Bio Page

Clark Carlton Singer  -  Songwriter  Playwright - Man

"Self Help or Tower Of Psychobabble" has received the StoneWall Society's Pride In The Arts 2002 Performance Literature Award! Thanks to all who voted! Congratulations to all the nominees and recipients. Clark Carlton

Clark Carlton is a singer/songwriter and performer who makes his home in the heart of Los Angeles.  SALT WATER is his first album of songs and was completed late in November of 2000.  Clark calls himself a “musical dyslexic” and has never learned to read music.   He is a self-taught guitarist and plays all of his songs in open tunings, most of his own device.

                                                                               
 “I just love the unpredictable chords you get from open tunings.  They are the only kind that interest me.  My producer, Christopher Clarke, had a wild time trying to figure them out and would curse me and get upset.   One day he literally tore some of his own hair out.   He had to call up London at times to try and define my chords. They have names like Amin7sus and F#5add G.  He was frustrated by my inability to read music, but admitted there was a method to my madness.  He was originally drawn to my music because he thought my tunes were both catchy and unpredictable.”

Songwriting came late in life to Clark.  “I always loved music.  Especially the guitar.  I always loved rock and jazz and symphonic music, especially the Romantics.   Music is always playing in my head, but I put down the guitar for all of the Eighties and most of the Nineties to write screenplays, which didn’t sell,  but sometimes got me assignments.   When my ex and I broke up, we had what we called a “fire sale”.   I remember lugging my guitar out to the front lawn.  He said “You don’t want  to sell  that,  do you?”  I reconsidered, and a year later, I took it out of its case for the first time in 14 years.  The strings were green with corrosion.  I learned how to play again from sites off the Internet.   It was just what I needed so I could write some break up tunes.  I had fallen in love all over again with a curvy wooden box and six steel strings.   The love and happy songs came later, and then some philosophical ones.   Now I can’t imagine a day going by in which I didn’t play my guitar.”

Clark’s day job is working as a writer.  He is author of the critically acclaimed and award winning play SELF HELP  or The Tower of Psychobabble which has had multiple runs nation wide.  His current project is the screenplay WHEN NIETZSCHE WEPT, co-written with Pinchas Perry and based on the novel by Irvin B. Yalom.   The film begins shooting in Prague and Venice in spring of 2001.   Also in development is OPEN HEART, from the novel by A.B. Yehoshua, and THE BEDOUIN, based on the novel Circumcision  by Dorit Zilberman.   Clark is the author of movie novelizations including FACE/OFF and has written for television, corporations and magazines.   He also works as a commercial actor and is currently writing an epic science fiction novel that involves ants and tiny people.

Clark’s other interests include beach volleyball, surfing, roller blading, hiking and softball.   He loves to attend the Burning Man and Rainbow Tribe  gatherings and his favorite card game is Hearts.  He was formerly the pastry chef for Project Angel Food. Clark looks forward to having a dog again, and is working on a new collection of songs. He is  also remixing his song "Boys on the Sand" as a dance single.  His favorite movies are MIDNIGHT COWBOY, THE GODFATHER (Parts One and Two), BARRY LYNDON, THE WIZARD OF OZ, CABARET, CITIZEN KANE, 2001, AMERICAN BEAUTY, SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, FELLINI’S ROMA and ANNIE HALL.   He eats candy everyday and his favorite food is sushi.

Clark is a Sagittarian who is skeptical about astrology.  He got his M.F.A. in Film and Television from UCLA and studied English at Boston University.  His favorite cities are New York, London, Paris, Rome and San Francisco.  He can be found at the beach nearly every weekend.  Clark lives with his partner Mike in Los Angeles.  Clark is also an avid reader and nature worshipper.   His favorite authors are Tom Wolfe, David Leavitt, Robert Rodi and Edith Wharton.   His favorite novel is The Catcher in the Rye.    Favorite web sites include The Guitar Archives, Gay Bruins and the Joni Mitchell Discussion List.   He plans to take his next vacation trekking through Nepal.  He fits laughter and dancing into every day and believes he has the greatest collection of friends on the planet. 

Check back often for updates. In April read a review of Clark's CD "SALTWATER". Just click on "SALTWATER" to find out how to get your own copy!

We will be adding a review of Clark's play, "SELF HELP" soon. Contact Clark directly via e-mail for information on any area of performance related information regarding "SELF HELP".

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