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Hi! I'm Zorikh. I started this site on 9/21/98
Within these pages you shall find:
Movies, comic books, history, the Society For Creative Anachronism, rockabilly music, Shakespeare, heraldry, theater, swordfighting, science fiction, and obscure sports.
If you came to this page via search engine and cannot find the subject you were searching for, please check the previous journal page.
Yes, once again we have run out of space and started a NEW JOURNAL PAGE! Don't worry, the old entries can still be seen at The third (and most recent) journal page, the second journal page, and the original journal page. This is all part of the continuing effort to make your exploration of this site more efficient.
One fascinating thing I've noticed is how people have found this page through keywords in search engines. Click on this link to see for yourself:
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11-20-06 CAPTAIN ZORIKH AND THE DOOM MAIDENS HOST WATCH THIS SPACE RELEASE PARTY AT CHASHAMA!
WHAT: Watch This Space Party
WHERE: Chashama
112 W 44th St, bet. 6the Ave. & Broadway
http://www.chashama.org/112w44/index.php
WHEN: Friday, Nov 24, 6-10 PM
HOW MUCH: FREE!
Both Captain Zorikh and the Doom Maidens (http://www.doomaidens.com) are releasing products at the spectacular event at the Chashama space in Times Square. There will be live music, belly dancing, video of Doom Maiden wrestling, and more, so don’t miss it! WATCH THIS SPACE for more details soon!
11-16-06 CAPTAIN ZORIKH AT BIG APPLE CONVENTION COSTUME CONTEST
WHAT: Big Apple Convention National Show http://www.bigapplecon.com
WHERE: The Penn Plaza Pavilion
7the Ave at 33rd St.
WHEN: November 17-18-19
HOW MUCH: $15 in advance through website
This event is one of the most exciting and anticipated events of the Big Apple Con. Our own Captain Zorikh hosts the show with co-host Jolie Voltaire as a galaxy of fantastic creatures and characters struts their stuff. Come as any character from comics, sci-fi, fantasy, manga/anime, horror or make up your own! Come as a hero or a villain!
Come on your own or form a team and enter as a group! Theatricality is encouraged as prizes are awarded on the basis of costuming excellence and presentation/performance!
Don't have a costume or character? Don't feel left out! In Captain Zorikh's costume contest, the audience helps decide the winner with the patented "applause-o-meter" judging system!
Prizes for the Captain Zorikh costume contest at the National Convention:
$100 gift certificate to Halloween Adventure Costume Shop
104 4th Avenue
New York City, NY
www.halloweenadventureNYC.com
Three $15 gift certificates to St. Mark’s Comics
11 St. Mark’s Place, NYC
$25 gift certificate on back issues and memorabilia from Roger’s Time Machine Comics & Collectibles
207 W. 14th St, NYC
A copy of the new novel “The God Wraith” by Osman Karriem, given away by the author
www.godwraith.com/
A pair of custom fangs by Father Sebastian, to be given away by the fangsmith himself
www.myspace.com/fathersebastiaan
A fabulous toy replica of the dragon from the Ray Harryhausen classic “7th Voyage of Sinbad”
Copies of the latest CD and DVD from Aerosith
www.aerosith.com
Two copies of the new comic “How Ilya Murometz met his Daughter” from Silk Road Designs.
www.srdarts.com/
If you are interested in sponsoring the Captain Zorikh Costume Contest with a donation of a prize, contact Captain Zorikh at bigapplecon@yahoo.com
11/10/06 CAPTAIN ZORIKH AND JOLIE VOLTAIRE AT WICKED GOOD TIME
WHAT: Captain Zorikh & Jolie Voltaire at the Wicked Good Time!
WHERE: The Hilton Garden Inn
50 Raritan Center Parkway, Edison, NJ
3050 Woodbridge Avenue, Edison, New Jersey 08837
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 11, 9:30 PM for the performance. The event is from 2 PM to 2 AM
HOW MUCH: $10 (I think. Advance tickets are sold out)
Described as an event for "Freaks, Geeks, and Rennies," Jeff Mach's "Wicked Good Time" and "Impurity Ball" is destined to be an event filled with wonder and amazement. There will be entertainment up the wazoo, but what you care about is Captain Zorikh, right? Yours truly will be singin' swordslingin', and wrasslin' for abouyt 40 minutes starting at 9:30 at this event, backed up by Jolie Voltaire and possibly even some other Doom Maidens! It's an experience you don't want to miss, folks, so go to The Wicked Good time Website" for more details about the event, and I'll see you there!
7/10/06 CAPTAIN ZORIKH HOSTS GREATEST BIG APPLE COSTUME CONTEST EVER!
The largest number of individual participants ever at the Big Apple Convention’s costume contest assembles in the panel room at the Big Apple Convention on Saturday, June 24th to compete for the largest and most valuable collection of prizes ever assembled for this contest.
After a few opening remarks by Yours Truly and Jolie Voltaire, the prizes were announced and the audience instructed as to the criteria by which they were to judge the costume contest entries. The audience was to consider both the costuming excellence and performance quality of each contestant, and show their approval by way of the pateneted “applause-o-meter” system. Your Humble Narrator would be the arbiter of all results. Then the sixteen contestants (fifteen individuals and one two-person team) introduced themselves, displayed their costume to the assembled crowd, and performed a very short “bit” in character. The field was Jedi-heavy, as one of the prizes was a Darth Maul double-ended lightsaber from Master Replicas, provided by NY Jedi, but a smattering of super heroes and satirical characters proved n their popularity.
After the first elimination round, nine of the contestants were selected to compete for the featured prizes, the remaining contestants receiving a copy of Watch This Space’s new mini-comic “Jolie Voltaire vs. Lord Gigundus.” Among those were several dark Jedi and one very young “V” (with a marvelous handmade mask) A “wild-card” playoff was held for the last spot of the semi-finalists, won by Annakin Skywalker (the version of him right after killing all the Jedi and before becoming Darth Vader).
In the next round, Eric Draven, the Grim Reaper, “a really hot guy” in an original monster costume, and Jay & Silent Bob, and some others were eliminated (Draven was awarded the DVD of Gold Castle Films’ “Requiem for a Vampire”, The Grim Reaper and the “really hot guy” selected CD’s from Midnight Syndicate, and Jay & silent Bob were awarded a copy of the novel “The Rellik” by Michael J. Denault in the hopes that they would learn how to read.
The final three contestants were Blue Beetle (the recent Ted Kord version, there to “promote” Steven Segal's new Lightning Bolt energy drink), Unemployed Skeletor, and Annakin Skywalker. By audience demand, Skywalker, who had been in danger of elimination earlier, was awarded the lightsaber for it appropriateness to his character, excellence in costume, and pitch-perfect performance of the young Dark Lord.
The final decision on who would get the last two prizes, the $100 gift certificate to the Halloween Adventure Costume Shop and the $15 gift certificate to Forbidden Planet was torturously close. By volume and passion the applause was about equal for both, though Blue Beetle got more “squeals” and Unemployed Skeletor got more “grunts.” In the end a show of hands gave the top prize to Skeletor, and the second prize to Beetle.
The contestants were lined up for a group shot for the benefit of the audience, which shoed their appreciation by a volley of camera flashes and thunderous applause. The contest proved to be a great success, and work is already underway planning for the next one at the September Big Apple Convention!
10/27/05
Here's something interesting:
For the past few days one of my Yahoo ID's has been hijacked. I tried logging into the account to find that the password had been changed. When I accessed the Yahoo profile, the e-mail address had been changed. I set up a hotmail account just for the purpose of sending an e-mail to that address without it being traced to my, but that e-mail got no response. I contacted Yahoo, but a typo prevented them from finding my account. I re-sent my message, fixing the typo, and they sent me a new password. I have now been able to access the account, and I found that some of the information has been changed. Somehow, my name had been replaced by a series of commas, my street address had become "212 Gunung Kembar," my phone number "123-1234-1234,"
my "work/school address" turned into "___Fucking Users___Zaire"!!! Well, I got the account back, and that's going to change.
However, if anyone out there has some particularly annoying spam you would like to send, add this e-maill adress to your target list: toss-1234@hotmail.com
10/17/05
Interesting observation: The last update that I sent out got more response than I have gotten from an update in a long time. In addition to the usual “good luck” messages and someone who actually showed up for one of the events promoted, I got two “unsubscription” requests and someone saying I had finally gone off the deep end. Was it the jello wrestling? Or was it merely a co-incidence that two people had forgotten who I was and a third had just come in late to the game? (finally? Heck, the deep end was just the beginning!)
Now we have two new exciting theatrical experiences featuring Zorikh Lequidre, just in time for the Halloween season!
1) WHAT: Automatic Superstar! A New Rock Opera
2) WHAT: William Shakespeare’s Haunted Pier
1) “AUTOMATIC SUPERSTAR” OPENS!
This is the big one folks! This Friday is the grand opening of the brand new rock opera performed in a grand Times Square nightclub, “Automatic Superstar!” This show features some exciting singing talents, one of the hottest rock bands ever to perform and some pulse pounding, bone jarring, everyting-you-ever-wanted-in-rock-and-roll music!
We've gotten some great pre-opening press. The New York Daily News called Automatic Superstar "a glam punk manifesto… like David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and Pink Floyd’s The Wall”. The Daily News is also doing a piece scheduled for print this Thursday on mask wearing performers that will include a section about Matic, the star of the show. New York Rocks will be covering the event, interviewing fans outside the show and trying to get to the bottom of the mystery “who is Matic?” http://www.whoismatic.com/
The world of the Automatic Superstar can be described thusly:
“It was the turn of the millennium and the record companies were getting desperate. Faced with declining record sales, company executives increasingly tuned to publicity stunts to promote their albums. Some even went so far as to fake the deaths of their artists to boost sales, all to spectacular effect.
“All the while record companies were cracking down on advocates of file sharing with lawsuits and, some reports suggested, even hiring bands of roving thugs to break the will of file sharers.
“Meanwhile, at Dinosaur Records, ambitious A&R head Stanton ladder had a plan involving the band The Dr. Nasty Operation and their strangely charismatic masked frontman, Matic…”
This show will be performed every Friday through November 18, and is sure to be a uniquer and memorable experience. It is one of the shows Yours Truly is most proud to be involved in.
Incidentally, your Humble Narrator will be playing the ever-vital role of one security guard and a crazed assassin, and is understudying the role of DJ Damage. So, if someone’s car brakes happen to slip at just the right moment…
For even more information about the show, go to http://www.automaticsuperstar.xbuild.com/
2) THE INCREDIBLE RETURN OF “WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S HAUNTED (WHATEVER)!”
Yes, those amazing thespians of the Faux-Real Theater company are at it again! For the ninth year, the ghost of William Shakespeare and all his creepiest characters rise up from their graves to haunt a section of New York City for a Hallow-weekend!
This time the selected venue is Pier 25, a recently renovated pier that now serves as a recreation area with mini-golf, beach volleyball, a sculpture garden and more!
From the words on the website of the sponsors of the show, Chashama
"William Shakespeare's Haunted Pier has filled NYC crowds with fright and Halloween delight for 9 seasons. Previously under the titles William Shakespeare's Haunted House and William Shakespeare's Haunted Ship, this site-specific theatrical event features the ghost of William Shakespeare himself along with the spirits of his most famous characters. Shakespeare rules his creations with an iron fist, but here they rebel and break out of their scripted destinies. This interactive performance features a cast of 20 performers, leading audiences on a walking tour around scenic Pier 25 and onto the decks of the historic Yankee Ferry. As the audience travels through the "haunted pier," characters such as Macbeth and The Witches, Hamlet, Caliban and Romeo & Juliet will appear, each speaking the words penned over four hundred years ago. Crowds will be led through the Hall of Fairies from A Midsummer Night's Dream, examine Julius Caesar's wounds, dip toes into Ophelia's Riverbed of Death (Hamlet), journey through a Shakespearean Chamber of Darkness and dine at the table of Titus Andronicus (where Titus is served a pie with a special filling – his family).
**There will be a special section of the pier designated for more "impressionable" audience members, where the action isn't quite so scary."
Created by Faux-Real Theatre Company artistic director Mark Greenfield, William Shakespeare's Haunted Pier is a site-specific, environmentally staged theatrical Halloween event unique to NYC. The show is composed entirely of Shakespearean text that has been taken out of its original context and resurrected in modern day Manhattan.
What better way could you possibly imagine to get in the mood of the Halloween season than this? And even if you come to the latest shows, you will still have the evenings free to enjoy parties and other nightlife attractions that New York at Halloween has to offer!
So get yourself dolled up in the appropriate garments and head down to the event of your choice, or even better, both of them!
9/1/05
Sorry its been so long since my last jounal update. I have found that since I no longer have an office job where I can use one part of my brain to talk on the phone and my higher functions to work on the computer I simply have less time for this. However, the news now is so big, I just had to post it, and maybe in a few months, search engines will find it.
Zorikh’s back! And God help the guilty!
The skinny…
1. WHAT : The Sword Politik http://www.crefoci.com/swordpol.htm – a new play from the Hudson Shakespeare Company http://www.hudsonshakespeare.org/Past%20Productions/2005/sword_politik.htm
2. WHAT: Sword Politik Fundraiser Party
The fat…
1. THE SWORD POLITIK
After a week at the Society for Creative Anachronism’s Pennsic War, we are hitting the ground running! With barely a day off yours truly has jumped into a brand new production of a brand new play from the Hudson Shakespeare Company called “The Sword Politik.” This is an exciting dramedy all about court intrigue, sword fighting, pagan mysticism, and love in 10th century Germany. I play a barbaric Hungarian swordsman named “The Blackguard.” I have two big swordfights and smack around a whiney punk who deserves it!
The plot is described by the writer thus: ”When the Baron von Schliess mysteriously dies, Nina, his daughter, is left his only heir. But in the Dark Ages of Germany women cannot bear arms and so she must take a man to defend her Barony. And quickly, as the northern territories are already aflame with war, plotting and politics. In this vicious crucible Nina and those who would be Baron must lay their souls bare, to not only survive, but lead their people out of the struggle that threatens everything.”
This show will also have “entertainment interludes” by some of the area’s most talented medieval/renaissance/tribal type entertainers (or maybe just me singing, we’ll see).
So this week, you have the opportunity to see the play for free, under the stars, with a spectacular view of the New York City skyline. Bring a blanket and a picnic and you’ll be set. The locations are listed above, and visiting the Huson Shakespeare company’s website will get you directions. All the locations are easily accessible by the PATH trains and a short walk.
The week after next, the play will be performed in the Medicine Show Theaer at 549 W 52nd St. on the third floor. Although tickets are “officially” $15, if you call 973-626-3100 or show up at the box office and say the secret code word “Kabal,” you will get the special, insider ticket price of $10!
For more information about the play, go to the website of the author, John Crefeld.
and the website of the Hudson Shakespeare Company
2. THE SWORD POLITIK FUNDRAISING PARTY
Of course, what would an off-Broadway show be without a FUNDRAISER PARTY? This one is scheduled for next Friday at the Amsterdam Billiard Club, on 76th St. and Amsterdam. Special medieval-flavored entertainments are being planned (details forthcoming). The proceed from this party will help defray the costs of putting on this show. The cover is a suggested $10, with $3.50 beers and $5 thematically-appropriate cocktails. Medieval garb is not required but would sure look cool!
So get down, get funky, get medieval, and come down to see THE SWORD POLITIK!
6/10/05 New Zorikh Activities!
1) WHAT: Showcase at 2nd on 2nd
2) WHAT: The Big Apple Convention
Hey, all you crazy Zorikhaholics, I know you’ve been sitting there in
withdrawal saying “When, o lord, when is the Big Z going to send out
another one of those scintillating, spellbinding, seriously specific
e-mail updates of his public activities so I can tell him how much I really
enjoyed reading it and wish I could have gone to his gig, but wish him
the best of luck and tell him I’ll be with him in spirit?”
Well wait no longer, that message is here. Will it inspire you to get
out of the house, cancel your plans, and make you forget that you had to
work/walk the dog/meet your cousin coming in from Oklahoma/feed the
cat/wash your hair and actually get to any of the events I am involved
with this week? Only you know for sure.
1) SHOWCASE AT 2ND ON 2ND
2) THE BIG APPLE CONVENTION
This time around I will be hosting the costume contest Saturday at 3:00
PM as part of my duties as MC of the Panel Room for the two days of the
convention. Immediately following the convention there will be a live
stage show by the satirical Star Wars rock band Aerosith. Also, being as
"Batman Begins" this weekend, we will have the greatest assemblage of
comic book talent ever to have worked on Batman ever assembled! There
will be hundreds of dealers selling everything from comics to videos,
cards and collectibles, art to action figures, t-shirts to talking Yoda
dolls. There will also be movies, panels, and possibly even a sneak
performance by a certain Death Star Repairman.
This is one show you will not want to miss if you never miss one show!
So I don’t want to hear that you were snowed in, out of gas, or under
the weather, if you can’t come up with something more creative, come on
out and have some fun!
4/10/05 Blonde Apocalyptic Wrestling parties
Greetings fans, friends, and assorted freaks!
Zorikh has returned, after a couple of weeks of no messages, finally something interesting enough to mention is occurring.
As usual, here’s the quick-and-dirty details, scroll down for all the down-and-dirty details!
1) Blonde Ambition Mayhem Party
1) The folks who put together the Big Apple Con after party actually put together parties and events every week. This week’s edition is the "Blonde Ambition Mayhem Party." In their own words, it is a tribute to celebrity blondes, especially Madonna. There will be live musical performances and even a Madonna look-alike contest! I will be there, of course, perhaps doing some Rod Stewart, Billy Idol, or Brian Setzer songs (famous ‘80’s musical blondes, all). Go to the web page with the invite and get yourself on the guest list. The fun starts at 10 PM, and if you get there early enough, there will be free food as well!
2) The week-long run at Two Boots Pioneer theater was so successful, they’re showing "After The Apocalypse," that movie I was in, again this Saturday at 4:45 PM. Rather than try and describe it, I’ll just let other people do the talking:
"Gorgeous, conveying a world similar to that of Lynch’s ERASERHEAD."
- Eric Campos, FILM THREAT
"A surprisingly engaging ride. . . The virtuoso cinematography evokes a stark, perpetual dawn. . . as an experiment in regressive playfulness, it delivers nicely, with inspiration coming from Aki Kaurismäki's JUHA."
- David Ng, VILLAGE VOICE
"Despite its spasms of brutality and a swerve into the macabre, AFTER THE APOCALYPSE is, by comparison with more recent films of this type (the "Mad Max" series), gentle at heart and terribly sincere."
- Manohla Dargis, NY TIMES
"Great"
- NEW YORK POST
"Mesmerizing"
- CHICAGO TRIBUNE
"Philosophical meditation"
- TIME OUT
Official Selection of over 30 film festivals around the globe
AFTER THE APOCALYPSE is a futuristic fable about five survivors trying to make sense of a New World after a devastating urban catastrophe challenges all their human needs.
The film is set in a bleak, post-urban landscape in the aftermath of the Third World War. It is a strangely limited environment where a single woman and four men are forced to communicate without words as a result of the destructive gasses from the war. Their pasts were erased by the war, they must recreate their lives individually and collectively.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
AFTER THE APOCALYPSE continues screening at:
Click here for...
REVIEWS
3) Last month, one of the alumni from “William Shakespeare’s Haunted House” invited me to come to a night of “Femwrestle: Amateur Female Jello Wrestling.” After visiting the website (http://www.mtude.com/femwrestle/index.php), I knew that this was a great opportunity for me and my colleague, Jessica Valadez, to have some fun and create a stir, but was not quite sure if I wanted anyone to know about it. After that first evening, I decided to share it with the world. Femwrestle is one fun, outrageous, sexy, absurd show! Imagine scantily clad women wrestling in a kiddy pool filled with colorless, sugarless jello and having a wonderful time! Imagine high drama and comedy as the never-ending battle between good and evil is played out in the jello ring! Imagine outrageous, over-the-top characters doing death-defying feats! All this and more can be seen this Sunday night at Bar 169.
Women who want to wrestle are invited to show up at 6:30 for a free lesson of pro-wrestling style techniques. Everyone else get there at 8 and wear something waterproof or easily washable!
Well, that’s all for this week, sports fans. But Watch This Space for further adventures in the ongoing saga that is…ZORIKH!
(You don’t think that’s too subtle or ostentatious, do you?…oh, wait, are we still on…)
12/9/04:
1) A whole bunch of years ago, a low-budget, independent filmmaker was making a short film in Chinatown called "The History of the World in 8 Minutes." For some reason the script included a bunch of medieval marauders charging across the street. Folks from the local SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) were contacted, and by making a few phone calls, I got four people to show up in armor. We got Chinese food for lunch and, in typical filmmaking style, just as we were about to eat, it was time for us to be in the shot. We did our few takes, and were promised copies of the finished film. We never heard from those people again.
I did work with their fight director again in “After the Apocalypse” (which, by the way is having its Caribbean premiere at the Bahamas International Film Festival this week. For more info go to The Bahamas International Film Festival website and the After The Apocalypse website ), but he really couldn’t get me any info about the film. Finally, I just searched the internet, found the film listed in the Internet Movie Data Base (Loren-Paul Caplin) , then searched for the filmmaker, Loren-Paul Caplin. I was able to get in contact him and he gave me a copy of the film. Now it is having a showing tonight.
So come on down to the Parsons Auditorium tonight at 66 5th Avenue, ground floor at 7PM and for FREE, you will be able to see this film, along with another movie by the same director.
2) Yes, yes, I know, I know. A month ago I said I was having my stand-up comedy debut at the Comic Strip Live. Well, I was there, I go up on stage, I performed, people laughed. Gladys, the woman in charge of the evening said "That was great. Call me. I’d like you to come back and do some stand up comedy next time."
Huh?
You mean standing up wearing a renaissance doublet a, Utilikilt, and floppy shirt while playing guitar and singing “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins” in the style of Arlo Guthrie that makes people piss in their pants laughing doesn’t count as stand-up comedy?
So I guess I’ll just have to get up there in casual clothes without guitar, hold the mike in my hands, wander aimlessly back and forth on stage and start every other sentence wit "don’t you hate it when…" or "has it ever happened to you that…" or "you may be a redneck…" and then talk about sex and use dirty words for ten minutes or something like that.
Or not.
Well, if you want to find out what I finally decide to do, come on down to the Comic Strip Live at 1568 2nd Ave. between 81st and 82nd St. on Tuesday, December 14. It is "New Talent Night" there. That means there will be a bunch of performers to be seen between 5:30 and 8: 00 PM. The order of who performs when will be decided by lottery drawing, BUT, whichever performer has the most guests will get to pick when they want to go on. So, Show up early, get your drinks, and be ready to laugh. There is a two dollar cover, and one drink minimum, and this is one of those $6 Heineken or Corona places.
3) Over the past few months I have been working with a fellow named John Milano making a little music. Now we have our first gig together! John has also been building the "Rockabilly Robot," Whom I call the "Lost Psycho Space Robot." It will also be present at this gig. If you liked my music before (whether you heard it in a bar, on the subway, at a party, or on the New York Rocks TV show) you’re sure to love it now. John plays a sparkling lead guitar and hard-driving yet sensitive drum thing at the same time. We have also been recording a CD together, so Watch This Space for the availability of this new CD.
This gig will be at the new hot, hip, and happening joint called 13 Little Devils in the heart of the hot, hip, and happening Orchard Street Historic Bargain Shopping District, 120 Orchard St (just north of Delancy St.) (<13 Little Devils website). The cover is only $5, the gig starts at 8:00 PM and we will be playing an hour set, which will be followed by several other exciting bands.
5) There is potential that we (John and I) will be performing at the next Big Apple comic Convention on January 22-23, 2005, together with the Lost Psycho Space Robot. I may also soon be writing a weekly column for the website of this convention at the Big Apple Con's website. Watch This Space for more details.
The excitement never strops!
11/17/04:
An upcoming event; and an incredible story.
1) Zorikh interviews movie stars at convention
1. Y’know, it just goes to show, if you just keep doing what you like, and keep telling people what you like to do, eventually someone will pay you to do it!. Such is the case with me hosting panels at the Big Apple Comic Convention. I started by doing a little thing about drawing comics. I then started giving lectures on the history of Captain Marvel. Then I hosted a panel on the history of Martial arts in the movies with David Carradine, then comic book movies, and now I will be hosting not one, not two, but Three (yes, count ‘em, 3!) panels at this weekend’s National comic book, art, and toy show.
On Friday, November 17, at 4 PM, I will first interview \Tanya Roberts. You may remember this beautiful actress from such hit movies and cult classics as Beastmaster, Hearts and Armor, Forced Entry, the James Bond film A View to a Kill, and Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. Her big break was as the last new angel in Charlie’s Angels. Her most recent TV appearances were on The Hollywood Squares and That ‘70’s Show. She is also in the video game The Pandora Directive. It also seems that her sister married Timothy Leary.
Next, at 5 PM, I will be hosting a panel discussion with the tallest and shortyest, oldest and youngest members of the Star Wars cast.that’s right, David Prowse (the original Darth Vader), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Jake Lloyd (young Anakin Skywalker) and Daniel Logan (young Boba Fett) will be on hand for some sparkling discussion about the pop-culture phenomenon that George Lucas gave to the world. (one of these days I’ll sit down and write my thesis on how Star Wars is responsible for the swing to the right in our nations politics that gave us everything from Ronald Reagan to the end of quality action figures)
Then, on Saturday at 3 PM, it’s "I was a Teenage Vampire," with Robia LaMorte and Mark Lutz of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame. It’s sure to be a biting, blood-curdling discussion with those two!
And finally, I will also be making music on the floor of the convention. You never know what you’re gonna hear there!
2. My friend Allain Atienza has been busy writing more of the adventure of the Amazing Grendel Conspiracy, the secret origin of Z Lequidre (that’s me) as a time traveling adventurer. So click here and begin the adventure!.
And in other news...
So there I was, happily singing on the L train platform at Union Square, making a little money to pay those overdue electric bills, when all of a sudden I hear some bucket drumming going on not 20 feet from where I was. I thought that this would be the worst part of the evening. I was wrong.
I walked over to where this fellow had decided to set up and start playing his buckets for money. Now, let me explain a little about subway performer etiquette: You do not set up within earshot of another performer. If you really want to play at a particular station, you wait until his song is over, then ask how much longer they will be playing. This fellow had just set up and started banging away! I let him know that I was playing here, but he did not care. He said he didn’t even see me. Well he must not have been looking, ‘cause I’m 6’4 and wearing a cowboy hat on the New York City Subway. He said "go ahead, play."
So it became apparent that he was not going to stop playing. Now that’s just rude. He would not listen to me and continued to play. So I packed up my stuff and sat down on his collection bucket. That got him upset (ya think?). I said I could not play with him banging on his buckets. He asked if I would rather he bang on my head. I told him that I had been there for two hours and was planning on leaving in 90 minutes. He said he couldn’t play just anywhere because the "cops will be all over my ass." I let him know that that was not really my problem. He insisted that he was going to play there whether I was playing or not. I told him that he was being incredibly rude and if I could ever do anything to help him, I wouldn’t. Then I got on the next train to the next stop, 6th Avenue on the L train.
So there I was at 6th Avenue, making even more money and thinking all my troubles were behind me, that I had my adventure for the night. I was wrong.
This somewhat homeless looking woman (you know the type, three coats, large bag, needs a bath…) stopped a woman in front of me to ask for directions. Since at that exact moment there were no other people on the platform, I just stopped playing. I heard her ask for the F train. I asked her if she wanted to go uptown or down town. In a loud, frustrated voice she said "I want to go to Coney Island!"
I replied "Take these stairs here," patting the wall behind me, which happened to be behind the stairs to the F train to Coney Island.
She said "Upstairs or down?"
I did not bother telling her how irrelevant that question was because the stairs only go one way, up. Instead I just said "up these stairs is the F train to Coney Island." This seemed to satisfy her and I thought that would be the end of it.
I was wrong.
She then proceeded to "settle in." She took off her coats, opened up her bag, and pulled out a single serving bottle of white wine and a bottle of Dole pineapple juice. She offered me some wine and I said "no, I’m working." She then started drinking the wine herself, getting good and kershnookered in the process.
As I continued to play and sing, she began to dance around to the music. She was touching the fringe on my jacket. She would cheer and applaud loudly. She was grabbing total strangers, hugging them, and kissing them on the cheek (aaagh! My eyes!). Somehow, I was still making money. People were still putting money in my guitar case. So I thought that after she finished her drinks she would get amalgamate her feces and leave, and that would be the worst of the evening.
I was wrong.
A fellow I knew who was one of the organizers of the "Collision Machine" arts salons happened by and she picked him to latch on to. She was touching him, hugging him, telling him he had her son’s eyes. "My god," thought I, "That mean’s someone’s had sex with this woman!" Just to give you and idea of how remote a possibility I thought that to be, This woman was a definite "two-bagger." That’s where you put one bag over your head AND one bag over her head. Then she kissed him on the cheek. I thought that would finally be the end of it.
I was wrong.
I broke a string. No big deal, I had done so several times that evening. I sat down and started to fix it. Then I heard some sort of commotion right around the corner of the wall I was standing in front of. I looked around that corner and I saw that somewhat homeless looking woman squatting, pants down, laying down a golden shower right on the subway platform not 3 feet away from my guitar case!
That was it. That was the worst. I packed up my guitar and left, with her upset at me for leaving.
There’s just no pleasing some people.
9/23/04
Yes, folks, this is another update of the continuing adventures in show biz of your favorite subway singer/Faux-Realist/SCAdian/performing entertainer, Zorikh Lequidre, from the bucolic wilds of Lake George, New York.
In this update:
1. Final Weekend!
2. FrightFest Coming!
3. Back Home!
1. Final Weekend!
That’s right folks, this is the final weekend of the summer shows up here at the 6 Flags Great Escape . That means it will be your last chance to see me in the country music song-and-dance revue "Freedom Sings," presiding over a most amazing exhibition of insectivoid excellence in Flea T. Barnum’s flea circus, and making the rain come down in Prof. Loquacious Egnatious, Snooker’s Amazin’ Rainmakin’ show. I assure you, folks, these are shows you will not want to miss, and if you do, you will be kicking yourself like Scott Norwood after Super Bowl XXV.
And while you’re here, you will also enjoy the Great Escape’s Oktoberfest! Lots of great German beers, German music, strolling performers in traditional Oktoberfest costumes (yes, lederhosen and beermaid bodices!), and live bands playing both German folk dances for live folk dancers and hot party music for everyone to dance the night away!
And of course, all the great rides here, the Comet, Raging River, Steamin’ Demon, Trabant, Cannonball Express, Pirate, Go Karts, bumper cars, etc, are still here and still open!
2. FrightFest Coming!
Should you be so unfortunate as to miss all this excitement, the weekends after this up through the end of October are the Great Escape’s Fright Fest Halloween celebrations! I will be leading a hangman mob. I will also be in an amusingly absurd mummy costume in a song-and-dance revue called "Monster Mash." I will also be occasionally be standing in for a show of murderous magic! It’s a terror thrill for all ages!
And don’t forget, through all this I will still be playing Monty, the Absent Minded Wizard in "The Wizard’s Unwitting Apprentice," a lip-synch show with live actors and puppets (don’t ask, just watch).
And remember, if you let me know when you Are coming. I can get you in for half price! That’s $16 instead of $32!
3. Back Home!
I will be back in NYC for a few days next week and the week after to do some modeling work, so you might spot me earning a few extra pennies on the subway or at SCA fighter practice in Union Square. While the air up here in Warren County is clean, the mountains and lakes beautiful, and the job fun, I must admit that I kind of miss the bustle and energy of the big city. When it’s 11:30 PM on a Tuesday and I want to get some food, a drink, and have a good time, this area is not the first on a list of places to go. Ah, the sacrifices we make to have a steady job in the entertainment industry!
Zorikh
9/8/04
Greetings folks! Like a subterranean aquatic creature (evoking shades of Martin Sheen in "Apocalypse Now"), I have re-emerged!
1) An apology:
First off, I must apologize to all of you who have been breathlessly awaiting my latest missive, report from upstate, announcement of new gigs, and pithy observations of the human condition. My computer had issues, serious issues, that required massive amounts of work and hassle, but are now all cleared up. For those of you who do not fall in the above category, just say "whut?" and get it over with.
2) Only three (3) weeks left!
Now the regular summer season here at 6 Flags Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom has ended as of Monday, Sept 6, my birthday (that makes me 29 plus something. I’m not sure). Through this season I have played the wizard in a children’s show with puppets, ran a flea circus, acted as a rainmaker, and sang and danced in a country music revue. This will still be going on for the next three weeks on Saturdays and Sundays. Though the water park has closed for the year, the rest of the amusement park is still open, including the Comet roller coaster, the Sky Coaster, the Steamin’ Demon, the Desperado Plunge, the Ragin’ River, the Cannonball Express, the bumper cars, the Go-Karts, the Grand Carousel, the Rainbow, Storytown, Jungleland, the beer garden, an Elvis impersonator, and everything else that makes a day at the Great Escape so memorable. So there are still three weeks in which you can catch me in all these acts.
I am making a special offer to everyone on this list: I can get you in for half price if you let me know when you are coming.
3) FrightFest is coming!
The Wizard show will continue through the end of the season, but all the other shows will be replaced by the Halloween-themed entertainment. There will be a haunted house and hangman mob, a murder mayhem magic show, the Monster Mash, and more! I will be performing in various entertainments there. Phone the neighbors, wake the kids, and bring the family!
4) Other gigs up here!
While the towns of Glens Falls and Lake George will never outdo the Big Apple for variety and size and opportunities, I am making the most of what I would call (in politically correct terms) the "humble" and "modest" resources here (only locals are allowed to say things like "this town blows!" after bicycling for 17 miles round trip from 10:30 PM to 2:00 AM between these two towns on one’s birthday trying to find something like a good time). I have fallen in with the local music scene and by the time I am back in the big city, I may have some new CD’s and a few more gigs under my belt. I may even know more than three chords on my brand new Washburn acoustic/electric guitar! Stay tuned for more updates.
Keep it surreal!
7/11/04
Just in case any of you missed the news, the canary and the goldfish are no longer an item. The one referred to in these pages as MRFL (My Reason For Living) and QoL&B (Queen of Love and Beauty) and I are no longer a couple. We still love each other very much, and still talk on the phone frequently, but as of now, it seems that we both either cannot or will not live in the other person's world. She does not want to move to NYC, and I would not be furthering my career by moving to Reading, PA. So there it is.
This officially happened in late May, I just felt a suitable interval of time was necessary before announcing it here.
6/24/04
Well (I just noticed how many of these entries start with "well"), I just finished my 3rd straight day of doi9ng the country music song-and-dance review "Freedom Sings" here at The Great Escape in Lake George NY. I've been learning the choreography on the side and by the seat of my pants. Most of the songs I have been learning as I go. Josie, the choreographer came in today after spending a couple of days with Jim Wilkinson promoting the show and helped me with some of the techniques. I am a lot more confident with the lifts now, and cleared up a few choreography issues.
I must admit that the singing is not as dificult as I thought it would be. I have a pretty good ear foir harmony and the notes are not difficult to hit. The hardest parts are the little things; the finish of a line here or there. Getting our a low note while dancing, and so forth. But I am definitely enjoying working the crowd. I have solos in Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" and "Garth Brooks' "Friends in Low Places" that allow me to make contact with the audience. Today I made the day af a trio of teeny boppers, a middle aged couple, a mother with her kids, and several small children, just to name a few.
"Freedom Sings" is about fourty minutes long. After doing it, "The Wizard's 'Unwitting Apprentice'" feels mecifully short at 18 minutes. I am so far still able to get up energy to do every show, but when I got home tonight BOY did I crash. All Iwanted was steak and beer. Unfortunately I didn't have any steak on hand or the $$$ to go to a good steak house, and we are not allowed to dringk beer here in the housing for the international workers (of which I am the resident advisor). The folks staying here invited me to join them to go to town for fun, but I was too beat.
So the adventure continues...
6/17/04
Well, here I am, I've been up in Six Flags The Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom for the past few weeks. I'm playing the role of Monty, the absentminded wizard in a kid's show called "The Wizard's 'Unwitting Apprentice.'" I'm also doing the Flea Circus and ocasionally covering for the rianmaker. Soon I will also be stepping in to the country music song and dance review "Freedom Sings." In other words, I'm working six days a week at an amusement park performing and getting paid for it. I have a steady job and it's fun! How many of you can say that?
Last weekend was the Americade here in Lake George. This is a huge motorcycle rally attended by all kinds of bikers with all kinds of bikes (even more info at www.americade.info/). I took loads of pictures (some of which I will post soon) on my new digital camera. On Friday night there was a rally at The Great Escape, where the band Bobby Dick and the Sundowners were playing. I was wearing my utilikilt, combat boots, and brand new motorcycle jacket (picture forthcoming) and had my harmonica with me. When they started playing "Keep Your Hand to Yourself," I said to my self "Self," I said," IYou can do that on harmonica (if it's in the right key)." So I whipped out my hard, discovered it was in the right key, and worked my way to the stage. I cought the eye of one fo the band, and he invited me up on stage. I played on that song, and then they invited me to join them for "Mustang Sally." I had never played that song before, but somehow got away with it. I got a great response form the band and the bikers, especially when Bobby Dick asked "What do you got under that kilt, boy?" and I replied "No less than anyone here has got in their jeans!" And yes, here I was, a bicycle rider in a kilt, getting a standing ovation from 3000 motoryclists!
Oh, yeah, did I mention I got a bicycle?
5/27/04
My picture is on the cover! Go to http://www.walrusmagazine.com/ to see!
My picture was also on the cover of the Village Voice's "Voice Choices: Summer in the City" section for the week of May 12-18 promoting the Tuesdau night SCA fighter practice in Union Square.
3/20/04:
A couple of interesting things to report today...
I just got an e-mail from Yasuaki Nakajima, the maker of the film "After the Apocalype," which I am in. The film was finally completed, four years after its making, and was played at the SXSW (South By South West) film festival. Apparently it got a good response. Here's a few reviews and interviews about it: EFilmCritic.com, Scott Weinberg, interview between Yaz and Scott Weinberg, Film Threat, Eric Campos, SXSW, Matt Dentler.
The Canadian magazine "Walrus" is preparing some sort of article on on-line games with virtual money that can be exchanged for real money, and for an illustration, they thought of having a knight in armor in the midst of the Wall Street. So who do you think volunteered to be the fewloow in armor? No, not Elmo from Sesame Street, li'l ol' me! It was fun walking through the fifnancial district in my armor as people either ignored me or engaged me in discussion. One fellow asked if I was in the SCA and if we still do the Pennsic wars. Another fellow asked if I was one of the fellows who do the fighting in Union Square ("I with I had one of those camera phones," he said into his cell phone. "This is a real 'you wouldn't believe it unless you saw it' moment." One bunch of out-of-towner high school students passed me. I noticed some of them were wearing black letterman's jackets with a big yellow "B." I asked if they were the "killer bees." They said no, they were the Yellow Jackets. Apparently they were from Bartow High School in Tampa Fla. (If I'm wrong, would someone correct me?) A copuple of the girls took a few pictures with me.
Later on I did the "White Eyebrow" play. It went well.
3/16/03: White Eyebrow begins Thursday!
Well, friends and fans, welcome to newcomers as our adventure continues...
1) Imagine: this time last year I was a recently-unemployed stockbroker and about all I had going for me was my website (http://www.zorikh.com), the Pennsic War video documentary (http://www.oocities.org/watchthisspaceent/wts.html), my Watch This Space comic (http://www.oocities.org/zorikh/wtscover.html), my History of Captain Marvel (http://www.oocities.org/watchthisspaceent/cmhist.html), my SCA life (http://www.oocities.org/ldervald/evo1.html), and singing on the subway. Then someone who saw me singing on the subway got me a gig at Kenny's Castaways. Then someone I met at an Entertainment Industry Networking Event and saw me sing and put me on television. Then someone I met at an Entertainment Industry Networking Event who saw my comic wanted me to draw storyboards for a movie. Then someone at a comic convention who saw my history of Captain Marvel and heard me sing wanted me to play at his engagement party and talk about martial arts in the movies with David Carradine. Then someone else who I met at an Entertainment Industry Networking Event who saw my comic and heard my talk with David Carradine connected me to someone producing a martial arts play. Then someone else I met at an Entertainment Industry Networking Event was interested in my swordfighting thing (from the SCA) and I got involved in the ground floor of Awesome Bold Entertainment (http://www.oocities.org/awesomebold1/), through which I met someone who I got into the Martial Arts play. Then the guy who wanted me to draw storyboards for his movie introduced me to a guy who manages a multi-culti teeny-bopper band that need a new website and new art for it and...aw heck, I lost track. Now all I gotta do is get people to pay me for this stuff. Well, here's the most immediate happenings:
2) This Thursday, a brand new venture that I am a part of, the Martial Arts Theater Ensemble, will premier its first play, "White Eyebrow and the Destruction of Shaolin." Written by David Blanc and directed by Gallway McCullough, this play tels the story of the origin of one of the great villains of Kung-Fu cinema. I play a Manchu warrior who has a LOT of fights. There is a great cast of martial artists displaying some highly skilled kung fu. We will be performing Thursday and Friday at 8 PM, Saturday at 3 and 8 PM, and Sunday at 3 and 6 PM, at the Shetler Theater, 244 W. 54th St in Manhattan. Tickets are only $15. mReservations are recommended. Call Smarttix at 212-868-5252 or use their website at http://www.smarttix.com. You can see more about the play on its website at http://www.whiteeyebrowplay.com.
3/8/04: Fasten your seatbelts, folks...
1)Zorikh's Wednesday Pub Crawl
1) ZORIKH'S WEDNESDAY GIG CRAWL
It seems that I somehow got myself booked into three gigs this Wednesday, one at 8 PM, one at 9 PM, and one at 11 PM. Here's the rundown:
At 8 PM I will be gong on stage to cick off the open mic talent show portion of
Arnold Martin's Entertainment Industry Networking Event at Luahn Lounge on 5th
Ave at 13th St. I will be playing about three songs with guitar and harmonica.
The event is for actors, models, dancers, and other industry talent to meet and
mingle with casting directors, agents, managers and other industry
professionals. Doors open at 6 PM, and all you starving artists, bring your
headshots and resumes, you never know what kind of project you could hook up
with there (I'm involved in no fewer than 4 projects as a result of it)! They
are also giving out complimentary copies of the lastest issue of "Show
Business." There is no cover, but they enforce a $3 coat check at the
door.
Then I am going to bust a move down to Wings Theater at 154 Christopher St for
Beverly Bonner's "Bonnerama" comedy/variety show. I will be running
lights and sound for it, but also I will be performing perhaps up to 20 minutes
worth of material. Last week I did "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins in the
Style of Arlo Guthrie" and got a great review of it! (see below). This show
starts at 9 PM and admmission is $10.
Finally, I am going to high-tail it out of there and head for Village Ma (the
bar formerly known as SpeakEasy) at 107 Macdougal Street. At 11:00 (or
thereabouts) I will be playing a set that could last as long as an hour. Will I
play the same song more than once? (Doubtful) Will I play the same harmonica
riff more than once? (Probably). WIll it be an amazing evening of outrageous
Zorikhism? Oh, yes. There is no cover, but a one drink minimum.
I'm considering renting a van and calling it the "Zorikh's Sureality
Tour" for the evening. Come join! It'll be one whirlwind of excitement!
2)I GOT REVIEWED! WHOOPIE! THINGS ARE GOING TO START HAPPENING TO ME NOW!
Bonerama Comedy Show
"Stand Up comic Beverly Bonner has created a
clever variety show at the Wings Theater. The evening
started with the producer herself, who engaged the
audience in a funny routine about the struggle of
voluptuous women in an anorexic society.
"Next up was the more than brilliant Zorikh
Lequidre who came dressed in full Celtic gear. He sang
an absolutely hilarious rendition of "Bilbo" the
hobbit in which the audience gladly participated. Mr.
Lequidre has an enticing stage presence and a gift for
humor. With his convivial act, he proved he was much
more than a handsome guy in a kilt.
"Then came the performance of Ejyp whose
supposedly sultry voice was unfortunately drowned out
by the music. It was a tough night at the Wings due to
a missing board op. Unfortunately the levels of tracks
were lost, as was Ejyps voice. But his personality
shone through, regardless.
"The real joy of the evening was the performance
by improvisational group "NEW YAWK TAWK". "NEW YAWK
TAWK has a variety of members who despite varying
ages, sizes, races, and physical appearances -- are
very funny as an ensemble. Cecily Kate as a lesbian
carpenter, Rachel Plotkin as an opera singing
prostitute, and Lisa Margolin's witty Cat in The Hat
poetry regarding the joy of snapping one's fingers,
made for a hilarious evening. Marjorie Suvalle
sparkled with her witty interpretation of a Movie Star
finding love in the "Leaning Tower of Pizza" and gave
a gut-busting performance of a drugged out naive young
woman during a round of the improv game "freeze".
Michael Sanders and Michael Silver are also to be
commended for their riotous performances. Richmond
Shepard has put together a superb group who is well
worth the mere $10 to see. The show was entirely
improvised from theatergoer input and ended with the
creation of new song, sung in any two styles the
audience wanted. For a relatively cheap, yet enjoyable
evening, this is a great group of entertainers to see. "
I'd call that a pretty good review. Thanks to all those of you who came and made the evening a success. We really can't do it without you.
3) AUSTIN APOCALYPSE!
Who remembers when I was in that film "After the Apocalypse" directed
by Yaz Nakajima (http://www.aftertheapocalypse.com/)? Well, after several years
of hard work, it seems ol'Yaz has gotten that film into the SXSW (South by Southwest) film festival. It will be playing Friday, March 12 at 7:15 PM and Tuesday March 16 at 10:00 PM (http://www.sxsw.com/film/screenings/index.php?dvsearch=show&dvserialnum= 1153 for more info). So if anyone happens to be in Austin those days, go see it, and tell me how it goes!
4)...AND WHAT ELSE?
Well, let's see...
I am performing in a martial arts play called "White Eyebrow and the
Destruction of ShaoLin opening Thursday, March 18 and running fro one weekend
only at the Shetler Theater 54 244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor (Between
Broadway and 8th Ave) (http://www.whiteeyebrowplay.com).
I am playing Brackenbury and Ratcliffe in a post-apocalyptic "Richard
III" opening in April at the Gene Frankel Theater, 24 Bond St., NYC
(http://www.oocities.org/atomrichard3/).
I am drawing the storyboards for a new film called "S.L.A.V.E.S. 2000"
by Giovanni Galli.
I have been cast as a telepathic city elder of a utopian society of the future
in a new movie called "Instant Messenger" (http://www.enternetglobal.com/index003im.html).
I recently posed for the producer of a new play about Beowulf to be performed at the Irish Repertory Theater.
I am still posing for art classes at SVA.
I am holding armored fighting practices at the Brooklyn Children's Museum.
I am running a tournament at this year's edition of Celtic Silliness, and
performing at the feast.
I am still singing on the subway (usually the L: train, at either Union Square
or 6th ave, or in Times Square at the 7th Ave. platorm or the N,R,Q,W platform.
I am still writing my "History of Captain Marvel (all of them)" (http://www.oocities.org/watchthisspaceent/cmhist.html)
...AND I may have a big-time acting job this summer.
Be well everybody!
STAY TUNED...
3/2/04:
1) I'm sorry I haven't serenaded you with any scintillating updates in a while. My old computer got sick and died. A friend who took it in to investigate what was wrong with it found a veritable grocery list of almost everything that could make a computer not worth keeping. It apparenly had parts from as far back as 1993, overworked and burnt out thingamajiggies, a couple of viruses, lots of dust, and three electrocuted cockroaches. Even after cleaning out the software, the replacement hardware required could either not be found, or the things they were supposed to plug into did not have the appropriate whatchamadoodles to allow them to be plugged in. My friend has whispered to me of secret rites whispered in huched tones around the glow of LED's and plasma monitors to excorcise the archaic demons that emanated forth from the CPU when they violated it's sanctity.
Well, I guess that's what happens when you inherit a computer from a roomate who had been building it over the course of a decade in order to play the latest games. I suppose it was kind of like "Christine," if she had been built by the guy in that country song who took a part home from the Cadillac plant that he worked at every day until he could build his own.
I am now working with another roomate's borrowed computer, and its got its own share of uniquenesses, but at least I have regular internet access again.
2) "Mahnattan Towers" (http://www.oocities.org/bonnerbev/manhattantowers.html) has ceased running for now, and I want to thank all of you who came down to see me speak those immortal lines "FIX YOUR PIPES!" The director, Beverly Bonner, is running a comedy/musical/variety show in the same space now, called "BONNERAMA" (http://www.oocities.org/bonnerbev/bonnerama.html). I will be performing at it, doing my musical thing. I have scheduled four of my more popular numbers ("Bound for Brooklyn," "Long Haired Redneck/You Never Even Called Me By My Name," "Johnny B. Goode of the Lower East Side," and the ever-so-topical "The Ballad of Bilbo Bagins") which may be performed all at once, or may be spread out through the course of the evening. The first show will be this Wednesday at 9:00 PM at Wings Theater, 154 Christopher St. Admission is $10, and there is a bar and snacks as well (I have attached the flyer for more info).
3) Back when I was a skinny, page-boy cut moppet of a thing, rooting for the Yankees and Reggie Jackson, eagerly anticipating the second "Star Wars" movie, and had not yet heard of the X-Men, I was a student of Jacques d'Amboise's National Dance Institute. Now, a few years later, I am performing with their alumni association at our annual fundraising "Dance-a-thon!" This will be at 2 PM this Saturday, March 6, at John Jay College. For more info and tickets, contact Kit at the NDI offices at 212-226-0083 ext. 11.
The mission of NDI and it's Allumni association are as follows, taken from their websites:
NDI (http://www.nationaldance.org/):
"National Dance Institute was founded in the belief that the arts have a unique power to engage children and motivate them toward excellence. Each year, the programs of NDI inspire thousands of children, reaching across social, ethnic, and economic boundaries and including children facing physical and emotional challenges.
"Using professional artists and a distinctive combination of dance classes, performances, and educational materials, NDI fosters a love of the arts, a pride of achievement, and a curiosity about the world in all the children that it touches. Children develop discipline, a standard of excellence, and a belief in themselves that will carry over into all aspects of their lives. NDI is also committed to training teachers in the NDI educational pedagogy. "
The NDI Allumni Association (http://www.ndialumni.org/):
"The Alumni Association of National Dance Institute (NDI) is dedicated to supporting NDI, an organization which helped shape the course of our lives. Having experienced first-hand the unique power of NDI to inspire children, we strive to exemplify life's great possibilities for future generations of NDI dancers. We are also committed to maintaining and cultivating the bonds that exist between NDI Alumni."
The funds raised by this fundraiser will go to support these missions, but more importantly, if you come down to the show on Saturday, you will see me DANCE. Thatts right, I'm in an African piece, a swing number, and have just a little bit in a Latin piece. The theme of the whole show is "These Streets," a celebration of young people and stories of their lives. there will be several other mediums of dance performed, including tap, jazz, hip-hop, reggae, and Broadway, ballet, and "NDI-style." Many of the pieces were choreographed by the allumni themselves.
The interesting thing about me being in this show is that I am not only the oldest Alumi in it, I am also the tallest!. I was a student of NDI back when it was barely a year old (one could say it was back when God invented dirt and rocks were soft)! I was in their second performance at Lincoln Center and their first fundraising show at the old Felt Forum (now I'm really dating myself!). Now the organization is world wide, with annual shows, graduating classes, and an alumnni association! I had more or less forgotten about it until a fellow cast member of William Shakespeare's Haunted House mentioned it (she was an alum herself). I started attending the alumni rehearsals and discovered all of them are much younger, and shorter than me, to an almost absurd degree! However, they are all a lot sharper then me dance-wise, being as they are more recent graduates, and have incredible stamina. I'm kicking my guts out just to do a couple of routines, and some of them will be in almost every dance in the program!
So this fundaraiser will benefit the work of NDI, and I've devoted quite a bit of my time and resources to being a part of it. So come down to the show or visit the NDI website (http://www.nationaldance.org/) to learn more about it and how to support it!
Till next time, sports fans...
12-30/04: HAPPY NEW YEAR! Here's the latest update sent to my e-mail list:
Hey there, friends, fans, and assorted hangers-on. I hope all of you had a merry winter holliday, whether you celebrate Christma, Channukah, Kwanza, Advent, Saturnalia, or the Day Before Boxing Day (as the call it in the PC sections of Canada). Zorikh here with another exciting update and more opportunites to catch your hero in action!
1 )Extreme New Year's Joe Franklin
2) Shedding light on Darklight
3) Manhattan Towers (though two, they are not twins)
4) Downtown Richard
1) At a recent "Entertainment Industry Networking Event" associated with Phil Fumiano's Staten Island Cable TV show "New York Rocks," I met a fellow named Al Simon. He runs an operation called "Extreme Entertainment." This fellow is quite a character. He wears a leather cowboy hat and organizes shows of female acts that are "above the norm." Let me repeat that, just like he does: "Above the norm." His acts include female wrestlers, body builders, acrobats, contortionists, fire breathers, and more. He books these shows at clubs and other similar venues. Why should I care? Well, we got to talking and I mentioned swordfighting, and female swordfighters. This idea appealed to him, and the next thing I know, I'm talking with female swordfighting friends of mine and planning a performance piece to be done as part of his show! It's all in the advance concetualization stages now, but it's looking like it will be a multi-disciplinary piece combining dance, stage combat, martial arts, music, fire juggling, and whatever else we can come up with. The working title is "4 Elements" and we hope to be able to take it to further venues even beyond Extreme Entertainment in the future.
"But what does this have to do with Joe Franklin?" you ask. "I want to see and hear Zorikh now!" Well, never fear. Tomorrow, New Year's Eve, I will be at Joe Franklin's restaurant in the Times Square area along with one of my partners in this Project, Jessica, to be interviewed as part of his New Year's radio broadcast. I'm not sure when exactly I'll be on the air, but the show will be aired live on WOR radio, 710 AM. We will be talking about Extreme Entertainment and the 4 Elements show. The program wil begin at 11 PM and again at 1 AM.
2) Amazing thing, this internet. If you just keep on building a website eventually someone will find you. In this specific case, it was Chad Fleagel, the creator of a story called "Darklight." This is a story that is being planned as a comic book and a TV series. He asked if I could contribute some art, acting, and directing. I did a few rough sketches, and wouldn't you know, one of them shows up on the home page of the website! You can see it at http://groups.msn.com/darklight. I'll be sure to let you know more as the project progresses.
3) I've been cast in a new play! I answered a posting for an audition and when I walked out of the audition, I was told to prepare to play the character of "Patrick" in the play "Manhattan Towers" by Beverly Bonner. It is a comedy about life in an apartment complkex inhabited by people in the entertainment industry. I won't spoil the surprise for you, but my most characteristic line is "Fix your pipes" (now imagine that in a big, scary voice). The show has apparently been running since June or something at Wings Theater, with constant changes being made to it in hopeful anticipation of being picked up as a TV series. I should be starting on January 14. I will, of course, update you all before my first show.
4) Finally this week, I am in rehearsal for a "Richard III" being directed by Ted Murneau that will be opening at a place called "Map" in April. So far I'm playing Ratcliff. More updates on that coing as the rehearsals progress.
So I hope you all have a happy and healthy new year! May every detour in the coming year make your story at the end that much more interesting!
11/12/03: Whew! It's been a long time since my last entry! Here's what I haven't mentioned yet:
"Treasure Island" closed. It was a great experience because I got to see a bit more of what it takes to produce a play. Then I went to Pennsic. The East won Pennsic. I continued building a suit of armor at the School of Visual Arts in a course tought by Jeff Wasson. I played more musical gigs. I started an e-mail list. I decided to post the updates IU send to my e-mail list on thes page. If you wish to join my e-mail list and find out what my latest projects are and where I am performing, then e-mail me at zorikh@juno.com.
8/29/03: Lots o' stuff since last entry
I had a fascinating evening of performing on the subway last night. At one point this European chick in sunglasses comes right up to me and starts singing harmonics to my music while I was doing John England's "Bound for Brooklyn." Then she started wriggling and dancing. Then she wanted me to go into "Start spreading the news.." but I don't know that on guitar, so I finished "Bound for Brooklyn" and went right into "Whole Lot a Shakin' Goin On." Next thing you know, we got a circle of folks around us watching as she's bumping and grinding and doing everything but the lambada as I'm playing along and trying to keep the rhythm on the guitar! When I was done with the song her train came and her friend appologized for her.
Then I broke a string, but I didn't have the tool for pulling the peg out of the guitar, so everytime there was a break in the music I would ask if anyone had such a tool. Finally some musician-looking guy with big black curly hair and sunglasses used a key to pull it out.
A fellow subway musician passed me by early on and asked how long I would be playing. I told him and he left. Towards the end of my set a woman vomited up her entire dinner (chicken, rice, bits of tomato...). When the musician came back I suggested that he tell the token booth attendant to see if someone could clean it up, because it was pretty much right in front of the performance spot. I covered it with newspaper, but still...
8/4/03: I had my third gig at Kenny's Castaways yesterday. This time the emphasis turned out to be comedy. I started after my opening number ("You Got Me" by Dave Alvin with additional lyrics by yours truly) by trying to call MRFL, on my cell phone, but wound up getting a person on a fax macine line. I palyed "Just Another Sunday" by the Blasters and tried again. The line was busy. I played my "I'm a Believer/Sweet Rebecca/Hello, Mary Lou" medley, and then, in good comedy tradidion, the third call got through, and I played "Chantilly Lace" by the Big Bopper. The rest of the show was really played for laughs as the audience (made of mostly of "Treasure Island" cast members) was eating it up. Some of the best moments were the Arlo Guthrie-ized "Ballad of Bilbo Baggins," David Allan Coe's "Long Haired Redneck/You Never Even Called Me By My Name," and "Johnny B. Gooode for the Lower East Side" done with kazoo.
After the set was done, the next act guy said i was a tough act to follow. Then the booking agent asked me if I wanted to play at 10PM, because the band scheduled for that time had cancelled at the last minute. So I called everyone in my phone book, but of course with such short notice, no one showed, so I wound up entertaining three Indians (from India) and three Yuppies for 45 minutes. One fellow, Bob, who seemed to be a regular, said "I like you. Mostly talsented and somewhat insane!" I think I'll use that quote in my next flyer.
7/28/03: Well, the Moose Hall Theater Co.'s "Treasure Island" opened last week in Inwood Hill Park. I'm playing the pirate George Merry and the pirate O'Brian., both of whom get killed. It's a pretty fun production.
I just got back from playing my secod gig at Kenny's Castaways. 6 people showed up this time, including my mom, MRFL, and my downstairs neighbors. I didn't get a chance to do any slow songs, really, but I did fill up a whole hour of exciting music. I play again next week. Hoperfully more people will come, including some memers of the "Treasure Island" cast.
7/6/03: Big 4th of July weekend with MRFL.
We went to the Kutztown Pa. German and Dutch Folk Festival. We saw some of the most bizarre antiqur gas-powered motors, including a Maytag washing machine and a corn stripper! There was a wood carver named Bob who creates "Knobbits." There was a Bluegrass gospel band that played with some German Bluegrassers. We ate some fantastic Apple Turnovers with ice cream. There were lots more interseting stuff as well.
That evening we saw a douple header of baseball games between the Reading Phillies and the Bowie Baysox. Being as I had already seen a R-Phils game this season, and they had lost, my luck held and the R-Phils won both games. There was the usual minor league baseball silliness with mascots and such, and the evening was capped off with a surprisingly exciting fireworks display over the stadium. Though I had seen the New York firewoks many times, I only rarely got to be right under them like I was there.
The next day we went to Gettysburg. Having been there before, we didn't need to take the grand tour. We went to the Pennsylvania monument, where nearby a mounted artillery tream gave a demonstration showing more than I thought there was to know about Civil War artillery. I wanted to get some Civil War uniform pieces, perhaps a jacket. I saw an enlistedmen't overciat that looked great on me, but it was $425, and I don't really have that kind of money right now. I did, however, see a leather tricorn hat that would have been perfect for "Treasure Island." I neglected to buy it though. Grr.
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My theater and film resume
WHERE: Show Nightclub, 135 W 41st St., bet. 6th Ave & Broadway
WHEN: Friday, October 21, and every Friday through November 18, 7:30 PM
HOW MUCH: $25 at the door, $20 on line through Theatermania using the discount code word “rock”
WHERE: Pier 25 (West Side Highway and North Moore St.)
WHEN: Saturday, October 29 @ 2, 3, 4, & 5 PM
Sunday, October 30 @ 2, 3, 4, & 5 PM
Monday, October 31 @ 4, 5, 6, & 7 PM
HOW MUCH: $5
WHERE & WHEN:
HOW MUCH: In NJ: Free. At the Medicine Show Theater: $15 (discounts for friends, see below. Industry pros free)
WHERE: Amsterdam Billiard Club, 344 Amsterdam Ave, 76th St, NYC http://amsterdambilliardclub.com/
WHEN: Friday, September 9
HOW MUCH: $10 suggested donation
WHEN: Wednesday, June 14, 8:00 PM
WHERE: 2nd on 2nd, 27 2nd Ave New York , NY 10003
HOW MUCH: No cover, loose 2-drink minimum
WHEN: Friday, June 17, 12 noon-8:00 PM, Saturday, June 18, 11AM – 7:00
PM
WHERE: Penn Plaza Pavilion, 7th Ave. at 33rd St
HOW MUCH: $10 per day
Alan Chan, noted independent film director (read an interview with him
at http://www.newtek.com/products/lightwave/profiles/AlanChan/, and to
see info on two of his films go to http://66.226.87.244/ringroad/ and
http://www.12hotwomen.com/) is hosting a talent showcase of comedians,
singers, and actors at the famous Second on Second bar in the ever-so-trendy Lower East Side. This
evening promises to be chock full of talented folks coming out of the
woodwork to strut there stuff. I will be there, sometime between 8 PM and
10 PM, performing either one long song or two songs of moderate length.
Which songs will they be? Up-tempo and happy? Slow and depressing?
Up-tempo yet depressing? Or maybe just so totally wild and off-the-wall
that you will sit there stunned saying “My god, I can’t believe I just saw
and heard that!” Only by going tonight will you find out for sure!
The Big Apple Convention is the largest
and oldest comic book/sci-fi/art/toy/media/pop culture convention on the
East Coast. Over the past 10 years it has been bringing artists,
writers, actors, and celebrities together with fans and collectors in a fun,
friendly atmosphere. Over the past couple of years I have been working
my way into the organization, and now I am the de-facto "host" of the
show, in my role as "Captain Zorikh."
2) Encore Screening of “After the Apocalypse”
3) Femwrestle! The Feminist Fight Club! Amateur female Jello Wrestling!
http://www.aftertheapocalypse.com
(April 21-30, 2005) NEW PORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL, CA, USA
(April 14-24, 2005) ARIZONA INT'L FILM FESTIVAL, AZ, USA
(May 5-8, 2005) MARYLAND FILM FESTIVAL, MD, USA
TRAILER
PRESS KIT
2) Just when you thought it was going good…The Grendel Conspiracy strikes again!!
zorikh@juno.com
2)A New Review!
3)Austin Apocalypse!
4)And just about everything else!
The Wings Theater
Hi! Drama Review, Channel 57 or Channel 109
2004, By G.S. Bowen
1) The computer is dead, long live the computer!
2) This gig has Wings!
3) Gotta Dance!
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