Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Prepare to giggle, wink, and nod in socio-political agreement or despair
-- it's an inkwell.vue interview with Alan Thornton and Alan Friedman of
Southern Discomfort!
 
Southern Discomfort, if you're not familiar, is an Atlanta-based musical
satire group - think Capitol Steps.  In fact, Southern Discomfort was
founded in 1996 by one of the original Steps, Alan Friedman. Since then,
SD has released two CDs, played venues from hometown Atlanta to
Washington, DC, and accrued an impressive list of private and corporate
clients.  (More information in that vein can be found at
<http://www.southerndiscomfort.com>.) The group's latest CD release is
"Struggling Like Hell to be Moderately Amusing"  Their musical targets
this time range from the presidential race to telemarketers, from Dr.
Laura to Viagra.

Alan Thornton has been with the group since its earliest days, as has his
wife, Terrilee. He oversees the staging of each number for live
performances, which members participate in each song, and, in his own
words, "is generally on the lookout for clunker notes and bad attitudes.
The latter are encouraged, by the way."  He and his wife share a home with
above-average toddler Sparky, dog Maggie, and cat Dobby; they have another
daughter who lives in North Carolina.

Alan Friedman is an award-winning former journalist and former
Congressional aide, whose two-act comedy called "Letter of Intent" was
produced for four performances in Atlanta in 1992.  He adds, " My novel,
Second Chances, completed in 1995, is a great paperweight in my home
office."

Alan and Alan will be interviewed by Angie Coiro, who is a San
Francisco-based voiceover talent, actress, and radio personality.  She's
been an announcer/reporter/interviewer with KQED Radio since 1989.

Please join me in welcoming them to inkwell.vue!
  

    
Thanks, Linda! And aloha, guys!  Let's begin at the beginning, as did
Alan F., with his original inspiration.  Alan, we already know you were
with Capitol Steps.  In forming Southern Discomfort, what new
direction were you anticipating? It's clear on the new CD you go beyond
the political, and into the more universal realm of that which
touches/annoys us all - for instance, telemarketers. Is that the
evolution you looked forward to?

And, Alan T.; talk about taking these satires off the page, and
bringing them to bloom before a live audience.  Here and there on the
CD, there's audience reaction to a bit of business on the part of a
performer. Give us a glimpse of that live experience.
  

    
Hi Linda and Angie. Thanks for having us. It looks like I got here before
Friedy did so, I'll answer your question inside out if you don't mind.

The kids in the cast come up with a lot of ideas for their blocking and
staging so I just stand back and let that happen when it is working. Some of
the non-lyric provoked laughs on the CD come from John Rocker scratching his
crotch and the dancing go-go boys who wield whips behind Dr. Laura. When we
do the new Gore song about choosing Lieberman as a running mate, we pick Al
up in a chair and dance him around in a circle.

We choose cast members for singing and comedic ability. Most of us have
theater backgrounds. We use very few props and ascribe to Jerzy Grotowski's
poor theater concept. Except that we take it a little step farther by not
only acting poorly but also singing poorly.
  

    
Hi Linda and Angie,

As Alan T. said, thanks for having us aboard.  As to the vision I had
when starting the group, I think it was pretty blurred.  The Steps were
a good inspiration and we started in an presidential election year
(1996), so I figured there would be lots of political material.  But
since we're located so far outside the Beltway, it became apparent
quickly that our political references would have to be broad in nature.
 In DC, you could probably poke fun at the Secretary of Labor and
people would get the joke.  Outside DC that's not the case.  Since I
figured we could only have so many political references in a show, I
thought it might be good to branch out to any topical material that
audiences might understand.  I thought that would make us more
universal.  In addition, we perform about once or twice a month and so
if we tried making the same kind of jokes as on late night talk shows,
all of our material would be old instantly.  So we've had to try to
come up with material that has some shelf life to it.

As Alan said, we choose cast members for singing and comedic ability,
although it also helps if you've been in therapy, even physical
therapy.
  

    

Hey!  Sounds like my kind of group!

Let me just add a note to all of you reading along from outside the WELL -
if you have questions or comments for Alan Thornton and Alan Friedman -
e-mail them to inkwell-hosts@well.com and we will see that they get posted
for you.
  

    
Sorry, that was Alan Friedman on my earlier post.  Messed up my
pseudonym.  I'm always doing that!
  

    
I thought we might beg for song ideas here.  Our song about Ritalin was
written by a federal prosecutor so I suppose we'll take help from anywhere.

We could even write a song with submissions from the assembled gathering.
There is a group limerick writing section on the Well. It could be like that
only, good.
  

    
Cool.. I see Linda has started a topic just for that in inkwell.vue 93
  

    

I have a question....  ok, ok, a cliche question.

Who are your influences, competitors and role models?
  

    
And, when you're done with that:

All art is transitory to some extent (okay, that's as philosophical as
I'll get, I promise) but your creations are so linked to the moment,
especially the political satire. How much consideration does that get
when you're compiling something semi-permanent, such as a CD release?
Do you give any thought to finding stuff that will still be funny years
later? Or, is it just a given that this is music for the times, and
hey, it's going to date rapidly?
  

    
Who do you want to win the election (who will give you more material)?
  

    
And do you rhyme at the dinner table? IN the shower? Driving? 
  

    
Thanks for the great questions.  I'll answer from my viewpoint
(writer) as best I can.  I'm sure the other Alan (T.) will have his own
thoughts.

To Zimby, from a show standpoint, I'm not pulling for one person over
another (although we've got a Lieberman song called "Everything's
Coming Up Moses" that we could probably adapt and use for a while after
the election if Gore wins).  But you never know how an administration
is going to turn out in terms  of the material they can provide. (a
nice non-committal answer for an election season)

To Angie, it's a real balancing act when you're going to put out a CD
that has some political material on it.  Unless we write a song about a
specific  event (which we try to avoid doing because of short shelf
life), most issue-oriented political material can  last in a show 3-6
months (because most political issues never seem to die), which can
still make it current at the time we release a CD if we do so within a
few  months of recording.  We had a McCain song that was a bit outdated
even when we recorded it, but we liked it so we kept it on this CD. 
Since politics only comprises about 20 percent of our material, we
balance some of the more time sensitive songs with ones relating to
subjects that hang around a long time, like corporate acquisitions and
managed health care.  There are a few songs like that from our first CD
recorded in early 1999 that we still use.  Now, Lieberman was chosen
after we put our current CD to bed, so we  recorded our Lieberman song
and posted it on our website where people could download it for  free. 
It is a balancing act, and we're always trying to write new material
in an effort to  keep our show fresh and up to date.

To Gail, I had lots of influences, most of whom I can't discuss here
for fear of getting sued. I've always liked to play with words and
write song parodies.   As such, I used to like reading Mad magazine.  I
think Broadway shows have been a big influence in that I try to use a
wide variety of music in finding song parody vehicles, and some of the
best come from Broadway shows.
  

    
Choco, I will rhyme anytime, anywhere.  Makes it kind of hairy trying
to jot down an inspiration on a pad while zipping along I-285, the
Perimeter, which is Atlanta's version of the Beltway.  Actually, the
rhyming isn't as big a challenge as finding the right song vehicle for
a parody, one that can be connected in some way to the issue being
commented on.  A couple years ago I was  driving with the radio on when
the song "Age of Aquarius" was playing.  I started playing in my head
with the word Aquarius and came up with Acquire-us, to which I wrote a
song about corporate acquisitions that is one of our most popular
tunes.  You never know where or when the inspiration will strike.
  

    
well, Nader would be nice. he seems kinda human. his administration would be
lots of fun since he doesn't have many plans yet. luckily we stick to song
parodies and don't really do skits, i'd hate to have to huff a whole airbag
full of potsmoke or anything like that.

Of the two folks with more than 7% of the vote, i think Al has more
potential for satirists. he's the wooden man that tries to dance and kiss
his way into our hearts. Bush has that whole deer in the headlights look
going on but i don't think that making fun of him would be kind, at least
that's what my Mom taught me.

My influences in what we do are Sam Shepard, Lenny Bruce, Mort Saul, C.
Everett Koop, and Sgt. Barry Sadler, Louis Armstrong, and the US Women's
Volleyball team.
  

    
I'm listening to the CD for the first time as we speak.  Even my wife is
cracking up at some of the songs and choices for your paradies.
We both love Ginko Pills and Tennessee Schmaltz.
Your musical tastse are extreemly varied.  You started to explain how you
start a song, but we were wondeirng how much of a group effort composition
is, and how much are these individual efforts.  How many writers were there
on this CD?  Are you considering touring out of atlanta?  The capital steps
did make some appearences out of the beltway and I'm not coming to Atlanta
anytime soon...

thanks
  

    
Anybody here remember the skit on Saturday Night Live when Nader was host,
where he was safety-testing a lifesize inflatable doll?

Now, *that* was pretty funny.

(sorry for the digression; back to the interview...!)
  

    
Glad you and your wife like the CD, whatsamatterU, and thanks for the
question about the songwriting process.  It may vary depending on the
song, but, for better or worse, here's a general picture.  As I
mentioned, I write most of the material.  I seem to have a penchant for
this sort of thing.  But whenever I get an idea for a new song and
I've drafted it, I run it by Alan Thornton.  He's a wonderful sounding
board who has a good sense of what's funny.  He's also very much to the
point.  If he doesn't think something is funny, he'll let me know
right away, or he may suggest lyric changes to make the song better.
I'm very much open to input because I think a show can become
monotonous if it contains only one perspective on humor.  Then we take
the song to the goup so sing through it.  If they don't think it's
funny or it works, they will tell me, too.  At which time I promptly
fire everyone (just kidding). The group becomes more involved in the
translation from paper to performance.  Often times it's a performer's
way of selling a song and Alan T's way of directing it that can turn a
so-so funny song into a very funny song.  As long as they sing well, we
give our performers a good deal of leeway in figuring the best way to
sell a song.

When we get song contributions from members of the group or outside
folks (there are 2 folks not regularly in the group whose material
we've used, and there are four group members who have contributed
material we've used in shows and on CDs), usually Alan T and I put our
heads together to see if we like it and if there's any way we can
improve upon it.  

As to touring outside Atlanta, if someone in another city wants to
bring us to town for a show, we're there.  We have done a few shows in
Washington, DC, but I'm ready to have us go just about anywhere in the
US folks want to book us.
  

    
Thanks for the rhyming insight. I asked because I have a friend who I
think is addicted to rhyming. He loves the sounds. He memorizes great
runs of rhymes and when stuck in traffic, riffs and rhymes. He now
carries a small voice activated tape recorder, I believe, to avoid the
interstate rhyming collision effect! 

Have y'all done any ballads? Somehow funny ballads strike
me...well...funny!
  

    
hey dave, glad you and the mrs. are getting a chuckle out of our efforts.

as for the songs that Friedman writes, I think that they happen in three
chunks, someone gets a cut line going like the day that the boat ran into
the shopping pier in New Orleans, we were in a green room waiting to go on
and my wife started singing,'Floating past the City of New Orleans, Cafe au
lait and beingets drifin by, I guess the Captain couldn't see the shoreline,
now I'm lookin a crawfish in the eye.'  She and I fleshed it our later and
brought it to the group and they suggested that she wear a mask and snorkle
to sing it with. We tweaked the lyrics a little after the group heard it and
it went on to the playlist for a while.

Friedman usually gets the cut line and the nearly finished song to me by
himself then we e-mail versions back and forth once or twice and then go to
rehersal with it.

Audience reaction really has a say in the life of a song, too. There are
some that we've only performed once!

We do ballads and sometimes they work well. My Satchmo version of "It's a
wonderful World" goes over well but I think we have to keep the tempo up
most of the time to keep an audience interested for over an hour. A moving
target being harder to hit and all that.
  

    
Over the years, especially in live performance, have you found
boundaries that the audience won't follow you over? Say, the thin line
between satirizing and just being mean? What experiences have shaped
the subtlety of how/how not to present a particular idea?

And ... what's the political make-up of the SD team? Are there any
striking ideological differences that keep your targets, and your
treatment of them, balanced? Or do you all skew along roughly the same
lines; if that's the case, how do you keep from being a sledgehammer
for a particular bias?
  

    
there was a deafening silence once among a particularly conservative
(white/rich) group when we referred to a republican alienating African-
Americans in a song called 'bye-bye Black vote'. They jumped right back on
board with the next tune, though. It is easy to hit issues that people are
sensitive about or to make fun of their heros. We really try not to be
overtly mean, though. You know there is enough to critize Bob Barr about
without having to mention that he looks like a Pekingese.

Also, we don't make light of tragedies. There are plenty of other things to
discuss.

Satirizing behavior allows us all to be comfortable with criticizing anyone
and everyone. We have always been equal oppertunity offenders and regularly
apologize for failing to offend any particular audience member.

I believe it is safe to say that most of the group is fairly liberal
although it doesn't really effect what we do on stage. The only member who
ever balked at delivering a lyric was a conservative who couldn't stand to
sing a song praising Jimmy Carter's post Presidential efforts.

I'd be happy to be a sledgehammer for Campaign Finance Reform, the more-
than-two party system and lots of other common sense ideas. They'd still
have to be funny, though. That is why we're there. I feel that all of our
material lobbies for some sort of improvement.
  

    
Ah, well; with that in mind - do you feel you can use the music of SD
to move beyond preaching to the choir?  Maybe actually change some
minds about specific issues? It would be great to hear of any instance
where you felt you'd actually done so.

Or is it more a matter of cheerfully venting?

Alan F., you flashed on an interesting point up there, about being
sued if you reveal your inspirations. What are the legal fine points of
using an established, copyrighted tune?  (I have visions of you
forking over all the door proceeds to copyright lawyers!) If I remember
my basic media law course, parody itself is largely protected - but
what about the music you use to parody some unrelated topic? The
Telemarketer song, for instance - are you counting on the kindness of
Bob Dylan to leave you alone?  
  

    
Angie, I was being facetious, I guess, about being sued (at least I
hope so).  Although I'm not a lawyer, most of the material I've read
says parody is protected.  I suppose the biggest case related to that
issue in the past few years was the suit against 2 Live Crew for their
parody of the song "Pretty Woman."  As I remember it, the Supreme Court
ruled that it was a fair use.  Again, I'm not offering a legal opinion
because I'm not qualified.  And even though telemarketing seems a
different subject than that contained in Rainy Day Women, one might be
able to make the case that getting phoned by a telemarketer could feel
similar to getting stoned (as in being pummeled).

As to the points you and Alan T. exchanged about using our endeavor as
a forum to make a statement, I agree with Alan that first and foremost
a song we use has to be funny.  From my view, the reason we do our act
is to make people laugh, in this case by making fun of things people
might experience in their day to day lives.  I sometimes find when we
use a song to try and make a statement or push a particular point of
view, it just doesn't go over.  Even one song like that in a show is
one too many.  As Alan T. said, most of us are probably on the liberal
side, but we feel it's important to make fun where possible regardless
of the target's political leanings.  I think people find it easier to
laugh at our show when they know we're not playing favorites.
  

    
I suppose that's kind of a tough love sometimes to stick to the Middle of
the Road and offend everyone...  Do you send out material that is non MOR
only when you have a counterpoint song...like say tree cutting and tree
hugging?
  

    
Mostly we try to provide counterpoint in our political stuff, like
balancing a song about Bush with one about Gore.  It doesn't always
come out even (we have a song about Lieberman because his selection was
noteworthy, but nothing about Cheney because his selection seemed
rather unremarkable and, to be honest, we couldn't think of anything
funny to say about him). There are some non-political cases, like with
a song we have about Dr. Laura being a hypocrite, where we are
unabashedly one-sided.