“COME TOGETHER”

... And man has my life Come Together. Read on....(this journal may turn out to be for mature audiences only. Mom & Dad be warned. haha)

Last week was indeed a beautiful thing. Don't know if any of you have read all the press we got for the recreation of the East Village circa mid 1960s, but it was amazing. Click here to see a little bit although it doesn't even remotely do it justice!
http://www.curbed.com/archives/2005/10/06/lower_east_sides_amazing_technicolor_dreamcoat.php

I'm told Saturday's New York Post had a 2 page article all about it.

The best part for me, was that this part of NYC, was where I first landed -- broke, alone and COMPLETELY messed up at 18 years old! Where I spent day after day "Strung Out" on Avenue B, insisting to every homeless guy or drug dealer who would listen, that I was going to be a singer! Now here I was shooting a film. Wow.

The first scene to shoot was my coffee meeting with "Bill", (the sleazy record label guy who's trying to steel me away from my band and sign me to his label) at a cafe near my loft in the East Village. As Bill tries to convince me that he'll "make me a star", the "magic bus" rides by. Upon inquiring in Sadie fashion (with a southern accent mind you): "What the Hell was that?!", I learn about our soon to be guru, Dr. Robert (Bono) and his big party happening that night, which I later bring my 5 cast mates to. (We will shoot this party scene with Bono the night before Thanksgiving. As you can well imagine, I cannot wait!)

It was a short, but painful scene. I mean physically painful. In movie time it's dead summer, but in reality it was freaking cold. In light of this, (and the fact that again, Julie wants EVERY angle covered) we had to do the scene over and over because a scantily-clad-freezingtodeath-background person would be shivering, chattering and/or hugging his/her self and the camera would catch it! Of course Bill and I knew the cameras were right on us, so we just pretended it really was August in NY-- A challenge to my acting skills indeed, since I'm in an almost sheer summer dress. Although I DO have on a GIGANTIC Pink hat with a HUGE velvet brim. But I think the hat was more ridiculous than it was warm. (but I loved it!)

The great thing about being a "principal" (which I've been trying to learn not to feel guilty about) is that in between EVERY SINGLE TAKE (even if only for a fraction of a second) there's someone literally running over to cover me in coats and blankets until the camera starts rolling again. Most of the time they just get the crap on me and the A.D. yells: "OKAY, COATS OFF!!!" This was to be the call I heard almost as much as action for the next few days on Rivington and Clinton....

The next set of scenes were night shots. Still August. Still Freezing. Probably not for the 50 dancers, who take after take, slithered and jumped and spun all over the streets, ALL night long (and beyond--They were AMAZING!!! The film is worth seeing just for these guys and gals) to the song "Come Together", which is sung by Joe Cocker. Joe plays 3 different characters throughout the song: A Homeless Bum (which Julie decided should just be how he looks naturally. Ouch.) A Pimp (which we all agreed he should keep this look in real life); and A Crazed Religious Fanatic (No Comment).

All I had to do for this scene was walk with JoJo, whom I just meet after he auditions for me at the infamous "Cafe Huh?" (Out front of the Cafe Huh -- a take off on the infamous Cafe Wha?-- is a large poster with a picture of me that says: "Sadie and The Po Boys Performing Tonight". Very cool.) JoJo and I stumble into the bizarre "pied piper-ish" dance scene. (I was so hoping I'd get to dance in this film, but I guess Sadie IS WAY TOO COOL TO DANCE!) I suppose I'll be grateful for that in the long run as I'm not the most graceful 6 footer. JoJo is played by Martin Luther, the amazing singer who joined me for a song at BB King's in August. He becomes my boyfriend in the film.

This scene took ALL NIGHT LONG. Largely because the wardrobe people kept running up and down the street to the calls of: "COATS ON!" and "COATS OFF!! --NOW!!!" Again, the royal treatment still left me feeling guilty, as the dancers and background huddled in front of an outdoor heater while we were brought coats and coffee. Yet they did most of the work!!

No one seemed to mind though. We had all kinds of people coming to watch us, the set was sheer magic and "Come Together" was blasting all over the neighborhood, AND the entire block smelled like MAPLE SYRUP!!! (Did anyone else smell this mysterious smell which according to NY 1 News people were smelling ALL OVER Manhattan AND New Jersey?? I frankly find this a little creepy. But that's a different kind of journal for my conspiracy theory mind!)

MTV News came down to interview the six of us. (One at a time.) My interview was done right in front of my Sadie and The Po Boys Poster. I don't remember much of what I said. I know I rambled. Found out later that my cast mates felt the same way about their interview. MTV News seemed most excited about unveiling the mysterious identity of "The 10Spot Lady." (I will let you know when this will be aired.)

It was wild to know that after all the years of being the anonymous 10Spot voice on MTV, I'm now being interviewed as one of the stars of what's turning out to be a pretty talked about film. What a trip!

Even better was the "trip" I took down memory lane, as I snuck down to my very first apartment in NYC:

There I stood only blocks away from the most amazing thing I've ever been part of, yet WORLDS away from that lost and messed up little girl who once wandered these blocks aimlessly, handing out $20 bills to junkies named Billy, and drug dealers named "Popo". In fact, my 2 biggest drug suppliers (each disguised at the time as a ratty deli) had both completely transformed:

The first skanky deli on B & 10th became a high end French restaurant. (I shudder to think). This place holds a special memory for me. It's where I once gave the deli-owning-drug-dealer my TV (deciding he could use it more than I, and I could use the drugs more than it), and later that afternoon he was shot (hopefully not for the TV). I actually woke up from a nap to the sound of the gun going off. Turns out he was shot, but survived, then shot and killed the burglar!

The second place, was my dark-home-away-from-dark-home. It was run by Popo my drug dealer friend (??) (who, funny enough, my dear friend and DFB guitarist/co-writer, Jon Diamond, has been nicknamed after ever since. I still call him that---a long story, but a very sweet and innocent one---COMPLETELY antithetical to it's origin)

This particular rat infested, deli fronted drug joint, (where I once hid under the floor boards during a police raid and short shoot out!), interestingly (and movingly) enough, became an all-vegan health cafe called, "Live Life Good".

That one really hit me. "Live Life Good".

Man. I'll be damned if I ain't tryin'.