Bad Influence

Folks, I must make a confession... I have an addiction.

Last summer, after hearing so many people rave about AMC's critically acclaimed TV series, Breaking Bad, Sarah and I decided to give it a shot through the "binge viewing" experience that is Netflix. I should say "new" for us, because we have only just signed up for the service after finding it hard to locate older movies we were interested in viewing. As it turns out, we have ended up watching more TV shows than movies through Netflix, and AMC's creative offering might be the best that I have ever seen.

"Breaking Bad" promo with left to right: Aaron Paul
and Bryan Cranston. Courtesy AMC.

For the uninitiated, Breaking Bad tells the story of Walter White (played by the brilliant Bryan Cranston), a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Facing financial troubles and a new child on the way, Walter despairs about how he will provide for his family once he is gone. During the same time, his brother-in-law Hank (Dean Norris), a DEA agent, brings him along on one of his drug busts, and it is here that Walt conceives the idea of producing methamphetamine as a way to make money. In an added twist, Walt's former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) is spotted during the bust and coerced into helping his teacher with his scheme. The two become big-time players in the Albuquerque, New Mexico drug scene, producing a nearly pure crystal meth, known for its unique blue color, and attracting an increasingly complicated and dangerous lifestyle unbeknownst to their families.

I knew this show was going to be different from the very first episode−not just for its unique anti-hero/villain story, but also for its high-quality writing, acting, and artistic flourishes, including some gorgeous cinematography of the New Mexico landscape. But the high point is Cranston, who brings such a rich, nuanced performance as Walter White. You really don't know whether to sympathize with or hate him... five seasons in it feels like a bit of both. During the series, Walter also adopts the alter ego "Heisenberg,” a nod to German physicist Werner Heisenberg, famous for his "uncertainty principle,” which seems entirely appropriate to describe this show that has kept us nervously glued to the screen.

As you may have heard, tonight they are airing the final episode of the series, and there is an incredible amount of anticipation out there− I hear it from my friends and in the media (Conan O'Brien even had the show's cast on his program last week for a full episode devoted to the series). I am amazed by the phenomenon (of a show that wasn't even on my radar a year ago), but it is truly deserved.

Earlier this year I wrote about TV shows in a somewhat rambling blog post, inspired by our new HD TV set (sorry about that one). What I was trying to express was the idea and desire for strong storytelling in motion pictures. The irony is, as a frequent video producer, I rarely watched TV− I found most standard network shows rather insulting, and hardly inspiring. Now I'm learning about this new "golden age" of television, lead by such innovative cable series as Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Orange Is The New Black... etc. We don't have anything higher than basic cable, but Netflix is giving us the opportunity to discover what the fuss is about. Kevin Spacey, star of the newly recommended House of Cards, was interviewed recently about this "binge TV viewing" phenomenon, and made the point that it offers viewers the chance to watch these shows like they might read a novel (yeah, don't get Sarah started!).  

Bryan Cranston is Walter White
(aka "Heisenberg"). Courtesy AMC.

I have to say, I find Breaking Bad on the level of a good novel, and certainly better than most movies I have seen recently. There is an obvious care and creativity (lacking in most big-budget Hollywood movies), and satisfying in its use of a "slow reveal"...letting us learn about the characters in a gradual fashion. In contrast, How I Met Your Mother, another one-time favorite that is ending this year, has become unwatchable. Through Netflix I am sad to witness how this once clever sitcom has evolved into caricature and slapstick... is this what happens under the influence of network TV, ratings, and continuing past your expiration date? So far, BB’s quality has remained consistent all the way through—maybe stopping while you’re ahead isn't a bad idea.

Closer to home, I learned some exciting, related news this week: motion picture company Pacifica Ventures, which produces Breaking Bad, has made a proposal to build a $68.9 movie studio right here in Schenectady. That would be unbelievable on so many levels... with the opportunity for film production resources right here in my town, and a likely boon to the area's economy— on that note, New York Times has an interesting story today about how Albuquerque experienced just such a boon, during the years that AMC's hit show was in production there... right down to local businesses selling "blue meth" candy and cookies, and tours of the locations where the show had been filmed. I think Schenectady would be a great choice... the recent feature The Place Beyond the Pines was filmed here, and that was done in the same edgy/artistic way as BB, and also utilized the surrounding town as a character in itself (yes, my friends and I did a tour of its various locations around the time of its release). Schenectady also has an interesting history in relationship to the arts and media—apparently WRGB-TV, celebrating its 85th anniversary, was the first TV station to ever start broadcasting in the world.

So, I guess these are all good reasons to get hooked (on TV) again... if my eyes look bleary, you'll understand why. All I ask is that you don't provide any spoilers on the final BB episode just yet... we have about a season of heart-racing stories to go, and I want to keep that element of surprise. Knowing myself, it's going to be hard to resist reading all I can before then about the show, but this "slower reveal" should provide a much better rush.

Related Links:

Official "Breaking Bad" site, AMC

"Breaking Up With 'Breaking Bad' Is Hard for Albuquerque," New York Times, September 29, 2013

"Point Of View: How So Many Rooted for 'Breaking Bad's' Walter White," NPR, September 27, 2013

"Race to End for 'Breaking Bad' Fans Who Got Behind," New York Times, September 27, 2013

"'Love affair' led company to propose film studio for Schenectady," Schenectady Gazette, September 25, 2013

"Breaking Bad" episode, Conan, September 23, 2013

"A Deeper Dive Into Television's 'Difficult Men'," NPR, June 30, 2013

(post edited 9.30.13)

Catch Me I'm Falling...

Today I can feel the weather finally starting the change (thank God). Signs of crocuses and snow drop flowers blooming... I was even able to ditch my jacket.

Although cooler this past weekend, Sarah and I managed to get outdoors for a hike with her parents on Saturday afternoon, along one of our favorite nature preserves in the Capital Region. I already blogged last June about the Christman Sanctuary, which contains a couple of really stunning waterfalls. Well I think now is really the time for us to get cracking on our waterfall search, because things are thawing and the water is falling! Here are some photos I took with my new Canon EOS Rebel T3:

Interesting to see the changes with a longer exposure:

For those who attended our wedding, this waterfall might look familiar 

(we used a photo of it on our invitations).

State of Mind

You bet your sweet ascot I'm back on stage! 
With actress Amy Lane in SCP's production of Alan 
Ayckbourn's "Woman in Mind." Photo by Tom Killips.
Courtesy and ©Schenectady Civic Players.

Sorry for the lack of posts here lately... I have been too busy preparing for my upcoming play, Woman in Mind, with Schenectady Civic Players. We actually open this Friday, March 15, with an 8 p.m. performance, followed by shows throughout the week and next (final performance is on March 24). If you haven't ordered tickets yet, you can do so on the theater's website.

Working on this play has been quite the process. My character, Andy, is very much "in the head" (to play on words) and there are a couple tricky scenes that I have been learning how to pull off convincingly. Luckily I am working with a great cast and talented production staff. We have all been busy with tech and dress rehearsals over the last few days, which has made for an even more intense schedule.

Before I moved out to the Hudson Valley and Berkshires, I was working at a couple equity theaters in Rochester, New York. I must say that Schenectady Civic Players is every bit as professional from what I have experienced so far. 

Photo ©Jeremy Clowe.

Although technically a community theater, SCP has been around since 1928, operating out of Schenectady's historic Stockade district. The theater is actually a former mid-19th century Masonic temple, so it has a lot of character and plenty of resources (including a vast collection of costumes and props). Now in its 85th season, the theater has produced nearly 450 plays— from recent Broadway hits to classics to avant-garde— I have seen a couple of these shows and have been impressed with the results.

So I'm quite excited about my return to the stage! I am scheduled to appear with the cast and director on WAMC Radio's The Roundtable this Friday to discuss the show— it should be a fun preview to our opening night! You can listen in to the Albany NPR station's segment around 10:30 a.m. on their website.

Ok, it's off to fuss around with tying an ascot for tonight's dress rehearsal... as they say, "the Show" must go on! 

Related Links (updated 3/14/13):

Schenectady Civic Players website

"A 'Mind' of her own," Albany Times Union, March 13, 2013

The Answer My Friends...

What a nice weekend. Sarah and I had a chance to reconnect with friends--by phone and in person--and enjoyed stepping out in Schenectady every night this weekend. We just got back from Proctors Theater, where we saw a staged reading of a play called Hell and High Water, that my buddy Frank took part in. This creative show was written about Hurricane Katrina, and the reading was to benefit the Actors Fund emergency relief for performing artists impacted by Super Storm Sandy. It was a strong cast, and I was impressed that they had only met twice previously to rehearse... I suppose props must go to writer/director Jamuna Yvette Sirker. I talked with Frank afterward about how hard it is to commit to a doing a full show, when you have so many other things up in the air... our improv group is a little looser, and serves as a good performing outlet, but it sure would be nice to get into another proper theater show again.

On Friday night Sarah and I caught another theater performance here in the Electric City... Schenectady Civic Players is putting on Jeffrey Hatcher's Mrs. Mannerly, which is based on the playwright's own memories of being enrolled in charm school back in the 1960s. It was a funny script, with the clever conceit of having young Jeffrey played by an adult (Randy McConnach). It is basically a two-person show, and I was impressed with McConnach's comedic timing and ability to maintain such energy throughout a 90 minute show. The last thing we saw at the Civic Players was Waiting For Godot, and they had some issues with real-life bats in their belfry... this show was memorable for other reasons, and made me tempted to start looking at the idea of performing in my new town...

Photo by John Whipple. All rights reserved.

Still settling into our new place though... a performance in itself. I think we need to host a gathering or something to motivate us to just organize this place... This weekend I did manage to finally post most of our wedding photos on Facebook... something of an achievement there. This photo to the right reminds me that we still need to retrieve our windmill, a wedding present created by Sarah's uncle... need to take one thing at a time I guess.

Wicked Good

Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)
Myths: The Witch, 1981
screen print with diamond dust on Lenox Museum Board
38 1/16" x 38". The Andy Warhol Museum,
Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol
Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. 1998.1.2452.4
From Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross.

The Museum's mini comic con went well yesterday... although it lacked a bit of the enthusiasm of the Albany Con a week before (think some people working at the Museum don't really get this comic book thing), it was still a good time--fun to meet different artists, and I had a chance to greet even more excited kids in my Spidey get-up... even received a drawing or two, which was sweet.

Another cool thing about the Alex Ross exhibit is that because it was curated by The Andy Warhol Museum, it includes not only some of Andy Warhol's comic book collection, but also some of the pop artist's original work--his Myths series from the early 1980s is quite striking, and includes a series of recognizable figures which Alex Ross would also go on to illustrate: Superman, Uncle Sam, and The Wicked Witch. For the latter, both Ross and Warhol based their designs on actress Margaret Hamilton, who memorably played the character in the 1939 movie adaptation of L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz (Warhol went so far as the recruit Hamilton to pose for his painting--see above).

The character of the Wicked Witch of the West is such an enduring icon that it is interesting to see the spin that author Gregory Maguire has put on the character in his best-selling novel, Wicked. I must confess that I have yet to read the author's work, although Sarah and I did get to hear the Albany-born author speak a few years ago in Schenectady (Sarah, the avid reader, really enjoyed Wicked, as well as the author's two follow-up tales). Anyway, the gist of the novel (if you are not already aware) is a telling of the story of The Wicked Witch from another perspective, where she is, in fact, persecuted because of the color of her skin; in reality, she is a good-hearted gal, with a particular soft-spot for animals. 

Cast members from Wicked mingle with the audience
at Proctors Theater. Photo by Jeremy Clowe.

Tonight I managed to score us some discounted tickets the musical Wicked, which has a week-long engagement at Schenectady's Proctors Theater. I have seen a couple shows at the theater, which is just down the road, and it is a lovely, old-time venue, with regal ceiling, balcony, and stage. We were up very close to the stage, so had a great view of the action between The Wicked Witch Elphaba (beautifully played by actress Christine Dwyer, a fellow University of Hartford alum!) and her frequently shallow friend Glinda, The Good Witch (Jeanna De Waal, in an equally strong performance). 

The set by Eugene Lee was great, including a fire-eyed dragon towering over the stage, and huge robotic Oz; and there was exquisite costuming by designer Susan Hilferty--the stage was completely glowing by the time we were transported to Emerald City. I haven't read the book so I can't really comment on the translation, but several of the songs I had heard before on the TV show, Glee, and they sounded great here. I also appreciated the play's themes... that there are two sides to a story... things are not always black and white, and we should celebrate, not oppress differences... every which (witch) way. 

Related Links:

www.gregorymaguire.com

www.wickedthemusical.com

"Playing 'Wicked's' green witch a dream job," Albany Times Union, November 1, 2012

Heavy Lifting

I love our new place! We still have much to unpack, but I'm sitting in the living room, surveying all the space... it really is a treat, and very comfortable here. Even though we have been together for seven years, it's our first truly shared space.

We spent the day cleaning Sarah's old apartment... it has been a lot of work, but manageable. I could really feel the workout I had from moving yesterday... my legs were feeling strong after the many trips we took up two flights of stairs. I slept real good last night, and I'm sure tonight will be the same story... it's a good kind of tired... true satisfaction at completing such a daunting and physical task.

I wish I could feel completely free with this move, but there is still a big distraction I have to deal with. Truthfully, it puts a damper on most things, but at least I have a sweet place and loving wife to come home to and truly feel good about myself. If anything, this place will be a great place to get further organized... it's challenging, but I realize I can't put my life on hold... I should just... be.

I can't wait to set this place up... with a studio, and place to entertain friends. Perhaps we will see you soon...

Moving On Up!

Phew... a full day of moving into our new apartment in Schenectady. I'm really happy with our choice-- we have tons of space, give up none of the resources we have come to love about this area, and I finally will be able to have space to work on many of my ongoing projects. We even have a sweet balcony here on the second floor... we're talking about finally putting out our hammock to enjoy (I love hammocks). Onward and most definitely upward!

Live Effect!

Here it is... a live clip of me and my wife Sarah dancing to "Strange Effect" onstage with Diego Garcia! We chose his recording of the Kinks' classic as the first dance for our wedding, and were honored when he invited us onstage to dance to it during his August 5, 2012 concert at Schenectady's Music Haven!



A beautiful night... even if he couldn't quite get my last name right! I toned down the "hamming" from our wedding dance, because I didn't want to take away from his performance.  Very talented group of musicians... they followed this with an equally lovely cover of Neil Young's "Harvest Moon." I highly recommend checking them out when they hit your town.

Related Link:

www.facebook.com/diegogarciamusic

And thanks to the staff at Schenectady's Central Park... what a lovely day in the pavilion jamming our wedding tunes, the peace march, and for putting on this concert.

Roses and Wine

Only a few miles up the road from us is a true gem--Schenectady's Central Park is beautiful, sprawling park that has just about everything you could think of... including a view! Seriously, you can take pedal boats out on the pond, go swimming, play tennis, volleyball... even frisbee golf (I've been a fan since my Rochester, New York days). The park also has the Rose Garden, which is just exquisite: 

 

Today we spent the whole day in the park--we had the opportunity to rent a whole pavilion space, and threw a little picnic, potluck, dance party. I just bought a sweet Bose music system, so it was chance to test that out, and jam some indie rock in the park. This gave us a chance to finally play the huge list of songs we had compiled for the wedding... around 90+! It felt good to kick back with friends and enjoy a lazy summer day. It rained a bit here and there, but no matter... it's getting to be familiar!

By late afternoon, Schenectady Neighbors for Peace had congregated at the peace pole they had erected in the park. The occasion was to honor the memory of those who perished in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan back during World War II. Tomorrow is the 67th anniversary, and it's still unbelievable to imagine that this horrific act happened. The memorial included music, poetry, prayer, and a silent march around the pond. The group ended up back at the pavilion we had rented, and we had a nice potluck dinner.

And that wasn't it! Later that evening, Latin alternative artist Diego Garcia performed a free concert at the outdoor Music Haven in the park. We had become big fans of Garcia, and even used his recording of the Kinks' "Strange Effect" as our first dance. Well, the rain came down steady at times, but we stuck it out with umbrellas and ponchos... by the end of his set, many of the audience had run up to the front of the stage to dance... little did we know what was in store next....

Just as it seemed he was finished, Garcia addressed the crowd, asking if the engaged couple he had met many months back were in the audience... we had been in touch via Facebook, and told him we were considering using his song at our wedding. Well, he invited us up on stage to serenade us with the song, and then asked us to dance... which we did! It was a repeat of our wedding, with us getting our best tango/cha-cha on--the crowd loved it! They said we were an absolute highlight of the concert. It felt great, and Garcia followed it up with another great cover, Neil Young's "Harvest Moon."

We are so grateful to our friends, family, and the park for an absolutely lovely afternoon... the honeymoon continues...

Photos ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Sound The Call

Union College, May 19, 2012. Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

The day started off with an impromptu radio interview... I literally just got into my office when I received a call from a radio station in Kentucky: "Can you do an interview?" "Sure." "Ok, stand by..."-! Fortunately, I have gotten good at this type of thing, so it worked out just fine. I was also interviewed by a newspaper in the afternoon. My spokesperson duties certainly are getting a workout lately...

This evening we received a call from the photographer that we approached to shoot our wedding, saying that he was free to photograph our big day. Great news, and a bit of a relief as the day is fast approaching! I think he's going to work out well... all of his shots that I have seen really tell a story, including the various persons filling in the background. He has a background in photojournalism, which I think helps... so now I think we're all set with our photographer and videographer... check, check!

Speaking of video, here is a Iittle film I captured on my smartphone this past Saturday. Sarah lives up the street from Union College in Schenectady, and they were presenting a concert and fireworks to honor the 150th anniversary of the military tune, "Taps." The solemn, 24-note bugle call is credited to Daniel Adams Butterfield, who was a Union General in the American Civil War, and Assistant U.S. Treasurer in New York City, who also graduated from Union College in 1849. According to the school's website, "while serving as a general during the Civil War, Butterfield didn’t like the traditional bugle call that marked the day’s end. So with the help of his brigade’s bugler, Butterfield tweaked another call no longer in use. The eloquent and haunting sound quickly spread to other units and became the new standard."

I love living in a pretty area, where you have access to such cultural events. It was a real treat to be able to walk less than a mile down the street on a pleasant spring evening and take this all in. The bugle call, presented by professional trumpeter Steve Weisse, was preceded by a full concert by a brass band in the school's Memorial Chapel to honor Armed Services Day--it was a lovely tribute. 

Just a couple days earlier, I heard a story on NPR that talked about the genesis of "Taps," which has become a national song of remembrance-- I thought it was interesting to learn that it was used by both the Confederate and Union troops during the Civil War! On the eve of Memorial Day, the deceptively simple song seems as relevant as ever...

Related Links:

"Sounding a solemn note: Taps turns 150," Union College website, May 7, 2012

"Union College hosts a milestone for 'Taps'," Albany Times Union, May 18, 2012

150 Years of Taps," NPR, May 18, 2012

"Tapping into Taps," Wall Street Journal, May 17, 2012