Jason R. chin

Blog-Jam

Sat, 8 Aug 2009 12:00:30 -0500

Aw, poor Chinventory.
I got hired/asked to write “An Improvised Blog” for ChicagoNow.com. I’m very excited to be part of this new media venture (according to the trades that should read “New Media Venture”); it may be a model for online journalists (though it’s obviously loosely based on the Huffington Post. I’m supposed to update 4 or 5 times a week, 3 at a minimum. The trick is balancing my writing for the improv community and the “Muggles” that will see it on ChicagoNow. The need for updates and just my own predilictions have expanded my jurisdiction to the broader fields of theater and comedy in general.
Wow, this girl at Caribou Coffee has beautiful teeth. I like nice teeth.

As of this moment, I have 5 blogs and 3 Twitter accounts. Blogs: ChicagoNow, Chinventory, I Hate Clark Street, Holmes Sick and I contribute to the Nerdington Post. On Twitter, I have my own personal account, one for Del Close, and one for my “ID” on ChicagoNow. Ugh.

I’m heading to Australia soon. I’m not ashamed to tell you that I’m a bit nervous. I’ve never travelled off the continent before. (well, Jamaica, but that was so long ago that I just needed to show my Teen Work Permit to travel. And to Toronto, I just showed a utility bill!!) I’m underprepared for the travel. I know it’s a common wish, but I wish I a bajillion dollars; I’d visit every city on the planet.

There are weird things happening in my life right now. I could disappear tomorrow and it really wouldn't’ affect much of anything, to tell the truth. What if I didn’t come back? I could pull a David Banner and just thumb across the country helping people out of jams with my wisdom. If only I had some sort of secret power; like kung-fu, a rampaging super-strong monster, or even a talking car. What am I going to do, improvise a monologue?

With ChicagoNow taking up some of blog-juice, I thought this blog was dead, but the need to communicate and write on other subjects is stirred by a steady stream of writing so just the opposite is happening. Hopefully, I’ll be able to update from Australia.

Return of the Chin

Tue, 5 May 2009 09:49:21 -0500

Ugh. A ton of things just got by me. If I was in the NHL I’d be super-fired, eh? I just kinda dropped out… just doing basic life-support with no energy or enthusiasm. I like to think it was just seasonal disorder (which my mother claims to suffer from, but I totally dismissed her complaints as “Yeah, it’s Winter. All humans suffer from it.”)

I’ve been loving improvisation as of late (not that I have ever been out of love with it in the past 14 years.) Thursdays have been particularly rewarding with both Dinner for Six and the Improvised Movie playing at iO. Of course, this is the last week we’re up. I think what I like most about both shows is that they’re smart and romantic, yet still have a sense of playfulness and fun. Plus, they both look/feel different from all the millions of other shows in Chicago.

Farrell Walsh took a chance and was kind enough to ask me to play with his revival of the improv classic, Close Quarters. It’s a tough form that originally played (just the once) about 10 years ago for a short run. The basic conceit is that all the scenes take place roughly at the same time and that we can hear/see things from the other scenes. This requires “call-forwards” with people saying and doing things with the hope that someone else “catches” them in a future scene.
I’m really enjoying performing with this cast. My favorite Close Quarters moment thus far was set in a hospital and George McAuliffe and I were men in a waiting room. We get to know each other and eventually, my name is called and I leave. It was a nice, character-based scene. Much later in the show, George brings his pregnant wife (Lisa Linke) to the hospital in a fevered, high energy scene, that ends with everyone but him leaving and he plops down next to me and we repeated our entire scene. I loved that.
We just got an extension at iO. We’re Wednesdays @ 10:30pm. Please come share our space.

Several people have dropped out of doing the monologues for the show, Confessions of a Teenage Asshole, with the end result that I end up doing the stories. Seems I’m the only dummy who brought all his high school crap with him to Chicago (both literally and figuratively.) The first one I did was about my takeover of the student government (think of Rushmore * Election) and the second one was about my guest appearance on the Cosby Show. I hadn’t planned on doing any more but then more guest speakers fell through and I did the one last Friday. It was about my obsession with a particular Girl through High School. It was (I have been told) very funny and touching, but it set something off in me noggin and it made me very sad.

I’m on Twitter. You can follow me at @ textingjason. I’m super nerdy and I’m very much enjoying the “tweets” from Eliza Dishku, Neil Gaiman, and Nathan Fillion. OH! And Del Close! Apparently, his spirit has merged with the internet and “Del” provides some improv wisdom once a day. So far, I think, it’s been all Del quotes.

People are being dumb and selfish here at Caribou and hogging all the outlets.

The lovely Cindy Tonkin has been incredibly generous and efficient. She is an ex-student of mine and has arranged for me to visit Australia to teach/direct improvisation there! I will be going there this summer for a full month! I’ve never needed a passport before and I just got one. I’m beyond excited, beyond grateful, beyond ecstatic about this entire project. In fact, they refer to the entire process of bringing me over there (flying, lodging, teaching, directing) as the Jason Chin Project. In my mind it’s the same Project that created the SuperSoldier Serum that produced Captain America. See you soon, Australia!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Cindy!!

Long-form Improvisation & the Art of Zen is a book I’ve been working on for some time. It’s not perfect, but it contains a great deal of what I teach and espouse in my classes. The first half of the book is basic training for improv and then the second part is how the ideas/ideals of Zen philosophy can help/reflect those improv tenets. I’m getting a case of books in a few weeks, but it’s available RIGHT NOW at Amazon.com!!! Check it out!

I’m getting back into the groove of things and I’ll be updating more frequently.

Thank you and God bless.

Hagio

Thu, 5 Mar 2009 20:36:10 -0600

Del Close is dead.

He died ten years ago, but his influence goes on and on. While I could name all the famous and celebrated people he taught, directed or inspired, I’d rather talk about his effect on me.
Del, to me, and this is a odd thing about Del’s classes, was an amazing teacher. I learned so much in his classes; about me, about comedy, about art, about long-form improvisation. Meanwhile, people sitting right next to me in the same class hated it. And people whose work I respect and admire had Del as a teacher and similarly disliked it. Perhaps, that itself is a hallmark of genius and/or of art; the varying perceptions of it. A combination of oils on canvas or a masterpiece of human expression? A three-hour experimentation with long-form improvisation or a $170 waste of time?

Roll back the clock 15 years. Just a decade and a half ago and there was ONE long-form show in Chicago. And barely at that. Del began teaching and his students believed and spread the word. Now, look at Chicago. Nearly every bar on the North Side has an improv night. Every other temp or admin in Chicago took classes or was on a team at one point or another. All because of the ideas of one man.

From my notebook:
10/23/95 – Level 4 @ I/O – DEL CLOSE
first class
Shorter openings to avoid clutter. Simplify so audience can actually see suggestion theme and evolution thereof. Can we use everything that comes up in the opening?

“Whether artistically or sexually, being exploited can be fun sometimes.” – Del Close (on allowing characters to be more free)

A few weeks ago, I was in the IO green room and I was looking though the books. My eyes fell upon a small paperback, The Death of the Great Spirit. I took it and flipped through it. I found a photo of Del. Stunned at it’s heretofore anonymity I quickly took a photo of it and then was stunned again to find Del’s hand-written notes on the book itself!

From Del’s notes on the book The Death of the Great Spirit:

Wisdom – Exercise the Mind
They were always learning and learning from nature, from each other, and even from the whiteman who came from east.

I LOVE THIS. THIS IS WHAT I LIVE FOR.

My note in the middle of a page dated 10/30/95

Del really wanted improvisation to be an art. In that, it should express something beyond hilarious rejoinders and something even beyond connections… what are these people, group scenes, and scenes REALLY saying about life, humans, and the effect of the suggestion thereof?

From my notebook:
11/25/95- just got called @ 10am Mr. Z (my team) has a show @7pm.

Heh.

11/27/95 - @ I/O w/ DEL CLOSE
Del likens the emergence of Improv as an art form to the late 80s maturation of American comic books. Recommends SANDMAN.

My heart did swoon.

12/4/95 - @ I/O w/ DEL CLOSE
…. As experienced, as “ancient” as DEL is, he never treats the class as inferiors or neophytes. He treats us as veteran students. As opposed to some REDACTED teachers who are barely a quarter as experienced as he.
Kate Lee just asked me if I was “doing Stir-Fry this Friday.” I took that as a reference to the all-asian improv run by Joe Yau. I said no and she asked why. I told her that I wasn’t asked. She looked surprised and had that “Uh-Oh-Was-I-Supposed-To-Mention-This-To-This-Person” face. (hehe.. off topic, but I thought it was funny.)

1/15/96 – Second class with DEL CLOSE (missed the first one of the second round with him)
I told Del of the general concept of the ISA (my comic-book based improv show). He seemed enthused, I told him that when we’re ready I’ll show it to him.
“Sidekicks are hard to play… just ask Andy Richter.” – Del

Del really, in classes with me as my memory is jogged from reading this old notebook, wanted people to play interesting people on stage… he knew that humor would arrive from that interaction.

2/19/96 - @ I/O w/ DEL CLOSE
Del took bongo lessons with James Dean when both were on Broadway.
Del eschews the Method style of acting. Like a true improvisationist, he believes in believing in the moment.
“This is really sick improvisation. It was really good.” – Del, in reference to the Bare Harold we just did.
Tonight, Del’s cough was horrendous, wet, hacking thing.

2/26/96 – DEL CLOSE – last one! (second semester)
Improv doesn’t necessarily have to be funny, but the audience should have a good time. If you keep them thinking they won’t have enough room/time to realize its not a comedy.

It’s interesting, well to me at least, to see these notes interspersed with my super-nerdy obsessive notes from/on my Harold teams. The petty politics and maneuvering is hilarious in juxtaposition.
I notice that even then I always capitalized DEL’s name.

5/11/96 – DEL’s class – Saturdays 1 -4pm
“Now I have to rescue improv from myself” – Del, referring to the “game” mentality in scenes.
“Anyone who’s ever dealt with a cat, even on stage, knows you can’t win.”

Maybe one day, I’ll post all those team notes. They’re awful. Fights and dumbness abounds.

Del meant a lot to me. We had some fascinating conversations, but we were never really that close. He inspired me and challenged me to meet and create with a new art-form and for that I’ll be forever grateful.

Check out some remembrances of Del from my old site:
http://www.argosagency.com/features/DelCloseForever.html

The Chicago Reader had a nice article on Del’s Death/Birth Week:
http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/delclose/

Del, thanks a bunch.
All the “special” shows, films and panels aren’t enough. The continuation of your work through intelligent improvisation and scene work seems paltry, but it goes on. As a pagan, you appreciate our nightly ceremonies and rituals which, perhaps unknown to ourselves, we consecrate our blood, sweat and toil to you.

Long live Del.

CHinauguration

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:29:46 -0600

“live-blogging” n channel-surfing. Here we go:

9:29am

CNN has the House of Representatives filing into their seats with Wolf Blitzer and Handsome Man talking.

ABC has someone interview Magic Johnson.

NBC is also showing the House filing in and cutting to wideshots of the Mall.

MSNBC seems to be “Winning” with both David Axelrod and Doris Kearns-Goodwin (who I adore.)

CBS has Katie Couric and her panel talking about transitions.

WTTW has Clifford the Big Red Dog looking for a lost, magic hat. Man, that dog is huge.

Fox News Chicago is eschewing Washington coverage and is doing their regular news! There’s a missing snowmobiler in Algonquin!

BET is running a TV movie on the march on Selma. Oddly enough, there’s a small logo in the corner that says “Inauguration Coverage All Day”… and yet… there isn’t…

On TBS there’s that great commercial for the Priceline Negotiator that has a Chinese guy doing a hilarious Shatner impersonation. Man, I’ve been doing that for three decades.

FX is running Grudge 2, the remake of the Japanese movie with a Caucasian, American cast. If you’ve seen both it’s a really odd comparision. Lots more bra shots in the American version. It wishes it was Carrie.

E!TV has, in honor of a new president I assume, “15 Most Shocking Political Scandals”

SCi-Fi is promoting a movie about murdererous murders of crows called, “Kaw.”

TVLand celebrates with back-to-back showings of The Jeffersons and Good Times.

9:41 am

C-Span running random footage (here’s an Obama button, here’s a crowd, here’s Kennedy…) with no natural sound and just VO of their commentators. It’s very odd sounding for some reason.

C-Span2 is just footage of SUVs pulling into the White House at the West Portico. No commentary. Just cars.

CNN – Barbara Bush arrives with her husband, former president George Herbert Bush. That’s how they said it.

CNNHN – the First Ladies are entering their special Lady Limo.

CNBC has four people commenting from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The screen has three four sections; the commentators, footage of the first ladies, the stock crawl at the bottom, and a live-shot of the INDU/INDP tickers.

MSNBC – supervillain Dick Cheney somehow more threatening in a wheelchair. (Uh, that was me, not Olberman.)

9:47am

CBS- annnnd here come the Presidents! You know, I didn’t know that the First Ladies rode together and the incoming/outgoing Presidents did as well. Katie talks about the new SuperPresCar.

NBC has David Gregory talking about the relationship between Barack and George. Apparently, Barack graciously said that he would like to call upon George for advice and opinions and George said no, I am outta here.

ABC. Okay. That car is cool. I look forward to the two-hour special on the Discovery Channel on it. “Secrets of the Presidential Limo!” Or when Harrison Ford fends off Gary Oldman…. “Get off of my car!”

WGN – footage of the cars traveling. The morning crew talking. “Remember, the inauguration happens every four years.”

WTTW – Clifford and the gang are kite-flying.

9:54am

Fox News – talking acrimony between ex-presidents (in contrast to how gracious Mr. Bush is, I assume.) The cars are zipping along rather fast now.

FoxBush- hm. Instead of FoxBus. For the business channel, it’s coming up as FoxBush.

Fox News- “People are rather subdued as the car makes its way to the swearing in because he’s not the president yet. After the swearing-in, if he is sworn in, the ride back will be different.” WTF?!

Food Network – Andrew Zimmerman is eating preserved tuna sperm. It’s like liver, he says.

This is the fun part… It’s just cars going down streets and people cheering as it passes. All the commentators really have nothing to say and so they’re forced to actually make stuff up.

9:58am

MSNBC – the gang is saved from degenerating into a fight about Nixon by the arrival of the First Ladies at the Swearing-In Site. I hate what Michelle is wearing.

NBC – great shot of a smiling, joyous Ray Nagin, mayor New Orleans. Wait. Apparently, “hats are back!”

ABC – parade of ex-vice-presidents and their wives. Being an ex-Veep makes one gray, pale and puffy, apparently.

Fox News Chicago – HA! Tipper Gore said, Hi Dennis! To some guy and then fixed his coat collar. And then threw out his record collection.

Fox News – going to live footage, no commentary.

MSNBC – wow, First Bush looks real old. I do like that he has his hat jammed into his coat pocket. Jimmy Carter enters with wife Rosalind. “C’mon, Rosalind, smile! Smile!”- Chris Matthews. Here comes Bill. He looks really pissed for some reason. Hillary is all smiley.

MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC – all note that “this might have been a very different day” for the Clintons.

ABC – awwwwwww!!!! CUTE! President Bush First and President Clinton hug!! Now, there’s two guys I’d love to have lunch with. HA!! Barbara takes off on her own (about 10 feet in front of the gabbing ex-Chiefs,) and Hillary (though still holding Bill’s hand) is directly behind them. Get a room you two.

NBC – huh. They announce everyone as they enter the balcony thing. I keep flashing back to the great SNL sketch with Buck Henry. The Bush daughters. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that at least one of them are going to be trashed tonight.
Footage of Bush First with Rahm Emmanuel. Commentator: “If your seat is in this area for this event you’re doing oooookay…”

Fox News – the government should spend the money and get James Earl Jones or one of the movie trailer guys to announce everyone. And hire John Williams to write a new heroic Presidential theme. Fox Commentator: “And look, some people are happy today, some people are not… hey! Look! There’s the Lincoln bible!”
Malia and Sasha! AH! Cutetown USA!

All the Channels repeat Malia’s quote from the other day.

WTTW has put Clifford away for now and cut to the ceremonies as Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Cheney enter with other lady officials. The commentators aren’t really saying that much, but their mics are still live…. So the occasional sniffle and cough breaks in.

10:29am.

AGGGH! What channel should I watch the speech on!?!? Uhhh… I gotta give it to MSNBC.

Wait. CNBC has footage of trucks at the White House loading boxes of Bush stuff.. HA! Malia is taking photos with her digital camera. She’s gotta have a Facebook page.

MSNBC – NOOOO!!! The crowd, in anticipation of the entrance of President Bush, is booing!! “That’s unexpected,” says Rachel Maddow. Really? 78% of America hates this guy, and I’d say that 99% percent of the people who trekked out to the frozen DC area REALLY hate him.
Cheney being wheeled to the entrance. He looks like Old Man Potter from It’s a Wonderful Life.
Either the crowd has relented, or MSNBC has isolated the mics, but George W. Bush and Cheney enter to claps. 15 minutes behind schedule.
“For each of these people this is actually happening. They’re really there. This isn’t a movie or a video to them.” – Chris Matthews. You’re an idiot.

President-elect Obama makes his way to the entrance. He looks, well, dignified.

10:44am

Like a real fancy prom committee, the Inaugural Committee enters to fanfare.

Note that he was introduced as “Barack H. Obama”.

Washington himself was casual in his religion. Adams was nigh-puritan in his private life but clearly delineated it from his public works. Jefferson out n out didn’t worship. Ben Franklin was a man of science. And here comes Rick Warren. Great preach, Rev. Now go practice it, please.

Aretha, what’s up with that hat?

10:59am

Joe Biden is now Vice-president of the United States. Think of what this day might have been.

Itzhak Perlman, Anthony McGill, Gabrielle Fontallo and Yo-Yo Ma play an original JOHN WILLIAMS piece!!!
Ah. It’s no Raiders March.

And this it, fellow citizens.

I’m going to go now to watch and probably cry. I’ll back in a bit.

11:06am

And we have a new president.
President Barack Hussein Obama.

(during the speech, Malia is taking photos and Barack’s mother-in-law is nodding off)

“To all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitols, to the small village where my father was born, know that America is a friend to each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity and we are ready to lead once more.”

“… for we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture drawn from every end of this earth and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass. That the lines of tribes shall soon dissolve. That as the world grows smaller our common humanity shall reveal itself and that American must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.”

“…know that we will extend our hand if you unclench your fist…”

“Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we met them may be new, but those values upon which our success depends; honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism, these things are old. These things are true.”

“In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capitol was abandoned, the enemy was advancing, the snow was stained with blood and in the moment when our revolution was most in doubt the father of our nation ordered that these words be read to the people:
‘let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it. ‘

America, in the face of our common dangers, in the face of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words, with hope and virtue let us endure the icy currents. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested that we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter and with eyes fixed on the horizon, and Gods grace upon us we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you and God bless the United States of America.”

11:42am

Thank you and God Bless.

And so it all begins.

Inherit the Judgment

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:12:51 -0600

I have over 8 biographies on John Adams, each published in a different decade. I’ve read each and every one of them and I relish them. I’ve been a collector and student of the American Revolution for decades and yet I have never been to Washington DC. I really want to go, but I’ve never really been a big leisure traveler. This year may be different however. I’d really like to get to DC for a week and also to maybe visit Braintree, MA, birthplace (and deathplace) of President Adams.

I’m on a cooking binge. I recently made some spaghetti sauce from scratch (“You call tomatoes from a can “from scratch”?” – My Mom) and today I made some Vegetable Barley Soup. Both came out very well. Next on my list? My mom’s soy sauce chicken, which I was very talented at in my youth. I haven’t made it some time.

Ironically, I could really go for big ole sandwich right now.

The Improvised Movie is back!
We’re at IO, Saturdays @ Midnight! I love this form and the cast does such an amazing job. You should come check it out, though chances are you’re probably in it. Check out some of our past plots at the Our Feature Presentation Database!

My favorite improv-movies have been Belligerence, and How ABBA Changed My Life. Those improvised shows were astounding; deep, rich, well-acted and very, very smart. Complex even! (I can’t link directly to them, but please find them and read how intricate the plots are!)

I’m hosting a Q&A this Monday after Armando.

I had a Spencer Tracy mini-marathon last week with back-to-back viewings of “Judgment at Nuremberg” and “Inherit the Wind”. Both wonderful films with surprising relevance today.

There are those in our country today, too, who speak of the "protection" of the country. Of "survival". The answer to that is: ‘survival as what’? A country isn't a rock. And it isn't an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for, when standing for something is the most difficult! Before the people of the world - let it now be noted in our decision here that this is what we stand for: justice, truth... and the value of a single human being! – Justice Dan Haywood (from Judgment…)

Can't you understand? That if you take a law like evolution and you make it a crime to teach it in the public schools, tomorrow you can make it a crime to teach it in the private schools? And tomorrow you may make it a crime to read about it. And soon you may ban books and newspapers. And then you may turn Catholic against Protestant, and Protestant against Protestant, and try to foist your own religion upon the mind of man. If you can do one, you can do the other. Because fanaticism and ignorance is forever busy, and needs feeding. And soon, your Honor, with banners flying and with drums beating we'll be marching backward, BACKWARD, through the glorious ages of that Sixteenth Century when bigots burned the man who dared bring enlightenment and intelligence to the human mind! – Henry Drummond (from Inherit…)

How did Spencer Tracy do it? He made over 70 movies with incredible picks of roles.. in fact, the roles he took in his later years just got better and better! The middle of his career was Boys Town in 1938. Thirty years later, his last six movies were (in order) Inherit the Wind, Devil at 4 O’clock, Judgment at Nuremberg, How the West was Won, It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, and his very last picture (1967) was Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Even neglecting the classics he made with Hepburn, his career is amazing.

I strongly recommend watching Inherit the Wind and/or Judgment at Nuremberg when you get the chance. Two thought-provoking, intelligent, oddly funny, relevant films.

I’m full of soup.

I’m technically the coach for Deep Schwa but we don’t have a formal rehearsal schedule right now. I pretty much do lights for them and give my 2 cents (or goals) during the warm-up and then some light notes afterwards. Years ago, based on the Schwa line-up at the time, I came up with a form for them and the team just dusted it off and did it last Sunday.. .it went very, very well! I was very pleased watching it, but I was more pleased at how they enjoyed doing it. Hooray!

After too many rewrites and too much hand-wringing, my book on long-form improv will finally be published in a few months. “Long-form Improvisation and the Art of Zen” is going through one last review process and then it’ll be in bookstores and on Amazon.com. Yay! I’m glad to have it in print finally. So, uh, look for that.

I cannot abide the not-very-subtle sexism and misogyny in the upcoming films, “New in Town,” “Bride Wars”, “He’s Just Not That Into You,” “Confessions of a Shopaholic”, “the Proposal.” Basically, women are dumb, men-obsessed and shallow without worth if they are not with a man. If a woman is successful in her career she must be a) a city slicker, and b) lonely and c) in desperate need of being taken down a peg by a “reg’lar” fella and his homespun ways. Small towns are magic villages of redemption for these awful, mean, venal women. Of course, I have not seen those movies and I’m sure I’m exaggerating, but probably not.