This afternoon at 2:30pm, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter KT Tunstall performed a brief impromptu concert for the striking WGA “troops” on the picket lines outside the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.
Though I was stationed at NBC with my usual picket line crew, we all hiked down Alameda to Disney to see the show. And what a show it was!
In town to tape a few talk show appearances that aren’t happening due to the strike — guess she wasn’t booked on that old scab Ellen’s show! — KT decided to support our cause and bring her music to the streets. Honestly, I wasn’t that big of a fan before, but man alive, that skinny Scot can blow!
She was awesome! Starting off her set with her hit song “Black Horse & The Cherry Tree” (which was slaughtered nightly by Katherine McPhee on “American Idol” a couple years back) KT then launched straight away into another number I didn’t know. It was good, but the highlight was probably her rocking version of that TV show staple “Suddenly I See” which sounded amazing, even out there on the street!
Finishing up her set, KT sang The Jackson Five’s classic “I Want You Back” changing the lyrics to represent the current status of talks (which is no talking at all) between the AMPTP and WGA leadership. I wish I could remember her revised lyrics, they were pretty funny.
Despite the sweltering November heat, KT put on a pretty cool little show, and best of all — during these lean times for everyone involved — it was free! Thank you, KT Tunstall! You rock!
On our way back to NBC, my friend Wan (a writer’s assistant on ABC’s “Caveman”) and I ran into “There’s Something About Mary” writer/director Peter Farrelly. He was super friendly and even allowed us to take a couple of pictures with him. Thanks, dude!
And then, megaphone in hand, I chanted back down the block with my team (actually, I think I was the only one chanting at that point) towards our regular picket line at NBC. As you can tell from the picture below, I’m getting pretty comfortable behind that old megaphone these days.
I’m no KT Tunstall (yet!) but brother, I can chant it out with the best of them! Que viva la union!
make. see. eat. do. 
That’s kewl that she was there singing for you guys (and an ingenious way of re-gaining at least some of the publicity she came to town for). Wish I was there to see her.
Yeah, I have a feeling singing for us in the streets gets her way more coverage than doing Jay Leno and Carson Daly’s shows. Go, KT!
Hey, I like those grey T-shirts folks are wearing in many of the pictures – you probably are the “hippest” strikers that town had ever seen!
Just curious: Were they handing out megaphones with the picket signs, or was it just “BYOM”? 🙂
I know, I dig those grey shirts way more than the red ones! But they can’t keep the grey one’s in stock and so I am stuck with two red t-shirts that I wear again and again and again…
But “BYOM”? Ha! That is hilarious! Christine and I laughed out loud at that one…seriously…very funny! You should come down here and help us write new some chants while you’re at it! =)