Come On, Friday

Tuesday September 29th, 2009 - Lake Villa, IL/St. Charles, IL

The whole bounced check situation with Giggles is really starting to piss me off royally. Apparently there are a growing number of us who have or are still going through this and I can’t believe it’s allowed to continue. We’re starting to communicate with each other to see who’s getting paid and who isn’t. The more we have to wait, the more livid we all get.

There’s a guy named Tim Costello out of Detroit who has been in contact frequently to give me updates on his end. He filed some papers with the Waukesha County Sherriff and kept calling the club every day asking for his money. He was paid with a cashier’s check.

Apparently the owner’s wife wasn’t too thrilled about it and was upset we as comics are ‘taking it personally’. DAMN RIGHT we take it personally. This is our living and to have some halfwit who can’t seem to run a business bounce checks and make us chase our own money we’ve earned by helping him sell beer is about as disrespectful as I can imagine.

It’s delicate because a lot of things could blow up in my face but right now I feel exactly like Robert DeNiro’s character in Goodfellas when Morrie the toupee guy won’t pay him what he owes but has commercials for the toupee business running on TV. I can relate.

In the movie DeNiro’s character sees the commercial and flips out to the point of going up to Morrie and choking him with a telephone chord until he agrees to pay up. I’m at the exact same point myself and if he doesn’t pay up soon there may be an ugly final chapter.

How much more abuse can comedians take? I don’t know about the others but for me it is coming to a dangerous place. I’ve been screwed with my whole life by weasels who run comedy clubs and have always tried to be ‘polite’ and ‘patient’ and all the things that I am supposed to be and it never seems to work out. I’m at the very end of my patience rope.

That money was supposed to pay my September rent and now I’m probably not going to have it for October. I’m in the trick bag because I had some other things cancel and it’s no fault of mine for any of them. Part of it is the times and another part is I’m working with a bunch of small time gimokes who can’t run a business properly. It’s getting ugly out here.

Steve Sabo is a comedian from Toledo who books a few rooms on the side. I’ve worked for him many times and have NEVER had a problem getting paid promptly, even when it wasn’t convenient. He handles his business professionally and I like working for the guy.

Steve sent an email out saying he had a similar situation when he worked Giggles TWO YEARS AGO. I can’t believe it’s been going on that long and that the booker allows it to continue. I want to work for the booker again but I’ll never go back to Giggles after this.

The sad thing is there’s a line of other comics who will. I called the owner today and as politely as I could through clenched teeth asked to get my money, NOW. He said he ‘lost my address’ and asked for it again and promised I’d have it by Friday. Come on, Friday.