Archive for August, 2009

Big Words Radio Episode XXXXI: ‘Sing, F&%#in’ Sing!’ with guest John Valby
August 29, 2009
Monday Big Words Update: S&S Launch Saturday, WYRK tomorrow, John Valby Thursday!
August 24, 2009It’s gonna be a busy week.
Tomorrow morning, I’ll be driving downtown to talk to Clay and Dale at Country 106.5 FM (WYRK) to give away some books on the air and discuss the big Slapstick & Superego launch at Magruder’s this weekend. If you’re listening in, I should be on some time after 8 a.m. This Thursday, I’ll have the distinct pleasure of interviewing John ‘Dr. Dirty’ Valby at the Think Twice Radio studio for Episode 41 of The Big Words I Know By Heart Radio Hour. Valby is a Buffalo music legend and I look forward to finding out what makes him tick over the course of the hour.
And this Saturday, the Slapstick & Superego book launch is finally hitting at Magruder’s in Lancaster from 6 p.m.-10 p.m. After responding to your feedback from a questionnaire last spring and tailoring this launch to reader responses, I truly hope that there’s a record turnout for this event since this is my first booking at Magruder’s and I’d like it to be successful for both of us. For those attending, the launch will take place on the second floor of the building. Signed copies of the book will be available for $19.99, so bring your wallet and a sense of humor! September looks like it may be too hectic for any readings or in-store promotions, so this will probably be your only chance to get the book before October! Don’t miss out!
Night Life Magazine drops this week with ‘Babes On A Plane’, a rant about, well, babies on planes from Slapstick & Superego.
That’s all I’ve got for today. I hope to see you all this Saturday at Magruder’s and wish me luck tomorrow and Thursday!
Tom Waters

Monday Big Words Update!: Obstruction
August 10, 2009Yeah…
The Pheonix Resistance show went less than satisfactory for me on the recording end or the band while they were performing last Friday. Blame it on the Big Words poltergeist or band-related drama, but I’ll be reviewing the audio this week to find out if portions of the show are worth salvaging or if we’ll have to scrap the whole evening and start over from scratch.
And I’m officially blocked, so, much like previous blocks, I won’t be updating on the site too often aside from Mondays until further notice. I’ll be spending a lot of my down time in the coming months promoting Slapstick & Superego along with working on the remaining submissions that Alycia Ripley and I have left for the Buffalo Anthology Project, so stay tuned here for S & S updates and feel free to visit the anthology site over at http://www.buffaloanthology.blogspot.com for any relevant information regarding that. Aside from that, I’m sure I’ve got twelve to fourteen months of a creative blackout to look forward to, so I’ll spare both of us the anguish/aggravation of giving you a play-by-play on it.
Night Life magazine hits the stands this week with the conclusion to ‘A Preacher, A Rabbi and a Minister Go Into A Bank At The Same Time’, my essay from First Person, Last Straw about the perils of organized religion. That’s all I’ve got for this week. If something else pops up, I’ll be sure to drop you all a line.
Take care,
Tom Waters

Monday Big Words Update! Post Infringement/Pre-Pheonix Resistance
August 3, 2009Whelp, last week was interesting.
The Kahle & Co. radio show went very well last Wednesday on 1340 AM. Brian Kahle and myself riffed away, talked about the new book, and of course, I worked in more plugs than I should have. Thanks are in order to Brian for being kind (or daring) enough to have me on the show again. While Lockport is a bit of a hike, he’s got a very loyal audience and I always appreciate their time.
The 5th annual Buffalo Infringement Festival also wrapped up over the weekend and I had an interesting time reading at Nobody’s Art Space on Elmwood and Forest. A special thanks goes out to Josh Smith and the rest of the Infringement organizers for giving me the freedom to either read or set up a table at my scheduled events. Josh also got a five minute sound byte out of me for his own radio show, ‘The Way Up’, which you can listen to at thinktwiceradio.com or on ‘the iTunes’.
This upcoming Friday, I’ll be recording a ‘parter of two’ at Faso’s Grateful Bear & Grill on 1506 Abbott Rd. in Lackawanna. The event? None other than The Pheonix Resistance (whom all of you got to hear first-hand at the Big Words Radio Anniversary party) performing a live concert at Faso’s! I’ll be interviewing Johnny Berlin and the rest of the band before the show itself and the band will start tearing it up some time around 9 p.m. Tickets will be $3 at the door, so if you want to be part of the next Big Words Radio Show, stop on out!
Speaking of events (nudge nudge), we’re less than a month away from the official Slapstick & Superego Book Release Party at Magruder’s Restaurant on Saturday, August 29th from 6 p.m.-10 p.m. If you haven’t marked your calendars yet, please do so now. Attendance is free but book purchases ($19.99) are strongly encouraged.
And finally, the new issue of Night Life hits stands today with Part 1 of ‘A Preacher, A Minister And A Rabbi Walk Into A Bank At The Same Time’, the religious tirade I read on Episode XXXIV of Big Words Radio.
And that’s all the news that’s fit to print this week. I’ll talk to you all in a few days,
Tom Waters