Description
Pedro 'n' Pip was conceived over twenty five years ago on a vacation in Cozumel Mexico. I was sunbathing while my friend went scuba diving and I heard the raspy voice of Pedro, an imagined octopus, in a dream while napping. I wasn't a scuba diver, and have always been afraid of deep water and oceans.
I was half awake, lucidly streaming thoughts about blaring an electric guitar right off a coral bank somewhere near by. I had no reference for this idea, nor did I pay much attention to the electric sound of a telecaster. Nevertheless, the idea was planted in my mind and gestated there until I got my job on Saturday Night Live.
It was on SNL that I met GE Smith started traveling with Dylan all around the world. I slowly conceived my characters. A charming little girl and a reclusive rocker who had lost his fans because of the contamination. The book wrote itself.
When I first started living with GE Smith, I started singing the melodies and what would become the score. The songs just poured out of me without any effort. It culminated in a staged show and was presented "live" in the legendary theater, the Village Gate. The amazing, talented Patricia Birch (GREASE) directed the show and years later directed me through the audiobook.
As anyone in theater knows, songs are used to move the story along, so this fourteen song score, was an amazing thing to create. I was supported by the very best musicians and singers who put their heart and soul into the soundtrack.
While all of these songs were originally sung live, it was because of Skype and garage band that we were were able to record Robbie Wyckoff from LA, and David Broza from Tel Aviv. So, this is a worldwide effort.
What inspired me to recreate this project and recreate was another oil spill in the Gulf. Thousands of people lost their jobs or livelihoods as fisherman. I was working with Environmental Defense Fund to come up with a concert series to address folks who lived on the Mississippi, and they wanted something educational to give to the kids in the community. Thus, Pedro 'n' Pip.
Pedro 'n' Pip is a tale of an innocent, brave girl, who knows in her heart she can make a difference in the world. She takes on all of her fears and challenges them and then challenges her parents and scary sea creatures to cross barriers so the world can become a cleaner and more tolerant place. Most importantly, "Pedro 'n' Pip" teaches us how we can transform our world if we make an effort.