Photo by Rosie Cole:
I was recently asked to write a Wikipedia page about The Valley Studio. In the 1970s the New York Times described where Rosie and I met as, “The center of mime training in the country.”
I recorded an interview with the founder E. Reid Gilbert a couple of years back and should have enough material to get a page started.
I would love to hear from anyone that was a part of this magical school.
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Photo by Marc Norberg:
Today is our 29th wedding anniversary. I first met Rosie in Spring Green, Wisconsin at The Valley Studio where we studied mime and movement theater together.
I remember our first date walking in the woods and making snow angels in the moonlight. Later we happened upon an old farm house deep in the woods. When we peeked in the window I imagined us sitting at the kitchen table as an old married couple. Without saying a word I looked Rosie in the eyes, and scared the hell out of her with my unspoken thoughts.
The chase was on and many years later she let herself be caught. This morning when I looked in the mirror I saw a man staring back at me with a tangle of gray hair, and deep set laugh lines carved into his face. Sleeping in my bed is a woman with a dramatic streak of white offsetting her long dark hair.
My dream came true…
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Photo by Teresa Hackler:
It’s been a wild crazy ride with my comic soulmate. Tomorrow Rosie and I will be celebrating our 29th wedding anniversary.
This photo captures the first time we dressed up as our alter egos Eddie and Marian with our daughter Liza dressed as a clown. These characters inspired over a dozen student routines that I wrote for our Waldorf School Circus. Over the years they became better know as Ed and Sophie. They were usually played by 8th graders and would always arrive late to the show. Comic banter with the Ringmaster would inevitably lead them to getting in trouble on stage.
A thousand memories are what makes a marriage.
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Today I woke-up mourning the loss from my daily life of the most important comic voice of the age. Over coffee with my family I abruptly screamed and banged my head against our oak table. Remaining facedown I rambled on about how Jon Stewart leaving The Daily Show has now left a huge vacuum in America’s national discourse.
It has been a ritual to never miss The Daily Show. Jon Stewart’s commentaries have shined a beacon of sanity on our crazy world. Everyday I looked forward to his wry wit illuminating whatever hypocrisy was infecting the daily news cycle. He has been our comic antibody against the corrupt corrosive elements in government, the media, and all power centers that he directed his razor sharp satire.
Throughout America’s history we have had many wise fools, from Mark Twain to Will Rogers. When the next history books are written, Jon Stewart will be listed among the Pantheon of what I like to call, “The Great American Fool.”
We are going to miss you Jon…
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Now that Jon Stewart is leaving The Daily Show the only hope for America is if he runs for president. Without his daily voice there is no sane person left on television to stop a Trump presidential win.
If Jon Stewart does not take up my call to run then everybody better get used to hearing, “President Trump.”
Just sayin…
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Photo by Rosie Cole:
I’ve been surrounded by my family after spending most of summer alone. It’s been wonderful having everyone together for the past few days.
Rosie arrived home a week ago, Liza flew in the next day for an extended visit, and Gabriel arrived home yesterday from Colorado for 36 hours before heading out this morning for Milwaukee to set-up his student housing for the upcoming school year.
Before Gabe drove off we snapped this photo of our entire family together.
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Photo by Andrew Granville:
Photo by Layne Kennedy:
Rosie and I live on an amazing block. Here we are with our neighbors parading down Garfield Avenue celebrating National Night Out a few years back.
Living on our block is an amazing community of people, including master storyteller Kevin Kling. We also boast many other gifted artists including photographer Layne Kennedy who took this picture.
We moved onto the block in the year 2000. I knew we found the right home when there was a vote on who was the most eccentric on the block and I came in third and Kevin Kling came in fourth.
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Photos by Wendy Knox:
Climate Change seems like the first thing that we need to all agree about before this crazy world will recover its sanity.
My neighbor Mary Ludington produced an amazing event with the help of Lisa Ringer that raised over $8,000 for MN350.org to fight Climate Change. The battle is between which story people believe.
Master storyteller Kevin Kling was asked by MN350.org to help write the story that reveals the truth that exposes the lies.
Kevin and Mary invited Rosie and I to help tell the story. We were honored to be included in an extraordinary cast of performers in the first edition of Full Moon Circus.
The performance took place on the night of a rare blue moon. I’m still savoring the memories.
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Photo by Wendy Knox:
I began creating my new character Dr. PT Clemens as an imagination exercise. He is a cross between Mark Twain and PT Barnum.
As a young boy Mark Twain was known as Samuel Clemens. When he watched the great paddle wheel boats arrive in his Mississippi river town of Hanibbal, Missouri, Twain would dream of becoming a riverboat captain. But when the circus arrived he dreamed of becoming a clown and running away with the circus.
It is well known that Twain became a riverboat captain which informed much of his later writing as an author. Dr. PT Clemens is a character Twain might of created if he had instead chosen to run away with the circus and become a clown.
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Photo by Wendy Knox:
This is a picture of Rosie and I backstage with Kevin Kling and Mary Ludington during the Full Moon Circus. The show was to raise money for MN350.org to help combat Climate Change.
It was a blue moon and magic crackled in the air.
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