Tuesday, October 28, 2008

GRIEF ( I Don't Know What Else to Say)

This space is supposed to be where I recap the events of my last show. It's supposed to be where I list the songs performed, post photos and share any anecdotes that helped to make the night special. I won't be doing that in this post.

Immediately after the first act ended it was announced that a man who had earlier had a heart attack in the bar had died. Out of respect for his family I won't disclose his full name. But he was Czech so it's OK that I let you know that his name was Honza.

We decided it was best to cancel the rest of the show.

Now I'd like to tell you a little bit about Honza. He was a friend of a good friend of mine. I only met him twice but immediately after meeting him I liked him immensely. He had bright twinkly blue eyes that were full of humor and mischief. And he had a huge smile that put you at ease. In one of the evenings I spent with him he kept me in stitches with his irreverent and intellectual humor. He told me that once my show was up and running again he would come. I thought, "yeah yeah everybody says that" but secretly I was hoping that he would. I am truly honored that he did.

Joost made a good point. What better than to plan a night out with a friend, go to the bar, order a cup of coffee and then head on to whatever comes next for all of us? I've always said that I hope I go at a concert and not on the metro on the way to something I hate.

I'll stop now. But I'd really like to thank the staff of Divadlo Na Zabradli and the guests who attended my performance for the utmost care and respect that they showed during a situation where really no one khows what they are expected to be doing.

A bunch of my friends and I drank a substantial amount in Honza's honor late Sunday night but I'm gonna go have another.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

THE FIRST SHOW IN (Almost) 3 YEARS

After an almost 3-year hiatus I am (really) happy to announce that the Human Jukebox will be returning to the Prague stage. I hope I'm not the only one who's happy :-P

If you're not familiar with the show it's like this: I know a lot of songs. A lot. So I made a book of about 1,000 of them in many genres - rock, rap, opera, gospel, musicals, TV commercials, etc.

During this interactive show the audience members get to holler at me whichever song they'd like me to perform and I will do it unaccompanied and from memory.

Want more info or want to see the song list? Go to www.The-Human-Jukebox.com or www.LidskyJukebox.cz If you want something that's not on the list then send me a request and I'll try to learn it. Or scream it out anyway - you never know.

I have two upcoming shows. The dates are:

Sunday, October 26th at 19:00 and
Sunday, November 2nd at 19:00

They will take place at:

Divadlo Na Zabradli
Anenske 5 (take tram 17 or 18 to Karlovy lazne)
Tickets are 150kc at the box office. Space is limited so it's recommended to make a reservation by emailing: pokladna@nazabradli.cz

The bar opens one hour before perf so come and get...relaxed. There will also be ample opportunity to become even more...relaxed...during intermission and even moreso after the show.

Let's bring this baby back where it belongs!

THE BIRTH OF THE HUMAN JUKEBOX (In Case Anybody Gives a Crap)

The show started as a bizarre lark sometime in the 90's. My best friend Zdena would drag me out of the corner of whichever place we were in and order me to sing. Being that she was the first person to ever support my singing (when I was 10) I have always felt obligated to satisfy her - musically. that is. Anyway, she'd have me sing some standard pop song and I figured that would be it. But then someone would ask if I knew something else. And then someone else had a request. And it would go on from there often for a few hours. Seemed that I knew a lot of songs. Having studied opera for 15 years I also knew stuff that wasn't found on FM radio or in clubs. And anyone who knows me knows that I just can't get enough rap. So in 2004 in Prague when I was offered a space to perform anything I wanted I wondered if I could create a show based around this.

I decided to make a list of all the songs I knew by heart. First I went through my CD collection. Then I went through the Billboard Top 100 of the past 30 years. I realized that I knew a lot more than I thought I did. When I added them together it came to over 1,000 songs and I just honestly thought it would be hilarious to try to pull it off as an actual show.

My friends turned out on opening night but they confessed it was mostly for pity as they figured I was nuts. There's no question about my being nuts but in the end the show acually worked. I had an incredible amount of fun and people wanted more. And so the Human Jukebox was born.

In the beginning it was once a month and eventually developed into once a week. Then I got pregnant. I find that tolerant as many audiences may be, they simply don't appreciate being puked upon so alas the Jukebox had to be unplugged. My son Atreyu is now two, I haven't puked in awhile and it's high time to get this up and running again. See next post.