Mark Hayward Is My Hero » Letterman

Stupid Human Tricks Video is Back Online

mark — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 02:57:57 +0000

The original video of my appearance on Late Night With David Letterman’s Stupid Human Tricks segment was put up by someone else, and has been taken down. I actually have permission to use the footage, and I finally got it back up online.

I Made It Onto The National News!

mark — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 04:59:41 +0000

Yup. You read it correctly. Tonight I was on the NBC Nightly News.

Screenshot from MSNBC.com

They were doing a story on the writer’s strike and how it affects shows that are run every day like The Tonight Show, and Late Night with David Letterman, and one of the clips they used when talking about Letterman was of me doing my Stupid Human Trick. Now both my Dad and I have been on the NBC News without having to commit a crime, or fall into a well.

For a short time you can see the video here on the NBC website.

For a longer time you can see the story on YouTube here.

If you recorded the show by chance, I REALLY want a high-quality copy of this broadcast, and I’d be very grateful if you could help me out.

First Show for the Happy Hour Heroes!

mark — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 03:41:54 +0000

Last Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, was the first-ever show by the Happy Hour Heroes. We are: Steve Brown, Mark Hayward , and Aaron Bonk. This group is the brainchild of Steve Brown, who bills himself as the Happy Hour Hero in his solo work. The idea is to be a modern-day Rat Pack with tricks.

The show was part of a party celebrating two years of existence for the thrift store This Way Out that is in the basement of the Beachland Ballroom, as well as the grand opening of Shoparooni, Cleveland’s newest boutique, that is coincidentally owned by Steve Brown and his wife Marlee.

I was pretty nervous for this show because the three of us had never worked together, and Aaron and I had never even seen each other’s shows before. Despite that, and not rehearsing, the show went really well. Of course it will get better as we do more together, but it was a fantastic start.

I was reading up on the original Rat Pack a bit today, and it sounds like they were at the center of a really incredible time in entertainment history. Apparently they would just show up at each other’s gigs and do a group show even if that wasn’t on the bill. The marquees sometimes would read something like, “DEAN MARTIN – MAYBE FRANK – MAYBE SAMMY” That’s pretty cool.

We did two sets, alternating with some bands in the other room, and between sets this exchange was overheard:

“What’s after the band?”

“There’s another set by that guy who looks like Letterman, and the two bald dudes.”

“Oh cool.”

Being on Letterman Is The Gift That Keeps On Giving

mark — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:57:31 +0000

I just got an email today from Jonathan Burns saying that he saw me on Letterman’s website. I didn’t know what he was talking about so I went to the site, and lo and behold, there I am on the front page in the highlights slideshow! (I’m number 3) That is so awesome! Check it out quickly because who knows how long it will last.

In case you missed my appearance on the show, you can see it here.

Am I the First to Benefit from the Writers Strike?

mark — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:33:15 +0000

My friend Jon Wee just pointed out that I may in fact be the first person to benefit from the current writers strike. Since there is no one to write for The Late Show with David Letterman, they have started doing reruns, and the first one they aired was the one with my appearance on the Stupid Human Tricks segment!

In case you missed it Monday night, check it out here on YouTube.

Mark Hayward on Letterman

mark — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 04:06:53 +0000

It’s true! I had the good fortune to be on the Late Show with David Letterman last month on the Stupid Human Tricks segment. I’m not sure why I haven’t gotten around to writing about it before now… I must’ve been busy… or something. I will write up a more detailed account at some point soon, but in the meantime, here’s a link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aykkrCz1dlg

I’m Big In Asia

mark — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:46:33 +0000

I just got a great email from my friend Kenny Ahern:

HI Mark — I hope all went well for you on Letterman. I am in
Singapore now, no Letterman Show.

However, I have good news for you. Two young guys in my stage crew
think you are a yo-yo god. They were doing some amazing yo-yo moves
between shows and I asked if they knew you. Man, you should have seen
their faces. I instantly became a cool guy because I knew you.

Hope all is going well!

Kenny

Letterman’s Stupid Human Tricks Audition

mark — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 03:44:13 +0000

I went up to Chicago this week to audition for Stupid Human Tricks from The Late Show with David Letterman. It was surprisingly low-key. I figured that there would be at least 100 people in line, and possibly 1000, but as it turned out, there were 18 registrants. I did my marshmallow tricks with the traps, and it went as well as I could’ve hoped, short of leaving there with a signed contract to be on the show. Of course I still have no idea if I’ll get on the show, but I’m hopeful. We’ll see. Some of the other auditioners had lame tricks, and a few had really great tricks. The final choice will all depend on what strikes the fancy of the producers back in NYC.