Crazytown

AND THE "REST" IS HISTORY

Physically in San Francisco, but mentally still in New York City, the monkey is finding himself in a schism of lifestyle.  Settling into the San Francisco vibe has proven tricky, and having New York Times bloggers barking in my face isn't helping.
MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist)

If you were on the internet at all last week, you undoubtedly saw the New York Times Opinionator Op. Ed. by Tim Kreider, "The 'Busy' Trap.  You undoubtedly also saw many "busy" people posting it to facebook triumphantly, and you may have even seen some eloquent rebuttles.  I particularly liked this one: "Tim Kreider Debunked: In Defense of the Busy Trap" in which author Phy Tran takes Kreider down for being overly simplistic.

Though debunking Kreider is not the point of my blog post, I would like to take a second in pink to mention this whole latch-key imagery Kreider uses.  He spent 3 hours of unstructured time at home in which he remembers playing.  I wonder how his parents would remember those 3 hours–they were WORKING during those that time of day.  He had latch key time because they were employed being busy.  A child with no responsibilities is going to be able to be idle.  Those supporting a family often don't have the luxury to have afternoons off.  Just saying.

So here I am, exactly one month since moving back to San Francisco, a glorious city which moves proudly at roughly half the speed of New York City.  I am currently unemployed, and the weather has been pretty glorious.  And somehow, with my days completely free, walking around this paradise with the California sun shining down on me, I can't fucking relax.

 

THESE THINGS ARE ONE PERCENT TO TRY US

Not long ago, a movement in this country coined the term "The One Percent".  Because of the recent media attention 1%ers have gotten, when the select few who wear this label, who also usually wear the label Ralph Lauren, their actions are often public now.  The rest of us, the 99%, just chuckle...as we calmly clean our rifles.
MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Currently Unemployed San Franciscan)

I live in San Francisco now.  Me and the other compost-bin owning pinkos at the yoga studio love to pretend that San Francisco is its own nation–so, so far from that Fox News-watching, fast food-eating "America" that's trending on the internet alongside the Kardashians and Casey Anthony's movie deal.

You'll notice the news hasn't had much coverage of an "Occupy San Francisco" movement.  That's because we're all Occupying San Francisco all the time.  Sure, SF had a tent city in Justin Herman Plaza, but there's often a tent city in Justin Herman Plaza.  The cops don't hassle the protestors, because the cops are with the protestors.

But we aren't so separate as we like to think we are.  The other day, I read this article:

Bay Area Couple Demolishes $4.2 Million Home to Get a Better View

Here's the gist: Clark and Sharon Winslow, a very wealthy couple in Belvedere, CA (the insanely rich area of the North Bay near Tiburon), bought the $4.2-million house next door so they could tear it down, thereby improving the view of the San Francisco Bay from their own $19-million home.

LEAVING MY MARCUS ON THE WORLD

It's PRIDE! And I'm not the only one celebrating!!!  Let's follow everyone's favorite Conservative Christian Ex-gay Minister husband as he gets ready for the yearly festival!
MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist)

 

LITTLE MARCUS BACHMANN
GOES TO THE GAY PRIDE FESTIVAL
A picture book, by Tony Asaro 

 

Marcus is excited for Pride! 

MUFF ADO ABOUT NOTHING

I generally try to write about my own personal experiences, or my own expertise.  This week, my blog is about neither.  As a thoroughbred gay, I've never experienced, nor do I have any expertise with, a woman's genitals.  Still, there's something going on down there, and I think we should all take a closer look.
MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist/Gold Star Gay)

I’ve been thinking a lot about women’s bodies lately.  That’s a sentence I haven’t uttered many times in my life.  But with transvaginal ultrasounds, Rush Limbaugh/Sandra Fluke, and seeing the results of Renee and Big Ang’s plastic surgery on Mob Wives, women’s bodies, and the societal attitude towards and ignorance of women’s bodies, seem to always be on my mind.

Women are different than men.  This is an obvious fact of nature, but somehow a lot of men seem to miss this.  Men know that women’s external body parts are different than ours, and we know that there are whole aisles in the CVS dedicated to some monthly carnage that happens “down there”, but really, we tend to think of women as having bodies that are like ours.  We do, after all, have the same basic construction—a head, a torso, four limbs, a pubic region.  We both breathe, and eat, and sleep, and shit, and get sun burned, and can see the same distance in front of us, and report the same sensations of the five senses.  We are clearly of the same human species.

CROSSING THE COUNTRY

From June 1st through June 8th, my boyfriend (Nico Rico) and I drove from New York City to San Francisco.  We took a southern, and certainly not a direct route.  What follows is a joint blog–pictures from the trip.
MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist), Photographs by Nico Rico (Boyfriend/Photographer)

Our trip across country looked something like this:

It was a long drive, but a drive I've been wanting to do for a long time.  On June 1st, Nico and I left New York at 5:00am.

I can tell you, do not attempt to do a drive like this without a good GPS system.  I mean, I guess you could do it with maps, but our GPS system made the trip so much easier.  We named her Sarah:

GOODNIGHT NEW YORK

I leave for San Francisco on Thursday.  I've been spending my final two weeks in NYC packing and trying to unload furniture, but also saying goodbye to the people and the things that I love.
MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist and Soon-To-Be SF Resident)

I tried to cram as much as I could into my minal few weeks in NYC.  I made a New York Bucket list, and on it were things I've never done but have always wanted to do, and things I've loved but want to do one last time.

ONE IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER

Letting go is never easy.  Moving on isn’t easy either.  But the monkey is finally facing facts, and putting the pieces back together.
MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist)

But like, I soooo don’t get it!  Things were going really well.  Like REALLY well.  We were totally on the same page.  And like, right at the beginning he was saying things like “I think this could work between us.”  And another time, “I’m so happy we’re doing this together.”  And I was excited, you know?  Cuz like, it’s not often that someone gets me.  Like REALLY gets me, you know?  But then, something happened.  I don’t know.  All of a sudden, it takes him forever to return my calls...  The more I call, the worse it gets.  Like no phone calls, no texts, no emails.  No Facebook messages, but he definitely goes on Facebook, cuz he updates his status with like, everything else he’s doing...

I know what you’d say to her.  Depending on who you are, the tone could range from “He’s just not that into you” to “Shut the F*CK up, needy bitch”, but the message would be the same: “You’ve been dumped.  It sucks, but you’ve gotta face it and move on.”  That’s how I’d say it: gentle, yet tactful.  But in this instance, I’m unable to give that sound advice.  That desperate chick who was dumped and needs closure?  That’s me.

GO WEST

As I've mentioned about 3,000 times here on the blog, I'm moving back to San Francisco.  The move is now imminent, and I'm realizing just how much stuff I need to do before I go!!!
MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist)

Today I’m going to use the blog for my personal gain.  I have a bunch of furniture and odds and ends I need to get rid of.  I plan on posting on Craigslist, and on the NYU Musical Theatre Discussion Board, so I figured, "Why not type it all up in Monkey Business first?"  Kill two or three birds with one post, as it were.  And I didn't know what to write about anyway.

ITEMS FOR SALE:

1) Bedroom set

Full-size Crate and Barrel Bedframe and really nice .  Dark metal.  Great condition!  ($250)  I also have a nice Mattress and box spring in very good condition which I will throw in for free if you want to buy the bed frame.

 

 

 

 

Crate and Barrel nightstand.  Very dark brown wood.  2 drawers and storage space underneath.  Good condition.  ($50)

 

 

 

 

 

Crate and Barrel dresser.  Very dark brown wood (matches the nightstand).  4 drawers of equal size.  Good condition.  ($150)

 

 

 

 

OR

Buy the whole set for $400.  PLUS, if you buy the whole set, I'll throw in the matching lamp, and large wall mirror for free.

 

 

 

 

 

2) Synthesizer and Amp

Alesis QS 8.1.  Includes a classical instruments Qcard and nice damper pedal.  Full 88 keys--weighted.  Very easy to use.  Comes with a wheeled case.  She's old, but she's a great synth.  Originally cost me over $2000.  Also included, a Roland KC-100 amp.  Whole package ($150)

 

3) Small Kitchen Table and Chairs

Crate and Barrel.  Very light wood stain.  Square--3ft X 3ft.  Expandable with 2 leaves that pop out from underneath.  4 chairs.  In decent condition.  ($50)

4) Living Room Furniture

IKEA TV stand, coffee table, and end chair.  Dark Wood.  ($40 each, or $100 for the whole set)

 

 

 

 

5) Color Wireless All-In-One Printer/Scanner/Copier

HP6500 Wireless.  With extra color cartridges and paper.  ($40)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please email me right away if you are interested in any of these items.  Just click the link below.  Also, please forward this around to anyone you know who is moving, or who is new to NYC.

Lastly, if you or anyone you know needs a car driven across country, let me know!

Thanks,
~Tony

TONY ASARO is a composer/librettist currently working on various musical theatre and opera projects including the award winning Our Country.  To learn more about Tony's writing, please visit unrelentingmonkey.com.  NEVER STOP SWINGING!

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AND THE WALLS CAME A-TUMBALIN' DOWN

Just like the great Berlin Wall fell in 1989, another great wall has fallen, reuniting us with theatre that is essential—the fourth wall.
MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist) 

I learned much of what I know about theatre in my high school drama class: the parts of the stage, the basic terminology, what beats are, Character-Relationship-Objective-Where.

And, I learned that while cheating to the audience was a good thing, mugging for the audience was most certainly not.

Mugging–[verb intrans.] to make faces, esp. silly or exaggerated ones, before an audience 

There was this thing called “the fourth wall” that existed, separating the world onstage from the real world of the audience.  An actor would break this fourth wall by directly addressing the audience.  This separates all theatre into two categories representational (fourth wall) and presentational (no fourth wall).  And despite my long experience with musical theatre, a genre which is almost necessarily presentational, I think I’ve always inadvertently clung to “Presentational good.  Representational bad.”

A GHOST OF A CHANCE

As promised, I’ve been seeing shows before I leave New York.  Most have them have been Broadway shows.  I actually saw one that I liked.  It wasn’t Once, a show which had some elements I really liked but overall left me shrugging.  No, the show I enjoyed is already the laughing stock of the season: Ghost.  Yes.  You read that right: GHOST.  Is this show about the afterlife dead on arrival?
MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist)

Isherwood panned Ghost.  He urinated on it.

His review floated around my Facebook wall with many “LOL” and “HAHA” comments attached.  I read the review, and thought "Ugh.  Another movie musical.  Yuck."  And while I typically can't stand Isherwood and his penchant for musicals that don't feel like musicals, I was happy to let him beat this movie musical (as a stand in for ALL movie musicals) to a pulp with his brass-knuckled vitriol.

When my good buddy Scotty Arnold suggested that we get cheap tickets, I happily agreed.  I saw Lestat with Scotty.  He's fun to have as a companion for theatrical atrocity.

 

WOLFKILLER!!!

I went in to Ghost ready to roll my eyes.  But...my eyes never rolled.  I <gulp> enjoyed it.  Actually, I really enjoyed it.  I'm not supposed to, I know.  I hate movie musicals.  I hate when pop song writers try to write musical theatre scores.  And frankly, I usually hate just about everything I see on Broadway for no real reason.  This show surprised me.