In 1997 I wrote and recorded this song for my kids' video "Winners". It was one of many novelty songs, skits and bits that I wrote and recorded with my puppets for kids' and family videos. They also were parts of the pitches that I made through the years to tv producers for various concepts of kids' and family tv shows that I created featuring my puppets and me. Several times tv producers responded enthusiastically to my pitches, raising my hopes that this dream would come true...only to inevitably dash my hopes by changing their minds or simply disappearing.
Shortly after I recorded this video in 1997 I began shifting my focus from pitching a kids' tv show to pitching my newer concept aimed at an adult audience: Trillo & Suede - a film noir parody featuring a ventriloquist detective and his wooden partner. An eerily similar chain of events ensued with Trillo & Suede over the next two decades, in which I was led to believe many times that various tv and movie producers were all set to offer me deals and/or line up the money for a major Trillo & Suede project...until the deals inevitably vanished along with the producers.
I also had limited time during the past two decades to pursue my career dreams because as a single dad my top priority was raising my two daughters.
In 2019 I made a decision: since it seemed unlikely that any of my concepts would ever become a reality I will self-fund two seasons of a Trillo & Suede web series. I did it. It has already won a staggering 38 awards for Best Web Series, Best Comedy and more in international film contests!
Now I'm seeking a way to fund Season 3 and a feature film, but even if Trillo & Suede ends here I'm very glad that I took the plunge out of my own pocket. Even on a very tight budget I feel that I have proven to the world - and to myself - that my concept WORKS. And people can enjoy it AS IS while getting a chance to imagine what "could have been" if I had a Netflix-level budget.
But in 1997 I had only begun to develop the Trillo & Suede concept and I was still focused more on trying to get a kids' show produced. Most of my videos from those efforts have disintegrated before I got round to transferring them from VHS. I shot this song in B&W with a grainy look intentionally for a vintage feel, but the video is also very degraded. So, here is what remains of the Honky Tonky Monkey Rag...
Honky Tonky Monkey Rag
Shortly after I recorded this video in 1997 I began shifting my focus from pitching a kids' tv show to pitching my newer concept aimed at an adult audience: Trillo & Suede - a film noir parody featuring a ventriloquist detective and his wooden partner. An eerily similar chain of events ensued with Trillo & Suede over the next two decades, in which I was led to believe many times that various tv and movie producers were all set to offer me deals and/or line up the money for a major Trillo & Suede project...until the deals inevitably vanished along with the producers.
I also had limited time during the past two decades to pursue my career dreams because as a single dad my top priority was raising my two daughters.
In 2019 I made a decision: since it seemed unlikely that any of my concepts would ever become a reality I will self-fund two seasons of a Trillo & Suede web series. I did it. It has already won a staggering 38 awards for Best Web Series, Best Comedy and more in international film contests!
Now I'm seeking a way to fund Season 3 and a feature film, but even if Trillo & Suede ends here I'm very glad that I took the plunge out of my own pocket. Even on a very tight budget I feel that I have proven to the world - and to myself - that my concept WORKS. And people can enjoy it AS IS while getting a chance to imagine what "could have been" if I had a Netflix-level budget.
But in 1997 I had only begun to develop the Trillo & Suede concept and I was still focused more on trying to get a kids' show produced. Most of my videos from those efforts have disintegrated before I got round to transferring them from VHS. I shot this song in B&W with a grainy look intentionally for a vintage feel, but the video is also very degraded. So, here is what remains of the Honky Tonky Monkey Rag...
Honky Tonky Monkey Rag
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