A Tree Seems To Have Fallen In Portland...

... and nobody seems to have heard it.

The crowds have been getting smaller and smaller at Slainte' the past few times. It isn't promoted very much so it seems to be running out of steam. It's too bad, because it's a fun room to do. Tonight there were 3 audience members, and about 9 comics.

I think my set went well. I used mostly new material, just to mix it up, but the jokes weren't fully flushed, but there is some stuff to work out. It's hard to tell how it went really, it was so quiet. Some of the guys basically went up and wrung out some new stuff, but it was an otherwise unproductive and awkward night. I don't feel bad though, I like the stuff I did and feel like it's a good lead in for other stuff.

The highlight of the evening came well after my set when I tried to leave. If anybody reading this is familiar with my posts, I talked about this drunk black woman that looked like a cross dressing Wesley Snipes that told me I needed to make sweet love to her. Well guess what? She showed up outside tonight. There were a few of us outside when she came so I felt a little safer that she wouldn't molest me, but boy was it a treat to talk to her. She was so drunk and she would go on these really long rants that were completely disjointed. The only theme that kept popping up is she'd go "Whoop there it is!" every now and then, but not really in a conversation break. It was a little like bad radio hip hop tourrettes. She said she was going to go wake her friend up and give her some uppers and have her come down and show us her titties. After she walked away to get her friend, I decided that was a good time to leave.

Next scheduled show is on September 14th at the Comedy Connection in Portland. I may hold off on the open mikes for awhile, I could use the break and refine my jokes I have right now. Big news though is I have a set coming up in Boston in November. It's November 6th at the Comedy Connection in Fanieul Hall and I'm supposed to convince at least 10 people to go see me. So if you're interested, that's the place to be that night, let me know.

I Can Really Set 12 People On Fire

That's what it felt like. I had a pretty fun set last night. Mostly I was working on delivery, working in and out of playing with the crowd and digging back into jokes. It was fun. I still have plenty of work to do to get better, but it was nice.

I ran a couple of my newer jokes that seemed to do well. I'm trying to run stuff that isn't too "dirty" and kind of rides the fence so that depending on the reaction of the crowd, I can push it one way or another. I also ran a joke that I had thought of before leaving the house, but hadn't really written out. It worked, but not as well as I hoped. Of course I can write it out and flush what I need from it, it should be good.

Tuck hosted last night, and he did a great job. He was in the zone where I don't think he could've done anything wrong. The crowd seemed a little confused at first, not really sure which direction the show would be going in. I think during my set, they seemed to relax, and took everything in after that. Some material I'd seen some of the comics do in the past which nose dove... dived... diven, worked well for them. The energy surely stayed in the room.

Tuck, Luke, and I all said at the end of the show that we thought it was a great show, even if there were less than 20 people in the room. It was cool to pull that off.

Now comes the sad part. No shows at the Connection until the 14th of September. I'll be working open mikes until then and after to make up the time. Not tonight at Acoustic though, I could use a break. It's been a long week and I need to rest my weary bones. This will give me an opportunity to write all new and exciting material. So watch for me next Thursday at Slainte, the week after in Acoustic (the 6th) and then back at the Connection and probably Slainte following on the 14th. Until then, feel free to go to my myspace page and watch videos of me and pretend the jokes are new and exciting.

There's no real hidden message behind the pictures today either. I just thought it was cute that my dog's hancercheif says "Little Firecracker" and it'll probably be awhile before I'm back in the pool again.

I Shoulda Doubled Down

I had a great set last night, don't get me wrong. I even had multiple applause breaks. It was great. But I wanted more. The room was sold out, completely packed. Every one of my jokes worked, but a few of them could've had more punch to them. But the crowd was a little more geared towards family friendly material it seemed. My material was more edgy, obviously, and if the crowd mentality was more raw I think I would've killed. It's a bit of a wake-up call for me to put together some material that is more accessible than just my biting stuff.

Bob Marley was great the whole night and definitely kept everyone entertained. Now that it's behind me, I can get back to crafting newer material and trying different things. My agent Tim told me to stay with my solid material and not try newer stuff for last night's show. I can see his point, but I also don't like to be told what type of material to do, but that's part of the game, and I'm just 1 cog in the whole machine.

I'm on a good streak of good to great shows right now, and enjoying being back in the game. My stage time is going to quiet down for a little while, the Connection has given only 1 or 2 showcase shows to comics throughout September. After next Tuesday, I'll have to wait until September 14th for my next show there, so I'll be filling in time at Slainte, and maybe even Acoustic.

I'll be back on top of writing, and am trying to get some time with Tuck. I think we'd be good for each other as far as perspective, so I hope we can find the time. It's creeping up on a year that I've been doing this, and I feel that recreating my angle might be in the works, or at least expanding what I use for material.

Like A New Born Baby

Good show last night. I liked the material I ran, and it was all new. I was going to do a couple new jokes, but Wednesday, Luke Hanberry gave me shit about having such a large notebook full of jokes and always running the same material. Truth be told, I run new material a lot, and I had even ran a joke that night that I hadn't even written out. Also most of the jokes from that set were less than a month old. But I'll admit it chapped my cheeks a little.

So I wrote all new jokes, except the brand new one from the night before. I'm sure he'll say something about me running a joke twice now. And running new material can be daunting. It's kind of like childbirth without the uteral wall tearing and stuff. Because you expose raw ideas, and the momentum of your entire set can change if the jokes don't go well. It was okay though, because because all of my jokes got laughs, and seemed to be working okay. In fact, one joke absolutely killed, and another one I think can be flushed into another great joke. Out of six new jokes, getting two I feel confident in running right away is a great feat. Like the analogy of childbirth, when that one joke killed, it felt like I delivered the baby, and the doctors said there was a 78% chance he'd be retarded, but then he comes out with a degree from DeVrey, hey it's not Harvard, but cut him some slack he's a newborn, and aside from a slightly lazy eye, it's a beautiful baby. Sorry for the runon sentence.

There was some good stuff going on at Slainte last night, and some not so good, but it's always a relaxed and supportive crowd. I love to work that room. It's too bad the crowds aren't as big as when it started, but you do get some regulars that are willing to tell you what they thought was working or not.

My next show is this Saturday night at 9:45 at the Comedy Connection. It's being billed as an All Star Showcase. It should be fun, and I hear the tickets are selling well. My show at Mr. Goodbar on the 28th was cancelled. Not that I like to lose shows, but I wasn't super jazzed to face that room again. As I understand, most everyone is having a hard time with it.

Have a nice day everyone, and than you to all my repeat visitors, it's nice to know people find my adventure somewhat interesting. Feel free to comment if you'd like.

And So It Begins...

Last night I had a really good set. It felt nice because it was a rough room at the Connection. I wasn't watching the show, just hung out with the comics and watched as other comics came out and pissed and moaned about what a terrible crowd it was. I couldn't have cared less last night.

I waited for my spot and just got up and ripped it. It was a decent mix of older stuff and newer stuff, with a brand new one thrown in that actually did fairly well. At the moment I was telling my chocolate penis joke, I noticed two large black men in front. That joke talks about men wanting a larger penis. I involved them in the joke, walking the line between racial stereotyping and funny, and it paid off. They laughed and it disolved any tension that might have been in the room during that moment. I tried a couple of techniques I learned from some books I've been reading and was surprised to see them work.

I'm pretty tired this morning, but I'll have to shake that. This week is going to be busy, and there's no time to be sluggish. Tonight, I'll be at Slainte'. I'll try and write some new jokes for there tonight, and then tomorrow morning I'm off to go see the Red Sox and Yanks at Fenway. I'm so excited I could just sh*t! Saturday night's the big show at the Comedy Connection, it's the All Star Show with a special guest I'm supposed to keep on the down low. $12 bucks will answer the mystery for you if you show up.

Walking Away From A Trainwreck Unscathed

I had a great set last night. All of my jokes worked great except for one which just kind of worked, and that was a brand new one. I'll be able to rework that one later on. And although I had a great set, it feels like it was by the skin of my teeth. For some others, last night was more like a bit of a train wreck.

I almost felt as if the crowd from Old Orchard Beach had become lost and came to my favorite comedy club. From jump, these people didn't want to have anything to do with the show and there were noisy drunk hecklers. Our host even had a hard time getting anything out of them. I was scheduled 8th out of 12 comics, and I sat and watched as normally talented and respected comics got chewed up and spit out onstage. It was grizzly to watch. And then the #7 comic happened which I'm fairly certain saved me.

The comic was Bill Picard, and he was a wheelchair bound comic. He used a keyboard to speak, just like Stephen Hawking. (On a side note, this is where I decided to scratch my joke that referred to Stephen Hawking for the night). His jokes were funny, but went over even harder I believe because he was handicapped. I have to say though, that it was inspiring. When he got up I was brought right up onstage. I did something at this point I felt guilty about later.I was so impressed by what Bill had done, instead of asking the crowd to give it up again for the host, I asked them to give it up to Bill. Then I played back and forth with Bill and referenced one of his jokes. I could tell Bill liked being called back into the next set, and I felt good making him feel good. But after my set I realized I was kind of stealing his thunder and projecting him onto myself by interracial with him. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it was an advantage I created over other comics for the night.Last night was a rough crowd, but I made it through with flying colors. Very few comics had a good night last night, but I was one of the more solid sets of the night. It felt good. I cannot tell a lie.

My next show is next Wednesday the 16th. I was also added to the All-Star Weekend and that's the 19th at 9:45. One other comic I know that's working that show is Dustin Beckleman, and it's always fun working with him. That one will be special for me, because it's a Saturday night show, and my first one at the Connection. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for great things.

Cheers... errrr...... umm...... Slainte'!

It was another fun time at Slainte' last night. It was my only set for the night, so I got to be there on time and "take the bullet". The show was supposed to start at 8:30, but didn't kick in until just after 9:00. There was a severe lack of people there that weren't comics. By the time I hit the stage though, it was about a third full. We'd get more folks throughout the show, but all in all a slower night for Slainte'.

I tried something different last night to see if it'd work. I played a game where I had everyone sitting close, like the comedy campfire. And knowing over half my set were new jokes I hadn't really written out, I looked to the other comics for help. I'd tell a joke and pass the mic to see how someone else might have changed it. To be honest, the additional feedback from other comics didn't really add much to the jokes, but it accomplished what I wanted. Basically I was taking a small crowd, making the situation more intimate and drawing them in as well as setting a mood. They were engaged in the performance, and there wasn't a single person chatting with other people or not paying attention. That's a pretty difficult feat in bar setting.

My new material went well. I had reworked the Jesus as Voltron bit, economizing the hell out of it. It ended up working. It went from the joke that drew crickets 2 nights ago, to a joke that got good laughs last night. I did a couple of things with it to make it work. First, I cut out unnecessary words and ran it as slim as possible. Then I used the fact that I was bored in a hotel room and decided to read the Bible. Seems like a subtle change, but I've noticed people shut down when you tell religious jokes pretty quickly, because they feel like you're going to preach. By making it an act of boredom instead of a preaching sermon, I think it made the joke more accessible. That's the kind of ridiculous shit I think about when writing jokes. It felt good though because I liked the idea of telling a joke about Jesus being a Japanese Robot comprised of Apostles, as opposed to a shitty carpenter.

I took off not too long after that, I was pretty tired. It was another great time in a great room though. I feel it vindicated my last trip there where I got befuddled by hecklers. Thundercats Ho! Next show is Tuesday August 8th at the Comedy Connection, which is also the birthday of my friend Mike who has the record website I linked to on the right over there.

It Was Busy But Fun

Last night I had rehearsal with the Running With Scissors gang st 6:30. I had just enough time to get home and take care of a few things before heading out. It went okay. I think I did better with them the last time I was there. There's another practice next week on Wed.

The Stand-up show at the Connection following was a good one. I went on fifth, and I was following a new girl comic. She seemed very nervous, but it was obvious that she had brought a lot of folks with her. It helped out the whole room if you ask me. She had some good ideas, but hadn't flushed them out, and the crowd was being real supportive. That helped me in a way because the were in the "give an inch take a mile" type of mode. And I took everything I could.

My set went really well. All of my jokes worked, except a new one I was writing beforehand. I don't remember how the conversation came up before the show, but a couple comics and I were talking about Jesus. I got it in my head to write a joke about Jesus not being a carpenter, but actually might have been a Japanese robot that forms like Voltron out of the Apostles. The whole flow of the joke wasn't right, and who knows, the premise might be ridiculous, but I'd like to give it another try. The idea strikes me as funny. Some people will tell you a bit isn't working, but if you rework it because you believe in it, it can really boost your ego when it finally does work. My Fantasy Baseball joke is a lot like that. A few folks told m not to use it, but I really like the concept, so I kept it and now it's one of my favorites to perform.

Another show tonight out at Slainte'. Timmy B posted that it starts at 8:30. I'll be there and I'm hoping to run a couple new bits, and might rework the Jesus Voltron one to see if it has any merit. And then I won't have another until next Tuesday, back at the Connection.

P.S. The picture above is of my dog's favorite toy. A stuffed squirrel named Earl Tha Squirrel. Not sure why I put it in there, but enjoy.

Making Faces!

I had my “audition” for the Dancing Face DVD project by Topper Carew last night. It was kind of a funny situation/story. Originally it was supposed to take place at the Comedy Connection a couple of weeks back, but I couldn’t make it. He seemed pretty jazzed to have me do it, and said if I gave him my email, he’d send me a message if they decided to do another audition. I got an email.

The email stated that the next time they were doing it was on August 1st at 7:00 at a place called Springsteen’s on Spring Street. I’d never heard of that location, but figured I knew where Spring Street was, so I’d be able to find it. I went to Holiday Inn By The Bay, as that was one of the landmarks referenced in the email and asked a very polite, smartly dressed gay gentleman at the front desk if he knew where this place was. He said that the only thing he could think of was a bar called Spring Street on Spring Street which was a gay bar. He asked me, with a little glint in his eye I might add, if I was looking for a gay bar. I assured him I wasn’t sure, but I was supposed to meet a guy who wanted to film me, but not in the way it sounded. I tried to explain that it involved filming my face, but no matter how I explained it, it sounded like I was going to take a load in my face at a gay bar. I said thanks for the help and excused myself, knowing there was no smooth way I could get out of that conversation without seeming gayer than most of the patrons of the gay bar.

I went to the bar, a little cautiously. I’d never been to a gay bar, seriously. It was the right place. Basically I met with the director and he had 3 cameras and 3 or 4 light towers. There were 2 cameramen, and nobody else had shown up to film yet. It was a pretty professional set-up. They started up some electronic dance type music and I began dancing with my face. I’ll be honest, I felt a little ridiculous. It was supposed to go for 1 minute, but I’m fairly certain it went longer than 1 minute. At least it felt like it went at least 3. They said I had some funny stuff and I could watch their website for further updates.

When I left, I could only think to myself that I hope I didn’t run into anyone that might think I was leaving my fiancé for the love of a man. And sure enough as soon as I opened the door, there was fellow comedian John Ater. I asked are you here to do the face dance thing? He said I’m here for penis. Just kidding, he was there for the same thing, but I didn’t stick around. I went home to think of manly things like hunting, fishing, and drinking beer with strippers. Female strippers.