Wednesday, June 30, 2004

First of all, I probably should have had dinner that night since I hadn't had anything all day. It was a miserable day, involving strenuous activity under pressure, smashed thumbs, poked out eyes, and oppressive heat. Yippeee! Then I got to go on stage and tank. Yippeee! There's lots of excuses (some are better than others), but the key is that I wasn't "present." Nuff said. The highlight of the night for me (besides Jimmy Gunn which is always a treat) were The Meehan Brothers. It is difficult to describe what they do, but it is funny as all hell! I highly recommend them. Plus, they are all very handsome (TV camera ready) and incredibly nice. But they don't update their Web site. It's still worth a visit, though, because they have some awesome video clips there. But my favorite bit -- The Tanning Heroes of Ireland -- sadly is not there.

Sunday, June 27, 2004

I cannot for the life of me remember what I had for dinner that night. I do remember that I stopped in the Chinese restaurant next to the Actor's Theater (that restaurant is a cavern!) and asked for coffee to go. This was apparently the equivalent of asking them to solve a Rubic's Cube . . . blindfolded. When I finally got my tea (with leaves all in it) it was served in a soup container because they don't have take out drink cups. Note to self: Stop at Peets on the way to the Theater next time. I had a great set, we had several awesome performers there. Anthony Hill never ceases to amaze me. Sami Saifer is funny AND cute (just like me).

Friday, June 25, 2004

I had a quick "dinner" of nachos and a hotdog at the club, and got to catch the first half of the Country Comedy Show at Rooster T. Feathers. Feature act was John Wesling, recently of Last Comic Standing. He has some of the best midget material I've seen to date. His newish bride Sarah was delightful. I had to take off for "The Howard Stone Show," but unfortunately we had to cancel because all our potential audience members were either in an accident or got amnesia, because THEY WEREN'T THERE! But Phyllis D., Tom Smith, Danny Dechi, Howard, Nick and I went upstairs to someone's birthday party. They had devilled eggs! That was totally worth the 2 hour round trip drive to the city. I ate three of them. The good news was that I had time to make it back to the club to see the second half of the late show, so I don't think I missed anything! Marc Ryan was funny, but not what I expected. Ask me in person, and I'll tell you why.

Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Two hotdogs and a couple of Bass Ales. Can you guess where I was? Yes, cock-a-doodle-doo-doo, I was at Rooster T. Feathers for the Open Mic Showcase. Tina Allen did a great job as MC, I had a great set, and Kevin Shea (as seen on the Jimmy Kimmel show) was the headliner. One of the "comedians" brought in a large group of drunken, rowdy friends, who all left after his "set." Not sure which is worse: that they were disruptive, or that they left. Either way, that "comedian" is someone I wouldn't book for a while.

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

While they have excellent food at the Blue Rock Shoot, I had a half a turkey and avocado sandwich from Deli and Donuts that I had to finish. It was delicious, even 5 hours later. It was a small audience of young people, so naturally I tanked. Young people just haven't had to fight slugs for as long as middle aged people have. For all I know, they've NEVER battled a slug. John Beck rocked, though, and he's my age. That's because he did math humor and we KNOW how the kids like that!

Saturday, June 19, 2004

I nibbled on fresh plums and tomatoes from the back yard, and had a few chips, but other than that, only pure excitement. I picked up Jimmy Dore at his hotel, and we headed off to the gig at the Little Fox theater. It was a really nice room, with a great green room, stocked with goodies for the comedians (beer, wine, water -- but no chips and dip or anything). I was the host, and was really nervous about doing well, but as soon as I got them with my first joke (it's a visual, so I can't share it here), I felt really comfy. Then it was just a lot of fun! Mike Moto, the feature, was also really nice and really funny. I think Jimmy Dore is not only one of the best looking men in comedy today, he's also one of the funniest. In fact, he just might be the funniest best looking man in comedy, though perhaps not the best looking funniest man in comedy. There's a subtle difference. He had a great set. Then we went to Roosters to catch the late show. Something really magical happened with Johnny Steele that night. He let loose and was on such a roll I couldn't stop laughing. Out back afterwards, he expounded on his views of comedy, some technique considerations, structure, having fun with the audience, Bill Hicks, Amsterdam, and then after that I got lost. It was a great night.

Friday, June 18, 2004

Since "The Howard Stone Show" is a late night gig, I stayed at the club for the beginning of first show, and had two Oscar Meyer weiners for dinner. That's what it says on the package. You can't make that shit up. Up to San Francisco for the show, where I saw lots of my comedy buddies: Reannie Roads, Tom Smith, Howard Stone (of course), Danny Dechi, Dan Edwards and someone new to meet, Randy Hauser (I'm not sure how to spell his last name). It is a really fun show, in a talk show format. We had a great time sharing stories about being crazy, talking about all the meds we're on, and eating disgusting stuff. What tha? Yes, it's true. I'm not sure what it was, but I ate it. If you're curious, you'll just have to see the show, which might be going on the road.

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

SFCC Grad Show night at Rooster T. Feathers. I ate a Gallito Burrito that Michael picked up for me a few hours before the show. It was a long night, and I was up last. There was a great Open Mic Showcase, followed by the SFCC portion. All the performers did really well. The place was packed and it was a terrific crowd! Jimmy Gunn is one of the weirdest comedians, but he's actually a relatively normal person. Go figure. Dave McRae is a total sweetheart who simply prefers to refer to his relationship with his wife as The BitchKrieg. This is a desperate plea to all sound operators in comedy clubs and venues: If Gil G. asks you to play a song, DO NOT DO IT! If you find that somehow you've been duped, and he has his own boombox, start playing Patsy Cline's "Crazy" as loudly as possible.

Saturday, June 12, 2004

Got a last-minute (well, last 12 hours) guest set at Rooster T. Feathers. 10:30 pm show. Dinner was an exquisite chicken I roasted with garlic, lemon and thyme. Jimi met me at the club. I didn't feel great about my set, but I SWEAR the audience was weird (comedians say that when they suck air, as a way of justifying, but I'm serious this time!). Maybe I shouldn't have done my kitten-drowning material. :-)) Feature Scott Channon was great. What a really nice guy. David Feldman, the headliner, was also nice. And local boy Ryan Stout was the emcee. It was a great show.

Thursday, June 10, 2004

Sean's 20-something themed 50 Mason Street Showcase. I ate the second half of my egg salad sandwich from Deli and Donuts (one of my favorite places). Sean was on a rampage because someone (who is English, but shall remain nameless) ticked him off by criticizing his "20-something" theme. I had to justify my presence. I am a 20 (times 2) something. Matt Stiles rocked, as did Shasta, but the big thing of the night was the return of Maggie. We got to be crazy together!

Saturday, June 5, 2004

The World Series of Comedy. Very impressive title. In all my excitement and confusion and the time zone change I totally forgot to eat that day at all! Don't worry, I made up for it big time in the ensuing days. My second time on the stage at the Funny Bone in Pittsburgh. It's a great room, but unless it's full there's a weird echo thing. I did a great job and have nothing to regret, even though I didn't advance. I did 15 minutes and had them rolling in the aisles for at least 14 of those 15 minutes. Thanks so much to my family and friends who came out to support. [Read the next sentences in your best Romper Room voice.] I saw Brian and Eric and Annette and Anita and Bobby and George and Ruth and Gwen. I saw Billy and Terry and Terri and Scott and Don and Marilyn. I saw Jill and Brian and Marsha and Donnie and Julie and lots of Jill's friends. They are all good Do-Bees.

More dinners . . .

Copyright 2003, 2004 Elizabeth A. Schumann. All rights reserved.