A Year In Review

Good morning friends. Hope you're having a nice holiday break or at least taking some time with friends and/or family or family who are friends. Before I begin my year in review, a quick note on my trip to the movies yesterday.

I had a few hours to kill, and despite my resistance to the trailers, I decided to go see "A Complete Unknown." I had head some positive things from a few trusted sources so I was optimistic, but skeptical. I went to one of those "6 Bag Cinemas" type theaters with the fancy truffle fries. I don't like it. I would rather go to the counter and get a bag of peanut m&m's, drump em into a small bag of popcorn. There was also a gaggle of older women who sat behind me and ordered up a round of Margaritas and squawked loudly through the previews... but luckily they settled down when the movie began.

I liked it! It had the usual trappings of rock bio pics and a few unnecessary scenes  (Al Cooper sneaking his way onto Like A Rolling Stone) but the film was made with great care to period details.... the performances from everyone were really really nice across the board (Grossman was a little silly, but he seemed like a silly man) A few moments moved me near to tears... at the core of the movie is people confronted with this asshole weirdo whose songs are just too good to comprehend. There's a scene where he plays "The Times They Are A Changin'" and they did a great job in showing just how fucking mind-blowing it was to hear that for the first time. Like, where the fuck did this guy come from??

 Timothee completely won me over - his singing was not as much an impersonation... it captured the essence of the man - the way his mouth and eyes moved during a song sold it even more than the voice did.

And while it's not the most interesting period of Bob's life to me, I'm glad they just sat there in those few years instead of telling a Walk Hard style life spanning epic. But Id be happy if Mangold and Chalemet met up every 5 years and bit off another chunk of Bob's life... The UK Electric tour with the band... the Woodstock Years. Divorce and Rolling Thunder, Finding Jesus... The lost 80s... The Never-ending Tour...

OK... That was a little longer than I intended... 2024... What the hell happened?

I was a year of major travel for me. I worked a hell of a lot of jobs all over the place and we still managed to deliver 50 or so shows for you this year!

I started the year right off the bat in the first week of January flying back to Cincinnati to complete my work on the wonderfully delightful Nutcrackers (now on Hulu) with Ben Stiller - I stayed in the little suburb of Mason, Oh and didn't have much to do on the film, but got some good hang time with Ben and David Gordon Green... and had some delicious Indian food.

Driving around Ohio, I got a call with an offer to do a recurring role in "What We Do In The Shadows." About time! I was already committed to this Irish show Chris O'Dowd was putting together and of course the Oscar Special, so I said if we can make it work I'd love to do it.

So in February I went off to Toronto for the first of two chunks of time in Toronto. I was so happy to meet the show runner Paul Sims who I've been a great admirer of since I was in high school (he had created News Radio, and I had a distinct memory of reading an interview with him in Rolling Stone that mapped out what I wanted to do in life) He was a big On Cinema fan and we got along immediately. I was also delighted to find I'd be sharing my scenes with Jeremy Levick, Rajat Suresh and Alyssa Limperis... We ended up spending a good amount of time together roaming around Toronto in the winter. I didn't have many scenes with Mark, but we got together a few times for a few lovely dinners.

The schedules overlapped perfectly in that I was able to fly from Toronto to Dublin on a thursday night, arriving friday morning for wardrobe fittings, a little nap and stroll around town, dinner with Chris O'Dowd... and then block shooting all my scenes across 6 episodes over the course of Saturday and Sunday... and then catching a flight back to LA on Monday morning. Phew. It felt like a weird fever dream, but everyone was kind and friendly and fun to work with. I think that show which stars Christina Hendricks comes out in a few months.

I was back home for about 6 days and then BACK to Toronto for 2 days of shooting and back home again... to spend the week dialing in the Oscar Special! We had secured what i would consider our most ambitious shooting location yet had we not managed to pull of the Hei Ranch a few years ago... The Hilton in Glendale! It seemed too good to be true, but it all worked out beautifully and the night went off without a hitch. Somehow we dodged another bullet.

The next weekend the office hours and on cinema, very good band entourage headed to Portland for the first ever TIMFEST! It was a lot of work getting it together but the 2 days were nothing but loving FUN! We got another one coming at you next year. stay tuned for THAT.

It was BACK to Toronto for one more week of shooting to cap off my March - Paul and the writers had invited me into their off set life in Toronto which mostly just involved playing pickle ball at an indoor tennis club. I was happy to join in the fun. Anything to get me out of my hotel room.

I got to spend much of April at home, and then the last week and into May, I headed out to Albuquerque to film 2 and a half weeks on "Him" the latest horror movie from The Jordan Peele Universe. On the way, I ran into Marc Maron who as a place in Abq and met up where we ran into Aubrey Plaza and Margaret Qualley and had dinner with those two. Aubrey and I ended up hanging a few other times while I was in town. She's a pal and I was happy to have some friends in town to spend my off time with (again, get me out of the dang hotel!)

6 days home I was back on a plane to NYC to work the lead in a very small movie from a young first time director Charlotte Ercoli. It was my first time shooting a movie in New York since The Comedy! I guess I only shoot movies in New York when I'm the lead.

I was a challenging movie, as are all low budget movies but I had a great time - I really loved the crew, especially my little glam squad... the hair makeup and wardrobe ladies. I worked a few days with Julia Fox who I had just worked a few days with on "Him"! I also got to know and love and spend good quality time with Kevin Kline and his family.

The movie also took me to Florence (or as they say there Firenze... why don't we just call it Firenze!??) Another strange European fever dream... Hot as hell and hard work, but fun and stacked with good food and wine.  

between New York and Firenze, I didn't get home until the end of June... A few weeks home and then off on a family vacation to Florida to see my dad and let the kids frolic in the warm Atlantic Ocean.

August saw a quick weekend trip up to seattle for a music festical with the Very Good Band and then a 2 week tour opening up for Waxahatchee. I was off the bus and in a van, slumming it but we were traveling up the east coast into some really pretty territory - the weather was kind, the venues were all magical and hospitable. I was grateful to get to play my tunes to a new audience.

September was mostly at home, except for a quick jaunt to Nashville for a frenzy of shows with me and Ellie for Americana Fest...

I thought I'd spend the rest of my fall at home doing press for the new record, writing On Cinema, doing office hours and working on a few other projects but there was one last trip that landed in my lap: A 2 week jaunt to Barcelona for a commercial job - directing Brian C*x in a Malibu Rum commercial! Ha! what the hell?

I enjoyed my time in Barcelona - working with new people who became fast friends ! The job was challenging but nothing I hadn't dealt with before. Off the job, we were treated to the finest sights and bites Barcelona had to offer. I loved it there and would love to go back.

While I was there, my latest record Slipping Away came out. :)

I was able to stay home for the rest of the year. On Cinema shoot came together... And the new season launched on Christmas - people seem to be enjoying it! It's a fun one with a slight return to the olden days - for now...

Despite all the turbulence, airport bathrooms and confusing hotel lights and missing my wife and kids of course, it was a really exciting and fun year to see the world and make some new friends.

The big Slipping Away tour is just around the corner, so the traveling continues... my own version of the never ending tour... mixed with acting and directing gigs...

Thank you for your patience and understanding when we mix up the schedule or bring in a guest host here and there... I'm so glad we've been able to keep Office Hours going strong - I felt like it was big growth year for us and I expect more of the good stuff in 2025!

See you on the 9th!

Peace and Love T