Funny, Funky And Fun

Wednesday October 3rd, 2007 - Janesville, WI/Milwaukee, WI

Lots going on today. If there’s one thing I’m not doing it’s goofing off. I have been very busy lately and it’s getting busier by the day. Today was jam packed and I loved it all. I am doing what I love and loving what I do and when that happens depression can’t touch me.

Today really fell into place and everything worked out perfectly. First I had a lunch with Vince Vieceli. Vince is a comedian I’ve known about fifteen years. He moved to LA and it was coincidentally the time I lived out there so we hung out there and then we both moved back here and stayed in touch. He’s a really talented writer and that’s what he loves most.

Most comedians are either writers or performers. Very rarely does one naturally do both equally well. It’s like being left or right handed. Most of us favor either one or the other. It isn’t good or bad but it is a reality. I probably am more of a writer than a performer also.

Vince made some excellent critiques on an outline of a CD I want to produce giving tips on how to start out in the comedy business. I thought I had organized some good ideas for an outline but he came along and sliced and diced and boy did he improve it. He should be an English teacher. He apologized today for being so harsh but I thanked him for his help.

He did help a lot and I still have the outline. I hope to record it soon but I haven’t had a block of time or a chunk of money to make it happen. That’s changing and I hope to get it finished this year. We decided to hook up halfway between his place in West Dundee and mine in Lake Villa.

We had a delicious lunch at some little pub joint that served food. Boy was it delicious.
Everything was prepared perfectly and we ate outside in the sunshine. We talked about my business idea and not only did he have good ideas he also has a sister that designs websites and a brother who is a world class artist. He did Chicago Style Standups’ website and promo flyer and we get nothing but compliments about those from everyone.

We jotted down a ton of ideas and it was a productive lunch. I also had one of the very best roast beef sandwiches I’ve ever had in my life. Vince picked the joint and it was really a good call. Things are just falling into place and I want to claim that so it keeps coming.

After lunch I had a little time and didn’t want to go back home just to leave again so the idea that popped into my skull was to go to the Volo Auto Museum and gawk at old cars. I haven’t been there in several years and it was a blast the last time so I decided to go back and see what I missed. They have a lot of famous cars like the Batmobile and the Munsters coffin car and all kinds of other movie and TV vehicles. Plus they have a couple hundred older cars for sale for people with money to burn. Good thing I don’t or I probably would have bought one. There was a lot of tin that caught my eye but the Batmobile was coolest.

I’m to the point now in my life where just looking at the cars satisfies me. My Mitsubishi for $600 is functional and I am having as much fun with that as I would with a classic ‘60s muscle car for $26,000 which is around what many of the top ones were going for. I loved looking at them all and it was a great way to kill some time on a spectacular weather day.

I hopped into my own personal Batmobile and headed toward Janesville, WI for a show that began at 7:30. After a lifetime of making hellacious cross country drives for not much money it’s always a perk when the drive is under 100 miles. I worked this gig the opening night back in June and I had just moved to Lake Villa so I remember it being manageable.

Today it was even shorter than I remembered it. I just had a stereo put in my Batmobile and was blasting all my favorite tunes the whole way as I jotted down ideas on a notepad. I am in a creative spurt lately and it’s flowing like water from a sprinkler. I can’t keep it all written down but I tried to make notes on the steering wheel on the open highway. A few times I had to pull over and write down a complete thought but I never mind doing that.

The place in Janesville is called The Armory. It’s a beautiful room with a great stage and sound system but the audience was pretty small tonight. They changed nights and haven’t been able to train the audience apparently but those who did show up were very friendly. I could sense they were very conservative and a little older so I was squeaky clean and went slow so they could follow along. I found their vibe and worked to their rhythm. It’s been a lifetime of doing shows to know what to do but I do and tonight I gave them a good time.

They lined up to shake my hand after the show and say how much fun they had and I am never upset to hear that. I smiled and thanked them and totally meant it. It didn’t hurt that the manager was right there the whole time and watched it all. Her customers were happy and I told as many as I could to come back and they said they would. She was just elated.

After the show I drove as fast as I could to Milwaukee to catch the last part of George Clinton’s show at the Northern Lights Theatre. I hadn’t seen him in a long time and I have been wanting to get a dose of the funk for a while now. He told me in Houston that I have a lifetime pass but I didn’t want to abuse it. I emailed his manager and sure enough I had a pass waiting for me at the door. I got there late and the woman behind the counter looked at a straight laced Caucasian with a skeptical look but when she found my name on the list she let me right in. I’ve paid to see them too many times to count so this was a real treat.

George’s shows usually go long so I was glad to still get some funk. I walked in right as Michael Hampton was cranking out the guitar solo of ‘Maggot Brain’. That is an amazing guitar riff and if you haven’t heard it I recommend it. I’ve turned a lot of rock fans on to it and they are amazed at how intricate it is. I just got lost in it and so did the audience. After he finished he got a huge ovation as usual and I knew right there it was worth my drive.

There’s something magical about a live P-Funk show and I never get sick of it. I am in a cult of fans that think they are the best live band ever and I still think that. George is still a master showman and after meeting him in person it was even more fun to watch him work his magic on the audience. He holds the whole show together and I’m glad I could come.

I hope I’m still that sharp when I’m 67. He still has ‘it’ and I learned by watching. There was a nice crowd in the place and they liked it too. What a day. I did a show, saw a show and enjoyed great weather. I ate good and hung out with a friend. Does it get any better?