Performance

This weekend I had a bit of an epiphany and I also realized why my best friend is my best friend. On Sunday, instead of going back to Indianapolis in one of about 700 flood producing thunderstorms Indiana has had this summer (side note- watch for high food prices as over 30 million acres of farmland have been flooded out) I was watching Chicago with some friends and came to the realization that I love performing. Like really really love it. And so does Jessica, which is so cool.

It helps to explain the karaoke fetish (or the fact that, yes, I warm up before hand and have a repertoire of songs I use) and also the fact that both of us are going into careers where there is a bit of performance involved. I don’t think I’ll ever get to the point where I’ll just be the doctor, I think it’ll always be Matt playing the doctor at the time. I personally think I play the part rather well- as evidenced by being able to alter my manner when dealing with a very overprotective spastic parent. An endocrinologist and I talked about the way to deal with patients like that, and we both agreed that there is a bit of schmoozing that needs to be done in medicine- good thing I’m a charmer.

The wonderful thing about this is while I think I could have easily been a killer director of burlesque shows, this is where I am now and I still get to perform all the time. Granted, I will probably not get to gyrate as a backup dancer for Madonna or be Velma Kelly, but no one can stop me from singing my guts out in the car, or the shower, or from dreaming.

The power of performance as something sublimely transforming and almost mystical is something I’ve always thought of and am glad I’ve had the privilege of being involved with. Liza once hinted at something like that in her Inside the Actor’s Studio interview. It also is presented as that in this book I’ve been reading (actually read half and it is “in progress,” but I finished Dorian Gray so this is next), Trickster Makes this World, that performing/storytelling is the art of creating a clever lie and then getting people to believe it. I need to finish that book- it mashes up pretty well with Jungian psychology and if I’m going to be all about that, I guess I better read the shit. Maybe some people could use some transformative performance therapy. I mean, mindfulness therapy is already getting big attention, and that’s another one of those “no shit” ideas I’ve had.

The point of this is I’m glad that I know someone really loves performing as much a I do, and maybe that’s why Jessica and I get along so swimmingly.

~Matt