Manila Nearly Blew My Mind (3 min. 2005) Lester Alfonso stars, directs, and sings a song written by Chaz Greyhound for the Gorgeous Georgie Revue IV concept album.
The idea behind the Gorgeous Georgie Revue “concept album” was to write songs for non-professional singers in Peterborough. It was the brainchild of musicians Chaz Greyhound and Spanky Des Moines (also known as Charlie Glasspool and Mathias Kom) and to be asked to be part of it was a really a great honour. To have a song specifically written for me to sing is gift I will never forget. On top of that, it’s comedy.
Day 70 — Another day, another digital world premiere from the archive. Originally created for a live-performance backdrop for a single performance in 2005, I rescued this artifact from the vault recently and have laid-in the song that it was intended for. I was going to use it in my recent autobiographical film BIRTHMARK, mining the title for its metaphorical gold. It didn’t make the cut, in the end, but I want to finally share it.
I still remember the day Charlie Glasspool handed me the lyrics on the back of an envelope. I listened to his demo and rehearsed and rehearsed. We were recorded at Trent Radio back in 2005 by Jill Staveley. Thanks to everyone involved. I’m pretty proud of it, I have to say. Those “Woo Hoos” are not easy notes to hit. At the CD launch, I made my entrance by wheeling-in a TV set into the room and playing this video while I sang it live in front of an audience.
Stream the entire album here:
Mirror-work is a therapy technique for depression. It’s done by looking in the mirror for as long as it takes for you to find something to love about yourself. It’s cringe-worthy and awkward but it works.
Forcing myself to write about and post all of my past work one day at a time is a form of this kind of therapy. It’s a kind of reckoning with my past; this is like mirror-work too that ultimately leads to the same result.
I think this is at the core of these Facebook challenge games that force you to post a picture of something you are grateful for. This is a good game. This is a gratitude game and gratitude is probably the best tool against depression.
More soon; stay tuned! —LA
P.S. If you’re liking these daily posts, perhaps you can consider becoming a monthly donor for a year or making a one-time contribution. It would seriously help a lot. Your money goes directly into supporting an artist committed to continually become the best version of himself. Thank you so much! Much love, LA