Tim Stopulos

So I was kicking it at my homie J-Hoo's crib last night. We had just gotten back from the Blackhawks game ("To-ny, To-ny" was still ringing in our ears) and decided that it was in our best interest to purchase and split some chicken nuggets from Mr. Greek's. We did just that, consuming our tasty ration in a hasty fashion. Once dinner was over, our friend Lauren told us she had agreed to do a bit for 24/7 Chicago TV (http://247chicago.tv/), which is a show that will air in late March on NBC. They were looking for people who were 'out on the town' and could talk to them about the 'secrets of the city'. I mentioned that I probably wouldn't be of much good to them, considering I wasn't 'out on the town' and I haven't 'lived in Chicago' more than about 2 months and thus haven't been let in on many of the 'secrets'. We all agreed to do it anyway.

They compromised and came up to our apartment. The host of the show was Jamie Blyth (In case you haven't heard the name, it's this guy: http://www.absolutewrite.com/novels/jamie_blyth.htm) but I'm so out of touch with prime time TV that, unless you're Ryan Seacrest, I probably won't recognize you. Anyway, he came in with a camera and a couple of people, all very cool, and started asking Lauren questions about the city. I was sitting on the counter with my guitar, just watching, and Justin (J-Hoo) was walking around. After he coerced her into telling the viewers all of Chicago's secrets, Jamie walked over to me and started asking questions, to which I'm sure I had no intelligent or even coherent responses. Then, using my guitar against me, he asked me to make up a song about Chicago and the 24/7 show on the spot. After a couple minutes of messing around, we video taped the first-ever and second-ever performances of "24/7", which may or may not be shown on NBC later this month. I'm pulling for not.

So if you're watching tube late some saturday night and see me singing some song that you have no idea why I'd be singing, now you know.

Mulligan's 3.8.08 will probably go down in history as the show that started and ended with the same song. That's really a rare thing. First of all, the gig has to be really long for that to be able to happen. Enough time has to have passed such that most of the people there at the beginning aren't quite sure if they're already heard it and the rest of them are gone. However, it can't be so long that the people who showed up late are gone too. Second, I have to be in the mood to play the same song twice. Especially if I'm opening and closing with it, because the performances have to be high energy. Lastly, I have to feel like the song merits a second play and that the audience would like it again. All these things happening on the same night doesn't happen often. But the stars aligned and the crowd had to choose between a bottle of red and a bottle of white a bunch of times that night. I think they ended up taking both.

Highlights:

1) Congo Line
2) King of Wishful Thinking a capella
3) I Go To Xtreems

This is just a little note of thanks to those who have downloaded "The Long Drive Home". I do realize I'm giving it away free, but the fact that you are downloading it leads me to believe you are listening, or at least have listened, to it. And I appreciate that. For those who have enjoyed listening to it, and for those of those who think they'd enjoy seeing/hearing the music played live, I assure you, I'm working actively to arrange that.

My promise: this coming summer, 2008, you will have the opportunity to experience this music live. And I do mean the full experience, not just me solo. So, until then, keep listening to the album and tell everyone you know that I, Tim Stopulos, am giving away music. Just giving it away. We may look back on this and say it was one of the top 3 greatest acts of humanitarianism in the history of Earth, right below anything Oprah has done, and right above the time the Joker rained money onto the streets of Gotham City. You may be saying to yourself, "Yeah, but he then proceeded to gas the Gotham citizens, rendering the streets safe only to those who had the presence of mind to bring masks, like Vicki V.", and I would say to you, that's what's keeping him from cracking my top 2. I would also correct you by saying that Vicki didn't bring a mask, that one guy brought it for her.

In any case, you guys will be able to say you were apart of it. Do your friends and acquaintances a favor and let them in on it as well.