Road Stops

Some days I feel like I'm in showbiz more than other days.

Right now, for example, I'm sitting in the downstairs green room of a burlesque club in downtown Portland, waiting for tonight's show to begin. About half and hour ago, I was climbing around on a Go Go platform, looking for a place to plug in my projector. We have to make tonight's set quick because the real show starts at 11:00 and my equipment will need to be off the platform by then.

We've been landed in Portland for the last three days, getting a little resting and relaxing in before turning south through California. In the week and a half before we hit Portland we drove across the country, singing (the band), drawing (me) and entertaining folks (all of us) from Pittsburgh to Spokane. If you haven't been following the story, it's all available on the Balthrop, Alabama Facebook page in glorious full-color photos and video.

Anyways, here in Portland, Shannon Busby loaned us a house she just bought. She hasn't moved in yet. So, we set up our air-mattresses, walked over to the Safeway a few blocks away and bought us some frozen lasagnas and Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Life on the road is really all about whatever the opposite of glamor is. That and doing your laundry when you can. But it's all worthwhile because we get to put on a show most every night and the folks who show up tell us they have a good time.

So, come see us in San Francisco or Atascadero or L.A. or Phoenix or Tucson or Albuquerque or Oklahoma City or Athens, Ohio. Check here for details.

Black and White and Read All Over

This weekend, I made my debut in the New York Times. I've gotten many emails through this blog and the website and it's been overwhelming, humbling and, well, awesome to be out here on the road, reading through them. I'm gonna try to answer as many as I can, but tonight we're camping out in a National Park in North Dakota and I'll see how far I get before my battery dies.

The drawing above is a doodle page from my recent stint at ABT, one that didn't end up in the article. It's from the first day, when I was trying to get my pen moving to remind myself how to draw dancers.

If you haven't seen the New York Times piece, you can check it out here.

Good Ideas (still) Grow on Trees

I'm reposting this video I made for Mike Viola because a lot of people are coming here for the first time today and, well, I just wanna.

I'm out on tour with Balthrop, Alabama right now. We're driving across the country, headed to the West Coast right now. Check here to see if we're doing a show near you. Come up and introduce yourself if we are. I hope to see you in Minnesota or Montana or Oregon or Seattle or California or one of those other states out there on this long, amazing road!

In the meantime, here's what we look like when we were out there in March. I know this is also a re-post, but when the Old Grey Lady links to you, a lot of people stop by to take a look! Hope to see you out there somewheres . . .

Writer at Play

Suzan-Lori Parks performing in the workshop production of Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1,8 &9) at the Public Theater.