Friday June 28th, 2013 – Ann Arbor, MI
Back
on the road again, and it’s been a while. Part of me missed it, but a bigger
part didn’t. It’s a definite lifestyle, and not for everyone. I could tell I’m
out of sync, and that’s a place I couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago.
The road bug has been in my blood all my adult life, but I’m just not
intoxicated by it like I used to be. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but
it’s how I feel.
The good thing about this week is that I’m
back in one of my very favorite places of all time in Ann Arbor, MI. The club
here is The Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, and I’ve always knocked it out of the
park here as the audiences are traditionally intelligent and show up wanting to
laugh.
Places like this make being a comedian fun,
and I’m bummed there aren’t more of them. It’s a treat performing for an
audience that gets it, but that’s not always the case. And it’s not like I do
particularly atom smashing brilliant stuff either. My material is relatively
smart, but at times that just isn’t what certain audiences want. They want loud
stupid filth, but that’s just not what I do.
It’s different here, and I’ve always loved
it. Ann Arbor is a very hip town located in the middle of the rust belt, and
dangerously close to Detroit. People think I’m crazy, but I have always loved
the Detroit area – at least the suburbs. I love the whole car culture, and at
one time it was the hub of everything. I know people make fun of it now and
with good reason, but Detroit was a giant.
It was a blue collar working class giant
much like my home town of Milwaukee, but that’s not the vibe in Ann Arbor. It’s
very artsy and eclectic here, and I really like it. Madison, WI has a bit of
that kind of vibe too, but not like here. For whatever reason, what I do seems
to fit perfectly.
It’s an easy week too. I can’t remember if
there were Thursday shows in the past, but now it’s a Friday and Saturday only.
There are two shows a night, and the club is located in the basement of a
delicious vegetarian restaurant called Seva. I was the first to make fun of
vegetarianism back in my youth, but this place won me over. It’s one of the
best anywhere. www.sevarestaurant.com.
On the way here, I stopped to have lunch
with my friend Dave Rudolf. Dave is booking acts at a smaller club in the far
southern suburbs of Chicago, and wants to try a comedy night. He asked if I
would mind doing the opening night, and I said I would. I don’t really work the
south side of Chicago much, as it’s a long ride from where I live. It’s 90
miles one way to get to Dave’s house.
In contrast, it’s only about 50 miles each
way for me to get to either downtown Milwaukee or downtown Chicago from where I
live. The only way it’s convenient to visit with Dave is when I pass through on
my way to a gig like I was today. Gas prices are making us all plan trips more.
It’s bleeding us all dry, but who has a
choice? I could rant and rave about how they could run a car on pickle juice
and coffee grounds, but they’re never going to do it. It’s all about money, and
those few who have it aren’t about to turn it loose to the masses of us who
don’t. We’re screwed.
That’s not about to change any time soon, so
we might as well enjoy whatever we can. I have a fun gig this week in a place I
really enjoy. I won’t get filthy rich, but I at least know my rent will be paid
Monday so that’s a big relief. The shows tonight were both solid, and I loved
being back for the first time in two years. I know that because the last time I
was here I went to the hospital the next week with my type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
That was a fun week too, and I’m thrilled to be back. If I had 52 weeks like
this every year, life would be a breeze. I don’t, so I’ll enjoy the trip.
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