Impressions

Something I've always been fond of, and rather proud of if I do say so myself, are impressions. I don't know at what age I became fascinated with people that can do impressions and what prompted me to have a go at it. But I remember that the first two impressions that I showcased in the hallways of various elementary schools across upstate New York and the Denver area were Urkel and Elvis.

Somewhere along the way, I became an Elvis fan. That's right, a 7-year-old ripe with the appreciation of The King. I think this was from my dad, a musician and appreciator of fine music. With Urkel, well, that's easy. It was the late 80s - early 90s. Family Matters was hot. Whatever the case, my desire to meet friends and to be liked kicked off this newly acquired skill.

Fast forward *cough* *cough* years, and I still not only pay special attention to the SNL cast members who do impressions and seek out videos on youtube, but I still put in a lot of my own time honing in on a voice, looking for quirks, and hearing accents and vocal patterns. If you catch me staring, I'm listening intently - both at what you're saying and how you're saying it.

Friends and family have questioned my curiosity and have shared their borderline paranoia with me, as I listen and observe them, convinced that they'll find themselves in my writing, act, or sketches someday. And while that most likely will be the case on some levels, it's out of respect and it is meant to be appreciation and a compliment.  It means that there are some things I find so very interesting about you that I want to explore them and let my imagination take off. Whether it's admitted or not, we all do this.
I could use the argument of mimesis and the Greek philosophers. Or a stage I just never grew out of. I could blame my strong passions and the interest in the arts. I could say my imagination just hears a certain word or phrase and my mind starts whirling out ideas on how I could use it. Whatever the case, because of both performing and writing, I have a love for picking up traits and honoring them.
Below is my first officially publicized impressions recording that I created this afternoon. It features a "pirate" radio podcast hosted by Capt. Jack Sparrow and Peter Griffin, with special guest, Christopher Walken. Give it a listen; it's pretty short. Feedback is, of course, welcome.
https://soundcloud.com/davek82/cpt-sparrow-podcast-w-peter