Bøger af Al Stevens

Travel with Al from his childhood when he discovered ventriloquists on television in its own infancy, through his development as a child performer and his rediscovery of the engrossing art when he retired after forty years as a computer programmer, writer and musician.Follow Al's workshop skills, as he builds and repairs ventriloquist dummies and renovates the time-worn works of the old masters.And stay with him in a lifelong search for the one dummy that will define his role as a performer in such an unusual and distinct performance art.

The companion book to Al Stevens's popular "Ventriloquism: Art, Craft, Profession," this book contains a comprehensive collection of scripts that Al wrote over the years for his ventriloquist act and that he has performed in night clubs, private parties, and corporate shows. Many of Al's most popular routines are here including Doodley Squat, Viagra for Dummies, Uncle Sweeter's Ol' Woman, Dexter at School, Aunt Sally the Librarian, Uncle Sweeter Goes to the Doctor, and Juan Comes to the USA. The material ranges from G-rated to a small sampling of R.

Chance Weston and John Hall arrive in Beaver Gulch, almost a ghost town, in the fall of 1875, both looking for work. What they find is trouble. A powerful rancher and his hired guns have run off many of the prominent citizens. The newcomers accept jobs as sheriff and preacher. The Mason sisters, April and May, are as different inside as they are alike in appearance, and the sheriff fancies the demure April while the preacher is drawn to anything in a skirt. And when he cozies up to the rancher's young wife, all hell breaks loose. From the jailhouse and the pulpit, they face bullies, gunslingers, lynch mobs, and a corrupt town council. Their friendly rivalry escalates into a deadly face-off with guns and gallows as probable outcomes. Both men could wind up dead, leaving Beaver Gulch a lawless, godless town.

A collection of heretofore unpublished short stories from the author's archives, some going back three decades, most dealing with computer technology of that era. The stories range from a cozy mystery involving department store Santa Clauses to a dark group therapy session dealing with post traumatic stress disorders from the Vietnam war.

Learn Ventriloquism from the ground up as taught by a master: Technique, comedy, performance, equipment, promotion, and show business. "Al Stevens has written this wonderful new textbook on ventriloquism that any student - young or old, beginner or seasoned pro - will find of tremendous value. It covers not only the basics, albeit described in new ways and with delightful new twists, but it also contains advanced techniques and concepts for the serious student. In addition, it reveals deep insight into subjects rarely touched upon in other books on ventriloquism." From the Foreword by Tom Ladshaw

There's nothing funny about diabetes. But from the mind of Al Stevens, long-time columnist for Dr. Dobb's Journal, stand-up comedian, and author of "Politically Incorrect Scripts for Comedy Ventriloquists," the lighter side of the disease can make you laugh while it scares the heck out of you with its potential for ruining and shortening your life. From his first diagnosis, which he blames on a topless bar, to memory losses and hallucinations, to getting thrown out of a pharmacy, Stevens tells with good nature and humor the story of his thirty-plus years coping with diabetes. Whether you're a diabetic, related to one, or have one as a friend-which most people do-you will gain new insight into the disease that Stevens calls "public enemy number three." You might even pick up some pointers on how to cope, what to do, and, by example, what not to do.

Are the conspiracy theorists right? Were there multiple assassins at Dealey Plaza on that fateful day in 1963? The 1950s. A bright young boy is raised in a state welfare system and struggles with an internal rage that marks him as a sociopath. A team of CIA field agents work covert ops in Soviet-occupied East Berlin. Their specialty: assassinations. The lives and destinies of these people converge when the boy grows up to become a CIA-trained agent, mentored by the old spies and freelancing as a rogue for the military-industrial complex. As he prepares for his first assignment as a kill-for-hire mercenary, he copes with identity changes, a CIA sanction, blown covers, women who complicate his work, and personal doubts about a mission that places him in Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963. With JFK in his crosshairs, the youthful rogue knows that success will allow him to retire young, but failure could lead to his own termination. His ambitions and conscience are at odds, and his future rests on the pull of a trigger.

teach yourself... Rhythm Jazz Guitar guides you as you learn the basics of playing jazz chords. This book is for student and experienced guitarists who want to move into the realm of jazz accompaniment. You learn a basic repertoire of chord sequences that employ colorful, or hip, voicings. The sequences use chord fingerings that are easy to play, with each chord in comfortable proximity on the fretboard to the previous and next ones. You learn to translate those cryptic chord symbols you see on sheet music and big band charts into easily-fingered chords that involve no extreme hand stretches, sound good, and fit into the harmonic context of the tune you're playing. With the knowledge you learn in this book and a disciplined regimen of practice, you will be equipped with skills and tools that not only allow you to sit in at informal jam sessions but to expand your knowledge into the more advanced realms of jazz guitar playing.

teach yourself... Jazz Piano Comping guides you as you learn basic accompaniment chording. This book is for entry-level and experienced pianists who want to move into the realm of jazz and standards accompaniment and big band playing. With the knowledge you learn in this book and a disciplined regimen of practice, you will be equipped with skills and tools that not only allow you to sit in at informal jam sessions but to expand your experience into the more advanced realms of piano accompaniments.

Are the conspiracy theorists right? Were there multiple assassins at Dealey Plaza on that fateful day in 1963?The 1950s. A bright young boy is raised in a state welfare system and struggles with an internal rage that marks him as a sociopath. A team of CIA field agents work covert ops in Soviet-occupied East Berlin. Their specialty: assassinations. The lives and destinies of these people converge when the boy grows up to become a CIA-trained agent, mentored by the old spies and freelancing as a rogue for the military-industrial complex. As he prepares for his first assignment as a kill-for-hire mercenary, he copes with identity changes, a CIA sanction, blown covers, women who complicate his work, and personal doubts about a mission that places him in Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963. With JFK in his crosshairs, the youthful rogue knows that success will allow him to retire young, but failure could lead to his own termination. His ambitions and conscience are at odds, and his future rests on the pull of a trigger.