A lot of people have been asking for the words to the rap song that Michael Pizza performed at The Del Awards last night. So here ya go...

Brett:

This song is dedicated to all my fallen homies

The soul of Del Close is in the building

The soul of Fat Kid is in the building

The soul of The Signatures is in the building

And we're gonna do it like this...

In all black, by the casket saying RIP/

To all my fallen soldiers from RGB/

I thank God it wasn't me whenever Charna swings the ax/

Face the facts, Shadowfax aint never comin' back/

And Electric Mayhem, you should have been on this song/

But your gone and I still can't figure out what went wrong/

It should have been Owl Farm but a bullets got no name on it/

So to honor you I got a tattoo with your name on it

Eric:

It was scenes and games homie, but no one ever told me/

That in my quest we'd lose Hunter Family Crest/

It was like someone up and turned out the lights/

Leaving me standing in the darkest of nights/

My eyes couldn't see so I stumbled and I fell/

A hand, a body, the late Lionelle/

This walk, these struggles, this game, these fears/

I dedicate it all to Willie Nelson Slept Here/

Ben:

Fallen but not forgotten

Fallen but not forgotten

iO, iO, iO x3

Brett:

I got my hat pulled down to my eyes/

As I swerve down Lake Shore Drive and I'm just glad to be alive/

Cuz a lot of teams didn't survive/

I saw The Council, it was like they never even tried/

I get fried, high as hell and reminisce on Swanel/

Sip on a 40 ounce and pour some out for Lionelle

Eric:

And talk about Troy, oh boy bitch/

The team went belly up like a coy fish/

And The Bird and The Bison, you best be forewarned/

Brett:

These streets'll leave that ass cut like Airbourne/

Eric:

And I was shocked to hear about Shock Corridor/

Brett:

Chopped down like an Orc but this is not Mordor/

Eric:

This is real life man, and Charna needs proof/

Brett:

Alacazam, Street Magic disappeared like POOF/

Eric:

You want the truth, you might as well not bother/

Brett:

The Commission cuts any team not named Revolver

Ben:

Fallen but not forgotten

Fallen but not forgotten

iO, iO, iO x3

Josh:

Do teams get to go to Heaven? Do teams get to go to Heaven?

Lord I need to know right now, do teams get to go to Heaven when they die?

Whoa

We didn't forget about you dog

Whoa

Michael Pizza on thursdays!

Whoa

Neapolitan you're cut, Neapolitan you're cut

Whoa, whoa

For all my fallen homies, for all my fallen homies

Like the Kangaroo Dudes, Oh The Kangaroo Dudes

Shake it Signatures, shake it Signatures

Electric Mayhem, Oh Electric Mayhem

City of Chicago, city of Chicago

Rosemont

Shaumburg is in the building

Napierville is in the building

Skokie, city of Skokie

Evanston knows how to party, Evanston knows how to party

Aurora's in the building, Aurora's definitely in the building

Gary Indiana, Gary Indiana, Gary Indiana

Del Awards

by Eric

Tonight is the Del Awards and Michael Pizza is nominated for Best Non-Harold Show. We are up against the best of best (Improvised Shakespeare, 3033, etc) so we don't expect to win this one but it sure was a huge honor to be nominated after only half a year at iO.

Brett was also nominated for Sexiest Male Improviser but this is a tough one to win as most people go after the least likely to win. Ben was nominated for Best Inanimate Object as a plane in an Owl Farm show. I think he actually was one wing of a plane.

Michael Pizza will also perform a rap to honor all the cut Harold teams. So many cut Harold teams. We will let you know how it goes!

Yes, and... in real life

Josh

Yes and... is an improv concept that I hear all the time. Teachers push the idea of Yes and... non stop. I sort of got it in a half asses minor understanding way until recently. I'd think I was doing it, I'd have ok scenes, so does that mean I'm putting it to work. Doing this for longer the concept starts to get deeper meaning, my knowledge of why these concepts are so important start to reveal themselves. Partly because I'm really trying to "get" them and partly because they're out there and you just have to pay attention.

Yes and... is accepting what someone does, says, thinks, gestures and using it. You and your partners are building a world where everyone throws something in. Everything is usable, from the slightest mess up to an unintended facial tick. On stage if someone calls you a doctor you yes them by becoming a doctor. The "and" comes in when you respond with some sort of "gift" also. Perhaps you state what kind of a doctor you are, or even give an expression that defines the way you feel about your partner. It's such a great concept and so useful in scenes. It's really the only thing! But Yes and... goes deeper than just a two word combo that is the blueprint for good improv scenes. iI is also a great more fulfilling way to live.

That may seem like a hyperbolic statement but it's not at all. It's imperative!

The Situation: Brett Elam, Jill Goree, Dylan Kiney and I were watching Nanny 911 the other day. My sister has some wild kids, so I like to get advice on curbing their behavior from anywhere I can. I also like pointing out the rediculous gimick of having an British nanny that drives in an British car in America.

Brett's Story: We were exchanging memories of our parents parenting skills and Brett had a pretty great one. Brett's mom had made him a schedule when he was younger. I guess she was just trying to organize his life. Good parenting! Brett took the schedule and in turn made one for his mom. What! The schedule laid out things for his mom such as when to cook dinner and when she was allowed to smoke her cigarettes and read her book. Most parents wouldn't have it. They'd either laugh it off or get angry. She did one better than both of those. She sat down and looked at it. She accepted it and explained to Brett that she didn't need this much time to prepare dinner. Brett had allotted her two hours. She Yes and'ed it. She got together with her tenacious son and they worked together to make a better schedule for her. I still haven't asked what the revised schedule allotted for dinner.

My Story: I was more excited about that story than I should have been. I recognized it as yes and... I saw how that simple concept of accepting anything and using it is the best way to be about everything. I am a chess teacher for kids. The job pays nothing so I may not be doing it for very long. The kids are great though. They are so funny. There are, however, some real wild ones. Not all kids love chess. It's hard to believe but it's the truth. The day after Nanny 911 I taught a class and attacked. There are two kids in that class who don't have any interest in chess. They really only want to say things like butt and poop and other kid swears I'd ordinarily love, not in a classroom setting. I decided I was going to try to yes and... this behavior and teach them something. They honestly knew nothing. I sat down with them one at a time and ran through all the pieces. They both didn't know what any piece was called or how it moved. Here's what we did. I sat with the first kid and let him call the pieces anything he wanted. Here's what he came up with; Bishop=boogers, Knight=fatty, Pawn=tooty, King=king crab, Queen, Poopie and the Rook was deemed DSI! Those are brilliant! I went through one more time explaining how all the pieces move, but the only difference was I called them by his names. Fuck, it was so much fun! He actually remember and still remembers today, which is three weeks later. Eventually we ran through contrasting his cool names with my stupid names. This was also fun because we would say things like "What was the cool name you made for this piece?" he'd answer "Fatty!" "Good, now what's my stupid name that my dumb face calls it?" "Knight" he's say with his tongue stuck out. They got it and we both had a terrific time getting there. I yes and'ed his contribution and look what we ended up with.

It hasn't been that long since that moment, but I have been trying to find it everywhere and in everything. What other improv concepts can I apply to my everyday life? Why the hell did it take me so long to realize this? Is this a big deal? I'm relatively smart. Oh well. Improv is great.
It's greater than we all realize. If you want to get foofy foofy with it we can. It's also just a cool way to be. Thanks for reading.


This is where you come in. Yes and...

New Michael Pizza Video

Josh

This is the latest installment of Michael Pizza's video campaign. The Travel Channel gave us a decent budget. After a firm handshake, Brett and I agreed we'd split the money equally and spend nothing on the video.

A move I loved

by Eric

So last night after our show I watch "The Scene" or the all-star show that we open for. There was one moment that I loved that was so simple. It was TJ Jagadowski and Brian Wilson playing a father and son. Brian, the son, told TJ, the dad, "you can never do anything when you are drunk." TJ responded with "No, there is so much more I can do when I am drunk."

I loved this exchange because right there it gave both characters depth and informed us for their upcoming silly run that they did. It might not be the best example of "yes..and" but it sure did set the stage quickly and efficiently in terms of characters.

Treatise (part 1)

Josh

Writing is a good way to gauge your own understanding of an idea. If you think you know something writing it down can show holes in your knowledge or how well you understand what you're trying to transcribe into words. The Michael Pizza guys are experimenting with this idea. We've decided to write a treatise on a topic that is important in improvisation. Here's what we've decided for each of us.

Josh- Being Concise
Ben- Support
Eric- Yes. And...
Brett- Agreement

I'm not exactly sure the other guy's take is on their topics, but my plan is to watch and better still, listen, to great improvisers around the city and note their words. Who best sums up ideas quickly? What does it mean to be concise? How do they do it? Is it practiced in life and then translates to the stage? Really, any idea that fits into the "conciseness" category I'll try to explore and post my findings to be criticized and added to.