Hi...

Got a very weird update this weekend.

A couple of reeealllly cool things happening. For one, I'm being interviewed on Sunday for the final segment of a year-long piece for Japanese television about Central Park and what I've been doing in the park for the past 15 summers.

(Maybe I'll be a STAR in Japan! And, if a basketball game breaks out, maybe I can play and someone'll finally say, "Pass it to the big guy!")

NEXT... I was asked again to sit in at the SGA Songwriters Circle this coming Monday night. Now, this is a little New York Secret that you guys oughta know about. I get to share the stage with some of the most brilliant and innovative songwriters in this town... and IT'S FREE. (7:00 - 9:00 at The Red Lion on Bleecker Street, down in the Village.)

But for TODAY... calling AL Franken!

Click on the photo to visit his site.

(No seriously, I'm gonna call Al Franken later, because I need his help with a little research.) In fact... Al or Franny... if you're reading this right now. Here are those songs I was talking about.)

JesusLand

Tom Cruise Scares Me

Where's the Voice

The Religion Song

Y'see, I'm having a lot of fun with the process of writing a song that I wanna get to Keith Olbermann over at Countdown (MSNBC) It's the song I've been meaning to write, entirely about a laughable little man who is a complete a phony as anyone walking the earth... Mr. Bill O'Reilly.)

Oh, I couldn't resist. "Big Giant Head".

I need a little help, Al. (I'll even give you a co-writing credit, of course.) So, gimme a call. Call the podcast and we'll kick it around over the phone, or over a cup of coffee when you're in town for "Letterman" this Wednesday.

Cool?

Okay... BACK TO THE MUSIC AND THE PODCAST!

2 installments of "I Love the Company" this week. On Friday's episode of "I Love the Company" I promised that I would catch up and make both show #226 and the weekend show (#227) available at the same time.

I'm a man of my word.

So, even though we're still 5 or 6 weeks out from hangin' out in Central Park...

...we can still hang here. And you people who are scattered all over the country and in different parts of the world can all be a part of this, too.

Here, click on this logo for show #226.

And click on this logo for "The Weekend Show".

I did something a little unusual on both shows. On 226, I featured one artist... one guy who really deserves to be out front even though he spends a lot of his Creative life a little bit upstage, holding the whole gig together. His name of Roger Bartlett. (My buddy and the man I call "Dodger". (Click on this photo of me and Dodger at work down on Bleecker Street to visit his website, find out more about his music and the man himself.)

And, on the next show I featured 2 songs by one artists (Don't think I've ever done that before.) ...a guy that I'm looking forward to featuring as a guest in Central Park when the weather gets here. His name is David Abbinanti. Along with David on this episode, another couple of artists that have joined me out at "The Hill" and you can bet I'm gonna ask back this season... Sam Leopold and a regular here in the show... Cassie Kubinski.

(Click on their photo to visit their websites, find out more about their music, where they're playing, and how to get their music.)

. .

Okay... I gotta get back to the studio with Dodge. We have a new album to bring you guys this year... hopefully in about a month or two.

Keep checking back for updates about gig around town between now and then.

Cool?

Oh yeah! Here are the phone numbers for you guys to call the show and leave a message for me, or a comment, or opinion... or to give a shout to any of the artists you hear on the podcast.

Anywhere in North America:

646-224-8162

In Europe:

+44 845 280 6622

I'm also actually asking any of you to introduce one of the episodes of ILTC. All you hafta do is leave a brief message, saying who you are and where you live and then introduce the show any way you want. You can also call in with any comments, or opinions, or requests you have.... anything at all that you wanna say about the show "I Love the Company" or anything at all.

See you guys back here next time.

D'oh!!! And, oh yeah...

I wanna let you all know that the Central Park Permit Fund for '07 is continuing. (Could really use everybody's help with that effort. You can click on any of these links or the PayPal button over there on the right, under The Weather section.) It also helps keep the podcast going strong every weekday. Damn! It's turned into a full time job, keepin' it goin'!

See you back here tomorrow and every day next week. Bring a few friends around. "I Love the Company"!

Thanks a lot.