Monday November 7th, 2011 - Nashville, TN/Chicago, IL Now the pendulum swings the other way. I drove home the same 537 miles that I did to get here on Wednesday, but it seemed painfully longer. I left after the show last night, but stayed longer than I’d planned to visit with some comic friends who came out to see me. I couldn’t just leave, that would be rude. They made it a point to come see me and I was flattered they made the trip. I tried to relax and enjoy their company, knowing all too well I had a brutal all night run ahead of me. Ducking out a little earlier wouldn’t change that. There were fourteen people in the audience, and they were as stiff and devoid of life as the rest of the week. I bit my lip and did my time, then thanked the staff for having me. It isn’t their fault, and there’s no sense being angry at anyone. It is what it is, and that’s life. I’m not the only one facing these situations. I visited with two Nashville comics - Rick Wey and Joby Saad. They’re both veterans, and are experiencing quite a few of the same pitfalls I am. Rick has a day career, and is doing quite well. Years ago, nobody would be respectful or take a day job comedian seriously. Now, those people are the envy of us all. Rick is very classy and a true gentleman, and I always love to see him. He and his wife Gina have taken me out to eat and taken me to ballgames, so there’s no way I’d not make time to visit at least a little while - especially since he drove to the club just to see me. Joby Saad and I go way back. If a ‘Joby’ and a ‘Dobie’ are in the same business, sooner or later we were bound to cross paths. He’s a very physical act and quite unique. He was in L.A. for years, but like a lot of us he wanted to have whatever a ‘normal’ life may be. Guys like Joby and Rick and I can relate to the state of comedy right now, and it’s good to have someone to bitch to who understands the bigger picture. Those guys are doing the same thing I’m doing, just in a different part of the country. It doesn’t matter, it’s all hard. By the time I hit Louisville, I knew I’d bitten off a big drive. I used to be able to pull off drives like this with no problem, but those days are done forever. I got out of the car for a walk and stretch about every two hours, and it seemed like I was driving to Afghanistan. I made it through Chicago without issue and arrived home at 7:30am. I forced myself to eat breakfast, as I’ve been pretty lax with that lately. It’s not a habit yet, even though I’ve been maintaining my healthy lifestyle quite well as a whole. Road grease was my bane. The long drive wiped me out for most of the day, but I had to be back at Zanies by 6pm to teach a comedy class, then host the Rising Star Showcase at 8:30. We had a great class and a super solid Rising Star Showcase. Mark Schiff and Steve Mittleman stopped by for guest sets, as they had a corporate gig in Chicago. I’ve always been a fan of both of those guys, and it was a treat to meet them in person and find them both to be very friendly and approachable. My schedule is packed, and the coming week is loaded too. I need a clone.
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