David S. Sharp's Blog - Professional Storyteller

Don't look at the Cat!

This is a story I don’t tell on stage, I usually tell this to friends that have met this particular Cat. Years ago, I had more time on my hands than now days. One of my best friends and I used to go out to coffee every Friday, since we both had that day off for one reason or another. I would arrive around 10:00 am and we’d get some lunch at some place that had good coffee. Every morning as I would come over to pick him up he would open the door and as I came in he would say, “I’m gunna go finis… Continue

Added by David S. Sharp on November 17, 2009 at 12:43pm — No Comments

Memories of my Great Grandfather Ed Spalding Deputy Sheriff of Fremont County, Colorado.

Some of my earliest memories surrond a trip my parents made along with my maternal grandmother. We arrived somewhere in Colorado to a farm where some one special lived. My parents came to the door and were greeted by an elderly couple that came out and hugged my Grandmother and mother. I came to realize later that they were the parents of my Grandfather Clay long past away leaving my Grandmother a widow to raise her only child my mother Elaine. My Great Grandfather had a Parakeet perched on his… Continue

Added by David S. Sharp on February 24, 2009 at 5:12pm — 8 Comments

The Holy Tree

The Holy Tree I've told this story just once to an audience, during a Saint Patrick's Day concert we did in a theatre with our band "Idlewild" and a troop of step dancers, a pipe band and some of my storytelling, four years ago. At the time some years ago I would travel to and fro in downtown Salt Lake City and in one part of the inner city neighborhood my wife and I would have lunch at a wonderful little Japanese Restaurant called the Koko Kitchen. They have some of the best Teriyaki, Udon an… Continue

Added by David S. Sharp on June 9, 2008 at 1:04pm — No Comments

Ohe-hano-ihu, the Hawaiian Nose Flute

Ohe-hano-ihu The Hawaiian Nose Flute Ohe-hano-ihu, is the name for the Hawaiian Nose Flute. Instruments of this type are made of bamboo and are of undoubted antiquity long before contact with western civilization. The instrument consists of a simple joint of bamboo, with an embouchure placed about half an inch from the closed end, thus enabling the player to supply the instrument with the air of his left nostril. The left hand covers the three holes bored mid-way along the length of the instrum… Continue

Added by David S. Sharp on June 6, 2008 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Scary stories I tell my children to stay in school

Now that my children and step children are grown up, I no longer read them stories like when they were little. My wife and I do that with the grand children now. I still preach at them and tell them stories of acidents I've seen other people have when working a labor job when I was younger, and why they should get or finish that degree. It starts with a story of I'm still in High School and one summer job I took with a couple of buddies was to mow lawns at the local city cemetary. There were al… Continue

Added by David S. Sharp on June 6, 2008 at 12:30pm — 1 Comment

The Railroad Bishop and his decendants

John Sharp was born in Scotland in the year 1820. He was a hard-working Scotsman that began work in the coal pits at the age of eight years of age. He and his two brothers were converted to the Mormon Church in 1847, and they set out for Zion the next year. They reached Salt Lake City in August of 1850 and shortly after his arrival became the superintendent of the Church quarry where the huge blocks of granite were cut for the Salt Lake Temple and the massive wall around Temple Square, along wit… Continue

Added by David S. Sharp on June 5, 2008 at 3:30pm — No Comments

Some Norwegian YOU are!

My wife is of Norwegian descent on her father's side of the family. They came from a little enclave of Norwegians that settled together in midwestern Canada. I often kid my wife when she complains about cold, dark and sometimes wet Utah weather. (It's a desert but it rains or snows more than you would think.) The other thing she is not fond of is the smell of fish. So I'll say, "some Norwegian YOU are, you don't like the wet, the cold, the dark or smelly fish. Aren't you supposed to like Lutefis… Continue

Added by David S. Sharp on June 4, 2008 at 8:00pm — No Comments

Let me see your keys!

It was more than twenty years ago, that I was sitting in my office on the 14th floor of the "Boston Building" in downtown Salt Lake City. Along with other contractors we were working on a Saturday morning cartoon for Marvel comics animation out of California. We made pretty good money when we were busy working, but much of the time we would wait for contracts or new shows to come in, and animators without something to keep them busy are much like a Mad Hatter's tea party without any tea, or even… Continue

Added by David S. Sharp on May 22, 2008 at 11:00am — 5 Comments

My Father's D-Day Story

My Father’s D-Day Story In looking back on how I fell into storytelling, I began to realize my Father is a great storyteller. As a child I heard stories about my family, but on some occasions I would hear my Father talk about his experiences landing a Glider on the early morning hours of D-Day behind the beaches of Normandy. My Dad (Dr. Byron James Sharp) was a young Lieutenant in what was then the United States Army Air Force. He was trained to fly a plane called a DC-3, or “Gooney Bird” as t… Continue

Added by David S. Sharp on May 14, 2008 at 1:30pm — 3 Comments

Dance Pinnochio

Dance Pinnochio I told this story at a Music and Storytelling concert last March, 2007, when our group was asked for an encore. During the day I work part-time for the American Federation of Musicians, Local 104 as the Business agent. My office co-worker is also a musician contractor and plays in a German, Swiss, Bavarian band called Salzburger Echo. They travel to the various Octoberfests and ethnic festivals around the country. My friend came to work one day dressed in his Leder-Hosen, since… Continue

Added by David S. Sharp on May 14, 2008 at 12:30pm — 1 Comment

Story interuptions continued:

I recently read a blog post by Sean Bulava, and it got me thinking about story interuptions I've had that stuck in my memory. Recently I went and told a set of stories with music at a local rest home. The activities director was grateful that I would come and entertain the residents for the small budget they had and they knew what my normal evening fee would have been. The experience was not well planned by the staff and there was some confusion as to where in the building I was to perform, so w… Continue

Added by David S. Sharp on April 25, 2008 at 1:06pm — 3 Comments

A Celtic Tale

A Celtic Tale from the Isle of Man The following story is a Manx tale in the public domain. It has a typical Celtic theme of mortals becoming ensnared in the fairy world. The Isle of Man has a very interesting history and culture. Celtic Settlers came to the island during the bronze age, their language is akin to Irish Gaelic and had much in common with Ireland and the Western Islands of Scotland. The island is named for the Celtic Sea God – Mannanan MacLyr and was called “The Throne of Mannana… Continue

Added by David S. Sharp on March 24, 2008 at 12:17pm — 4 Comments

Storyteller Sound-Scapes

Storyteller Sound-scapes I wrote this for our local storytelling guild newspaper last year or so. One of my favorite sound effects for storytelling is the Irish Bodhran. (pronounced in Gaelic, Bough-ron) It is a versatile frame drum with a variety of pitches and sounds that can be made. A few years ago my wife and I had our first experiences making sound effects and music for other storytellers. It seemed to me that the Bodhran helped express a number of moods and narrative sound effects. Man… Continue

Added by David S. Sharp on March 20, 2008 at 10:30am — No Comments

Why I should renew my Instrument and equipment insurance

Why I should renew my Instrument and equipment insurance. (I thought this aritcle I wrote for the local Musician's Union Newsletter might be helpful for anyone with sound gear and or instruments that they pack along for a job.) Every couple of years I have a “close call” with my gear. Two years ago my wife and I played a wedding with a violinist from the Local. We set up on the sun deck of the Stein Eriksen Lodge. We had shade and a large umbrella for each of us for overhead cover. We played fo… Continue

Added by David S. Sharp on March 19, 2008 at 2:21pm — No Comments

Things happen and I almost can't help but tell a story about it, even when my friends all look at their watches.

Things happen and I almost can't help but tell a story about it, even when my friends all look at their watches. At one time in my past, I worked as an animator. Scripts and storyboards came out of the Los Angeles area to the studio where I worked. One of the things I learned to do while drawing animation or illustrations, was to tell my self a little story about the scene I was creating. For a wizards den I would start by telling myself what was in there. Old books would be on the shelves with… Continue

Added by David S. Sharp on March 19, 2008 at 2:06pm — 1 Comment

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