Culture Surfing - Geoffrey ‘Googie’ Uterhardt
Atlanta actor stars in The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged)
Having just finished a quick-changing performance at ART Station’s The Mystery of Irma Vep, the energetic Atlanta actor gets some old-time religion with ART Station’s similarly high-speed production of The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) (April 18-May 13). Some of his recent highlights include the world premieres of Love Jerry at Actor’s Express and Cartoon at Out of Hand Theater. Married to Atlanta actress/director Barbara Cole, he picked up the nickname “Googie” as a way to distinguish him from two other actors named “Jeff” cast in a production of Kiss Me Kate at Stage Door Players.
Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, Of Montreal: “I have most of their albums on my iPod at all times. Described on allmusic.com as ‘euphoric indie popsters,’ Of Montreal (out of Athens, Ga.) embodies everything that I love about music: clever lyrics, soaring harmonies, intricate arrangements and a sense of playfulness. Feel-good-headphone music.”
Escape Pod: “Thursday April 18, 2024 12:31 AM UTC” by Robert Silverberg: “This sci-fi podcast makes my brain turn somersaults. This short story depicts a man who is in constant contact with himself from yesterday and himself from tomorrow, who falls in love with a girl who uncontrollably leaps around in time.”
“Lost”: “I wasn’t going to include this but my wife Barbara said that I must. I’m not one to admit it when I like something that is currently popular. ‘Lost’ is some of the best TV ever, and I’m so glad that the ‘serial’ is back. I love it, cliffhangers and all.”
A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong: “I picked this up by accident, actually. Very insightful overview of mythology from the Paleolithic period up to the ‘Great Western Transformation’ of more recent history. It really opened my eyes.”
300: “Freakin’ great! Visually stunning, pulled no punches. Comic-book art splattered onto the big screen like so many gallons of blood.”
“Epiphany” on YouTube: “George Hearn singing ‘Epiphany’ from Sweeney Todd in concert makes my skin break out in goosebumps. Amazing!”
Googie/Space Age architecture: “I actually got my nickname before falling in love with this type of design. I just long for the clean lines and fanciful ideas that came out of the late 1950s when everyone was looking to the skies. Disney’s original design for Epcot is a good example. Glass domes + monorails = utopia.”