My First Radio Interview

I was listening to the radio a couple of days ago and I heard the person being interviewed repeatedly use the words "you know" in between all of his sentences. I thought, "That's really, really annoying. I guess that's what some people do when they're nervous."

Yesterday I got an email from Phil Wain, who does a morning show for CKNX, a talk radio show in Ontario, Canada. He asked me if I was available to go on his radio show today. I said, "Sure." I actually thought it was a radio show in Ontario, California and realized much later that my 9:15 a.m. interview was actually 6:15 a.m., as he was in Canada. After the interview, I thought "For having woken up 60 seconds before going on the air, I did a pretty good job." Then, he sent me the audio tape and guess what... I use the phrase, "you know" so often it could become a college drinking game. "Dude, he said 'you know' again - you gotta take a shot of Jager!" Apparently it's not just a nervous technique - it buys you time. And whenever I was fishing for an answer, "um" and "you know" filled the dead air. So I apologize if it's not the brilliant, reflective piece of radio I always imagined. But, it is what it is. As Errol Morris says, "Life is an opportunity to make mistakes that can never be fixed."

Seth Menachem on Phil Wain in the Morning - 9-24-09 by user81179

A Dumb Blonde and Her Friend Get Into an Elevator

I know a dimly lit parking garage isn’t the best place for an interview, but I had no choice. I shared an elevator with Shirley and Lila and by the time they agreed to talk to me on camera, we had gotten out into the garage. We met at a movie screening put together by the SAG Film Society. Shirley Chambers tells me she was the first “dumb blonde” in the movies, making her film debut in 1932. She tells me on camera that she’s been acting for 50 years, but clearly she made a mistake as it’s been 77 years since her first movie and she’s still acting. If you’re interested in seeing more of Shirley, I came across a website for a documentary movie which was made about her life: http://dumbblondemovie.com/

While Shirley started acting in her teens, Brooklyn born-and-raised Lila didn’t start working as an actor until she was 40. Lila already had a career in publishing when she decided it was time to live out her dream. Best friends for a long time, both women tell me they’re happy with the career choices they made in their lives. I just don’t know if that’s completely the case as according to IMDB, Lila booked a few jobs in the 70’s and early 80’s and hasn’t worked since. While Shirley, the first "dumb blonde" and “Goldwyn Girl,” hasn’t worked in TV or film since 1966. Maybe they’ve been doing commercials (which don’t get listed on IMDB) and maybe they’ve been doing regional theater, but I’m guessing both have gone for long stretches of time without work and I know how hard that is. I need to remember to ask these older actors what it’s been like for them during the times they haven’t been able to find any work. What do they do to keep busy, to keep sane, to keep feeling good about themselves? These days it’s not just actors finding difficulty getting work – it’s an overwhelming amount of people from all walks of life. And since most actors know what it’s like to struggle for long periods without getting the chance to act, I’m sure older actors can offer a lot of insight for the rest of us.

Shirley Chambers, age 96. Lila Teigh, age 83.

Passion Projects

I saw John's video on the website, Chow.com under a section named Obsessives. The videos profile different people who have become experts in a particular food-related field. There is an expert on pickles, and all things pickled. There is an expert on marmalade. And there's the soda expert, John. He owns and operates a store called Galco's which specializes in unique sodas. The cool thing about these "obsessives" is that they all seem really happy to be doing what they're doing. They are all making a living working on their passion projects and that's just about the best kind of job you can ever have. Although I'd love to go interview John in person, Chow.com did a really good job profiling him. They never directly ask him for advice on life but it's clear when he says, "I don't work. I just play all day long," that he's found the secret to his happiness.

A friend and I sold a TV show to Starz, which we've started to write. They are actually paying us to write a show that we'd star in. That's something I've been trying to do since I've moved to LA - and it's happening. I don't know if Starz is going to put the show on the air but I know I'm going to work my ass off to write the best - and funniest - show I can. I also know that when I go into work tomorrow - my first day working out of the Starz offices - I'll do so knowing that something I worked towards for 13 years in LA, is starting to pay off. And that feels pretty damn good.