Time Out New York:
"One man, one chair, one record player, one hour and a crate half-full of weathered vinyl: These are the simple yet potent ingredients of Alex Knox's stunning solo show. Through seemingly unconnected detours into his musical obsessions, most notably his fervent love for ’70s rock group Steely Dan, Knox effortlessly weaves a warm and heart-wrenching tale about losing his best boyhood friend. What begins as a love letter to a band expands into a ballad that explores the depths of the human condition. And Knox’s precise, unflinching delivery—coupled with the lyricism and rhythm of Becca Wolff’s direction—keeps the audience rapt from the first needle scratch."
-Terri White

LA Weekly:
"The static in monologist Alex Knox's thoughtful, 60-minute autobiographical deliberation on friendship, fate and the redemptive power of art comes with two forms: The first is Knox's emotional confusion that results when he drops out of a planned trip to Kauai with his childhood musical soul mate, Josh, which culminates in the friend's near-death, radical religious conversion and virtual disappearance into an Orthodox yeshiva in Israel. The second is that of stasis -- or rather the lack of it -- and the unlikeliest means by which Knox ultimately reconciles himself to the fact that change is the most ineluctable of life's modalities. To that end, the performer weaves a winning tapestry of wry insight, musicological history (of '70s jazz-rock supergroup Steely Dan, no less) and engaging self-deprecation, all framed with elegant economy by director Becca Wolff's crisp, precision-tuned production."
-Bill Raden

Turnstyle News:
"No Static At All is a solo piece written and performed by the effortlessly charming Alex Knox. The stage is minimally set with a table, chair, and a record player. Knox sets the mood by spinning records through the show, timing his stories perfectly to the soundtrack. Knox is an engaging, dynamic, and heartfelt storyteller. An actor who doesn't need a character to hide behind to own the stage. Here's how good he is: a half-dozen late comers trudged right through about ten minutes into the piece. Knox quipped "don't mind me, just telling some stories" while smiling, without missing a beat. God, do I hate him. (See the show and that last sentence will take on a different meaning.) Director Becca Wolff–who, like Knox, is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama–creates a perfect rhythm with Knox for the staging of the piece. I could go on at length about how the show uses space and physical levels with the barest of set pieces, but this is a Fringe overview and not American Theatre magazine..."
-Noah Nelson

LA Examiner:
"Next up on my day was a trip back to the Lounge Theater for No Static At All. Alex Knox is a storyteller, plain and simple. This show is a work of art, especially if you love music like I do. His tale of the parallels between his life and the life of the super group Steely Dan will leave you laughing, crying but above all enlightened. Drawing on his Jewish roots, his love of theater and of the musical group Steely Dan, Knox takes us along on his journey to reach truth. Along the way he also teaches us the back story of Donald Fagen and Walter Beckett and their formation of Steely Dan, as well as some Jewish wisdom about life. This show is a pure delight and not to be missed!"
-Bob Leggett

SeattleActor.com:
"No Static At All begins with a young man, Alex Knox, playing his beloved records and asking us if we’ve ever felt like the music, the words we were listening to in a song were our words, our music. Throughout this brilliant dramatic monologue we will return to those moments when music will seem to define, clarify and intensify the experiences in this man’s life. It is quite a journey through many years, and through complications with his education, his self-image and his best friend, a young man who seems to be on his own spiritual pursuit and who is often at odds with Alex’s pursuit of some different truth through music. I don’t want to really go into much of the detail of this journey, those details are exciting discoveries, except to say that he creates incredibly vivid scenes and dramatic interactions that make the others in his life feel immediate and personal. The sophistication of this monologue is invisible, it seems like this is just a pleasant, forthcoming guy telling us a not particularly unique story, but behind that story we are actually searching (along with him) for something profound and truly significant, the great arc of identity and personal meaning in one’s life. That’s a very sweet music, and a sound that is so rich and substantial it feels like it’s not coming from a record, or some talented musician, but from somewhere inside ourselves. A pure tone, with no static at all."
-Jerry Kraft

Audience Comments

"As a performer Alex Knox is smooth as silk. But this piece is more complex. Ranging from the psychological intricacies of friendship to the madness of religiosity, to very cool rock ’n’ roll biography, to Jewish mysticism, No Static At All made for a fun and engaging evening of theater, helped by the warm and inviting set and intermittent tastes of music."
-Bill R.

"As anyone familiar with Monty Python knows, few things are funnier than the desperate attempt to find profound spiritual significance in the most mundane. Alex Knox smartly gets this, but then takes things to another level, seeking out and somehow discovering wild and wacky connections among Steely Dan, a lost boyhood friendship, and obscure biblical passages. The journey with Alex takes us up and down and all around, and is a pure delight. If they call Alabama the Crimson Tide, call me freakin’ amused."
-John T.

"Alex, you impressed me today. Sure your writing was tight, clever, and personal. And the delivery was clear and rich. And the stories were surprising in their depth and flavor. But, intentionally or not, you omitted something that was important to omit. You didn’t trot out the tired argument that vinyl LPs sound better than digital CDs. You showed us that the act of listening to music benefits from ritual. Taking a large disc from its cover, holding it mindfully between the tips of the fingers, aiming it deliberately over the spindle, placing the cartridge with care—there’s an ontological difference that surpasses “sound quality” as the sole metric for experiencing recorded music. By using a crate of cherished records, you brought out a central metaphor of the theater: we profit from certain forms and certain relationships. Your journey toward understanding your lifelong friendship was not only interesting, it was embodied for us and with us. Thank you for that."
-Craig F.

"Alex’s writing and stage presence are super compelling, relatable and insightful. His artistic expression of our universal search for meaning, our relationship to a higher power, and the exceptional ability of music to help us find meaning inside ourselves is as entertaining as it is authentic. I highly recommend this show to anyone — whether you have any religious sensitives or interest in Steely Dan."
-April W.

Ad for No Static At All in the local paper.

"Music is really very powerful. There are connections to be discovered and explored in why we love the music, and the bands, that we love. Our lives, our relationships, are intrinsically connected to music—I’ve always found this to be true. This unassuming little piece explores that notion beautifully. Alex Knox, who wrote it and acts in it, is nothing short of intriguing the whole hour through—never for a moment did my focus fade. Effectively helmed by Becca Wolff, this is a piece that I hope goes on to have a longer life. Or, in rock terms, ‘Expanded Edition.’ Bonus points if you love Steely Dan."
-Tim C.

"Alex Knox delivers an exceptional performance in No Static At All. His crisp writing is delivered with exquisite comedic timing and simple, effective staging. In this tale of parallel stories of brothers and the search for meaning in life he brings you into a clearly personal, heartfelt place where truth is sought and revealed in vinyl LPs, where archaeology can confirm culture and belief, and whose irresistible draw doesn't let go. Not to be missed."
-Alan K.

"Alex has taken something special to him and made it special to us. He has given the fringe the gift in No Static At All. I loved every second of it. I came out loving him, his depreciation of self, his wind-ups to expected outcomes. Revelation after revelation, he is in the moment completely and allows us to follow each step of his thoughts in this loving/living history. Thank you, Alex. I hope Josh calls soon – he has a true brother in you."
-Michael F.

"What starts out as a seemingly disconnected series of monologues evolves into a deftly-woven tapestry of music, religion and brothers from another mother (or, sometimes, what feels like another planet). Alex Knox’s solo show highlights unusual connections. Although I share none of them (no familiarity with Knox or his friend Josh, no Jewish family ties, nor a long-standing fondness for Steely Dan) I found myself unexpectedly drawn to all three, with Knox’s storytelling continually pulling me into the story. I was won over especially when Knox lets loose in his life – and onstage – to the jukebox playing the title tune. In real life, he may have been watched by befuddled onlookers, but in the audience, it resonated with me. As with anyone who, in a private moment, let their freak flag fly only to discover they were surrounded by the decidedly un-freaky. Fortunately for Knox, there are freaks a-plenty at Hollywood Fringe – and he fits in here beautifully."
-Heidi P.

"I found myself quickly and pleasantly immersed in Alex’s wonderful storytelling and charismatic presentation. Alex weaves this tale in such a way as to make it relatable to all of us that have struggled with questions about the purpose of life. Fantastic performance."
-James M.

More audience reviews