Thursday March 22nd, 2012 – Fox Lake, IL
I’ve been getting so much bad news lately, I don’t even want to answer my phone or check my emails anymore. And I sure don’t want to see or hear any broadcast news reports. Life is one big horror story after the next as of late, and I must say it’s really bumming me out. Some happiness or lighthearted fun would be a nice change of pace, but I’m still waiting. Life has been a downer.
Today it was a very troubling mass email passed on from a booker about comedian Ron Shock. I worked with Ron many years ago at some club in one of the Carolinas. I think it was Charlotte, but it might have been Greenville or Columbia. That’s not important. The sad news is that he has a rare form of cancer and has been going through his own personal hell as of late. How horrible.
Any comedian who has ever worked with Ron Shock knows he’s one of THE most fascinating human beings in any profession, and also one of the most intelligent. The stories he tells both on stage and off are some of the most unique I’ve ever heard, and he definitely is a memorable guy.
He’s not a particularly large man physically, but his big booming voice and thick Texas drawl make him larger than life on stage. I remember watching his shows every night and admiring his ability to mesmerize audiences on a consistent basis. It has to be at least twenty years since we’d worked together, but I’ve always remembered him fondly if his name ever happened to come up.
Comedy can produce such random pairings. Rarely do clubs or bookers think about who’s on a particular bill, and quite often total strangers have to share living quarters for a week. It’s all very random, and that can produce varied results. Sometimes people clash, and it makes life difficult.
I very rarely have had trouble with any of the other comics I’ve had to share an apartment with for any week of work I’ve ever had. Sometimes it’s only a night or two where two acts end up in a town together, but they’ll both remember it years later. It’s like having a microwave roommate. Good or bad, it’s over in a short time. Sometimes you see the person again, sometimes you don’t.
Ron Shock and I have never crossed paths again after that particular week of working together. In fact, I have no idea if he’d even remember my name. He was the headliner, and I was just one faceless middle act coming up the ranks like so many others. We shared stories all week and got along fine – but then it was over and we both moved on. That’s how the comedy business works.
I’m not going to lie and say we were close friends, because we weren’t. We crossed paths for a few nights on the road, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deeply sadden me to hear of his situation. It absolutely does. It’s ironic to me, as Ron lived in Houston at the time and was friends with Bill Hicks. They talked on the phone all that week, and I think Bill was dealing with his own cancer.
The mass email I received today said that Ron and his wife are in an overwhelmingly stressful financial situation and could use a hand with donations to help pay bills and let his wife get a bit of rest from all the time she’s been spending dealing with this nightmare. Ron has also been very open about his battle on You Tube, and that takes unbelievable guts. I send good vibes his way.
I wish I could do more, but I’m having my own problems. The best I’m able to do right now is spread the word, hoping people will read this and send even a buck or two to help them both get through this horror. Send donations to: Ron Shock 920 Bonita Avenue Las Vegas, NV 89104.
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