Friday September 17th, 2010 - Plainwell, MI I wish the punk kid I was when I started in comedy could see the act I’ve become now. I would have been blown away, and had I been required to give up a major organ or two or sell my soul to achieve it, I’d have done it without hesitation. I’ve really come a long way. Tonight was another kick ass show, this time at Rhino’s Pub in Plainwell, MI. This one seats a few more than last night, and we had about 100. Phil the owner said we were sold out, but that was all his hard work. He got the word out to his customers and they showed up ready to laugh. He’s developed a very nice clientele and deserves to make his money. Since he booked me way back when as a tester, he’s had a lot of decent comics through his places and even some bigger names like Jim Brewer and Doug Stanhope. It’s not a big crowd, but it’s a great one and Phil treats the comedians right. He puts us in a nicer hotel, which only costs a little bit more but says volumes to us as performers that he values us. We get a nice meal before the show if we want, and he makes sure everything’s on track so there are no unpleasant surprises. He hires out a good quality sound system and person to run it, and has proper lighting on the stage. He charges a fair cover charge of $7 and he promotes the hell out of it with his customers. They love it, he loves it, and we all win. Why is this so difficult to do everywhere else? I don’t know, but it is. If Phil did this full time, he’d be one of the top club owners in America. I bet he could run a club or two or a whole chain and make it really fire on all cylinders. He’s the right mix of smarts and love for the business, and it shows. We had two killer nights and it was fun to be a part of it. There was a little glitch, but it wasn’t Phil’s fault. There was a couple right off the stage to my right who would NOT stop talking during the show. They talked their way through the opener Tom Slovinski’s set, and it was annoying but nobody said anything. I went up and hit the crowd hard, but eventually they started doing it again about fifteen minutes in. I tried to be polite, and I told them they’d have to be quiet for the rest of the night. I saw that the woman had a smug look on her face like “How DARE you stop my important and meaningful babbling during your show?” Then just a few minutes later I had to address it once more. Again, she looked at me like I just stole a bite of her dessert and kept talking. This was a very delicate situation. It isn’t a comedy club, and even though these people’s rude behavior made it hard to continue, they could be regular customers of Phil’s so I did all I could to ignore them and keep on going. In other circumstances, I’d have attacked. Then, during my closing bit when I had the crowd in the palm of my hand, she started in for a third time and it totally ruined my timing. That bit is all timing, and when it works it destroys. It was working, but her babbling lost my rhythm and I couldn’t get it back. I told the audience it was her fault, and got off stage but neither one of them looked the slightest bit concerned and kept on talking. The formula continues - a few idiots ruin it for the rest.
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