A Worthwhile Weekend

Saturday September 12th, 2009 - Salt Lake City, UT

Another fun week in Utah comes to a close. I like it here for a lot of reasons but mostly because there are just a lot of good people that keep crossing my path. I clicked with this place from the start and people I hooked up with when I lived here in ’01 are still friends now. Then, each time I come back I seem to add more friends to that list. I love the vibe.

Mick Martin and Allen Handy are perfect examples. They have an afternoon radio show on KBER ‘K-Bear’ and it’s very entertaining. They did mornings when I worked here and were on an hour longer than us so sometimes I’d go hang out with them on the air the last hour of their show and we’d really let it rip. We pretended to be rivals but it was all fun.

How many radio guys would have the security to let that happen? Not many, trust me. It was always fun hanging with those guys and they’re both genuinely talented. Even though we both worked for the same company then and were just down the hall there’s no reason they had to be nice to me but they always were. They put me on their show yesterday too.

Not only did they put me on the show, they bumped a few other people to do it. I was in the neighborhood when they were doing a remote and they saw me and waved me over to go immediately on the air. They kept me on and let me do bits with them and sit in for the whole show. It feels great to get the star treatment but those guys deserve it. They rock.

Today I had lunch with Debbi Olson. When I lived here she was a newspaper reporter at a paper that covered a story about our radio station helping to rebuild a house that burned down in town. It was a big promotion and she not only wrote a great article about that but also wrote another one about me too. She’s originally from Chicago and loves comedy.

She always supported me when I lived here and showed up for shows constantly. She’s a fan of entertainment in general and really understands it. She’s friends with the musical group Air Supply and sees them regularly too so it’s very flattering that I’m on her list.

People can joke about music acts like Air Supply or Barry Manilow or ABBA but it’s a reality that all those acts make big money and are stunning successes. People should think I’m half as successful as any of them. Show business is difficult and it’s easy to make fun of someone because they ‘sold out’. Well, we’re all for sale no matter what anybody says.

Debbi came out once again and brought her two daughters and a boyfriend of one of the daughters. They all told me how they loved the show and also stayed up late to watch me on TV when I was on the Late Late Show in July. They were all gushing about it and how can that not feel good? They were all extremely complimentary and that’s how it is here.

All four shows in West Valley City at Wiseguys were excellent this weekend. I wish the crowds were bigger but so does everyone else. The guy who manages the club is very nice and he paid me IN CASH immediately after the show so there will be no bounced checks. I wish every place would treat me as nicely as they do in Utah. I hope to come back soon.

That shouldn’t be any problem. Keith Stubbs is the owner of all the clubs here and he’s one of my biggest supporters. He’s a hilarious comedian and also does a morning show at 101.5 ‘The Eagle‘. He’s been on for a few years now and he’s been able to parlay it like I always wanted to but never could. He’s got four clubs in the area and can work them all.

Or, he can stay home and be with his family if he wants. He’s got a wonderful wife and a beautiful house full of beautiful kids and to me that’s about as successful as one can get. Keith has a lot of skills on stage but he’s also a seasoned entrepreneur. He’s opened clubs many times and back when I lived here he was opening his first one in Salt Lake City.

I went to do an audition for him and really had a killer set. He ended up having a fallout soon after so I filled in on short notice. I had my radio job so I was doing ok financially at the time and Keith was going through the process of introducing comedy to a market that is about as tight as it gets. Crowds were very light all week and I knew he was struggling.

I told Keith I really didn’t need to get paid for the week because I was living very nicely on the money I was making at the radio station…BUT, there would probably be a time at some point where I wouldn’t be working at the radio station and would need work. That’s the time he could pay me back and we shook hands on it. It was the best deal I ever made.

That week of shows has been paying me back for going on nine years now. Keith loves to perform and he’s great at it but he has an amazing knack for business and that’s what I have never had. He knows what it takes to keep rooms open and he’s been doing it for as long as I’ve known the guy. The money isn’t huge but it’s always there and I appreciate it.

Actually the money isn’t bad at all but I’ve got a lot of expenses coming out here. It’s a hassle getting here because it’s so isolated and driving is not an option. Air fare and rental cars eat up most of my pay when I come here but at least it’s deductible on my taxes and I do always have a good time here so I look at it as a mini working vacation. I really like it.

That’s what life should be about in my opinion - fun. What’s so wrong with being a star in Salt Lake City, or at least being treated like one? Keith lets me pretty much choose my schedule and all his club managers are super sweet people from Jack in West Valley City to Gail up in Ogden and the young comics here all fight to get a chance to work with me.

That’s very flattering too. I see guys in their 20s like Blake Bard and Aaron Burrell and Spencer King and Colin Williams and others showing up every night to get stage time so they can improve and it reminds me of me when I was their age. I always try to hang with them and compliment them because I mean it. I enjoy watching them advance themselves.

Another highlight of the Utah experience is staying at the Baymont Inn in West Valley. It’s about two blocks from the club and it’s one of my favorite hotels anywhere. I always like Baymont Inns as a rule but this particular one is above and beyond. The staff is very friendly and they treat comedians great because Keith always puts us up here. All in all I have to say this has been once again an overwhelmingly positive and worthwhile trip.