So the Fall Tour of 2008 is in full swing. About 90% of my time on the road is with Mitch Fatel. But I also work often with another good comedy bud, Ralphie May. Ralphie has always always been very nice to me. Just a great guy with a big heart. His wife Lahna Turner is also a funny comic and a true sweetheart. Two of the most kind people you want to meet. Well I got a call from Ralphie saying he was working a big casino in Laughlin, Nevada. If you're thinking about going to Laughlin, re-think this decision. Actually my guess is people are really on their way to Vegas and they hit Laughlin first and decide, "Screw it. Rooms here a a nickel." But Ralphie was working the Riverside Resort and asked if I would open for him. Mitch and I had the week free so I jumped at the chance to work with my old bud. This was such a fun gig. We did one show a night, Thursday - Sunday. Shows were packed with well over (400) people each night. The shows were a mix of young/old, locals/tourists. But they were so appreciative of the shows. Ralphie has a huge fan base. He was being recognized whenever we walked through the hotel. Shows were great and Ralphie and I got to spend time together during the day watching movies and enjoying some great meals. On Sunday night, Ralphie's buddy Kyle Turley came to hang out. He use to play offensive tackle for the Saints, Rams and Kansas City Chiefs. Good guy. We all had a great dinner together Sunday night before the show. Thanks to the people in Laughlin for making our visit much better than expected. And thanks to the three ladies who participated in the Losers Lounge wet t-shirt contest. Any chance I can get my $3 back? I probably shouldn't have thrown it but Ralphie was applying pressure.
Now keep in mind Mitch gets very jealous when I work with Ralphie. I always joke to Mitch that Ralphie takes better care of me on the road but truth is they both treat me very well.
So now it was time to join Mitch in Philadelphia. Mitch and I worked Philly together last year. In fact it was one of the first weeks we worked together. The club is called Helium and is a great club. I fell in love with Philly when I was there last year but enjoyed it even more this time around because it was mid October and the weather was great. AND the Phillies just clinched a spot in the World Series. They were just waiting on the winner of the American League series. The shows were a lot of fun. I must say, even if the shows aren't great but the staff is cool, that really makes a difference. BUT both shows are staff were great. The club is in a fun neighborhood and walking distance to the hotel and a ton of fun things. I love playing tourist in some cities. In Philly I did the double decker bus tour and saw a ton of stuff, including the Betsy Ross house and the Rocky statue. I also got to see some old friends from San Francisco, including my good buddy Ben and his family. And my buddy Mark who now lives in Washington DC. But here is the best part. I mentioned the Phillies were waiting to figure out who they were going to play in the World Series. My friend Chris works for the Phillies and asked if I wanted to meet for lunch on the Friday during my visit. I met him for lunch and afterwards he said we should see if the team is taking batting practice. We go into the stadium and indeed the team is on the field taking batting practive. And the best part nobody else was in the stadium to watch. It was a closed practice so it was just me, Chris and a few other people watching the team. Great experience. So so cool. Thanks to Chris for such great hospitality. Love Philly. Loved Helium. Looking forward to coming back.
From Philly I flew to San Francisco because my ex-girlfriend Gretchen was getting married and I was invited to the wedding. We've been good friends for years and her now husband Adam is a good guy. Gretchen and Adam actually got married the Friday before so this was just a celebration reception. The reception dinner was held at a gorgeous restaurant in Sausalito, CA with a great view of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. I got a chance to see a lot of Gretchen's family and friends. I was so happy Gretchen wanted me there. It was a great evening.
From San Francisco I flew to Atlanta for some shows at the Atlanta Punchline. Now I love Atlanta. I could live there if I wasn't making over $7,000 a year in showbusiness. I really like the area. My favorite part of Atlanta is seeing my good friends Eddie, Irinia and their two adorable daughters. And their great dog Lexi. So although I love Atlanta, I am not a big fan of the club. Not sure what it is. Maybe a combo of things. But if it wasn't for seeing friends in Atlanta I'm not sure I would be quick to head back. The club is old and the audiences are very mediocre. I guess at one time years ago this was an amazing club. But I think over the years things have changed and it just isn't what it use to be.....so I've heard. My friends came out to the 7 p.m. Saturday show. I don't know what it is but anytime you invite friends to a show, it's always the worst of the week. Not sure why but every comic will agree. ALWAYS. So when I got on stage, I could immediately sense the dead energy. And usually first show Saturday is great.
But not this time because I had friends in the crowd. But after the show my friends seemed to think it was good. I guess comics are their own worst critic. But comedy rule number one. Never invite family and friends out to see you. By the way, Mitch and I had one of our first big fights on the final night here. We have since made up and are now planning a future together but this club brought out our evil personalities and almost ended a friendship simply because of a cab receipt(inside joke). I wonder if the crumbled papers are still laying on the stage in the corner.
NOVEMBER
November was a great month because it was a homecoming of sorts. Mitch and I got to play two clubs I started at when I began comedy in 1998, the Sacramento and San Francisco Punchline.
These clubs have no relation to the Punchline club in Atlanta. But I loved our November shows because it was one of the rare times my flight to the venue was much shorter than Mitch's flight. Mitch lives in New York and we have been doing a lot of east coast shows that are closer to Mitch. So this was a nice run for me living in Los Angeles and being so close. When I started comedy, myself along with other newbies would perform on the open mike nights at the Sacramento and San Francisco Punchline. I've been back to both clubs since moving to LA and have worked with a variety of headliners since my days of bombing and doing free shows. But for some reason these back to back weeks with Mitch were just significant in my career. It was ten years ago that I started working these clubs and I just felt like my act has really progressed and it's something I'm really proud of. It was nice to see Daria in Sacramento. Daria is the manager of the Sacramento Punchline. She has been with the club for a number of years. She is great. Even when I was starting out and was a new comic, she was always so so nice to me and the other comics. I will never forget that. And in San Francisco, it was great to see Lance, Molly, Kirk and a lot of people I remember from years ago. Looking forward to coming back to both clubs. It's funny. I remember when I started working both clubs, I always liked the San Francisco club better. They were hip, smart, fun crowds. Sacramento is about (90) minutes outside of San Francisco and was always known to be a little more rowdy, a little less respectful. But still fun. But as rooms go, Sacramento was always a little intimidating for new comics. Well this trip I enjoyed both clubs a lot but must say I enjoyed Sacramento a little more. Great crowds. Lot of fun. Again, both were great but Sacramento was a blast. Maybe it had something to do with the hooker I saw walk across the courtyard at my hotel, make a call outside a hotel door, went inside and honestly within an hour I saw her walking back to her car. HMMMMM.
October and November were great. Mostly highs. One low(Atlanta). December is going to be great. Mitch and I were suppose to do the West Palm Beach Improv the first week of December but the club is being remodeled and we thought it was going to be open for our week 12/4 - 12/7. But it didn't happen in time. Our week in West Palm is now in February. I will be returning to New York in December to perform at Gotham Comedy club. I was there in September with Mitch but this time I'm working with a guy named Tom Papa. Funny comic. I am looking forward to being in NYC right before XMAS. Mitch and I will be at the Improv in Ft Lauderdale for NYE and through the first weekend of January. So come out and see us. My 2009 calendar dates will be up soon. It's going to be a busy year. Watch for them soon. I will also be posting the best/worst of 2008 in my end of year blog. Happy Holidays. Hope to see everyone at an upcoming show, either in December or in 2009.
