Otto Tings

I'm picking up steam, folks.

Couple of good auditions, actually got a callback on something, The Sean Miller Explosion continues to move forward to our inevitable date at Comix comedy club in NYC and The Mike Ps and The Cool Breeze are also coming together.

I've found I get some good mojo from writing these days, because it's something I can do creatively to fill in the gaps between renting apartments and sleeping. Something I can control completely. Not to get all Peter Brook and stuff, but to ultimately control your destiny should be the artist's main concern, which would encompass all the other humanity reflecting and fulfillment jazz. Which seems to be what I'm doing these days: forging my own path. Or trying to. Hard to do as an actor, so frequently subject to others' taste, but if you're not getting the work, you make your own.

To that end, I mentioned I'm doing the sketch comedy thing, but it's for realz this time. There's a fundraiser for our trip to NYC on Sept 9th at Schubas that you, dear reader, should attend. Then, we're flying in two of our members from Chicago to LA Sept 10th, getting on the road and putting together a mock/doc film, doing some gigs, and performing a brand new stage show for our big Comix gig Sept 23rd.

THEN, The Mike Ps and the Cool Breeze are performing on Oct. 9th, I'm going to St. Thomas in December, and then returning home to The New Colony with The Warriors in February.

Might even throw another show in there somewhere! Who knew you could have so much fun making no money!

...so you might have guessed I'm going to do that judging thing in November. Stay tuned for more sell-outs!

Ellie Chun

I am in a severe moral quandary, people.

Our state of Illinois enjoys that time-honored political tradition of the primary system, and as such, when you go to vote in primary elections, there's that awkwardly undemocratic moment of having to declare your political party affiliation before several strangers serving as election judges, so that you can be provided with the appropriate ballot.

Whether you're a centrist like myself or not, if you want to vote in the primary, you've got to pick a party.

I took the Republican ballot.

Before I'm made a pariah by my fellow artists, let me explain my rationale: I'm sort of a libertarian, basically meaning I like fiscal conservatism and social liberalism. While this may sound like a load of hooey, it's really just me saying I'm an issue voter. Like most reasonable people in this country.

So, when I walked into my Chicago voting precinct, I had a certain point of view in mind. Namely, this city is Democratic by a massive majority. I thought that those folks can take care of themselves, they know what they want. I said to myself, "Hey, I can help make sure some crazy Focus On The Family Republican doesn't beat a Log Cabin Republican."

And, despite the shocked reactions from the Democrat election judges and the obvious surprise from the otherwise bored Republican judge that she actually had something to do, I took my ballot and meandered over to the booth, looked over the scant number of Republican nominees (many positions had no candidates at all) and punched the holes that seemed appropriate.

Flash forward to present day. I have a big envelope waiting in my mailbox from the Chicago Board of Elections. I open it. Within is a manila application of some kind, and this letter:

Um...what?

So...I would be representing the Republican party as a judge at my voting precinct. But I'm not a Republican. I'm not a Democrat either. But, I do believe in democracy and fairness and judging and all that stuff. So...I should do this?

...and I'm a poor actor. I also lease apartments as my day job. The apartment leasing market: not so hot the first week of November. Could use a little extra scratch...

But this is civic DUTY we're talking about here, what does money have to do with it?! This is akin to jury duty, right? I should do this. Moderate the parties. Checks and balances. I'm not a Republican, but I'm an actor right? I can look out for their interests for a day.

I mean, the way he puts it in the letter, it's sort of sad, right? These poor, inner-city Republicans with a shortage of judges. I should make sure they're taken care of.

...or should I?

Will people I know see me there wearing my Republican Election Judge badge? What if some big-shot theatre person walks in there and sees that and never hires me again? I mean, he probably wouldn't have hired me anyway, but he would actually have a reason not to!

I've never been presented with a situation like this, nor felt the need to place so many thought ellipses! I don't know how I should proceed with it. If I should even proceed at all. I'll probably let it sit on my coffee table. Or I could even be sabotaging the possibility by writing about it. Who knows. I certainly don't.

My girlfriend is a pretty left leaning person so you can imagine where her loyalties lie.

But my father would be so proud...he's a member of the NRA now...he listens to Rush Limbaugh....

Wait a damn minute. That's who I'd be representing? Dittoheads' interests? Oh HELL no, nevermind all that then. No way I'm gonna sit there as a figurehead for xenophobic, homophobic, bigoted jerks...

But if I don't, then I'll represent no one. And nothing.

Is it better to represent something with reprehensible elements than nothing at all? Let's be honest, there are some bad folks on the far left who are trying to ruin this place for us as well. Political correctness, litigious ACLU garbage, and nativity scene protests certainly move us in the wrong direction too.

I'm making this far too complicated, I think. I'm not that morally defined a person, really. I've never been terribly religious. I play devil's advocate more than I play the devil. What's the big deal? Such a simple decision, really:

Do I want $170 or don't I?

Hrm.

I DO.

...but I could probably live without it.

We'll see. I'm sort of exhausted running myself around something that really just boils down to whether I feel like doing it.

I'll put this on the shelf for now. Save the ethical wrangling for something that really counts.

Rhea Tourn

So...I forgot that I've linked my blog on my Twitter page (@michaelmpeters, if you care to know) which I apparently haven't touched in over two years. So...I'll quickly just plug that I've got a gig with Mr. Mike Przygoda at The Paper Machete this Saturday, August 21st. It's at Ricochet's in Lincoln Square, and you should come especially if you like Frank Sinatra, Nelson Riddle, or two guys named Mike. We are, in fact, The Mike Ps.

You can see us with our full big band, The Cool Breeze (Yes, we're The Mike Ps and The Cool Breeze, if you're keeping score), performing the seminal Sinatra record "Songs for Swingin' Lovers" in its entirety at Strawdog's Hugen Hall on October 9th. More info on that closer to when that happens. Jazz!