post 169. old pictures of dad's works.

post 168. yacht rock.

please, for the love of god, watch all episodes of yacht rock. now get the fuck off my veranda.

post 167. a man said to the universe, by stephen crane.

A man said to the universe:
"Sir I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."

post 166. out at the goodwill with leah.

post 165. a visit from scott daigle.

post 164. kelly and tim's cooking extravaganza, part 1 -- sugar cookies.

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
coloured or granulated sugar

1. heat oven to 375°F.
2. beat sugar and butter with electric mixer on low speed or with spoon until light and fluffy. stir in vanilla, nutmeg and egg. stir in flour and baking soda. shape dough by teaspoonfuls into balls. place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. flatten with bottom of glass dipped in sugar.
3. bake 9 to 11 minutes or until set. remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

post 163. out at mex.

post 162. my interview from insider.

careers: making it up as he goes along

Written by Tess Troha-Thompson Photographed by Lisa Hughes (November 25, 2005)

What does it take to make an audience roll with laughter? We caught up with Tim Goodwin, 31, of Rochester to get his perspective on the art of comedy.

As a member of Geva Comedy Improv (and its administrator), adjunct lecturer of improvisational theater at State University College at Brockport, and a cast member of Geva Theatre's production of Shear Madness, Goodwin is busy making Rochester a funnier place.

What does the Geva Comedy Improv administrator do?

Lots of odds and ends. I'm kind of the conduit between Geva Theatre Center and the troupe regarding administrative stuff.

What's your favorite part of the job?

It's not doing it. It's having it finished and being onstage and performing for our audience.

What's the hardest part of improv?

Being able to trust yourself. ... You have to not think and sometimes fail.

Is Shear Madness your first Mainstage production?

Yes. For me, it's important to find new things to do, and acting was a great way to do that. It's professional theater, but it's still so much fun.

Tell me about the play.

Shear Madness is a whodunit. It's really funny. I play Mikey Thomas, a young, energetic fella who gets his hair washed, 'cut' and dried each performance. He's also, most assuredly, the sexiest character in the play. Outside of that, you'll have to come see the show!

Is it difficult to transition from improv to the Mainstage?

Shear Madness is a different kind of comedy ... one that grabs you at the very beginning and just boom, boom, booms, its way to the end. There are a few habits I've picked up in improv that don't translate to the Mainstage, but improv is so important to the theater world that the basic skills are universal. All good theater looks improvised.

What's the best part of teaching improv theater at SUNY Brockport?

It's awesome to teach ... people who have never done improv before. To see them breaking down the fear of having a scene come off of the top of their head is great! ... We like to ... learn to play. Improv is play with a purpose.

What advice do you have for people wanting to get into improv?

Keith Johnstone's Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre is the bible. It is ... the basis for narrative improv. Try and remember that there are stories in every single person. Being the best you that you can be. It's what makes improv!

post 161. i've been busy.

shear madness continues, and i've allowed myself the experience of long nights. it's been a great time, but very tiring. need to get back to my regular routine.

post 160. my brother-in-law joe and my new niece, haley.

post 159. my old room on hincher street.

my dad painted this stuff on the walls of the room i had growing up on hincher street, right down by charlotte beach and around the corner from the penny arcade. pretty gnarly.

post 158. shear madness review in city.

'Shear Madness': the ride

Warning to those suffering from vertigo: Do not ride Shear Madness. The largely improvisational comedy, now at Geva, runs at a frenzied pace, thrusting the audience through an enervating and hilarious trip.

The evolution of the play began in Rochester in 1976 when Geva put on a play called Who Dunnit?. That production featured Bruce Jordan, the director of Geva's current incarnation. Excited by the show but left wishing for a brighter adaptation, Jordan secured the rights and, with his partner Marilyn Abrams, created just that.

This version of the show takes place inside a posh hair salon on the corner of Park and Oxford. The set is realistic down to a working washbasin and (keep your eyes peeled!) a City Newspaper stand. With the Rochester skyline as backdrop, the swirling psychedelic pastels of the salon's wall are disorienting which, I suspect, is intentional.

As the audience filters into the theater, the characters are already on stage creating the business of a salon. Madonna's "Material Girl" and "Help Me Rhonda" by the Beach Boys plays. Hair is washed to the beat and nails are wildly filed with the rhythm.

The cast shines, thinking on their feet and reacting with honed comic instincts. Barbara Bradshaw, as Mrs. Shubert, is everything one could hope for in a snooty socialite. Blinding the audience when it caught the light, Mrs. Shubert's rock of an engagement ring was a physical reminder of her superiority. Geva Improv captain Tim Goodwin, costumed in geek worthy button down and off kilter bow tie, turns in a delightful performance as the Barney Fife to actor Larry Bull's Andy Griffith.

Tony Whitcomb, the flamboyant proprietor, played with flair by Tom Wahl, and his second chair Barbara Demarco (Margot Moreland) are constantly annoyed by the blaring concerto of famous pianist --- and upstairs neighbor --- Isabelle Czerny. When police burst in to reveal that Czerny has been murdered with a pair of styling shears, it turns out that Tony, Barbara, and supposed walk-in Eddie Lawrence (Daren Kelly) all had motives. RPD officers Rossetti (Bull) and Thomas (Goodwin) have to solve the case.

But to solve it, they need the audience. Audience members help the detectives reconstruct events, locate clues, and determine suspects. During intermission, Detective Rossetti circles the lobby, taking questions and questioning the audience in return. People crowded around him excitedly, raising their hands to offer witness. One woman pointed at me --- standing behind the detective and taking notes like a good little theater reviewer --- and whispered to her husband, "She must be really interested in solving the crime."

Director Jordan goes for the laugh at every turn, whether it be a turn of phrase, punch line, irony, or physical. However, the actors zing the audience so quickly that the following lines are drowned in laughter.

The show is peppered with references only Rochesterians could appreciate, from Vinny and Angelo to Nick Tahou. "If you don't like the weather in Rochester, wait a minute!" says Tony. And, believe it or not, this isn't the worst of the worst. A reference to Detective Rossetti, after a psychic moment, having ESPN? It's true.

No matter how improbable the situation, hold on and enjoy the ride. Who done it? You'll just have to vote and find out.
Shear Madness Tuesdays through Sundays through December 31 Geva Theatre Center, 75 Woodbury Boulevard $13.50 to $48.50 232-GEVA, www.gevatheatre.org

--- Erin Morrison-Fortunato

post 157. shear madness review in the d & c.

Hilarious groaners fill 'Madness'

Marcia Morphy

(November 21, 2005) — Death is a lively business at the Shear Madness Hairstyle Salon on Park Avenue. Someone killed renowned concert pianist Isabel Czerny, who lived in the apartment above the salon. News 8 reports that Rochester police are interrogating the suspects — after issuing them a "two-word" warning: "Nobody's going anywhere."

Welcome to Shear Madness, a crowd-pleasing whodunit that opened at Geva on Saturday night. Be advised to take your seats early because the fun begins before the first lines are ever spoken.

In a garishly appointed salon with Technicolor hues of orange, yellow, pink and purple (kudos to Gary Jacobs, scenic design), flamboyant, gay hairdresser/owner Tony Whitcomb (Tom Wahl) is lip-syncing to music while washing a customer's hair. Shop assistant Barbara DeMarco (Margot Moreland), decked out in a blue dress and cherry red boots, is busy chewing gum and painting her nails.

Customers enter the salon: Eddie Lawrence (Daren Kelly), a Monroe Avenue antiques dealer with a history of shady dealings, and Mrs. Shubert (Barbara Bradshaw), a Bermuda-bound wealthy socialite who might be having an affair.

We soon learn Isabel died while the foursome were in the shop. Who killed her? Was it Tony, who hated the sound of her music? Was it Eddie, who had an appointment with her later that day? Was it Barbara, who was supposedly having a "Lebanese" affair with Isabel? Or Mrs. Shubert?

Rochester policemen Nick Rossetti (Larry Bull) and Mikey Thomas (Tim Goodwin) must solve the crime — and they need the audience's help. You have the right to ask questions and are not to remain silent.

The latter would be nearly impossible because Shear Madness is riotously funny, filled with Mel Brooks-like groaner lines that are so dumb you hate yourself for liking it. Plus, there's a barrage of hilarious local references.

Wahl's role is so extreme that he manages to run circles around the other cast members. And he does a mean Carol Channing impersonation.

Moreland's contributions are also significant, and her "come-on" ad-libs are just the spark the show needs. There are also rich performances by Kelly, who transforms from respectability to a sharp-mouthed con artist, and Bradshaw as the society-type matron who enjoys more than a drink or two at lunch.

Police officers Bull and Goodwin can be categorized as "Dumb and Dumber" and their improvised "grilling" procedures are a hoot to watch.

Freelancer Marcia Morphy writes about theater.

post 156. first show.

post 155. shear madness photo session.

post 154. fall.

post 153. my new favorite band.

from allmusic.com:
Purveying an utterly charming sound that borrows from folk, pop, Western swing, and early vocal jazz, Los Angeles' fancifully named Ditty Bops feature the tightly woven harmonies of Amanda Barrett (who also handles mandolin and dulcimer duties) and Abby DeWald (who also plays guitar). Though Barrett and DeWald met in New York City in the late '90s, they didn't begin playing music until they moved back to California. Barrett spent her childhood in Topanga and learned to play fretted dulcimer when she was six, then moved to Europe to model as a teen before moving to New York in her early twenties. DeWald, meanwhile, grew up in northern California and took piano lessons as a child; growing up in a house where only classical was played, she nevertheless developed a fascination with ragtime music and electric blues. A stint in a band that played '20s covers in period costumes inspired the duo to make the Ditty Bops just as theatrical, if not as strictly traditional: puppet shows, illustrations, and fancy dresses and wigs give their live shows a hint of cabaret. The Ditty Bops were discovered by Warner Bros. at one of their shows in the L.A. area; after signing to the label, they released their self-titled, Mitchell Froom-produced debut album. Late that year, the group toured the U.S. with the equally theatrical Dresden Dolls and Count Zero.

post 152. shear madness, day thirteen.

you. should smell. my. hair. i had a taste of the fancy life today as i went to metro salon on geva theatre center’s dollar to get my hair cut for shear madness. having been voted with accolades in city’s best of rochester ish, stefania – the owner, having bought the place from her sister a few years ago – has cut hair for fancy people down in nyc but moved here to be closer to her family. the place is right across the street from java’s, and it’s an instant feeling of posh.

i walked in and was immediately offered coffee. i stammered at the thought but hey -- why not act the part, right? it’s the first time i’ve had coffee – damn good coffee, too – given to me on a saucer in a fine-looking cup. stefania washed my hair while we waited for amanda doherty (geva’s costume designer) to park the car. she showed up as i sat up from the wash with a towel over my head and the uncontrollable urge to smile at all the fuss made over a hair cut.

after a discussion on where my final hair style should rest (somewhere between amanda's desire to have it long enough for tom wahl to play with while "styling" my hair in the play and bruce jordan's wish that it be really, really short with a "princeton part") stefania erased a year’s worth of growth in a few precise swipes of her shears, giving me the look that supposedly will make me more “mikey thomas”-like. nice time. she even took her scissors to my eyebrows, after which I shook her hand; how many times do you get your eyebrows cut? afterwards she put stuff in my hair – she sweetly condemned the wegmans brand hair gel i admitted to using and put…well, I don’t know what it was she put in my hair but it was a mosh of a few different jars topped with some serious hair spray. smells fantastic. and I look pretty smart.

post 151. lights in the apothecary.

post 150. halloween antics.

post 149. another pearl of wisdom from bruce jordan.

"i don't think the audience will throw their mates in the air and eat their young over wile e. coyote."

post 148. seeing the shear madness set.

post 147. arnold park.

post 146. pearls of wisdom from bruce jordan.

"it's all got to appear discovered."

"you always have to go back to zero."

"all good theater should look improvised."

post 145. shear madness, day three.

post 144. from the 25 1/2-hour improvathon.

post 143. first day of shear madness.

post 142. cooking new things with j___.

post 141. tim's wildest fantasy, drumming for nin.

while i don't believe she's actually performed with them, this would be one of the sweetest things ever.

post 140. the sister sites.

i've started a multiply site, for those of you who cannot possibly get enough of me. so we can review, i suppose.

timothycgoodwin.multiply.com

www.gevacomedyimprov.org

www.myspace.com/andsoitgoes

www.myspace.com/gevacomedyimprov

www.gevacomedyimprov.org

post 139. new mix.

1_you just can't have it all, fun lovin' criminals.
2_ooh la la, the ditty bops.
3_kiss off, violent femmes.
4_are you ready?, graham coxon.
5_you are a runner and i am my father's son, wolf parade.
6_i would never want to be young again, gogol bordello.
7_anything but love, the real tuesday weld.
8_the only answer, mike doughty.
9_the nurse, white stripes.
10_c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, paul westerberg.
11_tippy tap, imperial teen.
12_stacked crooked, the new pornographers.

post 138. batman and hangar 18.

just watched the (in)famous "bat shark repellant" scene of the batman movie with windnbreeze of def jux recording artists hangar 18.

post 137. harvey escapes.

running through the fields i saw the sun rising in the east and knew the day was approaching. but i still hadn't found harvey, and i was beginning to worry. why did mom have to let him out? what if he had gotten into old man river's yard? what if he ran off and never came back? what if he ran off and never wanted to come back? i tripped and fell down right next to a giant hole; it was a good thing i tripped or i would have ran right into it. ordown it, as the case may be. my first thought was of harvery, hurting, down at the bottom of the hole. i called out his name; nothing. i heard the birds in the trees to the west, and i heard the rustle of the early morning breze through the tall grass. then i heard something faint. something small, something far away. something down in the hole. or maybe it was my imagination. i called out harvey's name again, and thought about the sight of my dog, falling down the hole, hurt, or...even worse. i needed to get down there. standing up i walked around frantically looking for some way to get down there. no way...there was no way i could get into this hole...but then i my heart skiddered as i heard something coming from it again, something a little louder, like a whisper. but then i heard a bark over my shoulder and saw harvey standing by the trees. i instantly forgot the hole and called out to him, and he was there wagging his tail, his tongue sticking out. he barked, and i started running after him, although this time i minded the ground to make sure i didn't find any more holes. when i got about thirty feet from him he trotted off to the nearest tree and disappeared behind it. i started running faster, and got to the tree. i looked around and saw another hole. and harvey's tracks going right into it. the birds chirped in the tree, the sun was now starting to feel warm. i looked down in the hole and called out for harvey. then i noticed something else on the ground -- blood. harveys? A bird...or crooks? using this as a hideout, maybe? there was that bank robbery...last week. i called out to Harvey nervously and then heard the rumblings of a truck behind me. i instantly crouched down and looked around. driving into the field was a truck. beat up, rusty, old, like grandpa old. i watched as they drove to the first hole i found, stopped, and got out. the men were disturbingly frail-looking, sallow, grey, and the morning sun did nothing but make them look as if they wanted nothing to do with sunlight. they wore old, ragged, black clothes and then i saw a shimmer of light as the sun ricocheted off a gun that the one man was carrying under his shoulder in a holster. they pulled out what looked like a small sandbags from the back and threw them into the hole then turned. they started walking. they started walking towards me. i was behind the tree and couldn't see anything else to hide behind. i couldn't run; the nearest tree was about twenty feet off, and then i heard the sound -- a whisper, maybe -- coming from the hole i was half in. Harvey, i thought. they were getting closer and i started to hear their voices clearer, although i couldn't make out the words. they spoke like barbed wire. i looked down the hole and, heart racing, let it swallow me up so i could try and
escape.

post 136. self-portrait.

post 135. look what i bought today.

from allmusic.com:

"Released in 2004, Houses of the Molé was a monster built from "N.O.W."'s genetic material. The album didn't couch its cynical nihilism in sarcastic thrash acid, as Ministry did with Psalm 69. Instead it was a bruising antiestablishment spokesthing that hammered away at George W. Bush's America lyric by lyric, song by song. Al Jourgensen stays on message with 2005's Rantology. Using a mishmash of remixed classics, live material, and one new song, "Great Satan" (one guess who he thinks that is), Jourgensen has created a shrill blast of aural protest art with one enemy in mind. There are so many W soundbites on Rantology, the president should probably get a credit as a collaborator. All of them are contextualized to embarrass, to vilify, to indict Bush in the court of Uncle Al. The famous "I'm George W. Bush, and I approved this message" campaign tag opens the set, matched to a remix of Molé's "No W"; later he's heard to recite Psalm 23 over a swirling Wagnerian chorus and steadily building tension. The original "N.O.W." is remixed here, too, updated to include both President Bushes over the jagged percussion and Jourgensen's proto-metal yawp. "Stigmata" and "Jesus Built My Hotrod" are revisited on Rantology, too, but Jourgensen doesn't alter them that much. That's probably a good thing: they were dirty and vicious enough already. In contrast, selections from weaker Ministry efforts, like Dark Side of the Spoon's "Bad Blood," add little to the set. Since he retooled Ministry as a culture war battering ram, it's been Jourgensen's angriest words and beats that resonate most; Rant could've used more of that industrialized anger alongside its manipulated Bushisms. The collection might have also found different, unreleased live material to include. Still, the three selections from 2002's Sphinctour are sufficiently loud and more than a little creepy. "I feel like my heart is being touched by Christ," a little girl whispers over "Psalm 69"'s slamming guitar and mechanized blast beats, and she sounds like a zombie. "Thieves" is also strong, where Jourgensen seems possessed by anger. In fact, he seems possessed by anger throughout Rantology. World changers, bad livers, and progressive punks rejoice: Ministry's pissed-off stamina hasn't abated."

post 134. available soon for bumpers everywhere.

link.

post 133. a visit from teri and jon.

post 132. a few pictures from the ol' lg6100.

mark and jessica at the archive.

ben at the archive.

dana at the post "destroy all improvisors!" tournament party down at dad's garage in atlanta georgia.

post 131. pirates.

link.

post 130. three reasons why i like working at record archive today.

_1_the boss gave me a play copy of nine inch nails' [only] remix 12"...
_2_...and she also gave me the play copy of the suicide girls: the first tour dvd.
_3_the opportunity to make fun of juggalos. stupid juggalos.

post 129. revenge of the tv.

look man, i grew up on television. macgyver, a-team, dangermouse, 227, the cosby show, airtwolf, street hawk, probe...i finally realized i had to get out of it. so i stopped watching tv in, like...1998. by that time i had planned my entire life around the hour of the simpsons that fox had on at 6 pm. so. [wiping hands.] i'm out, right? just NASCAR on the weekends. and all those shows people keep saying are great? hmph. i've got the office (the original british version) on dvd, i don't need nothing else. but then i got my hands on lost season 1 on dvd. this past saturday. hell, i thought it was gilligan's island part 2. but suddenly it's got all this lynch/twin peaks shit going on...my name was earl was on last night, and that was funny as heck...and i'm still pining for news of something or anything about hell's kitchen season 2...life...beginning to come under control...must watch all episodes of lost before...tonight's season premiere...plotting how to watch my name is earl every week....ack!

post 128. persona non grata.

from allmusic.com:
The Urban Dance Squad's penultimate album was also its most heavily metal-influenced. "Demagogue," the album's opener and centerpiece, is an utterly bracing concoction of raw-throated rap and spare, bright metal guitar, all underlaid with minimalist funk drums. That formula remains basically unaltered throughout the rest of the album — "Good Grief," "(Some) Chitchat" and "Selfstyled" all step to the same stripped-down hip-hop beat. It starts sounding pretty samey by the end, of course, but taken in measured doses, the funky beats are guaranteed to move your booty, while the roaring guitars clear your sinuses. It's too bad DJ DNA was no longer in the band by this point; his turntable scratching would have given a welcome additional dimension to the sound. Bonuses abound: like the original release, this one features two hidden tracks, one a remix and the other a live version of "Demagogue." This reissue also adds a bonus live disc.

post 127. old pictures from the recesses of record archive's computer.

me and vernon reid, me in a cop car. i'm pretty bored here at work today.

post 126. maybe i should just start calling myself "domingo wit."

so. i signed an equity contract with geva theatre center for shear madness, meaning i'm now a union actor. the only problem is, they're telling me that i'll probably have to pick a different name, since "tim goodwin" is no doubt taken. i asked my dad if they had any other choices for my name, and he suggested "t. christopher goodwin," but on the condition that i wear an ascot. i guess i'll try "timothy goodwin," maybe "timothy c. goodwin" -- giving a logical synergy with this blog -- but let's say those are taken as well...then what?

i took a look on www.imdb.com and looked for tim goodwin. he was in "instinct"...but then there's a slew of sound-alikes: tom goodwin (who works in sound production), kim goodwin (make-up in "happy, texas"), jim goodwin (composer for "some girl")...we should have a convention. and how 'bout that guy over elvis' right shoulder in "Bubba Ho-Tep?" his name is timothy e goodwin. that's cutting it a little close.

post 125. digging a hole.

where would you come out if you dug straight through the earth? here's how to find out.

post 124. my first quiz on johnstone's "notes on myself."

1_what are the three rules of improv?
2_to johnstone, what do bad teachers do?
3_after that whole "tyre-marks"-thing, what did johnstone realize about education?
4_give one example of how johnstone taught the "uneducable" class at battersea.
5_why wouldn't johnstone like my giving this quiz?
bonus_why is tim so darn handsome?

post 123. the niece rocks out.