Day 10: Julie has my Soul 4/8/07

It's true. I give it to her.

Showed up at Mainstage for Open Mic tonight. Easter. Dead. Couple comedians. No audience otherwise. Oh well, make lemonade. I end up hosting again. Can't complain. Tried new bit. "Don't drink bit". Went well, need to tweek a few things though. Etc.

The night had a good vibe at first. Everybody was sitting up front and being very supportive of one another. It was chill, laid back and supportive. Then people who were at the Comedy Underground's open mic came out to do another set and just changed the whole mood. Everybody was sitting in the back and not responding to the comics, until of course it was their turn to go. So I'm new at this whole thing right, but I feel like a certain etiquette should be required. Especially from other comics. Who am I though, only judge is God. Or Allah (Peace be upon His Name). Or Vishnu. Anyhoo, the mood crashed and I was fighting like crazy to bring it back up, and some people were with me, but other didn't want to be entertained or support the group. It begs the question, "Why are we here?"

Ranting aside it was a good night. Joeasshole came with me and gave me good feedback before and after my set. He's becoming my own personal Burgess Meredith (apologies to the late/great actor/Penguin if I fucked up his name). And Julie. Well Julie (owner of Mainstage) and I talked on the phone before I came in and I mentioned that I would be gunning for a guest position at that show. She told me I was batting 1000 in their book and could grab a short set anytime I needed provided I got there early enough. She is great. Then when I got to Mainstage she asked me to host for Dwight Slade.

Context (short version): The late Bill Hicks is my all-time favorite comedian/person in this (and now the next) world.. Dwight Slade is his high-school friend who started doing comedy with him when they were 16.

I don't know his work specifically, but he tours constantly and has won the Seattle Comedy Competition so he's gotta be good. It'll just be insane for me to be at such a close context to the person who has had a great deal of a positive influence on how I live. I'll get to work with him and watch him perform and have a chance to study him the way I have Bill. This opportunity is an amazing honor for me.

So yeah, I hereby give Julie my soul. She can have it to do with what she pleases. I'll be her pet project as long as she needs. My endorsement for the Mainstage is all encompassing. Go there and give them lots of money (the blackened white fish tacos are amazing too).

In all honesty I am worried that I might get a little to comfortable at Mainstage. It's home base for sure, but I have to leave the nest for time to time and hit the other clubs. I haven't been back to Underground in way too long and I left before I've had a chance to establish myself there more. And then there's Giggles which I haven't done at all. There's plenty of Jakee to go around and I have to spread the love. The support I'm getting from Julie/Mainstage feels great, but I need to be at a point where I can go to any of those places and grab a set when I need to.

Only trouble in Paradise right now is that I agreed to direct a play (As You Like It FYI)so my free time just went flying away. I'm still gonna hit Mainstage on Sundays but I wont be able to give the kind of comedy love I need to right now. Gotta remember I'm still young in this.

Lesson: Do whatever Julie says...

Backup lesson: ...whenever she says it.

No, but seriously, the lesson for real: Put yourself out there, good things happen.

And the seriously for real backup lesson: Show support for your fellow comics. It'll comeback to you in the end.

But actually, the first two lessons count also.