Yes, I let this go on for an extra day or so, but I was having so much
fun reading your guesses.
The Winner of the One-Word Error Prize is Jackie R, who correctly
guessed the shocking truth from page
228 of “A Million Miles In A Thousand Years.”

It wasn’t sweat. It was snot.

I tried so hard to hold it in, but gravity had the final say. And even
though it’s been twenty-eight years since the actual occurrence, just
writing this makes my gag reflex kick in.

Jackie, your prize is a very stylish, very rare “Blue Like Jazz” movie
t-shirt. 100% cotton. 100% snot-free.

Neither did I.

I did, however, just finish reading about myself in Donald Miller’s new book “A Million Miles In A Thousand Years.”

The experience is not easily described. I’ve had it happen a few times in the past, but they weren’t always very memorable books, so I’d tend to skip ahead to the parts I was in, smile or cringe at the passage in question, then stick the book on an upper shelf next to the other books-that-I-won’t-be-reading-but-can’t-sell-at-a-garage-sale-in-case-the-author-drops-by.

“A Million Miles…” is different. I’m not here to review it (yes, it’s superb, but you’ve probably heard that by now). I’m here to relate the exhilaration and terror of opening a book that a million people are going to read and seeing your name in print, over and over again.

Like most of you, I read “Blue Like Jazz” a few years ago. Unlike most of you, I then got to meet and hang out with characters from the book over the next three years. Like Penny. And Laura. And Rick the Pastor. In each case, Don had managed to describe a certain “essence” about them that struck me as absolutely true to the real person. I can’t tell you if every detail in “Blue Like Jazz” is exact. But I know that Penny is exactly the person you’d hope she’d be after reading about her.

And that’s what made my palms sweat as I opened to the first page of “A Million Miles…” As a recording artist, I’d spent years cultivating some sort of public image (it was, admittedly, a small-ish percentage of the public…), then trying, with varying degrees of success, to live up to it. Much of the cultivating was deliberate, some was probably subconscious, and all of it, as Christians should know, is ultimately futile. But Don and I, over the last few years, had spent weeks at a time working together and hanging out. He’d gotten to know me pretty well. And now, in the pages of his new book, Donald Miller was going to reveal my true, uncultivated, private essence. There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. And it was too late to call lawyers.

Some random impressions from my reading of “A Million Miles…”:

- I don’t recall ever getting up from my chair. (I have the bladder of a superhero.)
- I do recall laughing out loud. A lot.
- This time, unlike when I first read “Blue Like Jazz,” I knew almost all the characters. And I must say that Don’s portrayal of each seemed true to the person I knew.
- The book was strangely motivational. I’ve taken a few leaps of faith in my life, but reading “A Million Miles…” made me want to take more.

And what about me? How do I come off?

Well… Don’s a gracious guy, so who am I to argue with his flattering portrayal? I come off as quite a bit wiser than I am in real life. I stammer a lot less. He tends to focus on the good ideas I had for the screenplay and thankfully fails to mention the dumb ones. He perfectly portrays my long time friend and collaborator Ben Pearson, who is the glue that’s kept this entire movie enterprise from falling apart. And the details, as I recall them, are pretty accurate – on the first day we really did go kayaking through the snow-covered streets of his Portland neighborhood, etc.

But there is one detail pertaining to me that he got wrong. Maybe it was accidental. Or maybe he was afraid that the raw truth was too horrific for print. I guess I could ask him. But I’m thinking it might be more fun to turn this into a game…

If anyone out there can be the first to correctly identify and post the factual error pertaining to me in Donald Miller’s awesome new book, “A Million Miles In A Thousand Years,” I’ll send you a prize. (I’d send you the book, but I’m guessing that would be redundant.)

And here’s a hint: It occurs in the last few chapters. And it’s a one-word error.

Are you just so excited about Blue Like Jazz the Movie that you want to shout it from the rooftops?  While we can’t provide literal rooftops from which you can shout, we are accepting virtual outpourings of love from YOU, our favorite fans.

Here’s the deal:  a lot of people are asking “Why are you making a Blue Like Jazz movie?  How is that going to work?”  We thought the best way to answer that question would be to let you answer it.

So how do you do it?  It’s simple!

1) Record a video of yourself explaining why you love Blue Like Jazz (the book), Donald Miller (the author), Steve Taylor (the director) and (most importantly) why you are so excited about the movie.

2) Submit it to our Vimeo group here.

3) Tell your friends to do the same!

As a part of our efforts to raise money for the film and ensure that we’re developing a screenplay that works for the multitude of constituencies that are required to make a film successful (e.g. fans of Blue Like Jazz and Don Miller, investors, grassroots organizations, studios, the prospective audience, etc.), we’ve asked a number of folks if they would read the screenplay and provide feedback. We know many of you care deeply about how this project is managed and want to see the best movie possible made. Many of the early comments on Don’s blog and our site were more akin to “don’t screw this up!” than “I can’t wait to see the movie.”

Outside feedback on the screenplay has kept us on track and allowed us to quickly recognize where we’ve missed the mark and what we’ve needed to do to shepherd the story to box office greatness.  Below is some feedback from one such reviewer, Gabe Lyons, one of the authors of UnChristian and founder of the Fermi Project that hosts the popular Q conference.  It’s incredibly encouraging to hear this kind of feedback.

From Gabe:

Like this blog, it was done at management’s insistence – they’re convinced it will be important for the Blue Like Jazz movie’s “future cross-promotional efforts,” and who am I to argue? They gave me a two hour tutorial on How To Facebook, then I left on a Thanksgiving trip with the family. I’ve been overwhelmed and bewildered ever since.

It’s not that I don’t understand the basic concept. It’s that I still don’t understand Facebook etiquette. If I accept you as a Friend, do I have to take your Bumper Sticker? Will you be offended if I don’t reply to your Wall post? Why would I want to poke you?

I know… all of you FB-Veterans are thinking, “What’s the big deal?” But I’m like Tom Hanks in Castaway having that blond lady from Twister explain what’s happened the last four years. Do I even have a place in your Brave New World? When I get your Mafia Wars request, how do I respond without causing needless offense and/or bloodshed?

For those of you who would like to be my Facebook Friend, here are some general guidelines:

1. If you’re African American, you’re automatically in. No questions asked. In fact, your entire family is invited to be my Friend – cousins, in-laws, a neighbor who knows Denzel, bring ‘em all. And no, this is not because I’ve got too many white friends, nor is it because my Friend List looks like the U.N. delegation from Iceland. It’s because We Don’t Need No Colour Code.
2. If you’re from a foreign country, you’re in. No exceptions. I’ve traveled the world, and just knowing I’ve got Friends in Nepal gives me a heightened sense of well-being. If you’re currently under CIA surveillance, shoot me the details and post a photo of the family pet – I’m sure we can work something out.
3. If you consider yourself a “fan,” know that in my mind, we were always friends, but I’m happy to make it official. If you feel compelled to post photos from a concert you attended, please follow these simple rules:

   You’re only allowed to post photos of my good side.

   I can’t currently recall which side is my good side.

   Please avoid posting photos that fall under these subcategories:

   Me in a jacket with the sleeves pushed up.

   Me in a white suit covered with colorful triangles.

   Me in a dress.

   Me in yellow and black spandex. (Oops – wrong band.)

   Me wearing anything with a metallic sheen.

   Me wearing anything that a reasonably intelligent and self-assured musician wouldn’t be caught dead in, regardless of era.

   Me wearing anything that my daughter will mockingly show her 5th grade friends during computer class.

4. If you’re a friend of a Friend, I will allow up to seven degrees of separation.
5. Finally, if you’re already a close, personal friend and you make a Friend Request, please know that I’ll probably accept, but I’ve been wondering why you never call.

Steve Taylor’s Profile | Create Your Badge

The position of my favorite table at Bongo Java is, admittedly, awkward. It’s the last table in a narrow, back hallway; and it sits just outside the seldom-used unisex bathroom. This is only a problem during peak traffic. The more popular and easily accessible front bathroom (a one-seater) gets occupied, causing Those Seeking Relief to wander toward the three-tabled annex, where they encounter the other door marked “restroom” and assume that, because I’m sitting at the table to its left, I must be the Troll That Guards The Secret Toilet.

I lower my head and type like crazy, hoping they won’t ask me if anyone’s in there. They take the hint and check the door for themselves. If it’s open, everything proceeds the way nature intended. If it’s locked, I feel the cold stare of their silent disapproval wanting to scream, “Hey! Troll who’s correcting the Steve Taylor Wikipedia page! Why didn’t you tell me there’s someone in the can?!”

But they don’t, because they’re too busy deciding whether to wait and risk looking desperate, or pretend like they really didn’t need to go in the first place. Most choose the latter, but approximately one in five choose to wait. And among the waiters, approximately one in ten recognize The Troll.

PERSON SEEKING RELIEF: Hey, Steve.

STEVE (looking up): Hey…

Steve smiles broadly to mask the fact that he neither recognizes the face nor recalls the name.

PSR: What are you working on these days?

STEVE: Have you heard of the book “Blue Like Jazz?”

PSR: I LOVE that book! It changed my life!

STEVE: Yeah? Well, I’m doing a movie of it.

At this point, the Person Seeking Relief deftly picks one of three possible responses:

PSR: Wow! That’s exciting! I’ll be there opening weekend! Would you happen to have Don Miller’s private email address?

or…

PSR (after an uncomfortable pause): Hmm. Well… if anyone can pull that off, it’s… you, I guess. Do you have Don Miller’s email?

or…

PSR (checking for dilation of my pupils): That’s great, Steve. You always reach for goals that are just beyond your reach, eh? Well don’t let me interrupt your “pre-production,” and maybe when I’m back here in five years and you’re still the Bongo Restroom Sentinel – assuming mandatory retirement hasn’t kicked in – you can let me know if there’s anybody in the friggin’ crapper. I bid you good day, sir.

Second, I’m not Steve!  My name is Erick Goss and I’m an executive producer who works with Steve and was the guy who convinced him to blog in the first place.  I’m the equivalent of a “suit” but wear jeans or khakis most days.  When Steve talks about the guys forcing him into social media, the target of his angst is me.

Third, little did I know that in the process of launching a blog (Steve was not excited about the idea) that we would be victims of “spamdexing”.  This wasn’t immediately apparent to us as I have been busy raising money for the movie and Steve tries to avoid the blog in every way possible (any encouragement is welcome!).

A few weeks ago Steve excitedly told me that we had more than a thousand comments on his last blog post.  He noted that one of the commenters in particular was very complimentary (they left comments like “great site”), had an affinity for referencing verses from the Gospel of John as their name (e.g. John1277, John 316, John 347)  and for some reason had an obsession with erectile dysfunction medication.  I immediately recognized we had been spammed and that our efforts in social media were off to a slow start.  After finally getting a chance to address the problem and marking about 3500 comments as spam, we’re back in action and Steve is ready (and somewhat willing) to begin blogging.

For those of you who have found this blog (and aren’t spambots), thank you for your support and encouragement…especially to those of you who even volunteered to manage our blog and take care of the spam issue!  Please know that Steve is about to blog…consistently….and we are making good progress on the movie.

Our most significant obstacle right now is raising money.  In addition to the challenge of the worst economy in our lifetime, most people who love the book don’t have money and most people who have money don’t know about the book.  This has presented quite a challenge.  That said, we’ve had some major wins over the last 30 days and are developing good momentum.  Our hope is to shoot the movie in the spring or early summer but everything is contingent on money and getting the right cast.  Once those two things come together, Steve will be free to create cinematic greatness.

Many of you have asked how you can help.  I plan to update the blog with ideas over the next few weeks but here are a couple of things that would help in the near term:

1)  Pray.  We really need your prayers.  There are lots of things we need prayer for but I’ll address those more specifically in the future.  Just praying that we’d find funding (”God, please help Steve, Erick and team find the money they need need to shoot Blue Like Jazz!”) and a great cast (”God, help them find great leads who are as excited about Blue Like Jazz as we are!”) would be a huge help.

2)  Spread the word.  The more people know about the movie and what we’re trying to do, the easier it is for us to get funded.  A lot of potential investors don’t know about Blue Like Jazz and the impact it’s had on people’s lives.  They do understand numbers.  The more people blog about the movie, sign up for the newsletter, become Steve’s friend on Facebook, the easier it is for investors to understand the impact of the book and the likelihood the movie will be a success.

3) Share your ideas.  Let us know what you think we should be doing.  Some of you have already shared some great ideas that we’re in the process of working on.  Any advice is welcome (at least for now)
Thanks again for your support of Steve and Blue Like Jazz!