Holy Toledo

Wednesday September 12th, 2007 - Toledo, OH

I’m feeling pretty good lately and today was a laid back easygoing day. I got up early and got started on my trip to Toledo to have lunch with Mark Knope. He’s a comedian that moved here from the Detroit area because it was cheaper to buy a house here. I can understand why he did it because as a road comic ‘home’ is just another town no matter where it may be and even if it’s a good place we never get to spend much time there.

I read where David Copperfield the magician doesn’t even have a home. He keeps his magic props at a storage warehouse in Las Vegas but he lives on the road in hotels. That probably sounds odd to most regular people but I don’t think it does at all. I like the idea and if I could arrange gigs that kept me in places for chunks of time I would be doing the same thing too. Two or three weeks in a single place and then moving on is about right.

I have never seen a comedy gig work like that though. At most it’s a week at a time and then it’s time to go somewhere else. There is a club in Boise, ID and when they started out they booked comedians for two weeks just because it was so difficult to get to for most of them. I never worked there but I always thought the two weeks was a good idea. I still do.

I would love to do it that way if I could be a draw in places. That would be really smart business in my opinion because word would get out and people would want to send others to check out the show. In theory I’d think the second week should be better than the first.

It would give a chance to be on lots of media and get some momentum going for business.
James Gregory is a comedian based out of Atlanta and is HUGE in the southeast. He’s a legend in that part of the country and doesn’t work anywhere else. He doesn’t have to. He has cultivated a rabid following where he is and he often works two weeks at a club for all the reasons I just mentioned. He does extremely well and I respect his marketing savvy.

I met James at a television taping in Nashville a couple of years ago and we talked for an hour about marketing as a comedian. Actually HE talked for an hour about it. I listened to him and took copious notes. He scolded me for not having more merchandise and I took it to heart when he said it. He started selling cassettes and t-shirts long before anyone else in comedy and he has a huge house in Atlanta to show for it. He’s got the machine working.

I’d love to be the James Gregory of the rust belt. That’s where I do the best anyway. I’ll do ok everywhere but give me towns like a Toledo or a Buffalo or a Chicago or any other Midwestern town that ends in ‘o’ and I’m a force to be reckoned with. I’m in my element and can destroy in those places. If people would come out especially to see me I could do even better. Being in a place two weeks would allow word to get out and it could happen.

For now that’s not how it works though. I’m only here in Toledo for a week. It’s really only four days but in comedy that’s called a week. I like the staff here and they put us up a mile away in a Red Roof Inn so it’s close and not a flea bag so everything is very laid back this week. There is no radio or TV to do and I pretty much have all four days to myself.

This is the same Red Roof Inn I was holed up in last year when I watched ‘The Secret’. It changed my life and I still think it’s great. It’s been getting a lot of harsh criticism but it really does have a lot of truths that are universal. The Bible talks about it the same things as do most motivational speakers and philosophers. The basic message is ‘What a person thinks about the most will be what becomes a reality in real life’. However it gets switched around doesn’t matter. That’s the main message and I think it is absolutely 100% true.

The problem is always thinking about good things. Human nature is delicate and it’s not always easy to keep thinking good thoughts especially when our world is crumbling before our eyes. That’s when positive thinking is needed the most but is the hardest thing to have. For whatever reason I seem to get in a good mental space when I’m in Toledo. I am again.

My friend Will C. called today and he is having a speed bump on his mental highway. He told me about a glitch he had recently and was feeling down about it. I’ve been there and I could absolutely relate to where he was and I listened and offered a few suggestions. I had a few lines that made him laugh and I could tell on the phone he was feeling better about it and I’m always thrilled to be able to do that. I know how much it helps me so if I can do it for someone else I’m thrilled. Will is a dented can and I am right there with him in spirit.

After we were done talking he told me he wished I was his real big brother so we would have had each other to lean on when we were growing up. That was very flattering to hear and I know he meant it. We’re both cut from the same cloth and it takes one to know one.

My old radio partner Max is the same way. He called not long after Will and he was in a funk too. He is still bummed about us not getting the Loop job and I can totally relate. I’m not thrilled we didn’t get it either but that’s how it goes. I could relate to every word Max said and we talked for quite a while. A couple of weeks ago I was the one on the ledge but he gave me the Lucinda Bassett tape series and helped turn me around. Today is my turn.

I’m pretty good at being the one to cheer others up when they’re scraping pavement but when I’m in the dumper myself it feels mighty low. Maybe I need to know that feeling so I can be of help to those who call me at their low points. It’s an expensive price to pay but if I can use it for good I will do exactly that. Will and Max were both flying low today and it was me they called to talk it through. That’s an honor and I know exactly how they feel.

It’s much better to be on my end of the phone today than theirs. I’ve made enough calls from the other side to know how that feels. Today I was bullet proof and that’s how I like it. When that feeling hits nothing can touch me and I want to stay in this groove forever.

The club uses an improv troupe on Wednesdays so tonight was like a night off. They do an hour show and I had to close with 30 minutes. The audience was great and I rocked the house for the short set. I got off stage exactly on time to the minute and that thrilled all of the staff which is never a bad thing. Comedians going too long is a pet peeve with the staff at most clubs and they’ll love you if you can get off stage on time even if you’re not funny. They want to go home and I get the mindset. For once I think I did please everyone today.