Just got the RV fixed – problems with the hydraulic clutch – fun stuff. Recently had dinner in South Central LA, a very good experience. Lining up a few more dinners in the LA area and trying to drum up some cash for this project. Thought of selling advertising space on the RV? That would be really weird though – imagine a huge picture of a piece of beef jerky on the Sunrader?

I’ll get this worked out somehow.

Moving on… I recently received an e-mail from John asking about my intentions with the Dinner Tour. Below is our correspondence, outlining exactly where the tour is:

The e-mail from John:

Marc,

When I invited you to dinner, I was under the impression your goal was to promote conversation between strangers and perhaps write about it. I thought it artful and a promotion of the need for human interaction. It seems you are turning this into a commercial enterprise. Which is it?
John

My response:

Hi John,

That’s a good question.

The Dinner Tour project is indeed about the importance of conversation between strangers and connecting with one another; that will never change. Before the Dinner Tour I was working on many different projects that dealt with finding the absurdity and humor in banal activities at the same time encompassing community building, conversation, and a “free economy.” The “skits” that I’ve been working on recently are an extension of my earlier work and I’d like to start incorporating them more into the dinner tour. It’s these good-natured jinks, my personality, and non sequitur nature that are the building blocks of all of my work and part of the force behind the tour. I never intend nor desire to use malicious humor directed at any of my dinner hosts, collaborators, or audience – I’m really only making fun of myself and some of the things we do as a collective.

Currently, I’m in LA trying to find some creative ways to fund this project without sacrificing its integrity and genuineness. It definitely has become a much larger project than I had expected and in turn a longer more expensive project to complete; but I am prepared to devout all of my time and energy to make it GO.

The dinner tour is still funded through the sale of my possessions, credit debt, donations, and the sale of merchandise, which is not nearly enough to take on this massive project. I have no grants, no trust fund, and no benefactors. It is a DIY project and that will always be the spirit and drive. If I am to do a TV show or book, that would be to support the project financially and provide a better living for myself and my family.

There really is no glamour living out of an RV. It’s the love of this project and the people involved that keep me going; it’s people’s life stories and communities that will forever be the backbone of the Dinner Tour. Once that is lost, you’re right, it will become a commercial enterprise that mimes every other bit of consumerism that surrounds us and attempts to take advantage of us.

Thanks for your question!

All the best,
Marc

This was definitely an interesting dinner. I was approached by Playboy Radio to have dinner with some of their ladies, more specifically Christy Canyon, Julie Ashton, and Tiffany Granath. We were to have dinner live on the air while taking calls from curious listeners.

I never thought I could turn so many shades of red at first, but after a while, I got used to the nature of the whole thing. Most of the callers were truckers and folks from the Midwest. I’d love to repeat some of the conversations with the callers, but I want to keep this site somewhat G rated. So I’ll keep it clean – Christy’s favorite sandwich is corned beef, she made her last video about eight years ago, and she recently published an autobiography titled none else than “Lights, Camera, Sex.” Tiffany recently just got married and Julie retired and moved to Florida with her husband. Christy and Julie both have fake vaginas modeled after their very own that are for sale (note: I found a used one for sale on e-bay – scarey!).

Moral of the dinner – Porn stars are very nice people and they retire early.

P.S.: Those big satellites kinda look like the playboy bunny’s ears. I’m sure they planned it.

I was in a great article in CNN Money (they mention my project at the end of the article – see below). A merry prankster?

Some shop droppers are just merry pranksters. Photographer Marc Horowitz was shooting pictures for a Crate & Barrel catalogue and wrote “Dinner with Marc,” followed by his home phone number, onto a dry erase board built into a piece of furniture he was photographing. The scribble was meant to make the shot seem more realistic, so imagine Horowitz’s surprise when he was subsequently deluged with phone calls from catalogue recipients looking to make dinner plans.

Horowitz couldn’t resist turning it into a project and launched his “National Dinner Tour,” in which he is driving around the country and having dinner with people who responded to his ad. Horowitz has been chronicling his adventures on his web log and is currently putting together a TV show about his high jinks, which he is shopping around to networks, according to his web log.

Click here to read the full article.

Definition of jinks: 1. A quick, evasive turn. 2. Rambunctious play; frolic.

Lastly, A big Thank you to Robert Smith at Wan Security for hosting my site probono for the last two years. His service is unmatched and his talent is as well. If you are looking for good web-hosting at a good rate, please click here to visit his site or click here to send him an e-mail telling him what kind of hosting you need. Support small business!

My appearance got postponed – a bummer, but I’ll be on soon hopefully. Please keep posted and I’m sorry for all of the lost sleep. Free chamomile for all!

If you’d like to e-mail the show your comments, click here to do so (it is a web form). Let them know what’s on your mind!

In the meanwhile enjoy these photos from a project I did a little while back – The Affirmation Badge Station (TABS). Upon entering a comedy show, I asked folks to write down an affirmation on a name badge, affix it to their shirt, and then look into the mirror and repeat it. I guess my affirmation today is I wasn’t on the Craig Ferguson show last night and my RV is leaking transmission fluid, but at least I don’t work at Chuck E Cheese anymore!

Yours?

These might make for nice tattoos if your short on ideas.

My first late night talk show appearance! This is going to be fun; I’m off to the hotel they are putting me in tonight – The Sofitel. No RV camping tonight!

If you’re in the mood for some TV tomorrow at 12:30am tune into CBS’s The Late, Late Show w/ Craig Ferguson. It’s on right after Letterman.

If you have any last minute suggestions for something I should do on the show, by all means, shoot. Also, if you have any relaxation techniques that would help too as I’m a wee-bit nervous.

Click here for more info on the show

Tomorrow’s my big day – I turn 29 years old! I can’t believe it. For me, this is the age in which you really question yourself – what you’re doing, where you’re living, and the things around you. So with that in mind, let’s see… I just temporarily moved to LA to work on getting together a TV show. Check. I’ll be living in my RV right outside the production company I’m working with. Check. I’m not getting paid. Check. I haven’t held a “real” job in almost a year. Check. I’m going to be on my first late show (Craig Ferguson) on Wednesday. Check. And this all is feeling pretty strange. Check.

But I do have an office now.

click here to watch a short about moving into my new LA TV production office

And as a side, right before leaving SF, I saw this happy little reminder someone taped to their window. It puts all this into perspective.

click here for video of “faxing off the big deal”

Today is a big day – I faxed off the contract to 44 Blue Productions and ICM to start working on a TV show for the Dinner Tour; I’ve left my apartment, sold my stuff, said my goodbyes, packed the RV, and I’m finally leaving my home town to go to Los Angeles to do the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson and began approaching networks about NDT TV. Wish me luck!

click here for video of “faxing off the big deal”

I wrapped up some post office business yesterday and I went out to the lot to drive off in my RV. As I was walking along, I noticed an older gentleman get into the passenger side of my RV. I thought that was a bit odd and I approached him. “Do you need a ride somewhere?” I asked.

“Damn! I do this all the time,” he said embarrassingly and walked two cars over and got into what I think was the right car, an 80s Cadillac.

I wished him luck and secretly wished he had come along with me.

This was rather inspiring. I’d like to start getting into people’s cars while they are waiting in front of places or in parking lots. I don’t know exactly what I’d say, maybe, “It’s really crazy out there, let’s just go home” or “do mind if I get a ride with you up the street?” or maybe just silently look at them.

Have you ever done anything like this? I’m sure someone has. It could get quite dangerous depending on where you are and whom you get in the car with.

p.s. I had a really vivid dream last night that I had dinner with Oprah Winfrey and her entourage. She lived much more humbly than I thought.

This is a pretty incredible story that I’ll get to writing a bit later. stay tuned…

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