Mama Lou

Moving day is imminent!

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 07:15:46 GMT

I sold my car today. All my things are already on an Amtrak train to North Carolina. I get on a plane tomorrow to meet up with Nick and get the keys to our new apartment.
We will be broke for a while, but it sure is an adventure.
What a way to start the new year! I'm exhausted.
But my skin is prickling all over with excitement.
Someone pinch me.

on the road again...

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 01:27:00 GMT

I'm moving to North Carolina!!
Yes, its for love. Why else would someone move to North Carolina!?

I've been very excited about the change. Its been 2 years since I accidentally moved to Seattle, and although its been wonderful I do feel the tingle of change... someplace new.

Being a traveling performer I should be getting out of town often enough to retain my sanity and still enjoy the good stuff of living closer to my love. But the smallness of Fayetteville, NC is still intimidating.
On the up side - I'll be on the East Coast again, so I'm already anticipating frequent trips to NYC. So if anyone knows of gigs let me know! I'm up for anything that gives me a reason to come visit! But, also, if you know of anyone in the performance community down in NC... info on Asheville, DC, Baltimore, etc. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know!!
The South scares me! At least from this Northern viewpoint.

So here's the answer...

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:05:20 GMT

At least the yellow pages contest finally responded regarding what's going on.
Here's the latest...

YELLOWRIPPERS has sent you a message on YouTube:
Re: Re: Re: AWAIT THE YOUTUBE VIDEO GRAND PRIX ON JUNE 30:

A MILLION APOLOGIES
FOR THE DELAY IN RESPONDING:
DUE TO LACK OF A LARGE NUMBER OF ENTRIES
FROM THE MARKETS THAT THEY OPERATE IN,
THE CLIENT COMPANY HAS INSISTED WE CONTINUE
BEFORE THEY ANNOUNCE THE REWARDS.
SO THE CONTEST HAS BEEN EXTENDED ON YOUTUBE
UNTIL THE END OF 2008:
YOUR VIDEO WILL CONTINUE TO BE IN THE TOP 10 SHORTLIST UNTIL THEN BUT YOU ARE FREE TO WITHDRAW YOUR ENTRY IF YOU LIKE AND LEAVE THE CONTEST
WE ARE JUST CREATIVE PEOPLE TRYING TO CREATE A MOVEMENT ON YOUTUBE
THE CLIENT HAS TO RELEASE THE MONEYS
SO THAT WE CAN PAY THE REWARD ASAP
BUT THEY ALSO NEED TO JUSTIFY THE SPEND WITH SUFFICIENT RESULTS TO THEIR BOSSES, I GUESS:(
A MILLION APOLOGIES
The YellowRippers Team

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:24:04 GMT

No word yet on the $10,000. I dont' know if it was a crap "contest" or what???
I'm pretty annoyed. But we'll see. I have yet to e-mail and get a response from the group running it.

BUT! - I AM going to Vegas to audition for the Circus McGurkus show!!
So that is a go.
:)

no f-ing way.

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:14:44 GMT

So...
I just found out that a gig I'm up for in Vegas - isn't just ANY old show going up...
It is a Dragone production!!!

http://www.francodragone.com/

And Franco Dragone himself is choosing the people he wants to come to Vegas for a Live Audition!!
That means - regardless of the outcome of the show (which I think I have a decent chance to get...) Franco Dragone has seen my act!!!

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. This is so much better than I could have hoped for! I created these new acts to try to get into a show in Australia, which didn't work out. But if I hadn't worked toward that goal - I would never have had this new cabaret material to send to this random casting. When one door closes another opens. Thank you!!

They said they're only inviting you to Vegas if they are very interested. I'll find out very soon if that is happening!!!
wish me luck!

$10,000 Strong Woman

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:21:09 GMT

I was asked to be part of a video contest on YouTube - of interesting ways to rip a phone book.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJAFSX8p1Jc

The first prize of most watched video & chosen by a pannel is $10,000.
I really want $10,000 and am currently in 2nd place.

I sent out a blast to friends and have jumpped up about 600 views in the last week! So if you haven't watch it - please - watch the video and send it to your friends. Embed it, watch it, comment on it, rate it.... until June is over. The winner is announced July 1.

And, really, you could think of a whole lot worse ways to spend June than watching me. Right?

with all my love & muscles,
Mama Lou: American Strong Woman

www.StrongWomanShow.com

Dr. Sketchy Melbourne

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:34:51 GMT

Tonight I modeled for Dr. Sketchy in Melbourne at the Butterfly Club with the lovely hostess Mel Knight and her professional wrestler brother Chris Knight - who fought me PRO-Wrestling style - in front of a room full of life drawers!
It was insanity! At one point we did a 5 min pose with him holding me in the air like he was going to body check me! And as fake tan (his not mine) stained my skin, looking down past his massive pec muscles onto the crowd of artists drawing the scene, I said out loud, "You have no idea how surreal this moment is!"
And then later - as the lovely Mel Knight gave me her copy of Dr. Sketchy's Rainy Day Coloring Book and I looked through it and saw all the pictures of people I love dearly - Darlinda Just Darlinda for one- and told the Melbourne peeps about how inspiring she is and being excited because the rainbow wig she has on in the drawing is one I gave to her when we were making costumes for a benefit we did for Topher in the Park Slope gay club... what was the name?? I saw pictures of Scarlet, Amber Ray, Dottie, Little Brooklyn, Marawa, Sparkly Devil, and more. When I looked through the book from start to finish as I got home I was so struck with a feeling of love and awe. Especially for Molly Crabapple who has created a global phenomenon and never given up.

I realized that what we do IS imporatant. IT IS SO IMPORTANT. And I love, honor, and respect every person I've been lucky enough to work with and call a friend in this crazy journey.

Yes, Shine on you crazy diamonds!

REST

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 06:31:27 GMT

Finally. In Melbourne. The end of my two and a half months of touring and finally I'm staying put.
Drinking an afternoon beer, listening to radio, chilling.
Just bought some rollerblades for transportation and am looking forward to getting back into shape and giving myself some mental breathing room. I deserve it.
Whew.
Feels good.

Arrival

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 02:34:21 GMT

I just got to New Zealand this morning.
At first felt strange to be on the road again, but now, walking around Auckland which is so peaceful and beautiful... I again feel the wonder & awe.
Its nice to be here.

Note to self: Stop packing so much shit!

*Someone at the hostel just said, "Every day is Sunday and every night is Friday, it's how it seems".
An instant smile on my face. Yup. Keep living and enjoying every day like its Sunday and every night like its Friday. Nice.

the virus is spreading... but why?

Tue, 25 Dec 2007 20:52:43 GMT

I love it!!! And am so cracking up...
When the MSN Encarta online dictionary gives the definition of "Strongwoman" it has a classic definition and then gives a LINK to my WEBSITE!!!!

Too much!!
Check it out!

http://encarta.msn.com/strongwoman.html

For fun....

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:03:29 GMT

Check out my new feat of strength! Ripping a phone book in 1/2 while hanging upside down by the tops of my feet from a trapeze bar!
AND - I need a really good dangerous sounding name for the new trick! So if anything pops in your head please share!

http://www.strongwomanshow.com/Agents%20Cabaret%20Video/ToeHangPhoneBook.html
*wait for the Quicktime to load. It will play automatically.*

Rough Cut

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 01:38:29 GMT

I'm cutting a video of my cabaret and stage acts to send to agents and am looking for feedback.

http://www.strongwomanshow.com/AgentsCabaretVideo.html

The first attempt fell apart because trying to piece all these separate talking acts together into a cohesive 3 min video... was just too much - none of the pieces looked amazing because you couldn't figure out what the shit was going on.

This second attempt, I like more. Its focused on a general Strong Woman "vibe". You can see that she does a lot of things, but you don't get the whole story.

The things I'm not sure about:
1. I love the song, but does it sound like I'm a sadistic man hating performer who is out to shame guys?
2. Is it too confusing? 5 different bits in 2.5 min?
3. The "legend" floating words at the beginning?
4. The interruption of "And the audience loves her."
5. The film footage quality is crap. Does that ruin the video?

Thoughts?!?
What SHOULD be in an agent promo? Places I've performed? Quotes?

I really would love some feedback before I start putting in transitions and deleting other clips.
Thanks!

Humbled by 8 yr olds

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 17:51:12 GMT

There is nothing more humbling than trying to teach 8 yr.old girls who are really good at aerials NEW tricks. ESPECIALLY when I've not been in the air for minimum the last 6 months.
The humbling part is good. The pain I am in from muscle shock is not as good.
ouch...
ow..
... ouch...

You really do learn a lot from kids.
There is one little girl who is very pensive and serious about her skills. She made it all the way across the highwire by herself and upon coming down told me, "I had to become one with the wire". I thought she was kidding, saying something funny she had seen on a movie or something.
Later we're juggling and she's talking to the ball and holding it up to her ear - she said she was trying to understand it....

I have a lot to learn. :)
Chinese Pole & Toe Hangs are two of them.

Check out this freaking AMAZING example of Chinese pole :
(And just WAIT until he starts doing the back flips!!)

Coture? Right...

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 02:00:38 GMT

I took on some side work as a seamstress for a coture fashion designer. I was stoked to be sewing in a creative environment. My first day was today.
Ha. ha. ha. ha. ha. ha. ha....

FYI - You can't call something "Coture" just because you feel like it.
He hands me stuff hap-hazardly pinned together on top of a manequin so I can stitch the pieces on top of each other - not a proper seam in sight! No fucking patterns. No sketches. No plans. Sometimes there are 6 inches of seam allowance - sometimes there are less than 1/8th an inch. Need something to spice up a drab piece? Why not pin a cargo pants pocket right on the front? Why the hell not?
When asked, "How will someone put this garment on? There needs to be a zipper" responds, "We'll get to that later."
Really? Later? Before or after you worry about how impossible it will be to line any of these things without a pattern or seam in sight?
Layers and layers of poorly draped fabric sewn to each other to be sold as "coture". So fucking ridiculous!

On Monday I am going to have a sit down talk with the "designer".

What a disaster! But it is pretty funny. Not funny enough to continue to sew "coture" fashion that mostly resembles trash created by a 16 yr old who decides he wants to sew.
If anyone buys this shit they are retarded.

There are so many ridiculous things this guy has said I can't even begin to write them all. Perhaps I will log them one at a time when I get home.

Quote #1: "I have many enemies. Its true. But its because people can't stand to see someone be successful."

Days like these

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 21:17:26 GMT

I am convinced this is one of those days when you are just supposed to hide - and wait for it to be over.
UGH.

Deep breathing & calm thoughts aren't helping. Time to lock the door and turn off the phone.

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 00:55:46 GMT

Hot gloves!
I've been wanting get some good sexy mid-length leather gloves for a few years now. I'm kinda stoked about these orange colored ones from this NY glove maker.
http://www.lacrasia.com/

Miss Teen USA

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 00:20:11 GMT

With the priveledge of running for the title of Miss Teen USA comes responsibilites. It is important to be poised, thoughtful, engaging, and a dignified speaker.
(giggles maniacly....heheehehehehehe)

Genius

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 06:20:08 GMT

Emo Phillips is brilliant. This video is from early in his career.
It makes me miss NY and good ol' strange open mic nights with brilliant and wacky people like you would get at Rev. Jen's Anti-Slam from the old Collective Unconscious days.
AND... (uh oh) it makes me want to do stand-up comedy too, which I'm sure must be some kind of self-destructive urge becuase I'm so decidedly not funny.
Seriously. I've been writing jokes all week and I recieved feedback back like, "there is a difference between saying something stupid and telling a joke".
I tried out the Emo joke, "People keep coming up to me worried... that I'll reproduce" and my roommate said, "Oh, really?"

Mission Accomplished

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 05:28:48 GMT

The website is LIVE!
Whoo hoo!
And I did it! The sense of accomplisment is huge.

www.StrongWomanShow.com

I can't get the quicktime video to play when I'm on the site via the web, but it works fine in my GoLive viewer. Anyone know a solution to that?
And any other thoughts or suggestions are most welcome!

WebMASTER

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 21:04:26 GMT

Ok. A hyperbole at best. But I feel like He-Man when he raises his sword and yells, "By the Power of GraySkull... I am WEBMASTER!" And then the lightning bolt strikes the broadswoard and his Prince's clothes turn into underwear and boots.

I am DOING IT. Making my own website. After having someone poop out on me - I'm taking the power of the web into my own hands and wielding it like a broadsword!

I'm very pleased. Yes. It will be simple. But it has links that work, videos to watch, and a photo gallery that enlarges and opens in new windows n' shit.

And all this from a girl who couldn't even use Photoshop 6 months ago. :)
I am a rockstar. No. Wait. By the Power of Grayskull... I am WEBMASTER!

Sweet.

A Day Out of the Time

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:42:17 GMT

Found this video on YouTube. I like what some of the artists say about the reasons why they perform on the street.

My TV Debut!

Sat, 12 May 2007 07:51:02 GMT

I recently performed in a TV variety show called "Big Night Out" here in Seattle.
Filmed in a gorgeous theater in front of a live audience, this is a Variety Show in the truest sense of the word...
The line-up included a mariachi band, a historian, musicians, a big mama comedienne, a juggler, a chorus line of dancing girls, an accordian player, an aerialist, a pie in the face, and finally... a strong woman!

Amazing.

So in case you're curious, YES! It can be found online!
Here is the link:
http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/watchVideos.asp?program=bigNightOut

Click on the May show - May 11, 2007

My piece starts about 11 minutes into the show (in case you want to just jump right to the best part!)

FYI - The dancing girls (Sister Kate) are at about 5 minutes. They are so cute!

i'm here.

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 08:41:49 GMT

Today I woke up, went to the coffee shop to check e-mail. Then bought some salmon and made a delicious salad for lunch. Then met up with the other buskers and headed to the beach. What a delicious day at the beach. Now I'm back at the coffee shop enjoying an afternoon tea and nutella waffles.
Early shows and such start tomorrow. I'm nursing a shoulder injury. Some Ozzie blokes just don't want to give up on the human tug of war. So, tonight I'm running the show - trying to make sure my shoulder will be ok. But this is it... this is what I came here for.
I forgot my USB cord for my camera. So I've got lots of great photos that must stay on my camera until I get back.
But here are some news articles from some recent media.

http://www.abc.net.au/perth/stories/s1888583.htm
http://emunews.murdoch.edu.au/entertainment5.htm

Fremantle Street Fest

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 05:04:38 GMT

I'm leaving Saturday for Australia and got excited that I found the program for the street fest online:
http://www.fremantlefestivals.com/main/resource/starts-prog07.pdf
http://www.fremantlefestivals.com/main/html/mamalou.cfm

I've got some good shows and I'm very much looking forward to performing. Fun!
Salty water, sweat, and sun!!

Pontani Sighting?

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 16:10:18 GMT

Is this a pic of Angie Pontani that I just found on the MSN news page?