Anyone who knows me knows I love reality tv. I am SO not ashamed to admit that. Just like I wasn’t ashamed to admit I LOVED the internet in 1991 when everyone around me thought it was dorky and useless. I like reality. I’ve dedicated my life to trying to live the best one I can.

I love reality shows about creative process like Project Runway and Top Chef. But bottom feeders like “I Love New York” seriously steal my heart. I loved loved LOVED that show and its star. And I loved loved LOVED two contestants on it even more, Chance and Real, the two brothers who came in 2nd and 3rd on Season 1.

Soft spoken Real and firecracker Chance were fascinating because even as as they were vying for the heart of a lunatic the love and respect between them was always apparent. And they were hysterical. But trust me, any time one of them brought up their band, Stallionaires, there wasn’t a brain cell in my head that thought it would be anything more than ok.

I live for combining hi and lo culture. I have no interest in the middle, the safe zone where mediocre talent whose of-the-moment work clogs pop culture like sludge from the Exxon Valdese. I love to take the very top levels of art, music, technology and design where style and innovation live and jam them together with what’s happening at the bottom, where passion, guts and a bizarre take on art rule. Many people think reality tv falls into the lo category. Maybe that’s why I love it. And maybe that’s why I jumped at the chance to meet Chance and Real when my friend, Steve Lindsay, who I met in 1985 when he asked me to co-write the Dance Fever theme, told me he was managing them.

I would have written with Stallionaires if they were the worst band in the world just to meet them. But guess what, they’re FANTASTIC! As is brother #3, Love, who joins them on their spin-off ‘Real Chance At Love’ that debuts on VH-1 in November.

I haven’t been this happy with collaborators in a long time. Not only are they just as rough and tumble, spontaneous and untrained – i.e. fearless – as I am, they are incredibly musical, hooky and full of spirit to boot. And interested in news ways of doing everything – from the music itself to the mediums it will live on. And they’re very, very fast. No nudging notes around on a grid until everything snaps into place as stiff as a corpse. It’s not about precision; it’s all feel all the time, just the way I like it.  And we’re all indie, which means no pansy ass decisions by producers or entertainment conglomerates to dictate our fate. We live or die by our own sword.

And then there’s this. When Love, Chance and Real were 11, 12 and 13 they were discovered by Paulino DeCosta, the percussion maestro of Earth Wind & Fire, the band that discovered me when I wasn’t much older than Stallionaires are now. My obsession with percussion came from watching Paulino. They’re equally obsessed with percussion because of him.

I wish I could leak the record we just finished, “Does She Love Me?”, but it’s the first single and theme song to their VH-1 series so I have to play by the rules and wait til the show airs. It’s an eternally happy song like “September”, my first Earth Wind & Fire hit. You’re in a good mood from the downbeat and you can feel the writers’ joy in every beat.

I know some people won’t understand how I went from The Color Purple to this reality universe. But for Bubbles & Stallionaires it’s all about people being all they can be and experiencing genuine joy as they do it. It’s the same basic story.

I’m not the type who stays on a ship that sails the same course every time it sets out to sea. I get bored, I fall asleep and I’m outta there. Thank you, Stallionaires, for slipping me a big, fat happy pill because I’m way onboard.

https://www.alleewillis.com/music/stallionaires/index.html

13 Responses to “Bubbles & Stallionaires”

  1. Preston

    I accidentally came across the Bubbles & Cheesecake website while I was googling Atomic Kitsch looking for ideas for a new blog I am doing. I went through the whole site and then I saw the link to you from your old blog. Pretty cool stuff here. Hope you don’t mind, but I think I’ll quietyl come along for the ride. 🙂

  2. charlen

    I love reality TV and the shows, I never would have watch them years ago, but I love tuning in each week to see the fate of another cast member.
    I did listen to their music and was impressed. They are good! Keep on making great music and inspiring people!

  3. elyse

    Thats sooo weird I had no idea you worked on that song with them! I love that song and watch all those VH1 shows religiously! Haha Awesome.

  4. April

    Real,baby you are the man ! Chance you seem so sweet but come off as adumb ass sometimes. Real,you are so a ladies man i swear,everything about you is just to great. All these crazy women trying to be yours,dont settle for a friend ,take a friend and an lover. Keep you some corn feed, she loves you as i , and Ba Ba Ba is sweet but just a friend…. Your an amazing man,I must say watching you threw all you’ve been through.I find you very intising and a beautiful person.Which makes me hot,Id love to hear all you have to speak and feel all you could give me. Your quite the man ,and I so understand the praise your parents give you………………..xoxooxoxoxxoxo

  5. 1970 MAVERICK

    I came across your page by reading more about the Stallionires on “Reals'” Myspace page. I gotta tell ya…I got hooked immediately and have been perusing your site all night. I love the Blog on Ms. Thill…what a kick she must be. I have a Nana who is 80 and I tell ya..she was a dish in her day too. Nothing keeps her down even now! I gotta give mad kudos to these kick ass chicks who keep it rolling for a lifetime. Obviously you are going to be one them as you show no signs of slowing up. Oh and hey it’s Exxon Valdez..not Valdese. Just throwing that out there since I am an Alaskan and only live 2 hours from there…thats just spitting distance from home when you live around here. Anyhoo…you kick ass and I will defineately be watching your work closely now. Have to give you a loud shout out when I am rolling in my Maverick making all the young kids jealous with the hottest muscle car in town…all redone by this MILF who won’t be kept down either!! Much Love to ya!!

  6. Linda

    I just wanted to know how is happiness going for you two? How does it feel? I hope you both are being treated well and fair because even though I dont know you from what I see you both are genuine guys and deserve the best. My birthday is this Saturday coming up August 21st and my theme song will be yours.. God Bless and Stay Sweet.