Combat Twister Screening a Success!

So last night I exposed the world to it's first view of Combat Twister...sort of. Due to an unfortunate mix-up on my part in saving the videos, I accidentally used the "making of" video in place of the actual first part of the video. I also used a version of the shot drinking contest that was missing part of the scene, so the background music ran into the next scene.

But the audience, most of whom had not seen any of it before, responded very positively, and Frank Wood accepted it into a film festival this October!

Also, the band Stark totally rocked out and was very happy to be a part of it.

In the end we played a little game of Twister.

In total, then, I would call this a success. Now I am going to take care of those videos and get them ready for I-Con in April.

COMBAT TWISTER Screening Party Tonight!

Hi friends. This is possibly the most exciting event I have ever held since I began inviting you to my events. It is the screening party for the rough cut of my FIRST MOVIE! The absurdist action/comedy short subject COMBAT TWISTER and the Further Battles of Kim Fu Yu and Jenny Rancid!

This 15 minute video is the culmination of a year's work and experiences. It is a transitional piece that draws from almost everything in my recent past as well as my near future. The personal significance of it to me cannot be understated, and I really want to share it with as many of you as possible. You can see previews of this movie at http://www.captainzorikh.com/combattwister

The best part of this is that it is being shown in a screening party at Otto's Shrunken Head (http://www.ottosshrunkenhead.com/), a delightfully tacky yet unrefined tiki bar and lounge at 538 East 14th street, between Ave's A & B. At 10 PM the band STARK (http://www.laniford.com/ they're in the movie) will play. At 11 PM the video will be screened, then at 11:30 we will all play Twister, hosted by Dana Sterling, founder of Disco Crisco Twister (http://www.discocriscotwister.com/). The whole evening is being presented by Watch This Space (http://www.captainzorikh.com/wts/) and Frank Wood (http://www.mrfwood.com/).

Please RSVP for the event so I know that you're coming (and to see who else is), at http://newyork.going.com/event-519407;Rockin_Combat_Twister_Screening_Party.



And BTW, rehearsals for my next movie, The Redemption of Captain Zorikh, have been going extremely well. You can see video of me running a gauntlet, wrestling every member of the cast, male and female, big and small, expert and beginner, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uMg4EwLZIw&feature=channel_page.

But we are still looking for a location to shoot the big tournament scene on or about April 18. Any space suitable for a wrestling tournament will be spectacular. If mats are available at the space and a place for an audience to watch the tournament also that would be fabulous. Our budget is low but we are willing to give exchanges of services or favors (a part in the film or the making of it, free grappling lessons, etc) for consideration.


So I hope I see you all on Wednesday!


Captain Zorikh
zorikh@juno.com
917-865-1214
http://www.captainzorikh.com

Captain Zorikh on NY Rocks TV!

Here it is folks, the lates appearance of Yours truly on Phil Fiumano's NY Rocks TV show! Skip ahead to 50:20 to get to my segment, although starting at 24:52 you can see my stuff on Phil's table.

Weestling party next week!

Something that happened in Times Square

A few months ago I was working doing street promotions for the Halloween Adventure Costume shop in Times Square. One day I was on the street with my friend Damien and we were both wearing costume armor, me wearing a horned "Viking" helmet. A fellow with a baseball cap on cockeyed asked me if I was getting paid enough to dress like a fool. I told him that at least my hat was on straight. He said " Well, I'm G, man." I noticed his rotund appearance and said "You look more like an 'O,' man." He responded by starting all over again with the thing about me looking like a fool, and I reminded him that at least my hat was on straight.

For three months I hit the streets several days a week in one absurd costume or another. I dressed like a gorilla, an Elvis Santa, a Spartan from "300," an Immortal from "300" and a giant cockroach ("New York's Original Love Bug"). I wore the giant "Squawk Beast." I got hugs from cute girls, I got kicked by small children, I got my picture taken by lots and lots of tourists. I even got a few people to come to the shop.

Then several weeks after the incident related above, I was out dressed as the cockroach and the same fellow happened along. This time he gave me props because here I was, doing my thing, doing my job, out there for all the world to see, day in and day out, with no shame.

And that's what it's about, isn't it? If you are gonna do something, do it without shame, without apology. So long as what someone does is not evil, respect them for doing it.

Great night at open mike!

I got sent home early to work today (nothing I did, it was just slow at Dave & Buster's) and I passed by the local cafe that has open mikes on Thursdays. As I passed I though about how I haven;t had a chance to perform in a while, but I also though about how much work I have to do (my costume contest at Wicked Faire, my "Redemption" video project, my Captain Marvel Culture work, etc) but I also though about hoiw I do need to get out more often, meet new people, get more people to know me, and how I did not know when the next time I would get to perform would be.

So as soon as I got home I pulled out my old Alvarez guitar (my newer one has a broken string that needs replacing) and made sure it was in tune (it was) and grabbed my harmonica and headed out.

I got there just as they were standing up to leave. I asked if I was too late, and the owner of the cafe, Jose, said now, to come on up, and he re-plugged in the microphone. Everybody sat down as I began to play.

I was on FIRE! The guitar was clanging, the harmonica was in tune, and my voice sounded out loud and clear (it helped that the venue was small and everyone was paying attention). The audience laughed at my jokes, bopped to the music and gave all the right responses.

Then, after playing "Bound for Brooklyn, telling a story about an ex-girlfriend that led into "too Crazy for Me," then doing my "M&M Song," I asked how many more songs I had, and they said a couple more. So I slowed it down.

I did the Blasters/Dave Alvin's "Little Honey." it is a song about a man who's girl is going out, possibly to see an old boyfriend, possibly not coming back. It has personal significance to me, and when that song was done, I continued into an instrumental on the harmonica.

I discovered, after not playing for months, how I can really tell an emotional story with the harmonica. I felt my emotions of the situation coming out through the notes and the rhythms. The emotions change, as I resolve from an angry boyfriend into one who has decided to move on, and that launches me into the Blasters/Dave Alvin's "So Long, Baby, Goodbye." That's when I opened my eyes.

I had completely lost the audience. Here I had thought that they were hanging on my every note, were hi[p enough to follow me on my emotional journey, and that they would be transfixed by my sincerity, but one person had walked out and the others were just kind of sitting there dumb.

So as soon as I got through "SLBGB," I launched into one verse of "Johnny B. Goode for the Lower East Side." That got them back.

I was invited to do one more song (it turned out that the guy who left just had to answer his cell phone). So I first warned them about, and then played, "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins in the Style of Arlo Guthrie." I tore the house down.

To be more precise, it was what I have come to expect from a crowd that size (about 8 people). One guy got every single reference and was in tears all the way through. About 3 other people got most of the references and died every time they came up. The rest did not quite understand it, but enjoyed the good naturedness and sheer bizarreness of it. And they were a little slow picking up on the "Bilbo" call-backs.

If I don't have work on Thursday night next week I will go again, otherwise, well, ti was fun. I do hope to go again. I need to get out more often and make new friends.

Redemption of Captain Zorikh Production Blog!

I have started a new blog, strictly for chronicling the progress of my "Redemption of Captain Zorikh" video project. You can follow it at http://czredemption.blogspot.com/