kick off National Library Week, plus we had great weather and a whole lot of fun! My favorite moment of the show was hearing the audience chant "JOYCE, JOYCE, JOYCE" during my first-ever live performance of "JOYCE Around," a tribute to James Joyce and all things Irish. There was also something special about performing "THE RAVEN is Hard to Handle" under a crescent moon. Perhaps Edgar Allan Poe was looking down on me and laughing at my silly mustache. Special thanks to Clinton Lee at Brentwood Photography for the fabulous photos!
I look forward to spending more time at ARTpool now that my literary bags are being sold there. Just look for the library shelf filled with books and birds!
Support libraries and local art!!!!
"THE RAVEN Is Hard to Handle"
"JOYCE Around"
Stand-Up Librarian Designs now available at ARTpool Gallery!
For a direct link to the video, click here: "JOYCE Around"
Happy St. Patrick’s
Day!
As a redhead with pale
skin, I often get mistaken for being Irish.I’m not, but I sure love a lot of things that are.U2. Liam Neeson.Lucky Charms.So instead of doing another long-winded blog post about my
passion for all things Irish or Irish-inspired (I seriously doubt Lucky Charms
are made in Ireland), I decided to put all of those things into a comical song
honoring one of our best Irish authors…James Joyce.
Joyce is another one of
those classic authors that I have a hard time reading.I got Ulysses from the library about two months ago with the
intention to get through it by today but I am still on page 35 “I am a
struggler now at the end of my days.But I will fight for the right till the end.”I admit to
having no idea what this character is fighting for because my creative mind got
distracted by a song that kept playing over and over at the Irish pub I was
having lunch at.It’s like every
Irish pub has a contract with the 90’s Irish rap group House of Pain to play
“Jump Around” on the hour every hour for the tourists in the joint.Jeez, how about some Celtic music or at
least some bagpipes?Why does
everybody have to “Jump up jump up and get down?”Wait a minute.What if I could pass JOYCE around by using an already catchy hook that
people will not be able to get out of their heads?
Hence how “JOYCE Around”
was born.Well, that and I had
made another cool hat and needed a place to wear it.Unlike my other parody songs, I rewrote the entire song with
my own lyrics honoring several of my favorite Irish actors and musicians.Sadly, I could not include Sinead
O’Connor, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Pierce Brosnan or Cillian Murphy because I couldn’t
find words that rhymed!
I want to thank my
brother for giving me the heads up that there was a James Joyce Irish Pub in
Ybor City, which is where we shot the video.The staff there was awesome (especially Johnny who played
the tattooed bartender reading James Patterson – his reaction was hilarious and
we did that in one take.)I wanted
to incorporate the tough-guy theme that House of Pain used in their video so
while Johnny’s tattoos were real, my librarian & book-related tattoos were
just temporary.I also want to
point out that the “library” I am dancing in front of is real.The pub encourages people to donate
their old books so patrons of the bar can “enjoy a Guinness while they unwind
with a good book.”
So this St. Patrick’s
Day, don’t drink and drive, drink and READ…preferably James Joyce.“So get out your books and JOYCE Around!”
Still trying to finish reading Ulysses on the set.
Trying to be tough with my librarian/book tattoos.
Once again, I made everything I am wearing in the video.
Thanks to the staff at the James Joyce Irish Pub in Ybor!
