I'm in another book: SMITH Magazine's It All Changed in an Instant: More Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure

I first heard about SMITH Magazine's six-word memoirs on Facebook and wrote a few of my own on SMITH's site. The new SMITH/Harper Perennial collection It All Changed in an Instant used one of them.

I share a page with T.O. I'm on page 198:


It was inspired by an ancient Tonight Show clip I once saw in which George Gobel asked Johnny Carson if he ever got the feeling that the world's a tuxedo and he's a pair of brown shoes. I wrote those little memoirs a while ago, before I started including my middle initial in everything I do to distinguish myself from other guys with the same name.

I wish the It All Changed in an Instant editors used one of the other memoirs I wrote (like "So broke, can't afford longer sentence" or "Nothing kills boners like yacht rock") instead of the one they chose. But still, I'm honored to be in the same book with the following people whose work I've enjoyed: Andy Borowitz, Andy Richter, Bob Odenkirk, Brian Baumgartner (Kevin!), David Wain, Duff Goldman of Ace of Cakes, Eugene Mirman (his heartwarming memoir is "I've fucked at least eight people"), Henry Rollins, Henry Winkler, Joe Queenan, John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants, Kathy Najimy, Leonard Nimoy, Linus Roache, Margaret Cho, Neil Patrick Harris, Rick Parker, Rob Riggle, Shepard Fairey, Tommy Chong and Sound of Young America host Jesse Thorn, who started out at the same radio station where I first deejayed.

Parker, whom I met at San Diego Comic-Con last year, and Fairey submitted a couple of my favorite memoirs, which they drew:




Daily Show alum Riggle's memoir "I love my big, big balls" would probably get him into a heated balls-measuring contest with a certain fellow TDS alum (I bet he'd respond with "But mine are bigger, Rob Riggle").

But my favorite memoir comes from Lalah Hathaway, a singer like her legendary father Donny Hathaway: "So I only get six words?"

"AFOS A-Go-Go" 09/23/08-09/29/08 playlist

1. David Holmes, "Not Their Fight," Ocean's Thirteen, Warner Sunset/Warner Bros.
2. John Carpenter and Alan Howarth, "The Bank Robbery," Escape from New York, Silva Screen
3. Lalo Schifrin, "Omega Team," Spooks, Aleph
4. Carter Burwell, "How Is This Possible?," Burn After Reading, Lakeshore
5. Roy Budd, "Theme to Mr. Rose," Rebirth of the Budd, Sequel
6. Quincy Jones, "Main Title," The Hot Rock, Prophecy
7. John Morris, "Voodoo You Do/The Big Fight/The French Mistake," Blazing Saddles, La-La Land
8. George Shaw, "Carol of Death" (from Marcus), J-ok'el/Marcus, MovieScore Media
9. Bear McCreary, "Fight Night" (from the Battlestar Galactica episode "Unfinished Business"), Battlestar Galactica: Season 3, La-La Land
10. Bear McCreary, "Sheriff Carter's Theme," Eureka, La-La Land
11. Ennio Morricone, "Terrazza Vuota" (from Metti Una Sera a Cena), More Mondo Morricone, Colosseum
12. Tangerine Dream, "Love on a Real Train (Risky Business)" (from Risky Business), Rare Requests, Vol. III, Liquid 8
13. Roy Budd, "The Car Chase" (from Fear Is the Key), Buddism, Cinephile
14. Neil Patrick Harris, "Everything You Ever," Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Mutant Enemy Productions
15. Jed Whedon, "Horrible Credits," Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Mutant Enemy Productions
16. Rose Royce, "Car Wash," Car Wash, MCA

"AFOS A-Go-Go" airs every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday in September on the Fistful of Soundtracks channel.

"AFOS A-Go-Go" 09/16/08-09/22/08 playlist

1. Rita Monico with I Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni, "Thrilling" (from Thrilling), Canto Morricone--The Ennio Morricone Songbook, Vol. 1: The '60s, Bear Family
2. John Barry, "The Persuaders Theme," Themeology: The Best of John Barry, Columbia
3. Isaac Hayes, "Reel 5 Part 1" (from Shaft), Shaft Anthology: His Big Score and More!, Film Score Monthly
4. Isaac Hayes, "Source No. 2--7M1A (Do Your Thing)" (from Shaft), Shaft Anthology: His Big Score and More!, Film Score Monthly
5. Neil Patrick Harris, "Brand New Day," Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Mutant Enemy Productions
6. Robert J. Kral, "Gordon/Batman/The Train," Batman: Gotham Knight, La-La Land
7. Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra featuring James D. Atterley, "Caught at Midnight" (from Jerry Cotton: 321 Countdown Hurricane Friday), Futuremusik, Scamp
8. Guido & Maurizio De Angelis, "Life of a Policeman" (from High Crime), Beretta 70: Roaring Themes from Thrilling Italian Policefilms 1971-80, Crippled Dick Hot Wax!
9. Henry Mancini, "Here's Looking at You" (from Return of the Pink Panther), Do You Pick Your Feet in Poughkeepsie?, Paul Nice
10. Andre Previn, "Executive Party" (from Rollerball), Do You Pick Your Feet in Poughkeepsie?, Paul Nice
11. David Holmes, "Kensington Chump," Ocean's Thirteen, Warner Sunset/Warner Bros.
12. George Shaw(*), "The Search" (from J-ok'el), J-ok'el/Marcus, MovieScore Media
13. George Shaw, "J-ok'el," J-ok'el/Marcus, MovieScore Media
14. Nathan Fillion, "Everyone's a Hero," Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Mutant Enemy Productions
15. Neil Patrick Harris, "Slipping," Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Mutant Enemy Productions
16. Danny Elfman, "Main Titles" (from Beetlejuice), Music for a Darkened Theatre: Film and Television Music Volume One, MCA
17. Lalo Schifrin, "Egg Eating Contest," Cool Hand Luke, Aleph
18. Isaac Hayes, "Source No. 2--7M1C (No Name Bar)" (from Shaft), Shaft Anthology: His Big Score and More!, Film Score Monthly
19. Gordon Parks featuring O.C. Smith, "Move on In" (from Shaft's Big Score!), Shaft Anthology: His Big Score and More!, Film Score Monthly

"AFOS A-Go-Go" airs every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday in September on the Fistful of Soundtracks channel.

(*) Shaw was an orchestrator on one of my favorite films, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Earlier this month, one of Shaw's first feature scoring assignments, Asian Stories, hit DVD shelves. The 2006 indie film is a romantic comedy starring James Kyson Lee (Ando from Heroes) and Kathy Uyen (Spirits).

"AFOS A-Go-Go" 09/09/08-09/15/08 playlist

1. Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day & Nathan Fillion, "A Man's Gotta Do," Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Mutant Enemy Productions
2. DVDA (featuring Trey Parker and Matt Stone), "Now You're a Man," Orgazmo, NickelBag
3. Johnny Harris, "Odyssey (Pt. 1)" (from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century), Sunshine Sound Disco
4. The Crystal Method, "Bones Theme (DJ Corporate Remix)," Bones, Nettwerk
5. Roy Budd, "The Carey Treatment," Rebirth of the Budd, Sequel
6. Stu Phillips, "Ampersand (&)," Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Soundtrack Classics
7. Ennio Morricone, "Nadine" (from Il Serpente), Morricone 2001, Dagored
8. Mark Mancina, "Bad Boys - Main Title/Heist," Original Score from the Motion Picture Bad Boys, La-La Land
9. The John Gregory Orchestra, "It Takes a Thief," Six Million Dollar TV Themes, Spectrum
10. Riz Ortolani, "Serena e Lomunno" (from Confessions of a Police Captain), Easy Tempo Vol. 1: A Cinematic Easy Listening Experience, Right Tempo
11. Francesco De Masi and Alessandro Alessandroni, "Hot Camera Shake" (from Your Turn to Die), (Italian Girls Like) Ear-Catching Melodies, Dagored
12. Hans Zimmer, "And I Thought My Jokes Were Bad," The Dark Knight, Warner Sunset/Warner Bros.
13. John Barry, "Air Bond," The Living Daylights, Rykodisc
14. John Carpenter and Alan Howarth, "Over the Wall," Escape from New York, Silva Screen
15. Bear McCreary featuring Raya Yarbrough, "A Distant Sadness" (from the Battlestar Galactica episode "Occupation"), Battlestar Galactica: Season 3, La-La Land
16. Felicia Day & Neil Patrick Harris, "My Eyes," Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Mutant Enemy Productions
17. Vince Guaraldi Trio, "Great Pumpkin Waltz" (from It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown), Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits, Fantasy