I was on TV. It was a long time ago, but still, I was on TV. I had a show. It wasn’t my show; it was our show. Jim, Di, Kris, Brain, Brian and me (with recurring guest stars, like the gaysian). It was called TechX. Every Saturday night at 10pm, we took phone calls on Tucson’s excellent Public Access station, originally about tech support, but eventually about just about anything (we got bored with the tech support angle – it wasn’t as funny as the rest of the stuff we talked about). It was a blast.
My role on the show was Otto the Head. I was originally supposed to be a robot, but that died really early on. I wrapped myself in a blue sheet, and was a disembodied (round) head for 50 minutes every week, cracking wise and trying to keep up with Jim and Brain. I loved it. I was young, stupid, and ready for anything (OK, I wasn’t ready for anything, but I was willing to try almost anything).
I keep thinking of ways to get that back… the feeling of doing something completely unscripted and silly. I’d love to do another public access show, but there’s no one here I feel like doing a show with. Plus, public access is non-existant in Loudoun country (as far as I know). I was talking to a coworker today about the show, and I realized that I don’t have any crazy friends (they know what I mean, it’s good crazy). In Tucson, I was the straight man. All of my friends were crazier than me, did crazier things, lived a lot freer than I did. Now, I’m the crazy one. I don’t have crazy friends. I’m not sure I have many friends here at all… and the people I do consider my friends are all normal… really, really normal.
Just as proof that, once upon a time, I was involved in something crazy, unexpected, spontaneous and alive, I give you: Hed’s Favorite (Real Player – sorry). It’s a clip from a reunion show we did, I think in 2000 at Christmas time. I was already sane… so it’s not as crazy as the shows I mentioned as my favorites: the Halloween show, and the show where some drunk chick thought I was hot. Those were the days…
The clip is courtesy of Jim, who promises more. If he gets around to the Halloween show, I’ll definitely share it.
aaaaaaaactually…
i heard tell not too long ago of a public access station starting up in loudoun – someone gave me a clip from a local paper but i no longer have it. at the time they were looking for a host for an arts show, i think. i had considered trying to land a spot playing on it, but have had other stuff to ponder as of late…
anyhoo, i do believe there’s something out there. maybe pick up the local rag and thumb through? would be cool.
best,
mkg