May 31, 2009

Finally, Angry Convos on CNN


Finally I was able to procure a copy of my CNN interview about "Angry Conversations With God," thanks to my high school drama teacher who recorded it. It was shown live at 5:45am on the very first day of Daylight Savings, which means only four people saw it.

A car was going to pick me up at 4:45am in time to get me to the CNN bureau in Hollywood. Being the first day of Daylight Savings, I set my clock forward an hour. But my clock had an auto feature on it that jumped ahead anyway. So I woke up at 2am.

The car drove us to Hollywood. A guard led me into a green room, but no one else was to be found! I knew I was going to be on camera at 5:40am. And at 5:35am a PA came in, took me into a booth, put me in front of a camera and gave me an earpiece. The camera was operated robotically from there. Totally surreal.

My Sister-In-Law on Swiss TV!


My brother Jim is getting married! For a 52 year old classical musician to have found love is probably more remarkable than Larry and me. Jim met Annkatrin at a classical music worship conference in Zurich four years ago, saw each other again at the same conference two years later. We love AK, she is beautiful, talented, and such a bright wonderful personality. My brother is one lucky dude.

On top of that, she is an accompanist for the Zurich opera. And well, Jim is a classical music journeyman in LA. Where would YOU rather live? Exactly.

Anyway, there's some new hip opera bar in Zurich where these two groovuen dudens play classical music instead of hip hop. They were interviewed on TV and who should be in the bar but my sister in law to be! This is in German. At about 1:45, the interviewer asks Annkatrin what she thinks of the groovendudens, and she says, "They're no where near as cool as my fiance!"

May 22, 2009

Mr Bean In Church


I've seen Rowan Atkinson do this as a solo piece on stage. This is still pretty great.

May 10, 2009

ACwG at the PATH train bookstore


My friend Kevin Gosa snapped a pic of the display at the PATH train bookstore. (PATH train connects New Jersey with Manhattan) Not sure which stop. But I'm keeping good company!

@angryconvos You are keeping good company at the PATH station... on Twitpic

I wonder if Kevin snuck my book there or the bookseller just put it there. Either way, still a thrill!

May 6, 2009

Search for Relevance


In Other News ...
Madonna struggles to stay culturally relevant.

May 5, 2009

Bad Marketing or Clever Counter-Programming?


The other day I looked up my book on Amazon. I try not to do it too often; my sales rank can jump or drop by ten thousand points in a week. Probably based on a dozen book sales.

But I noticed something last week, and so did a friend: My Book Pairing. Amazon has a sales feature in which they pair one book with (their idea of) a similar book, and offer you a discount if you buy both. You know, you're looking at "The Betty Crocker Cookbook" and they suggest "The Betty Crocker Cookie Book." Or, "Mere Christianity" paired with "The Screwtape Letters." Books that share a subject. And point of view.

I don't know what data mining robot came up with this pairing, but Amazon is suggesting you buy my book along with "God is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything" by atheist-fundamentalist Christopher Hitchens.















At first I thought it was funny; especially when I clicked on his book and found my book was paired with his on HIS book's page. Just sitting there, daring the atheist readers to buy it.

But when I went to Hitchens' book from scratch, he was not paired with mine but with other popular angry atheists like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. Oh well. Time to call amazon and let them know my conversations with God aren't that kind of angry.