Columns
Here’s a Thought: Opening Act
By Taylor Mason
For those of you not familiar with how I roll: I’ve been a comedian for 25-plus years and been an “opening act” for a variety of performers. Some highlights. ...
Here's a Thought: Death by Cancer
By Taylor Mason
My sister-in-law passed away last Thursday, felled by cancer after a seven-year battle. She was a dignified, lovely, inspiring wife and mother who beat the odds over and over again.
Time Out: Safety ‘Net
By Patty Elder
Summer in DC means storms, and storms mean power outages. And power outages bring out my worst fear, and it's NOT the dark. ...
Here’s a Thought: Hot Enough for Ya?
By Taylor Mason
The heat was debilitating this summer, so much so that the word “hot” doesn’t do justice to the grades of temperature we've sweated these past few months.
Time Out: Make Yourself at Home
By Cara Garretson
It’s beach week, and so far so good. We bust into our rented beach house and it looks great – the bathrooms are sparkling, the décor is charming, the kitchen is retro. ...
Here’s a Thought: Putting the Fun in FundraiserFebruary 03, 2010
By Taylor Mason
Sunday night, January 31, I flew to Las Vegas and performed for some 3,000 people. I did what I loosely refer to as “my job.” I told jokes. I performed ventriloquism. I played the piano and sang. For some 85 minutes I tried to be funny, exciting and entertaining. I might not be a first-rate entertainer, but I am a first-rate, second-rate entertainer (thank you Richard Strauss). I try hard to be inclusive with the material and the routines I execute on stage, so my audience cannot be defined by race, religion, creed, income or background. (See my blog post, Not a Christian Comedian, Part 2.) I know what I do isn’t for everyone. This particular evening was different than most, in that I wasn’t being paid. I had been given an airplane ticket and a rental car, a couple of dollars for food and gasoline, but there was no “income” at the end of the night. It was a true fundraiser, sponsored by Canyon Ridge Church and Compassion International, and I was the entertainment. I’m humbled by these kinds of events, particularly when the subject is as important and as critical as Haiti. The audience donated all sorts of goods, and people gave $42,000 in cash that night. It makes me smile just to write that, because I know what’s going to happen. This was not one of those big MTV-style “benefits” where millions and millions of dollars are phoned in by well-meaning people, and pop stars and celebrities perform hit songs and promote their albums. There won’t be a question about “where did the money go?” from the show we did at Canyon Ridge. Nobody has to call and ask if the food and the donations will get to the people in question. There won’t be a cover-up and unanswered phone calls. There is no “administrative” budget of $17 Million. I can vouch for that. I’ve been working with Compassion on-and-off for a couple of years. I know there are lots of organizations like it here in the US and around the world, all doing great work. I can only speak of Compassion in the first-person, because I have seen the results of the time and money that have been donated and raised and used. I know of two little boys in Managua, Nicaragua, who have had their lives changed. I know because I went and met them. I saw their homes (or what passes for a “home”). I saw their eyes. I’ve also seen how they have grown and changed and flourished with the help of my scant dollars every month. Eleven years ago my wife came to me and said, “We are going to sponsor a girl in Haiti.” We have two young sons, eight and five years old at the time, and money was tight. I’m a comedian who uses puppets, admits to being a Christian and doesn’t curse on stage. By definition I cannot make more than a certain amount of money in an X-rated world. Over my caterwauling and complaining she filled out the forms and sent in the money. She has continued doing so ever since, and she exchanges letters back and forth with this young lady who is now 18 years of age. We have not heard from Ruthlie since the earthquake, although her school was not damaged since she’s west of Port-au-Prince. We hope for the best. I’m doing another one of these church-and-Compassion events this Thursday, February 4, in Augusta, Georgia. Here is the event information. You can also help children in Haiti and the world over by contacting Compassion at www.compassion.com (NOTE: the music director at my church served in Haiti when he was a teen-ager. He sent this email after I told him I’d be doing some work for Haiti this winter and spring)
Taylor Mason is a comedian, a musician, a ventriloquist, writer and gadget freak. He has headlined every major comedy club in the United States, and has played Carnegie Hall and The Sydney Opera House in Australia. He has been part of two Emmy-winning television programs, including his children’s TV show, “Taylor’s Attic.” He is featured in comedy DVDs "Thou Shalt Laugh," "Thou Shalt Laugh 2" and "Thou Shalt Laugh 3," plus two episodes of the hit comedy series “Bananas.” Taylor works a mind-boggling 200 nights a year, in front of every kind of audience, and has managed to stay married for the past 22 years to his wife, Marsia. They have two teen-aged sons and live in New Jersey (the only state in America that uses air freshener … outdoors).
And also check out Taylor's blog and recent Here's a Thought columns:
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