I’m developing a new musical through improv with 12 other collabovisers (improvising writers), tentatively titled Garage Band.

Garage Band is set in Sayreville, New Jersey.

Monday, all 14 of us hopped on a party bus and headed on out to Sayreville to soak up some of the local culture and learn what it was like to be a real resident.

Since we were creating characters that lived in Sayreville, we wanted to check out some of the history (a brick company “built” the town), find out where the high school hangout was (a diner affectionately referred to as ‘The Pank’ that sold scratch tickets and sandwiches with mozzarella sticks inside the bun), and see what they really thought about Bon Jovi who grew up nearby (one guy called him “Bon ‘Phony'”).

We could have spent months improvising all sorts of situations . . . and we never would have come up with “Bon Phony”.

I’m sure I’m not telling you something you don’t know already, but it deserves repeating:

Writing is the equivalent of an open-book test.  Use what’s around you.  It’s not cheating.  It’s encouraged.

You’ll never find anything more interesting, more unique, or funnier, than the truth.