Last minute fallouts have saved my day for almost as long as I’ve been a comedian. One of the few smart things I’ve done is to cultivate a reputation with most of the bookers I’ve ever worked for that I am available and willing to fill in on short notice for emergencies.
They always pop up for a variety of reasons, and over the years I’ve been able to land an array of opportunities I might not have been able to obtain by just being another run of the mill white guy, slugging it out with all the rest. I had something to offer bookers that was at least a wee bit unique, even if all that was was being ready to go in their time of need.
I think in retrospect, the negatives of that have outweighed the rewards by quite a lot. It was nice to get paid work at the time, but it’s never paid any kind of lasting dividend. For one thing, I never received any publicity. Part of the game includes building one’s legend or at least a solid reputation with the people who have an opportunity to advance a career.
No booker ever calls another and says “Hey, this kid sure knows how to fill in for a last minute fallout.” It just kind of happens. I was smart enough to figure out that fallouts can be a good source of income, but that’s about it. Still, once in a while one comes my way.
Tonight was one of those whiles. I received an email to do a gig in the Wisconsin Dells at a resort called Christmas Mountain Lodge. I did it in the dead of winter last year and it was an absolute blast. I was surprised to hear they were still doing comedy in the summer, but not upset. Bills are due year round, and a nice paying Thursday night in July is sweet.
Last time there was no opener, and I had to do over an hour myself. It turned out to be a great gig, and I pulled it off. Tonight there weren’t even half as many people in the crowd and there was an opening act for whatever reason. I can never figure out a booker’s logic.
There were no problems tonight either. The opener was a nice guy out of Hot Springs, AR named “Chucky D”. We got along fine and he did his job. They wanted me to go long and I used this as an opportunity to practice for my cruise ship booking. I kept it clean and upbeat and put everything I had into my performance even though it wasn’t a full house.
They turned out to be a tremendous audience, and I ended up doing about 1:15. I didn’t work the audience with any “What do you do for a living?” bits either. I wanted to take an opportunity to give them a SHOW, the same one I intend to give the people on the cruise.
I was drenched afterward and felt exhausted when I got off stage. I love that feeling, as it tells me I didn’t cheat the audience - and I didn’t. I gave them my best, but also worked on which material I think will work best in a family situation. It was a chance to practice.
Still, I appreciate the fact that I received the call to do this on short notice. I doubt if I’ll ever be one of this agency’s favorites, but that’s ok. They don’t have many crown jewels to offer at this point in my life. A call out of the blue on occasion is enough. Like tonight.
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