Issue 6 Excellence Happens by Excellence Happens

FEATURING FUNNY PEOPLE

On The Spot Ozell Daniels

Table of Contents Issue

2011

1 Ozell Daniels

9 On The Spot

23 Social Jez 27

Tafai’s Corner

Out and About with Godiva

Scene & Heard by Maxim Scott Mooney

Fave of the Month

Here’s the Deal

Mahalo to our supporters:

Hula’s Bar & Lei Stand Chef Cassie at Jawaiian Irie Jerk Manoa Valley Theatre Chiko’s Tavern Apartment Three OO-Spot Bassick Hawaii Actors Network Manifest

Excellence Happens through Endurance, Perseverance, Hope, Love

Creator

Jeanne Wynne Herring

Editor Jeanne Wynne Herring

Assistant Editor Aunty Mare

Photographer Jeanne Wynne Herring

Public Relations Jeanne Wynne Herring Jared D.

Advertising & Marketing Jeanne Wynne Herring

Production Jeanne Wynne Herring

Technical & Web Development Jeanne Wynne Herring Chad Burch

Multimedia Jeanne Wynne Herring Chad Burch

Writers

Jeanne Wynne Herring Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Tafai Silipa

Logo Design Chad Burch

Photography Assistant Godiva Erich Steinwandt Lulu Zheng

e and Blessings. Excellence isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t given to you, you have to fight for

“OMG! I can’t believe he said that! Holy Shitzo! Did he really do that? Should I laugh? I can’t help but laugh! OMG! That dude is so dirty...and I like it!” Just a few examples of what you might have said or will say when you see one of Ozell’s shows! Would you call him a dirty comic? A lot of people do. Hell, I do! But, if you are on the prudish side or totally on the up and up, you won’t like this comic and you probably won’t read further than this. However, you really should because I learned some really great things about Ozell on the drive home from his photo shoot. His survival of a fascinatingly tough life has contributed to his successful career in comedy and as a promoter. He has learned how to take the crap that was handed to him and turn it to crap cakes. You can’t believe you would ever indulge in crap cakes but even though you know what they’re made of, it’s they’re so darn well made that you can’t help but love them... or something like that. Ozell Daniels was born in Detroit, Michigan to a pimp and a young lady that exposed him to the comedic styling of Blowfly. “An eight year old should never hear that,” Ozell scolds, “absolute filth!” Before taking his comedy to the stage, he put his comically lewd stories in print. Ozell got started in comedy here in Hawaii as a comedy writer for the local magazine “The A List”. He used the pen name Gary Golden Rod and wrote “The Quarter Booth Chronicles”. “The 2

stories I wrote was f*%kin retarded, but I got paid for them.” It wasn’t a lot of money but the job allowed him to write what he wanted to write about, like bestiality, masturbation, going to the peep shows and evaluating...stuff on the floor... Much like Blowfish, Ozell doesn’t hold back on the nasties! He never fears being offensive, and will not skimp on the raunchy. When asked why he decided to get into comedy he tells me “to make some money and get some ” I, however, will hold back and skimp. For the eZine at least. Sorry. But, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t splitting my sides when I watched his act at the last comedy show at Pipeline last year which he hosted. Dude is funny! I won’t lie about that. But, I always wondered why such dirty comedians choose to be ...well... dirty. “I don’t do it just for shock value.” Comedy typically contains that kernel of truth in the jokes. Consider some of your favorite comedians, clean and dirty, and what they talk about. The best comedians draw from their own lives and/ or observations. “Anything that’s going to be based on my life is going to end up being dirty or offensive. I just base it on the facts of my life.” Remember when I mentioned that Ozell’s dad was a pimp? Well, he was, and I’m not saying that because he was a snazzy dresser who got all of the hot ladies. He was a notorious pimp in Detroit. Ozell’s mother, later married a member of a motorcycle club, and Ozell found himself growing up in an environment that wasn’t exactly suitable for a child of his age. “Looking back, if I had known of a kid hanging out at this damn biker club, I’d call social services on them!” It’s no surprise that many comedians, like most artists, find their material in their own lives. Ozell is no exception. “Anyone who’s really good at this (comedy) can laugh at their own pitfalls and failure... I’m not dirty just for the sake of being dirty.” Ozell not only uses his childhood exposure to pimps, bikers and drug dealers as material but also to fuel his forward thinking approach 3

to his comedic career. “It’s a controversial introduction to the world but this is me.” But he teaches me, “being FROM the ghetto is okay. BEING ghetto is not.” Ozell might be known in the entertainment world as this comedian with dirty tales and outrageous ideas, but by day he has a stable job and lives his life with a beautiful wife whom) he adores. “She is funnier than most comedians I know.” Racism also played a big part in shaping Ozell’s life, and gave him a determination and the drive for success. After his mother married the biker, the family moved to an all white neighborhood. “That’s when you first become aware that you’re black.” Ozell spent much of his school time in the principal’s office after beating kids who would call him “nigger.” At age 12, Ozell entered into foster care and moved into a group home in a country town in Michigan named Lowell. He did very well in this country town. He was an honor student, and got along with everyone. At age 13 his friend’s family decided to take him out of the group home and make him part of their family. Once again he was reminded that he was, indeed, black. “I remember the guidance counselor pulled me aside, ‘what about if you want to date?’ I’m thinking, ‘what’s the big deal. I’d date one of the chicks around here, ‘not thinking anything of it because I got along with everybody. But it was the whole, ‘well, you are black.’ It’s a resentment I probably should have let go a long time ago. That still kinda bothers me to this day. Not that you’re not smart, not that you’re a thug or anything, ‘it’s just that, well, you’re black.’ I’m pretty sure she thought she was coming from a place of goodness, and trying to look out for my safety or what not, but the fact that it was an issue just really made me look at, no matter what you do the first thing people will notice is, ‘I’m big and black,’ unless you’re blind.” Throughout his years, Ozell found himself in and out of trouble. He attributed it to his mouth. “I’m smarter than most people. I know it. It got me in trouble! Every year since I was in second grade I’ve been kicked out of school, every single year, mostly because of my mouth. If it wasn’t for beating up a white dude, it was because I mouthed off to someone like one of my teachers. Kicked 4

out of church, kicked out of the army, I almost got kicked out of jail.” Like many in the entertainment world, Ozell had his bout with alcoholism. He found himself in and out of rehab with less than positive results. He did the outpatient and the inpatient treatments. With each visit, the hospital paired him up with white nurses for counselors who appeared to have done him more harm than good. Finally he went to Sand Island and was paired with an African American, male doctor who continues to be his sponsor today. “Everything I told him, he never said once ‘Oh you shouldn’t think this way or you can’t think this way.’ It was more of a ‘oh, yeah, me, too.’ He knew exactly where I was coming from, and it was like, ‘someone gets it!’” With this new counselor, Ozell was able to learn new ways to handle situations, and he made significant life changes. These changes not only helped him to stop drinking, but also led him to taking steps towards achieving a dream he left behind at age 19. While in rehab, this last time around, he met a young man who Ozell thought was perfect for comedy. “He was funny as hell! I heard about an open mic night.” He got the young man to agree to be a part of this open mic night. “He didn’t show up! So f%*k it! I’m there! Hell, I’m-a do it!” That was April Fools Day, 2004 at Zanzibar, and Ozell took 2nd place. A couple months later Ozell went on to participate in another contest called the “Internal” where the winner won an internship. “With that, it came down to a tie and there was this game for the tie breaker called the ‘Gay Chicken’. I thought, ‘it’s over’. The kid has no idea what the hell is goin to happen to him. In ‘Gay Chicken’ you got to make a gay move until someone chickens out. I’m not gay, but my comfort zone...a lot people can’t handle my comfort zone. Eventually, what wound up happening was I yanked the kid’s pants down, slammed him on the counter, dropped my pants down, leaned on him.” Ozell won the internship. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5

He went on to perform for other events and clubs including Sharky’s Comedy Club. “I won’t deal with Sharky’s comedy club. Too many restrictions on language and material.” Ozell did meet the challenge during that time, and wrote clean material for his Sharky’s shows. “As an artist, to perform without using profanity and not necessarily being offensive, it’s a discipline and a talent to be really good as an artist. So, I tried it and so I do have the ability to do it. If there’s going to be enough money involved then yeah, I will do clean shows. But, I have more fun being me.” Ozell started putting together some of his own shows that would allow him to do his style of comedy freely. The “Black Out Comedy” show, (which was one of his most successful shows featuring four African American comedians from the island 6

performing in an African American owned nightclub) and his pride and joy “The Hawaii International Comedy Festival” are just a couple of Ozell’s famous productions. “The Hawaii International Comedy Festival” presents a series of comedic performances that fits everyone’s comedic tastes. “‘The Hawaii International Comedy Festival’ idea came to me while watching the ‘Pro Bowl’, and I thought it would be great to have a ‘Pro Bowl of Comedy’. Of course the NFL would sue if I called it that, so ‘Hawaii International Comedy Festival’ it is!” At the festival you will get a chance to egg on some up and coming comedians who fight for the chance to win cash and “bragging rights.” Then Ozell brings out the big guns at two showcases filled with some of the best comedians in the State. One showcase is a more family friendly environment while the later showcase...well...is not. This year ‘The Hawaii International Comedy Festival’ will be hosting workshops that will teach how to be a good comedian. “Kento, a Japanese

comedian, he wrote some blogs about doing stand up comedy, and I read this, and this shit is genius. You need to make a workshop out of this.” Getting permission from Kento, a local comedian of 24 years, Ozell created a workshop to help wannabe comedians become successful. “There’s some stuff that it’s just common sense, but I watch some of the kids over here and do the exact opposite of all that kind of stuff and wonder how come they’re not getting anywhere. But these basic principles, and if you want to have any kind of success as a stand up comedian, do this shit right here.” Now, you can find Ozell where ever he can have a mic to himself for a little while, but you will more than likely find Ozell at Laughtrack Theater Company’s on open mic night, testing out new material for it’s open mic night testing out new material. What’s Ozell’s future plans? “My next project is a talk show. I’ll be going through Olelo certification next month. Augie T and Andy Bumatai have had shows on television recently, but they got canceled. Da Braddahs started out on Olelo, then moved to OC16, and they’re still on, so that seems like it’s something I should be able to do as well.” For more information on “The Hawaii International Comedy Festival, go to www.hawaiifunnyfest.com. Check out Laughtrack Theater Company’s show schedule at www. laughtracktheater.com.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the moments that actually really sticks out in my mind was when Miguel Migs was there, and Lisa Shaw was singing. Lisa was center stage by herself with just a spot light on her, and the club was just packed. To have a vocalist live! Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s such a great vocalist! She had such a great voice! Just to hear her sing live, and have a great deejay as the back up, and have him take over after she was done, and to see everybody appreciate the music and

10 Years of Making Stuff Up

ou never know what’s going to happen next. There is no script to tell you what’s going to happen next. There is no prompter for you to view your witty speeches, you don’t have the chance to repeat that one line over and over again to see which inflexion works best and you certainly have no stage directions. It’s just you, your partners, and a few clues requested from the audience... sometimes. Improv is, in my opinion, one of the most challenging styles of acting and it is the most fun. The idea of not knowing what’s going to happen next, and not knowing how you will reacting to what will happen is frighteningly exciting. It’s life, and On the Spot has managed to take life and turn it into the funniest stories that will make you squirt milk out your nose...if you happen to be drinking milk (for some strange reason) while watching one of their shows.

On the Spot (OTS) invited me to hang out with them during one of their practices at a dance studio in Aiea, Hawaii. I got to spend an 10

evening with some of the funniest people on the island. Garrick Paikai, OTS’ founding member and artistic director; Rod Cachola, the first member of OTS; Alissa Joy Lee, fan turned OTS member; and Art Koshi, OTS’ musician and music designer. Joining the group that night was director R. Kevin Doyle, perhaps best known for his work with the Hawaii Shakespeare Festival, who was OTS’ guest artist for their 10 year anniversary performance. The group spoke to me about OTS and their love for the art of improv. I even got the special treat of watching them practice for their 10 year anniversary performance. Yes, even improvisors have to practice, and I left the dance studio with a sore face from laughing so much. TELL ME ABOUT OTS...ON THE SPOT GARRICK ~ We are the longest running improve group in the state with over 10 years under our belt. We travel all over the country, and we hosted some of the best improv groups in the state with our improv festival which happens every September. WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE FESTIVAL? GARRICK ~ Improvaganza. Hawaii Festival of Improv. So, we got to do a lot during our 10 years. WHERE DID THE IDEA FOR ON THE SPOT COME FROM? GARRICK ~ It actually came from when I was at LCC (Leeward Community College.) I was a student there. 11

The drama teacher, whenever he wanted to promote the drama program, he would ask student actors to perform at bookstores. Just to perform acting exercises for people, so they can kinda see what the program was all about. A lot of it is basic improvisation, and I really liked that. I asked him if I could independent study improv. So, finally the curriculum I came up with was I had to learn it and then train other people. So, I started a workshop at LCC and all of a sudden it turned into a group. SO, THIS GROUP THAT WE HAVE HERE, IS THIS THE INITIAL GROUP? GARRICK ~ Me and Rod are the only ones left. ROD ~ We are the originals. I’ve been doing this for 10 years now, and how Garrick said, he started a workshop that was being held at Leeward Community College and I figured like, “oh improv, that sounds easier then scripted.” There’s nothing to memorize, everything comes from the top of your head. Then I just do it. Then I think “oh my God! This is a lot tougher!” Cause all the script, blocking, everything comes from here (the brain) so it definitely was a challenge. But, I guess Garrick saw potentials in me and he approached me, and he said “hey, I’m thinking about doing (an improv group.) I think our first performance was like in Boarders. It wasn’t On the Spot. It was like “Leeward Community College Students” or something like that. GARRICK ~ The name(On the Spot) came purely by accident. Some body was asking us to name the group, and I was in the middle of moving something heavy. I said, “you want me to think of something right there on the spot?” They said, “oh great!” That was the name of the group. That works!

ROD STARTED OUT WITH YOU. THEN WHERE DID ALL OF YOU GUYS COME FROM? GARRICK ~ The group went through three different versions to what it currently is now. The first group of people...all college students...we all played improv games. The kind you would see on “Whose Line is it Anyway.” That was maybe a couple of years, maybe to 2004. Then we started getting interested in other different types of improv. So, the second version was the mixture of games and combining plays and stuff. We took types of characters and (started) developing shows around improv games and these ideas that I’d come up with. The current line up is the third version where we create our own format and our own type of improv which, in 10 years, it’s pretty incredible to watch the progression from day one to now. It’s pretty cool because we are recognized as one of the best improv groups in the world. We got invited to Chicago to perform in April. We got invited from the executive producer. (Jonathan Pitts Executive Producer for The Chicago Improv Festival.) He came down to Hawaii to teach a workshop but also to talk to us because he knew we were doing our own original, different formats. Like our Hutch show which is an improvised silent movie. Then we have our “Tell Tell Dread” show which was very dark and really funny but, extraordinarily funny. Really our third version of OTS came when we hired Art. Art, he is definitely the best musical improviser in the state, bar none. You did stuff at UH, right? ART ~ Yeah, that’s my main job. I play for modern dance classes. It’s easier when you don’t have sheet music in front of you. My dad taught me how to that, how to just make up the music. I’ve been doing that. Then, Danel (Verdugo,) one of the later members of On the Spot, saw me doing that.

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED, ALISSA. I guess you could call me “super fan” cause I had been watching ever since the Boarder shows. I was a theatre major so I have always been into theatre stuff. But I was always like, “I need a script. I can’t do this stuff.” After a while I began teching for them. Like doing sound on the computer before they got Art. Then took some of the the improv classes and realized I really liked it...after watching so many performances. Then, in 2007 is when I became an official member. WHEN WAS THE FIRST OFFICIAL ON THE SPOT SHOW? GARRICK ~ I want to say it was in 2001 in I think it was November. We opened for Loose Screws. Yeah, that was the night. ROD ~ I think so. We had a great turn out. I think what was really special about that night was it kinda showed what we were capable of. I mean, even though we were in the beginning stages of the group. Version one. You know, the original people. We were opening up for Loose Screws who were, at the time, the longest running improv group in Hawaii and it was kinda like, “oh intimidation,” for me anyway, because we were the new kids on the block and we were opening up for these veterans.

GARRICK ~ Yeah, I think the most important thing was not to suck! I was performing for Loose Screws that night, too. But, I really wanted us to do our best because we really worked hard for that show. Not like we don’t work really hard for every single show. R. KEVIN ~ It’s funny cause Loose Screws had been around for a while. It’s been around for eight years around that time. The thing was we had seen a lot of improv groups start up over the years and they were all awful, and we were so happy that there was a really strong improv group at the same time. They were able to maintain right from the beginning. All of us were ecstatic! It was like “hallelujah! We can go watch something now.” SO, R. KEVIN, YOU WERE PART OF LOOSE SCREWS. Yes. ONE THING I LOVE ABOUT ON THE SPOT IS THE FACT THAT GOING TO ONE OF YOUR SHOWS IS LIKE GOING TO A THEATRE AND SEEING A STAGED PLAY EXCEPT THERE IS NO SCRIPT. WHERE DID THAT STYLE COME FROM? GARRICK ~ You know its really kind of an original way that improvisers from Hawaii was doing it. The reason why was because we had to basically make up our own style based off of what we didn’t have. So, we had to make it up. So, all of us had a background in theatre. So, we just used that as the template to 15

do our shows. Come to find out, when you go to the mainland it’s extremely different. So, you don’t get the elaborate costumes. You don’t get the attention to detail with the lights. It’s a completely different animal. I kinda learned that when I was with Loose Screws, too, because we did improvised Kabuki. So, that influenced me a lot on how I developed the later shows. Particularly now... I wouldn’t say it’s getting harder to top ourselves, but I look forward to creating something brand new. I’m the maniac that comes up with the ideas and these poor saps are the guys in the back seats. But I enjoy what we come up with because it’s new every time. Especially when we can get into that zone where its 100% creative on all ends. Like, Rod would do something in practice that totally surprises me and we’d have to incorporate that later on, or Alissa will do something that totally made me break on stage and that’s great. I’m always surprised when Art plays something cause he’ll play something that fits just perfectly and I won’t realize that till after the fact, and it’s brilliant. There are times (when) stuff will take me right to the spot and it kinda challenges me even more to come up with something better. As for the formula for the way we do shows... basically comes from our theatre background. Because we are all theatre educated some way, some how. MY FIRST SHOW TO SEE WAS THE MUSICAL. I’M A MUSICAL THEATRE ACTRESS FIRST. SO, OF COURSE I WAS TOTALLY IMPRESSED BY THAT PERFORMANCE. DOING MUSICAL THEATRE WITH A SCRIPT IS HARD ENOUGH. BUT, WITH YOU GUYS NOT KNOWING WHATS COMING UP... I REMEMBER SOME OF THE TIMES WHEN YOU GUYS WERE ACTING, THEN ART STARTED PLAYING. I WOULD SEE YOUR SURPRISED EYES. NOW THAT WAS THE TOPPER FOR ME. 16

Part of the fun is to be surprised. If you expect it to happen it’s no fun. It’s definitely no fun for the audience if they know you know it’s coming. if you’re surprised they’re definitely surprised. Especially what comes out of your mouth. Cause I have no idea what comes out of my mouth. It just happens. ONE THING THAT YOU DO, GARRICK, BETWEEN SCENES, YOU SHOOT OUT THE LIGHTS. WHAT IS THAT, AND WHERE DID IT COME FROM? I have no idea where that came from! Honestly, I think I over heard you (R. Kevin) talking about it. R. KEVIN ~ Improv Bandits New Zeland. I saw them in (the) Chicago Improv Festival. It was their way of cuing the end of the scene when they didn’t know who the light board operator was. The way a lot of groups do it is this: (waves his hands up and down.) Boring! He (Garrick) does it differently from the way the New Zeland guys did it. It’s sort of a signature thing. ITS COOL, BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE A REALLY GOOD LIGHT BOARD OPERATER IT’S RIGHT ON CUE. BUT, I DO REMEMBER ONE TIME YOU HAD TO SHOOT AT THE LIGHT A FEW TIMES BEFORE IT WENT OUT. THAT WAS FUNNY IN AND OF ITSELF. BUT, WHEN YOU DO INCOUNTER “FAILURE” WHAT DO YOU DO? IN A REGULAR STAGE PLAY IF YOU SCREW UP YOUR LINES YOU IMPROV. BUT, YOU’RE ALREADY IMPROVING. 17

GARRICK ~ Embrace it. Cause, for me I would go up on stage prepared to fail. I will make it a point to fail on stage cause if I don’t fail I will have no idea what my limit is. So, to push myself to become better I gotta know where I fall short. I think a lot of stand up that, too. So, when they try new as they can go “oh that worked not work.”

comedians do material they go as far tonight. No, that definitely did

Kind of a philosophy that I’ve been using now for maybe six months now. I learned it from a lady from Australia called Patty Stiles. She came down here and she taught a workshop. That was one of the things she mentioned that every improviser should do. Cause if you just do the same stuff over and over again you play it safe. So, you can’t discover anything new. You can’t give anything else to the other players on stage because they kinda expect you to do the same thing. But, when you go up there to fail you don’t know what’s going to happen. Because it might be the most brilliant thing you can come up with that night and that’s the thing that everybody is going to mention the whole time. SO WHAT DROVE YOU GUYS TO IMPROV? GARRICK ~ I don’t know. I had a knack for it. You know whenever you feel like, “this thing works for me.” That was improv for me when I was doing acting exercises, it fit me. It’s the thing I kinda want to do. Even though there’s no 18

money in it what so ever. This is what I want to do. I just kinda stuck with it trying to make it work. That’s what drew me to improv: the mere fact that it just made sense. ART ~ Back in grade school a friend use to do some of the improv games. So, I got to play a couple of those. It was really fun. I didn’t think it would be something I’d pursue at all. I remember seeing this paper for free workshops at Kennedy Theatre for (an) improv/comedy thing. I tried that for a month or something like that, and then kinda left it behind. Then I walked into one of the Kabuki practices, I guess with Loose Screws, and it was pretty cool. So, I dabbled, you know. Watching all of these things and doing a little bit of it, and doing some of these workshops that Garrick was putting on. ROD ~ What drew me to improv? Money and girls cause there’s a lot of it in this profession. (Laughs) No... When I was in high school I was quite shy, and in some cases I’m still shy. Like on a one on one situation I’m a shy guy. I’ve been performing in front of hundreds, thousands of people and I don’t get tongue twisted. But, you get me in a one on one setting I’m like “aaaahhh...what’s my name?” But, I took theatre, and a lot of people who knew me in high school was like “wow you’re like crazy! What were you doing?” It brought me out of my shell, so I’d like to thank all of my teachers that I’ve had in the past like Dr. Paul Cravath, Garrick. It brought me out of my shell. The job for me as improv, I thought, would totally complement my acting, and it did more than that for me. It helped me socially. I’m better able to communicate with other people.

It’s an outlet for me from like a social or the humbug every day world of having the 9-5 job. It’s a release for me. I’ve been doing it for 10 years and I love it. I love getting up on stage and having that rush and having those people look back you and smile and laugh. I honestly don’t think that everybody can do improv. Because, through my experience, there are so many great improvisors that I have seen over the years, and I’m glad to be part of this group, and for us to be doing it for like 10 years, it’s quite an accomplishment. To be recognized in the improv community is even a greater accomplishment. I love doing it. I just love it. ALISSA ~ for me, in the beginning, it was just to help with my acting. I was a theatre major. I’ve been acting all of my life pretty much and then just after doing it for a while, yeah, I grew to love it. Especially being a part of this group because, even though I’m not in so many plays anymore, since we are such a theatrical base group, I don’t miss it because I still get to do the costumes. I still get to do the different characters every night. So, basically it grew out of my love for acting. R. KEVIN ~ My reason is political. In town, the people who get paid to do theatre are the managers. Every community theatre in town the managers get paid, the director

Sidebar ART WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CARTOON AND WHY? “Family Guy. I just like the witty humor and the randomness and quickness of the jokes and the edge they take.” GARRICK WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WORD AND WHY? “My favorite word: Can’t! That generates something fierce in me. Whenever someone says I can’t do this, I honestly go out of my way to prove them wrong. ALISIA, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR PART AND NOT THE NOT THE NAUGHTY PARTS. “My eyes, I guess. I like to play with makeup. I like to make them up.” R KEVIN, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DOCTOR SUS QUOTE? “A lot to choose from. I think I’m going to have go with Horton’s (Horton the Elephant) an elephant is true no matter.... that’s the one that springs to mind. It’s something about that loyalty. (I) can’t remember the quote, but I remember the sentiment. Loyalty to a project or to something is important.” ROD, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BRAND OF LIP GLOSS? Oh my gosh! Of lip gloss? What kind of brands are there? ChapStick? Does ChapStick count? CocaCola flavored. Um...I don’t know...you caught me off guard on that one. ChapStick, um no, um... R KEVIN ~ if someone was going to kiss you what would you want to taste like? ROD ~ Um...vanilla... WHY? Why...uh...I love vanilla...I um...it’s like eating ice cream. and I think everybody loves ice cream. GARRICK ~ You’re so full of crap! ROD ~ If you say what is the most favorite thing in the world, people will say ice cream...for the most part... and I like vanilla ice cream...and strawberry. I love Neapolitan. Neapolitan flavored lip gloss Ladies! Neapolitan flavored lip gloss!

gets paid, the designers get paid, the people who build the set gets paid, the musicians get paid, the actors don’t get paid. They volunteer hours and hours of their time, and they are told they are lucky to do it. But they don’t get to pick the play and they don’t get to direct the play. But, they are the ones who are on the front line. Improvisation, the people on the front line are the people who control everything else also. There’s not a whole lot of money involved in it as Garrick said. At the end of the day, the money goes with the group. It doesn’t go with the managers. I have nothing against managers. I love managers. But, to me it’s something where everyone involved shares in the process and ultimately the creators of it are the ones that are there performing in it and managing it. That’s one of the things I admire about what Garrick has done is that he’s really created something here while he is the pilot that drives it you can really see the contribution of all the different people who participated because he respects the people he works with, he respects the audience and it really shows in the quality of work. WHAT IS THE PHILOSOPHY OF OTS? GARRICK ~ When we first started we came up with this catch phrase, “we make stuff up.” We kinda worked with that for many, many years. But, currently because it evolved into a more theatrical group, I wouldn’t just say we make stuff up, but we spontaneously tell stories now which fit us way, way better. We honestly do try to tell a complete story. When we perform we try to perform all the emotional range of the audience so they can experience living in a fear or a little bit of darkness. We’re not afraid to go dark if we have to. But, I honestly go out there to do more emotional stuff and try to connect with the audience, and the easiest way to connect with them is by telling a really 21

compelling story. I think we’ve mastered that after our 10 years. This group of people I have right now are the best version of the group. This feels right...this group right here and the stuff we come up with. I think it kinda shows when the people from the mainland or even other countries have heard about us and heard about stuff we put on. Next year we are planning to open up our own theatre place. That’s pretty exciting. This trip to Chicago maybe our last so we can concentrate on building a proper theatre. It’s not just improv. I think it’s going to be a theatre so people can put on their plays and whatever they want. I want to continue teaching classes and what not, but I really want to cultivate other artists because I think that is the future: to be able to do other things not just improv. We can cultivate a whole community using improv. So, if we have a place, we can use it for other things, and if people want to learn improv we can teach them that, too.

THE SINGING COMEDIAN Stop me if you heard this one, two guys walk into a bar the third one ducked… I know it’s a little cheesy, but hey I never claimed to be a comedian. Not like these two I had the pleasure of talking with this month. Grant Uchida is a local singing comedian. I first met Grant when he was in High School, when he was in the theatre program. Since graduating he has made the leap from actor to singer, comedian, to singing comedian. He has appeared numerous times in front of the camera as an extra in movies and television roles, and has even lent his voice as voice over actor for a local movie, Giant Monsters Attach Hawaii. And to say he made the leap is not far off, this performer is also a self train tumbler of sorts, often throwing in a back flip or handstand into his routine. We caught up with Grant at Pipeline Café to watch Grant perform with a group of other talented Comedians. ALL RIGHT GRANT, HOW YOU DOING? I just finishing my show, I’m a little tired. YOU LOOK A LITTLE TIRED, THE BOW TIE HAS COME OFF. 23

Yeah, that’s how you know I’m done. SO, WE GOT A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR YOU TONIGHT. Okay. SO FIRST OF ALL, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING THE GUITAR? I’ve been playing since about the 5th or 6th grade. I originally just started taking lessons. My parents were paying for it and stuff. YOUR PARENTS WERE PAYING FOR IT SO YOU FIGURED WHAT THE HECK, IT’S BETTER THAN PIANO RIGHT. Exactly, 6th grade you can’t lug that giant piano around. SO YOU WENT FROM GUITAR TO MUSICAL THEATRE, THEN YOU MADE THE LEAP TO COMEDY. WHY MUSICAL THEATRE TO COMEDY? Well originally I wanted to be an actor, like a full time actor. But it’s a lot hard than I thought. Because for one thing, I’m not the next Tom Cruise, I’m not even the same nationality. AT LEAST YOU’RE NOT THE NEXT WIL HUNG. That’s true, that is very true. THAT WOULD BE FAR WORSE. But I realized that, and so I started going back to my guitar. Because I really didn’t think anything of it when I first started taking guitar lessons. I didn’t take it seriously until after high school. WHY MUSICAL COMEDY? Well musical comedy that is um… well Weird Al is one of my biggest inspirations. I guess I wanted to add in what I learned from past. Though theatre you learn how to tell a story on stage. With music you learn how to feel EMOTION you learn hoe to emphasize what it is you are feeling. And with comedy you make people laugh, and they say laughter is the best medicine, so you can call me Dr. Phi.

EXCEPT YOU HAVE HAIR. Yeah except I have hair. YOU HAVE SOME GREAT HAIR GOING ON TONIGHT. NOW YOU HAVE A TRADEMARK LOOK. Yes. YOU GOT, THE RED CONVERSE HIGH TOPS, WITH THE RED SHIRT, AND A BOW TIE. WHY? It’s my character on stage. I’ve gone many changes, like first I didn’t care what I wore. And then, to help me get into the mood, well with the whole Daniella phenomenon thing. DANIELLA SEEMS TO BE YOUR GIRL, DOESN’T SHE? Yeah just a bit. SHE TIES EVERYTHING. NOW IS DANIELLA THE 17 YEAR OLD PREGNANT GIRL? Maybe, maybe. MAYBE IN HER YOUNGER DAYS. SO HOW DO YOU CHOOSE WHAT SONGS YOU PARODY AND WHAT ARTISTS YOU PARODY? Well there is a fine line between what I parody and what I stay away from, because I follow a set of unwritten rules. One of them, if the song has enough meaning, if it’s deep and emotional or I feel that’s its personal to the artist I don’t touch it. I always have to have a certain amount of respect for the person I am parodying. For example, Katy Perry, her song firework, originally I wanted to parody that one. There’s just so much about it that I felt I couldn’t touch it. And I’m sure there are a lot of parodies out there on youtube and stuff about it, but it’s one of those songs that I feel is to sacred. You can check out Grant’s website www.grantuchida.com for more information on where you can catch him. Check out taylordylan.com for the full video interview with Grant Uchida.

FUND-RAJAH: A BENEFIT CONCERT FOR IOKEPA Iokepa Kymani James-Fainga is 9 years old and the second of four children. On June 23, 2010 he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukimia or ALL. ALL is a blood cancer that is the cause of more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults. Every four minutes someone is diagnosed with blood cancer, and every 10 minutes someone dies of cancer. His parents, Evalina and Siate, were told by the doctor that Iokepa needed to undergo 3 Â˝ years of aggressive chemotherapy treatments because of the stage that he was diagnosed. In order for him to receive treatments, his parents needed to relocate their entire family from the Big Island to Oahu immediately. On Sunday, March 20, 2011, I had the pleasure of emceeing the benefit concert for little Iokepa at The Shack, Waikiki. Musical acts included the Butch Starsky Band, Nu Nui, Island Boys from Kohala on the Big Island (a big hit with the crowd) and Nesian N.I.N.E. A good time was had by all who attended and we managed to raise some money, though not nearly enough to cover all the expenses the family has accrued. Donations are still being accepted. You can visit http://www.cureforiokepa.webs.com to make a donation online.

he past month brought a wave of things my way, including a tsunami. I had the honor of going to the opening night of Avenue Q put on by the great production staff of the Manoa Valley Theatre. It was my first time seeing a Broadway show in person and I loved it. I knew of Avenue Q, but did not know what to expect. After some light investigation I figured it would be a show that garnered awards for just being over the top and not for having any substance. This could be seen as a harsh judgement, but after seeing titles of songs like “The Internet is for Porn” and “You can be as loud as the hell you want (When your making love)” what can you expect me to make. Well I was very wrong. Avenue Q was a great stage play and strangely had a life lesson to take away from it. The play is a adult take on Sesame Street, but not a full on parody. The puppeteers are in full view along with there puppets but do an excellent job of mimicking the emotions the muppets are displaying as well. One could follow the play looking at either the human actors or the puppet and enjoy. I personally had my eye on the plays human lead of “Princeton” played by Elitei Tatafu Jr. who gave an excellent vocal performance along with the rest of the extremely talented MVT cast.

The show was fun but I had an extremely busy month. As you know getting busy will make you hungry. One of my favorite foods to eat since I’ve moved to Hawaii is sushi. I had the pleasure of introducing “sushi on a budget” to my great editor Ms. Jeanne Wynne Herring not too long ago as I broke her cherry to Genki Sushi. Yes y’all, Genki. My editor had never been to Genki and she’s lived here ten years. Now some of you bourgeis bitches might not have stepped in a Genki, but when your on a budget and you still want what you want, Genki is the place to be. For the same amount of food I would have spent $80 on in a more traditional setting I only ended up spending less then $25 at Genki. And if the food going around on a treadmill is a turnoff for you know that you can have anything made for you fresh at the same price. Spring has sprung and I have sprung into a new hair color. After much time and debate I now have the same hair color of Rihanna, which I call “Ooh na na Red”. The fierce new tress has added a little extra umph to my step. I plan to see and do much more to report to you guys. The past month has been fun but full of trials. Waves, quakes, missles, and thats only whats been happening in my love life let alone the real world. However, I get strength and joy by seeing how people have been coming together during the events of the past month and it leads me to continue to enjoy my life and hopefully lead somebody else to enjoy the same. So until then, I’ll be out and about trying to send you guys in the most fun of directions.

n Friday, March 25th, twenty people between the ages of thirteen and nineteen took to the stage at Farrington High School Auditorium to compete in the Youth Speaks Hawai’i (YSH) Grand Slam Finals. Teens from all over the state came to share their poetry in the slam arena to compete for six spots on the team to represent Hawai’i at the National slam, Brave New Voices, in San Francisco. For the uninitiated, “slam poetry,” as defined by wordiq.com, is “a form of performance poetry that occurs within a competitive poetry event, called a “slam”, at which poets perform their own poems (or, in rare cases, those of others) that are “judged” on a numeric scale by randomly picked members of the audience.” In 2003, Hawai’i Slam was founded by slam poet Kealoha and continues as First Thursdays at Fresh Café. It is the largest registered slam in the world. (The Hawai’i Slam finals were held this month.) More info about First Thursdays can be found at www.hawaiislam.com. In 2005, Youth Speaks Hawai’i was formed and consequently has given a platform for hundreds of talented voices. YSH has a presence in several schools across O’ahu and has weekly workshops at Art at Mark’s Garage for poets to hone their poems and performance skills. Second Saturdays (also at Mark’s Garage) allow these teens to showcase new poetry as well as compete for spots in the annual finals. More info about YSH can be found on Facebook as well as on their WordPress site, http://youthspeakshawaii.wordpress.com/ 31

And now for something completely biased: I am not really a “poetry kind of guy.” But after hearing Kealoha speak in one of my UH speech classes, I visited my First Thursday slam and have been to every one Cour tesy of Yo for the past uth S p eak s Ha seven months (and yes, waii I attended what I am sure was the sold-out finals). There is something inspiring (as well as often heartbreaking) about people baring their souls on stage for what is essentially a roomful of strangers. The laughter generated during humorous poems is infectious and the more heart wrenching poems have, on more than one occasion, made me tear up. For someone who is often unmoved by poetry on the page, this is saying a lot about the performance aspect of slam. If you have not experienced a slam for yourself and have any interest in poetry or the written and spoken word in general, I would say it is overdue. But, back to my main point, six teens were chosen last month to represent Hawai’i at Brave New Voices in San Francisco July 20-23… ladies and gentlemen, I give you (in alphabetical order): Noa Helela, Trudy Hodnefield, Harrison Ines, Hannah Matsunaga, Keala Morrell and Serena Simmons. Youth Speaks! And Excellence Happens! 32

ell I am coming off of my Spring Break!! Well not really because I had to work at my day job. Okay now that I got that off of my chest. I can now get back to work and get my act together. So it is April Fools, fool!!! What does that mean to you? Oh why am I asking you. When I don’t even know what it means to me. I guess it just gives people and excuse to lie about themselves, but have the one day to completely exempt of all responsibility. Which I personally don’t mind. But what does one have to lie about? When is one already sickeningly fierce there is no need at all. At least with me that is. We are all wonderful and fabulous. So I say that we debunk this April Fool’s nonsense and stick to the truth about who we are as people. This magazine is called Excellence Happens for a reason, because I am excellent and I can make things happen. Let’s just keep it that way. Hey that’s just MY GAY WAY!!! See you in April, fools ( LOL ) 35

Attention!!! Diamond Head Theatre closes its 2010-2011 season with the Hawaii premier of the hit musical Hairspray, July 15 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; July 31, 2011 This extremely funny and exciting musical touches on the topic of the struggles of African Americans in entertainment, segregation and the clash between whites and blacks in the 60s.

Audition dates are: Friday, May 27th at - 7pm Sat & Sun, May 28th & 29th at - 2pm Go to their website, diamondheadtheatre.com, for detailed information.