JosephBurke.com

Blue Man Group Insiders First Video footage from NCL Epic

// July 20th, 2010 // No Comments » // Joe's Blog

Ten years ago when I started out on this path to follow the show, actors and performers, never did I dream my ambitions would land me the role of Insider. Attending countless tour stops of The Complex Tour, MegaStar Tours 2.0 and 2.1, I’ve accumulated a wealth of knowledge about the show, mechanics, behind the scenes and more importantly, I’ve kept the mystique surrounding the Blue Man and the world he lives within intact. There really is nothing like Blue Man Group, and truth is, there never will be.

My involvement with Blue Man Group has completely changed my life in such an incredible way. Two years ago, at a Fan Meet gathering from the online community, an event that I planned and hosted at Universal Studios Sharp Aquos Theater, I met my future wife. Alexandra Irick came into my life sharing the same passion that I had for Blue Man Group, and together we became increasingly involved with the company. Little did we know, our love for the show and company would be put to proper use this year with the announcement of an exciting new era in the Blue Man World, The Insiders.

ABOUT THE INSIDERS
Our exciting new Blue Man Group Insiders will bring you first-hand news, buzz, and information from the front lines of the Blue Man experience. They’ll be traveling backstage at shows and events, roving through audiences to find the “Ultimate Blue Man Fan,” and providing audience members with a bunch of cool surprises along the way.

The Insiders are no strangers to Blue Man Group. Joe Burke, previously the head of the long running fan-site Blue Man Library and web entrepreneur along with Alex Irick, Blue Man fan since 2007, will be hitting the road to bring you behind-the-scenes action and access to exclusive content. It’s fresh, fantastic and an exciting new way to engage yourself in the realm of all things Blue Man Group!

Joe Burke was hosted by Norwegian Cruise Lines on board Norwegian Epic for a short two-night preview cruise. Follow @rotcav on Twitter for live reports, photos and videos and check here on Blue Man Group Insiders official Facebook for more details and answers to your questions for all things blue. For more photos from the NCL Epic, visit my flickr page.

An Epic Moment in Miami Florida

// July 7th, 2010 // No Comments » // Joe's Blog

Tomorrow is the beginning of a new journey in mine and Alex’s life. Tomorrow marks our first official travel assignment as Blue Man Group Insiders, documenting their new shows, entertainment venues and touring productions nation wide. Tomorrow we leave Orlando, FL at 8pm Eastern, and should hopefully arrive in Miami by 11:30-Midnight. If you’re one of the few lucky press associates to be on board this exclusive inaugural cruise, you can catch me and my lovely fiancé roaming around the Blue Man Group side of the ship, filming guests, talking to audience members and asking your thoughts on the new production.

Look for full videos and photos up on the official Blue Man Group Insiders Facebook next week. If you haven’t clicked the like button on the page, please do so and stay up to date with me Alex as we begin our many travels together between now and Summer 2011 for Blue Man Group. It’s going to be an amazing ride, and we’re inviting you to hop along with us for the fun and excitement.

Here are some fun facts about the newest Norwegian cruise ship EPIC.
* Gross Tonnage: 153,000
* Length: 1,068 feet / Beam: 133 feet
* Passengers (double occupancy): 4,228 guests / 1,690 crew
* Maiden Voyage: June 21, 2010
* 7-NT East & West Caribbean Cruises from Miami, FL – Sails July 2010 through April 2011
* 7-NT Mediterranean Cruises from Barcelona – Sails May through October 2011
* 20 Dining Options
* 20 Bars & Lounges
* The Aqua Park / Main Pool
* 1 Kid’s Pool / 6 Hot Tubs
* Exclusive Villas Complex
* Spa Suites & Spa Staterooms
* Studios & The Living Room
* Family Accommodations
* All Oceanview staterooms have Balconies
* 2 Bowling Alleys
* Climbing & Rappelling Walls
* Epic Casino
* 4 Adult-Only Clubs
* Mandara Spa & Beauty Salon
* Pulse Fitness Center
* Entertainment featuring Blue Man Group & the Second City Comedy Club

Follow my Tweets and check-ins @rotcav
All content and media for the Norwegian EPIC and future travels will be posted on our official Facebook: Blue Man Group Insiders.
To track the live coverage of this event on Twitter: #NCLepic or #EpicMiami.

Look for us, who knows, you could be picked to be an exciting part of the show!

New York Aftermath, Blue Man Welcoming

// May 29th, 2010 // 8 Comments » // Joe's Blog

The trip to NYC this time around was probably the most humbling experience I have felt as a person to date in my 10 years plus relationship with Blue Man Group. It’s interesting how retrospective your life can evolve, given the right motivation, good fortune and willingness to cooperate and make a fresh start. Such is the case with me now. I won’t say much about my position with Blue Man Productions until they make the official announcement on June 10th, but rest assured, it’s going to be something that’s been long overdue and just in time to rejuvenate the audience relations perspective as a whole. Never before has Blue Man Group marketing entered this territory of relations, and the eye opening reality that this exactly what needed to happen next with the company. I am just in awe to be a part of this change, process and yes, I can officially say part of the BMP family now. To certain friends who read my blog up in NYC, you know who you are, blessings to you, and thanks for keeping up to date with me and my world.

With Blue Man Group co-founders Chris Wink on left, and Phil Stanton on the right.

Documenting the Lips & Eyes Shoot at BMP’s 3rd Street “Playground” space.

With Blue Man Group at the Astor Place theater. This is senior blue man, Randall Jaynes.

Alexandra with senior blue man actor Brian Scott at Astor Place Theatre.

This trip was mainly focused around a business aspect, but there was some down time to enjoy the sites and sounds that this great city has to offer. NYC has a heart that will never stop beating, a conscious that will never be altered and a spirit unlike non-other. There is bad in NYC, but the good most certainly outweighs the bad in retrospect. Alexandra and I got the chance for the first time to hang out in the most somber places in the city, Central Park. Not only was the romantically invigorating, but peaceful at the same time. Watching the ducks, turtles and geese swimming around the pond calmed me right down and gave the chance for me and my lovely wife to be to take it all in, slow down and think about all the blessings that has just been granted to us in life. Count your blessings, daily, it will motivate you to keep fighting the good fight.

Me and Alexandra at Central Park on the corner of 59th.

Central Park bridge, noted in many movies and NYC landmark.

Alexandra loving every minute of riding the NYC Subway

We also got the chance to to see our first official Broadway musical, “American Idiot the Musical” inspired by the rock band Green Day. Sitting there, watching the songs of the album by Green Day “American Idiot” come to life on stage gave new meaning to me in the times we’re living in. Green Day are geniuses when it comes to the concept of this album, and really speaks as a rock anthem to the society when you study the lyrics closely. Not many artists/bands compose such masterpieces these days, and the whole album is really a reflective glimpse of society and living life in a post 9-11 era of New York City. Overcoming drug addiction, being recruited by the military and living life as a deadbeat was the underlying themes for this production, and it was grounded by phenomenal acting, harmonic singing and a rock atmosphere that was just as electric as a concert performed by Green Day themselves. There were scenes of the production that almost tugged at your heart and made you emotional when reflecting back on the events of September 11th, and Green Day’s song “Wake Me Up When September Ends” flowing beautifully into this selection. Wow… I highly recommend you see and experience this production at Times Square in New York, and here’s two little tips for those of you planning to see it. Tip #1, As you exit the theater, take the time to add your signature to the hallway leading into the lobby, make your mark, say something, and you’ll be a part of Broadway history. Tip #2, As you exit the theater entirely, hang by the barricades outside and be patient as the performers come out of the theater to sign autographs and take photos with their beloved audiences. The actors are so polite and considerate, they really make you feel appreciative, so don’t by shy in asking for a photo and signature on your PlayBill.

The “Fan Wall” of guest signatures which covers the entire entrance hallway to the St. James theatre.

Alexandra signing the “Fan Wall” after the show.

Alexandra with 2010 Grammy Performer and American Idiot cast member Rebecca Naomi Jones.

There was so much more things that happened on this trip that I would love to talk about, but I’m holding back. Another time, another blog another chapter. Blessings to you all!

Me and Alexandra, taking it all in before we ended our night at Times Square.

View from Times Square, and how we rounded up our NYC travels on day two.

For more pictures from this trip, click here to visit my Flickr page.

Get Into the Groove on Earth Day 2010

// April 22nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Joe's Blog

A funny thing about living life as an adult and comprehending all the things around us in an entirely different way. It’s like the older you get, the more and more one’s eyes open to reveal just a tiny portion of the overall big plan of life. Sometimes, I find myself very busy and caught with things around me whether it would be work, my hobbies or just being with my lovely companion Alexandra. Trust me, I love being busy, it keeps me motivated, active and distracts my attention away from other things around me that are less important for me to dwell on. But, there are those times when the planets align, the universe is at your beckoning call, and everything just seems to fall right into place. For the past week, this has been true for me in a few areas of my own life. The things that I am most concerned and worried about have seem to just magically take on new life and vigor. For example, Alexandra and I have been doing a lot of wedding planning lately, and in doing so comes a lot of headache, woes, what if’s and hows. We’ve been overly concerned about finances, family, wedding planning, our minister yadda yadda and the list goes on. But, this past week, we got a little wink from God I feel, and everything is smoothing out, instead of a curvy bumpy road, it’s now a fresh smooth paved road ahead. We got financially blessed, our minister issues resolved, we have game plans on dealing with family and we have made huge leaps on table decor along with small items of the wedding like favors, flowers etc… It just all seems to make more sense now, but a month ago, Alexandra and I had concerns about a lot of these things.

It’s funny how life swings you around sometimes. Sometimes your in the groove or pipeline of self awareness and, then other times we’re clouded by things in our way. I have no real answer or explanation on how these events unravel, but it wasn’t just wedding plans that seemed to align in my favor. Other important aspects of my life have shifted in the groove section the past week as well. Things like my music composition, my relationship with Blue Man Group, my web design company and finally finances to some level. Trust me, I’d love to stay in the groove the rest of my life, but I know it’s practically impossible to have everything go your way all of the time. It’s now how God’s elaborate design works. We have to endure, overcome and endure again to understand the meaning of life. And then, when we’re old farts in a nursing home at the age 80, we get the clear understanding one day of how and why.

Happy Earth Day everyone, and Blessings!
Joe

Farewell to Blue Man Library

// March 11th, 2010 // 11 Comments » // Joe's Blog

My how ten years appear to fly by, and all of sudden you wake up one day and realize a decade of your life is come and gone. The past ten years has been a wonderful blessing to me, and the chance to do something positive for people has been the greatest experience of my life. In Summer 2000, I conceived an idea that would ultimately change my life forever. Having recently discovered the amazing Blue Man Group I was captivated like most fans, and left with dozens of questions like “How did they do that?” I found resolution at the blueman.com Community section of the old web site, which sadly has been long gone for close to four years now. I remember for the first time introducing myself to the small 300-400 group of message board members and having a sense of safe haven and belonging. I wanted to do so much with the Blue Man Group community, but I was in Kentucky and still had never seen a show live, just on television. Their music from the first album Audio captivated me, as I was diving into soundscapes and melodies uncharted before.

On Valentine’s Day 2001, the decision was made to bring my little fan site from what was then housed on FortuneCity.com (not even sure of that place still exists) to a new web host and plan for bigger ideas ahead. The name Blue Man Library is what I chose because I had a library of video and photos that users from the community message board could download. You must realize, this was long before the era of YouTube or dominant streaming web sites. The web site grew almost daily as fans would flock to my site, download content and I would post updated messages in the community which would energize everyone else to be as excited as I was. It was what I refer to as “The Hay-day” of Blue Man. A time when the company was small, independent and just on the brink of global domination. I met so many wonderful people through this community, and many of them I still converse with almost daily on Facebook or Messenger.

The BML around 2003 expanded it’s web site to include a chat room, message board and small forms of user interaction. It gave people a chance to do and see more beyond the message board on blueman.com. My intent when I created this new version of BML was to make sure that we never mimicked anything on the Blueman.com web site. It was our goal to be unique and carry our own weight within this fan community. It turned out to be a huge success for everyone, and the web site nearly tripled in size between 2003-2004. Our biggest issue to face, since we were expanding so rapidly was web hosting, and finding a means in which the BML could have ample potential to grow. We found a way in 2005, and purchased our first dedicated server and rebuilt a new version of the BML web site yet again. Fans flocked to the web site to download the latest Tonight Show clips, and hurried over to catch the BML Chats that was scheduled weekly. It was during all this, that me and community member John Petty (petro62) starting coming up with bigger and better ideas to branch out.

In 2006, the first Switchback podcast from the Blue Man Group fan community was syndicated on Apple iTunes, and now fans had a productive form of entertainment each week. The collaborative effort was so thrilling, while John and I would make light of almost any situation. The podcast ran for over 2 years, totaling 116 Episodes and thousands of clocked downloads each month. The podcast was for the first time, the true voice of the Blue Man Group fan community. We would invite fans to join us for vocal conversations about topics relating to Blue Man, especially with the touring productions and local theatrical venues. No one expected the podcast to reach 25, but we made 116 entertaining comedic episodes.

Then one day, we just stopped. There was nothing more to talk about. Once you’ve learned all there is about Blue Man Group, you become mentally jaded and take everything in lesser strides. Eventually, the Switchback podcast faded as both John and I went our own ways with Blue Man, but remained close friends even until today. News about Blue Man started getting less and less each month, and it was more of a challenge to keep fans coming back to the site. Without current content, news, interaction and the communal vibe, the BML was heading down some dark and dreary paths. The weekly chats dwindled from weekly to bi-weekly, to monthly to never. Fans lost interest, and I exhausted all means I could muster to keep the community alive. Then in 2007, Blue Man Group launched a pay fan site called RoofDwellers.com. I supported their efforts and was a proud member, but fans felt cheated and started using my BML message board to vent their frustrations. It was a dark time, and eventually RoofDwellers.com closed in 2008 only lasting just a year. I was saddened to have seen this wonderful idea come to life and die so quickly. Maybe I could have done something more to save it, or maybe I could have offered more help or assistance, who knows…

With the popularity of social networks like Facebook, it’s a typical case of “video killed the radio star.” Message Boards are old school it seems these days, and people prefer to communicate with their friends and family via Facebook or Myspace. Fans started leaving BML and resorting to using their social networks to talk about Blue Man, and that ultimately is what killed this fan community of 10 years. That and the fact that we never heard from Blue Man Group anymore regarding news, updates etc. There was a time during the “Hay-Day” that Blue Men actors and the Founders themselves would frequent the BML Community, be a part of weekly chats and talk about new exciting things coming up. Somewhere along the way, that line of communication was lost, and no one started favoring the BML anymore.

So ten years have come and gone. I have finally done the unthinkable, and closed the first original and only official fan base of Blue Man Group. Some have felt my actions have been irrational or controversial, but why keep a web site open when no one ever visited anymore? Every time I logged in, I would be the only on the site 95% of the time. That’s pretty sad considering BML used to have 30-50 fans online at one time searching, downloading, posting and uploading. This chapter of my life was like a door that opened many opportunities for me to see the USA and meet some amazing individuals along the way. I met some of my current best friends, of whom I’m close to today, traveled all over the USA to cities I only dreamed of going, organized multiple fan meets, raised over $5000 for Camp Heartland Charity, had a successful top 10 rated podcast on iTunes and ultimately matured as an adult and person because of it. I am sure all the fans that visited BML would feel the same way with that statement. We’ve all matured now, with other things in our lives needing our attention. Some of us have married, some has had children while others finding their solitude and peace in life of self discovery. It’s been an amazing ride that I will never forget, and if BML has never done but one thing for me, it has brought me a future wife who shares the same passions as I. I met Alexandra through the very web site I made, and she attended one of my fan meets in Orlando in July of 2008. I have the closure I need now as a man to move on, and close this door of my life. As this door closes, I’m sure another one will open for me, because I put my faith and trust in an Almighty God.

To all the fans who helped out with BML over the past ten years in maintaining, donating, giving financially, supporting, being involved, participating and just being there when we need someone to talk to, Thank You!

Battle of Late Night

// January 15th, 2010 // No Comments » // Joe's Blog

This whole debacle with Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno just seems a little too much for me. Almost like a ploy set on by the executive wizards at NBC to boost ratings for “The Tonight Show” branding. I totally disagree with the way NBC is handling the announcement of Conan’s removal of host of The Tonight Show, and the replacing of Jay Leno. Conan was just getting his feet wet in the time slot, had a gorgeous stage and good skits, and then NBC decides to recoil on their decision making just after a mere 7 months. I watched The Tonight Show just this evening, and even he seems a little overwhelmed and very uncertain about what to do, how to act, respond etc. I personally never liked Jay Leno as much as Conan. Originally, I watched Jay Leno because he consistently had Blue Man Group on, which to me was main focus of watching. I slowly became a moderate fan of his, but his redundant skits and cheeky humor just got old after a while. That’s when around 2005, I started watching a lot more Conan and I became instantly addicted to his crazy skits, wild antics and total randomness as a talk show host. Conan represents a lot of fresh qualities the execs at NBC need to realize, and the announcement of this his upcoming removal after the Winter Olympics is just a little slap in the face to not only the staff, crew, musicians and Conan himself, but the fans of his show. I just don’t know. If it wasn’t for shows like Heroes, Family Guy, The Simpsons, House M.D. and Hell’s Kitchen, which all are on FOX except Heroes, I wouldn’t watch much TV at all. It’s times like this The Daily Show with John Stewart becomes the focus of my night time news parody.