Happy New You?

So, Hello 2011... How's things?  Good?  Yeah, me too.  Can You believe it, it is almost a month into this New Year.  And those resolutions?  How they working out for ya?  If You only picked one and focused on it, You might fulfill it... or just get bored and demand something else!!  "I have tired of this...thing.  Bring me Something New!!"  Kudos to those that are able to commit and improve their lives.  Which is something that I have been attempting to do now for three years.  (That is the same Resolution for three New Years...) And how's that working out for me?  Getting closer to succeeding... which is exciting.  I am feeling ready to begin this new part of my life.  See when You decide to accomplish a goal that is a constant, You must learn patience.  If not, what You are attempting will just be put out with this week's recycling... So, no matter what It is You desire to improve in Your life just stick with It.  No one every said it would be Easy.  If fact, what is Easy is not doing it.

The Chatty Connection

I found out at an early age that I liked girls.  Plain and simple.  Girls were great.  Not that I am saying my preference is to be forced on others, just me.  Girls were the way to go.  Sure, hangin' with the guys was mandatory.  But even then, if a young lady passed us by, it could stop whatever we were doing 'in our tracks'.  And of course, our friend Danny was the one to find the way to be the first to say 'Hello'.  What can I say, in this case, girls liked Danny. I think it was a confidence thing.  Danny always seemed to know what was what.  (He went on to develop 'Frisbee Golf' before it became the New Now Thing...)  But anyway, before I even knew Danny or the rest of our Running Crew, there was Our Neighbors. When my family moved into Our Home in Downey, CA(Downer as the locals referred to it...)it became apparent I would be surrounded by girls on both sides of us.  Karen and Trudy on our left(they later became my Sisters...figure that one out.. I'll wait... OK, got it? OH,BTW Karen became a Flower Child and we shared our love of music... saw many Dead shows with she and Rod... Trudy has a PHD in Child Behavior, altho is still working on figuring me out) and on our right, Jenny, Sally and little sis, Cathy.  This become a hangout for me after our houses both suffered personal loss of Our Fathers passing from Heart Attacks.  My older brother, of 4 years while attending Long Beach State, worked part time and my Mother full time as a RN at Rancho Los Amigos, and later Kaiser.  Sooooo, I was by myself ALOT.  That's where Mrs Luntz stepped in and I became an unofficial family member.  If they were going to the beach, I was always welcomed... and so on.  I would help out around their home, like say if I was mowing Our lawn I would just keep going and trim theirs as well. So, to say, I spent alot of time there.  Sometime in the early 60s, Sally, the Middle sister, received a Chatty Cathy doll(which this year 2010 celebrates her 50th anniversary... just in case you are looking for something to celebrate). That was my first introduction to June Foray who was Cathy's voice and is a legend in Character voices... Rocky the Squirrel and so many others. Just pull the ring and Cathy got chatty... "I Love You" "Please take me with You" "May I have a cookie?"  Unfortunately that phase stuck in my brain.  Just a moment... ahh, I had to get a cookie. I thought, WOW, someone got paid to do that?  I would REALLY like to do that.  Of course, I had already thought about this long before since being influenced by the amazing talents of Mel Blanc(You know Bugs Bunny and a thousand others..)whom I would someday study with.  More on that later....

How It Got Started

"I could do that..." I'd find myself saying, when listening to the Radio or watching TV when I was younger. Yes, they had TV back then... and it was Really different.  Most of what passes for entertainment now would have Never been allowed on TV or Radio.  It was just More creative.  Maybe it was because the Early Days of Radio, that led to TV, was so Theatre of the Mind.  When you'd listen, You would see the program.  That was because the Writing AND Acting was so strong... and not just set up and boom, another in Your Face crotch joke. Thanks Drew. Sure, sex sells.  It's just that when you followed along with the story-line or plot, it, sex, sold in a totally different way.  You knew.  It wasn't necessary to Say It to understand it. (Even the classic music of the 50s-70s sold sex with a wink... that's why it still stands. Not like the here, let me just tell you what I mean to your face, with stolen hooks, stuff that plays now... sigh, OK I'm better now.  Some of it's not bad.  Like the Black Keys...now, where was I...) If you look at the transition of, say, Radio Drama to the Big Screen to TV you will notice how well it worked.  Take Orson Wells.  When he panicked the Nation with War of the Worlds he had the finest team of writers, actors and production team ever. When they moved from Radio to the Stage, they moved audiences the same way they did on Radio.  Maybe more. Visual is so stimulating... and they proved it when everything Orson's troupe, the Mercury Players, went to Hollywood.  Wells movies still hold You.  The lack of this same creative process is possible why everything seems to be heading to 3D.  Anyway, getting back on my thoughts about Why I did what I did for so long is simple.  I felt I learned from the best.  The timing of Jack Benny, Bob Hope in the early radio years to Steve Allen, Bob Crane, Johnny Carson to the era of the Boss Jocks and Progressive FM-ers.  I Loved It All.  And besides the On Air Talent, there was ALL that great music!!  I was hooked.  So while working on a piece work job(paid for what you made)at a small shop in the City of Lomita, the announcement came on Our Station that we listened to on the Slab(work area). KNAC, Long Beach announced they were going to have a Disc Jockey Derby.  After hearing this, my friend Derek said to me, sarcastically... "Hey Jeff... You could do that!!" then smiling.  I, ah, saluted him.. if you follow me... and said, "Ya, I could"  And I did.  More to come....

It All Started

Years ago, as a child, that loved Comedy.  Especially those that delivered it.  The way their stories just rolled off their tongues... and how they pulled you into their situation.  And, of course, the Big Payoff... The Joke. Made your Life seem better.  Knowing that someone else may experience the same things as You.  And that their outlook... whatever life moment it was... was easier to swallow with Humor.  It just didn't matter as much when you are laughing.  Knowing, they know, How Ridiculous they made it All seem.  And the best in the business seem to hone their Craft in one area.  Radio.  More to come....

Getting Started

Well, here I go.  Getting Started... in many ways!  I have been studying Voice Acting the past few years and it has been quite a journey.  Well, more of a wandering.  A bit like, pointing in All Directions and saying, "That A Way!!"  It's not coming to an end... learning is a constant... hopefully a beginning.  More to come...