Living In The Bonus Round
The Steve Schalchlin Blog
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Newsletter #10: Teddy Bears and Going It Alone
As for my friend, as part of her volunteer work, she would ride along with the local police department during domestic violence calls and care for the children during those intense moments. In her trunk, she kept a pile of Teddy Bears. She gave me permission to share one of these moments as an example of how we all can be of service to others.
#1: The Power of Plush
It was 1 AM as we pulled into the apartment complex in answer to the call of a break-in. The parking lot was dark; most of the street lights shot out.
The apartment we were going to was on the interior of the complex, also dark and sinister. It was the sound of crying that led us to the broken door and dimly lit apartment.
I drew the two twin girls onto the sofa and into my lap while the officer was gathering information and taking statements from the tenants. Both were sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming down their little faces and little noses running.
I pulled tissue from my pocket and wiped noses and told them my name was and I was a friend of the police. I asked their names and they responded. I asked their ages. One held up three wet, pudgy, adorable fingers while the other just clung to my neck. I asked if they were twins and they both nodded "yes".
As I held them, I gave a quick glance around their home: only three small rooms: a tiny bathroom, a small bedroom with a mattress on the floor and the kitchen/living room we were sitting in. All dimly lit. Windows covered with black trash bags; no curtains. Front door with a now kicked in lock and what looked like multiple gunshot holes.
No pictures. No decorations. No color. And no toys.
As I held them, their sobbing calmed, but their grip on my neck and arms never lessened.
I asked if they would like for me to read them a story about a little mouse. They responded with a nod, but no words. I pulled a storybook from my bag, "The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear." It's a delightful book with beautiful expressive illustrations. I drew the girls closer and had them take turns turning the pages.
They were able to identify with the fear and anxiety of the little mouse who wanted to protect his treasured strawberry from the hungry bear. We scoured each page carefully, the girls showing me something special on nearly every one. I asked them which they thought was cuter: the little mouse or the hungry bear. Both said "bear!"
The officer finished her report and indicated to me with a nod toward the door that we should leave.
I pulled two six-inch plush teddy bears from my bag; one with a pink bow on one ear, the other with a purple bow. Hoping they would not both want the same bear, I offered them to the little girls as I rose from the sofa. Fortunately, no fighting!
They ran to show their mama and as I looked back to wave en route to the cruiser, I saw both girls holding their bears tightly and smiling. It hit me that there is power in plush! Little girls comforted and distracted from the violation of their home and hearts by brown bags of bear-shaped stuffing.
A reminder that we all find comfort when we have something or someone to hold onto.
So my song link today is "Going It Alone," which I put on my Tales from the Bonus Round many moons ago. I encourage you to share it -- and this newsletter -- with anyone you think it might help. Whether they be a caregiver or a patient.
Here is a rare video clip shot from backstage during an actual performance of the great Stephen Bienskie singing it with Bob Stillman.
And for your playlists, this is me singing Going It Alone: Apple Music link:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/going-it-alone/1082085482?i=1082085646
Spotify Link:
https://open.spotify.com/track/1y18S4tGWHOG05mqu5ekYx?si=efd9c6f3cd814314
As always, these are free to stream, but if you can afford to purchase the tracks from Apple Music, it's how independent artists such as myself can earn a living.
[This is the hand-crafted, no-AI, non-bot newsletter of Steve Schalchlin. If you wish to be removed from the list, send me an email. If someone sent you this and you want to be added, write me at steveshack@gmail.com]
Monday, October 14, 2024
Newsletter #9: Halloween Song No. 2 & New Beatles
However, they BOTH agreed it was funny and witty and worked AS A SONG. They just didn't like me doing it. :)
But I made it for your Halloween Playlist because it's silly and perfect for the kind of dark humor Halloween plays around with. Me, I like to joke around about death because that's what this kind of holiday is meant to do. It's like laughing at monsters or going to a horror movie. It's good for the soul. I swear I wasn't trying to upset anyone.
But before that, my Beatles Sing-Along video of the week. It's short because this past Wednesday was John Lennon's birthday, so a big band took our place in the garden and they had an all-day Beatles sing-along where the huge crowd sang all the songs with the band.
But on Friday, we got our usual morning slot and I managed to coax a few ADORABLE folks up to sing. https://youtu.be/m0p_riKg1MA
AFTER I DIE
©2024 by Steve Schalchlin
After I die I want college students
Playing with my bones
Breaking in on drunken nights
After hours puppet shows
When I will my body
To a science class
They can play with all my parts
And show my bony ass
I won’t care
Playing marbles with my eye
I won’t care
After I die
After I'm gone hang my skeleton
High on Halloween
Scare the kids on trick or treat
Make them scream
I will listen closely
From the great beyond
I’ll come back and haunt them
Even after I’m gone
I won’t care
After I die
Since you’ve already torn my heart to shreds.
And hosted so many others in my bed
Since you’ve cut me apart
While me I’m still alive
I won’t care
Cuz I’ll be hard and dry
After I die
Use me like a sex toy
Or beat me like a drum
Finally I can be of use
To someone
You already killed me inside
And that’s why
I won’t care
After I die
See? It's just some dark humor for a dark and spooky night. Put it on your Halloween playlist and run it all night! Or better yet, make a video with yourself singing it in costume! I'll feature you here on the newsletter!
Spotify link:
https://open.spotify.com/track/3Hdl72zMzYa5SnldRJszsr?si=9269925824f94ed0
Apple Music link:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/after-i-die-feat-bonus-round-band-single/1773280518
Amazon Music:
https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DJRPD99B?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_KwBgNSaXyudXZ58yePvdPXoYR&trackAsin=B0DJRPNJGT
YouTube Music:
https://youtu.be/wgqB6FLwBxY?si=hDhBdP4WAOLzU47C
[This is the hand-crafted, no-AI, non-bot newsletter of Steve Schalchlin. If you wish to be sign up for the list, send an email steveshack@gmail.com.]
Wednesday, October 09, 2024
#8: Halloween Song #1 - Zombie Funk
Also, this week at Strawberry Fields, singing Beatles songs with Gavin Gold, I made a video made on my birthday featuring tourists from around the world. They are so adorable and it's personally thrilling to be able to spread so much joy.
Beatles video:
https://youtu.be/XCl0TbHCAfM?si=e4HA-chFt2XNTTDl.)
The Zombie song is a few years old. But next week, I have a brand NEW Halloween song. Both of these enlist a little dark humor. And if you look really closely, maybe a little social commentary. But mostly, it's fun and silly. Lyrics for today's song with links below:
ZOMBIE FUNK (I'm So Glad I'm Not A Zombie)
©2015 Steve Schalchlin
If I were a zombie
I’d stare into space
and wander around
Shuffling from room to room
If I were a zombie
I’d stumble thru life
Not noticing art
Looking for stuff to consume
Stuff to consume
My skin would be rotting
My teeth falling out
My arm prob’ly broken
My legs barely moving
No grooving to the music
I’m so glad I’m not a zombie
I’m so glad I’m not a zombie
I’m so glad I’m not a zombie
No, not me
If I were a zombie
I wouldn’t have to think
I’d just let feelings
Push me into the street
I’d see other zombies
And smell their zombie stink
But I wouldn’t notice
I’d only want fresh meat
My feet, they would fall off
My hands, they would grasp for
More steaming entrails
People to tear apart
Lives to annihilate
No time to hate just moving on
Just moving on
I’m so glad I’m not a zombie
I’m so glad i’m not a zombie
I’m so glad I’m not a zombie
No, not me, no way
I’m so glad I’m not a zombie
I’m so glad i’m not a zombie
Like you
I’d be surrounded by flies
I give each one a name
They’d bury eggs within me
and I get to know their kids
I’m so glad I’m not a zombie
I’m so glad i’m not a zombie
Like you
YouTube link with lyrics:
https://youtu.be/uwNvdLTMZiw?si=NCuIfmNGk-yFbrSU
Spotify link:
https://open.spotify.com/track/1hMlQxVcZ0bKj4tSZofmdp?si=ccfae08e27234ad6
Apple Music:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/zombie-funk-feat-steve-schalchlin-single/1050474927
Amazon Music:
https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B016SS9K9Y?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_3VpYytBZDrA7GOoQUpxLIhVd8&trackAsin=B016SS9L5C
[This is the hand-crafted, no-AI, non-bot newsletter of Steve Schalchlin. If you wish to be removed from the list, send me an email. If someone sent you this and you want to be added, write me at steveshack@gmail.com]
Friday, October 04, 2024
#7b: Birthday Quick Links to "All That and More"
All That and More
©2024 by Steve Schalchlin
I recall a meal aboard a
Luxury cruise line
Where the champagne was poured
From a silver chalice
Engraved with the name of
An old Russian palace
Then an orchestra played
A gossamer icing
Danced across the mirrored floor
I look at you and think
You are all that and more
I saw a museum in Paris
On a tree-lined boulevard
With Picassos on the walls
Adorned in rivers of blue
Even recognized
A masterpiece or two
I’ve climbed the Great Wall
Stretched across China
Saw fields as old as the sun
With acres of gardens
Planted centuries before
Then I see you and think
You are all that and more
The aurora borealis
Dazzling curtains of color
With light from heaven’s shore
Of every place I’ve ever been
Any poem I’ve ever read
Every song that’s drifted through my door
But then I look into your eyes and see
You are all that and more
You are all that and more
Spotfy link:
https://open.spotify.com/track/6gMu9D4z5qtRlXoFQiSRGu?si=2bbf9bad396742d6
Apple Music:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/all-that-and-more-feat-bonus-round-band/1771907094?i=1771907095
YouTube:
https://youtu.be/ID2NJmyOSfc?si=yv2wwB8SjXHbi5FR
Amazon Music:
https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DJC94VTH?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_Ud0B4BtrPJpYkCjmxP2cKbk2r&trackAsin=B0DJC81HJ9
If you purchase the song, that's the best way to support indie artists like myself. But please feel free to stream it, but if you do, add it to a playlist.
And thank you for all the wonderful good wishes I received this week. Being alive is a miracle so don't waste it! --
Tuesday, October 01, 2024
Newsletter #7: It's my birthday week!
It seems unfathomable. Jim and I were watching an old What's My Line from the 50s and they introduced a very old man who, when he said he was 70 years old, got a huge round of applause from the audience. Back then, that was OLD. I used to think it was ANCIENT. Unreachable, when I was a kid.
After my AIDS diagnosis and subsequent trauma and near-misses, I remember writing in my diary how much I hoped to just see one staged reading of The Last Session. I didn't so much see it as experience it from the stage still hooked up to "Louie," my feed bag. Some of you may remember those days.
Here's a link to the opening night as recorded in my online diary: http://bonusround.com/july96.html#7_18_96
After I won the lottery and Dr. Bruce Dorsey's magic pills saved my life, my goal was to see the year 2000.
So to be here, still grinding away and writing and recording and playing Beatles music in the park, this is a bonus round I couldn't have expected. I'm still making it up as I go along, not knowing what's going to happen next.
The new song gets officially released on Friday, my birthday. It's called, appropriately, All This and More. It was debuted "live" onboard the Crystal Serenity, our cruise a few weeks ago by a singer named Bruce Hammond, who learned it only two days previously. (I chased him down after breakfast and said, "Hey Bruce! Wanna debut a new song?")
Bruce Hammond did a beautiful job, captured here:
I'll send you the link to my new version next week after it's released so you can include it in your playlists. Meanwhile, enjoy Bruce's version and remember to be grateful for all the people around you and for every breath you take.
If you wish to donate to my work on Venmo or PayPal, use my email steveshack@gmail.com
This is the Steve Schalchlin newsletter. If you wish to be included on the email list, let me know!
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Newsletter #6: Monks at a Tea Party
Going against the current pop trend for shorter and shorter songs, this four-part 17-minute piece begins with "Letting Go" and moves through four phases of relaxation and meditation, but also inspiration and energizing with an end piece called "Safe and Sound."
And no, there are no monks chanting at a tea party. I named it that humorously to describe a moment of stillness in a world of random silliness, avoidance and chaos.
If you're looking for music to relax and de-stress, I highly recommend carving out these few minutes, lying back in a quiet place with a cup of tea or other refreshment and giving "Monks at a Tea Party" a listen.
I created a hypnotic short film featuring the music, which you can find on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/p4DPaT51TIo?si=vvnT5tRcs5tJLQhD
Spotify link:
https://open.spotify.com/track/0dAmYiUOwxIgBz9KooKktm?si=15c9b58d548447da
Apple Music:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/monks-at-a-tea-party-feat-steve-schalchlin-blake-zolfo-ep/1701510138
Amazon Music:
https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0CDZ2LT2L?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_7C9KX6HbwhYPq3XYKlbl19mat&trackAsin=B0CDZGVJ7M
As always, you are free to stream the piece, but if you purchase it at Apple or Amazon, it's the best way to support independent artists. It's only 99-cents.
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Newsletter #5: Steve Goes Punk?
The Rebel Nerds have a comical, tuneful twist to their music that is totally accessible. Naturally I had to horn in on the act by writing lyrics for them.
So the spotlight single this week is "Sooner or Later," which may be the most mainstream song of the bunch -- and even got a good run on a Bruce Ravid's popular alt-rock playlist, up against a lot of mainstream, big label artists.
Give it a spin and tell me what you think! (And listen to that killer bass line!) I love this YouTube video version with the lyrics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dknUvJL90Ac Sooner or Later: Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/track/5TbFH1N5FH7lVkPn7ctCzl?si=71c8d0d559dd4533
Apple Music:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/sooner-or-later/1571781221?i=1571781226
Amazon Music:
https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0BBPFJ62P?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_DJPKHRPrI3xHQdeAACeQevgog
Here's the whole playlist of Rebel Nerd/Steve Schalchlln collaborations:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5UwIQFVhykonJlfKtweKzw?si=4ca7084c13a34a9a
As always, purchasing music from these stores helps support indie artists like myself, but feel free to stream for free or share the links. My gift is my song and this one's for you!
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Newsletter #4: Someone to Get Groceries With
Suddenly this year, I'm writing the best songs of my life. There's a lesson here, that if you stop trying so hard and just let the stress and expectations go, the light of inspiration will pop up and shine everywhere you're not looking. That's how this song happened.
It came from a personal ad brought to me by Blake Zoflo, from my Bonus Round Band. It was such an honest statement, "someone to get groceries with," I immediately wrote it down.
Maybe that wish was a reflection of how I was feeling, that instead of looking for THE GREAT AMERICAN SONG with high expectations or unrealistic goals, maybe what we really need in life is a simple song on a small scale, something clear and honest and real.
Blake helped me shape it and I recorded him singing it. If this doesn't melt your heart, you ain't got no heart! :)
Someone to Get Groceries With
Spotify link
https://open.spotify.com/track/5Pr3k6QuduSf0WzL4L3jgq?si=11df76d37a104641
YouTube link
https://youtu.be/vKeihne7JiQ?si=IfEwjwLqtxWbUtv4
Apple Music link
https://music.apple.com/us/album/someone-to-get-groceries-with-feat-bonus-round-band/1748334462?i=1748334463
Amazon Music link
https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0D4XCVRGL?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_lj1hJH2sw2ZxcAwkXTsrBQZ0t
If you purchase the track from Apple Music or Amazon, more money comes to the artists (that's me and Leo the cat!) but you are welcome to stream it for free.
If you wish to support my work more directly using PayPal or Venmo, use my email address steveshack@gmail.com.
[This is the hand crafted no-bot Steve Schalchlin Newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, just hit reply and send me a note. If you got this indirectly and you wish me to be on it, write me directly at steveshack@gmail.com! I send it out every Tuesday.]
-- Steve Schalchlin
Living in the Bonus Round
Spotify Links
Love Songs by Steve Schalchlin Spotify Playlist https://tinyurl.com/stevelovesongs
Personal Songs by Steve Schalchlin Spotify Playlist https://tinyurl.com/stevepersonal
Comic/Humor Songs by Steve Schalchlin Spotify Playlist https://tinyurl.com/stevehumor
Inspirational Songs by Steve Schalchlin Spotify Playlist https://tinyurl.com/steveinspire
Meditation Music by Steve Schalchlin Spotify Playlist https://tinyurl.com/stevemeditate
Political Songs by Steve Schalchlin Spotify Playlist https://tinyurl.com/stevepolitics
Monday, September 09, 2024
Newsletter #3: Oh You Devil
Thank you for the wonderful notes I got last week after I talked about the loss of two of my best friends. It really warmed my heart to know I'm not alone. Many shared their own experiences of loss and how they coped.
OH YOU DEVIL
©2024 by Steve Schalchlin
I ONCE WROTE A SONG FOR THE DEVIL
THE DEVIL NEVER WROTE A SONG FOR ME
HE SAID, GET OVER IT MAN I’M THE DEVIL
A SONG FOR YOU
WOULD BE A REDUNDANCY
AND I SAID OH OH OH YOU DEVIL
ARE YOU SAYING I’M MY OWN WORST ENEMY?
YOU ARE STILL THE DEVIL I KNOW
BUT YOU WERE BORN AN ANGEL
IS A DEVIL WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO BE?
I ONCE WROTE A SONG TO JESUS
JESUS NEVER WROTE A SONG FOR ME
I SAID JESUS WON’T YOU HELP ME
WITH MY BURDENS
HE SAID, LOOK AROUND, SON, COME ON, YOU’RE ALREADY FREE
AND I SAID OH OH OH YOU DEVIL
ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY I’M MY OWN WORST ENEMY?
WELL, IT’S STILL THE DEVIL I KNOW
HE SAID, YOU WERE BORN AN ANGEL
AND AN ANGEL IS WHAT YOU WILL ALWAYS BE
I ONCE WROTE A SONG TO ELVIS PRESLEY
I SAID ELVIS, GUESS WHAT, YOU’RE A DEITY
HE SAID ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS DIE WHEN THEY STILL LOVE YOU
AND YOU WILL STAY THE AGE THEY THEY WANTED YOU TO BE
AND I SAID OH OH OH YOU DEVIL
ARE YOU SAYING I CAN’T LIVE UNTIL I DIE
I’M STILL THE DEVIL I KNOW
THO I WAS BORN AN ANGEL
I KEEP A BIT OF DEVIL IN MY EYE
Newsletter #2: Past Life
The full studio version of PAST LIFE, my new single this week, is available for preview, with links to the streaming services on this page.
Newsletter #1: I Only See You Young
I'm proud to announce I've released "I Only See You Young" as a new single.