I'm Casey and I just got signed.

[Tusk]

Casey has been tweeting out drawing challenges, this last week it was,

Casey Abrams ‏@CaseyBassy 12 Nov
Draw me, your favorite Beatle, and an animal in a suit, all playing a board game together. You got 24 hours to send in. And tag #drawcasey

He just posted the submissions on FB

Casey Abrams ‏@CaseyBassy 15m
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=...986&type=1 …

Your beautiful creations are up!

I gave it a try, it's supposed to be Lennon



Some others I enjoyed,

[lauraliz]

Your drawing is great Tusk--a man of many talents. The other art work is all wonderful as well. I never do the challenges because I can barely draw a stick figure. I really suck. But, I love to see all the creative things people come up with for Casey's wild parameters.

As far as the young girl who sang with Casey--I was blown away by her. It was just an impromptu thing--very impressive.

When I saw Casey in Sept--he walked around in the audience and sang to a couple people. I love Casey --but I was thinking please don't come over my way-ha! I don't want to have to stand up or anything. I would just be uncomfortable. I don't know why--I'm just like that. He didn't pull anyone up on stage to sing though.

When I was a kid my parents took a trip out west and took me along. We were in Vegas for awhile and they took me to see Danny Kaye. I was one of the only kids in the audience--it was during the school year. He started singing some children's song to me and wanted me to sing along and stuff--but I would have none of it. I just tried to look the other way. My folks were mortified--lol. My parents met in theater school and sang at clubs and stuff. My mother also sang and danced on local tv when she was a teenager. They love the spotlight. It's so funny that I'm nothing like that

[Tusk]

My only time being 'on stage' was the school sponsored 'senior party'.

Before then end of our senior year in High School, a rumor started circulating about a senior party, unofficial, somewhere in the boonies, in the woods. Mind you, this was at a time when they didn't fly helicopters around to spot these types of parties, around graduation, the way they do now.

Anyways, the school got wind of some of the rumours, so they countered by organizing a sponsored, school run, party. It was to be held at one of those, 'all in one' entertainment business. This place had a roller rink, bowling alley, video games, movie theater etc all in one place. It began late in the evening, maybe 9pm.

One of the scheduled activities was a show by a hypnotist, the Great "a name starting with 'Z', I forget". He was dressed in something you'd expect a magician would dress, black and white, formal, tie, cape etc...
I was actively dismissive of 'hypnotism' as anything legitimate, so watched with plenty of skeptic thoughts.

He explained some things about hypnotism
-hypnotism is basically suggestion
-you can't force hypnotized people to do something they would not normally do, like kill, or forced to have sex with you.
-the belief that simple people are easier to hypnotise is false, it's easier to hypnotise intelligent people
-you can't hypnotize intoxicated people (alcohol or drugs)

There are other rules, these are what I remembered.

Of course, being a skeptic, I decided I would test it. He began by speaking into a microphone, at a deeper register than his speaking voice. Told the audience to look into a small bright light behind him. After some other things, he would tell those hypnotized, to raise an arm. Some people were pretending, he was able to weed them out. I was one of the 'hypnotized', so was pulled up to the stage, with about a few other people to sit on stage. He went through and weeded out others until he ended up with about six of us.

If you've seen hypnotism acts before, you know the act, drink invisible alcohol, act drunk, you're naked in front of the audience, 'catch words' that reflexively cause someone to do something pre suggested, like start 'meowing'......

Thing is, when I was hypnotized (as a skeptic), it wasn't so much that I did what he said, it was more that when he suggested I do something, I saw no reason to not believe his scenarios.

So... My time on Stage. He pulled me out, don't know how we got there, but he eventually asked me if I was musical, and if I knew any Elvis songs. I told him I wasn't and I did, after which he pulled out a guitar with two strings, handed it to me, and told me I was 'the King', Elvis Presely, about to perform. On cue, "Hound Dog" began playing, to which I started lip syncing the song, madly strumming the two strings on the guitar, ending with a flourish including ripping open the top of my shirt, sending buttons flying into the audience

.... Let's just say, I'm no longer skeptical about whether hypnotism is real or not

After the show, he pulled all of us who were part of the show to the back of the stage. Explaining that he had to remove us from our suggestive state, and that we probably won't sleep tonight, as often, people feel they have been fully rested after being hypnotized.

As a bonus for being part of the show, as he a gift, he gave us the opportunity to select among a list of things he could gift to us as subliminal suggestion, things like, "I'd like to quit _____" or "I'd like to be more ______"

PS , we ended up having our 'unofficial' Senior Party in the woods anyway, and managed to make the evening newscast.....

[Babbs234]

^^^Nice story Tusk! And I liked your picture of Casey with John Lennon. Well done! I can't draw at all! I am not one of those "creative" types.

[My Alter Ego]

It is a great story, Tusk and the drawing is good as well. I liked the one with the tiger, too. That was pretty impressive.

[lauraliz]

That's a very interesting story Tusk. I wish I had been there! I have never been to a hypnotism show. I always have been skeptical about it as you were. And I thought if it is for real--that I could never be hypnotized. Since more intelligent people are easier to hypnotize --I probably couldn't be anyway--HA!

That is a really cool experience.

[lauraliz]

These are a few cool vids from Rm 5 last wk. Casey and the horns. I think u will remember two of the musicians from the Grove show. They played with Casey and with the Haley/Casey duets. Jacob Scesney is the sax player and he's with Casey right now in Maylasia at a jazz festival
Love that Casey comes up with different arrangements for his songs. But, it is time for him to get some new songs out there

Blame it on Me



Stuck in London



Great Bright Morning

[Tusk]

shirleyhalperin ‏@shirleyhalperin 3h
Dang, in this vintage photo of Bill Clinton, the future prez looks like @AmericanIdol's Casey Abrams/@CaseyBassy! pic.twitter.com/95WtEvnJ3D
Retweeted by Casey Abrams

[My Alter Ego]

LOL -- I'll bet that was in his "....but I didn't inhale.." days.

[kaypea]

These are a few cool vids from Rm 5 last wk. Casey and the horns. I think u will remember two of the musicians from the Grove show. They played with Casey and with the Haley/Casey duets. Jacob Scesney is the sax player and he's with Casey right now in Maylasia at a jazz festival
Love that Casey comes up with different arrangements for his songs. But, it is time for him to get some new songs out there

Blame it on Me



Stuck in London



Great Bright Morning

Casey's sounding really good on these vids.You've got to admire how he keeps rearranging these songs.How many ex Idols are out there using a trio with tenor saxophone and trombone? I love the blend that they achieve.Its pretty unique actually.

Edit-its actually a quartet-I left out the clarinet player.Apologies to him-he sounded great along with the rest of them.