Showbiz Politics

Thursday October 30th, 2008 - Lake Villa, IL

I’ve struggled with the politics of show business for years. I admit I am not very good at playing the game but I am getting better as I get older. Some people think playing politics is ‘kissing ass’ or ‘sucking up’ or ‘selling out’ but that’s not it at all. It’s a matter of being seen in a favorable way by as many people with power as possible. It’s a tricky endeavor.

Today I had a situation I thought was dead and gone pop back into the picture out of the blue and I played the politics correctly. I received an email from a booker telling me there was an opening at the Skyline Comedy Café in Appleton, WI. I have never worked at that club but I’ve always heard nothing but great things about it from the crowds to the staff.

The owners there apparently heard about my infamous ‘Crisco package’ I sent the bully club owner in Milwaukee years ago after he had a benefit show for me after my near fatal car accident and kept all the money. They were none too happy about it and decided that I would not get to work their club. Right or wrong that was their decision and I accepted it.

I didn’t LIKE it, but I accepted it. It’s their club and they call the shots. Over the years I have tried to get in there and at least meet the owners so they could see I’m not the raving lunatic they probably heard I was but I was never able to get my chance to prove myself.

A few weeks ago one of Jerry’s Kidders Tim Slagle worked the club and without telling me happened to drop my name. There is only one owner now apparently and he didn’t get upset when my name was brought up. Tim told me about it and I told the booker to please keep me in mind for any openings and hopefully after all these years I could get my shot.

As luck would have it there was a last minute fall out for this week. The bad part is that the opening is for the feature position. I am by far not a feature but the booker asked if I’d be willing to do it to get into the club. Normally I would say no thanks but this is a special circumstance and I said I would be willing to do it only for the fact of my history there.

The emails went back and forth between me and the booker and the booker and the club owner and after a few rounds it was decided that he would go with someone else this time but it opened the door for me to get in there another time. That’s exactly what I wanted to happen and I’m glad I didn’t have to go up there and feature this week. I’ll be too busy.

I really hope I do get a chance to work that club. I’ve been wanting to get in there so I’d be able to see some friends I have up that way who keep asking when I’ll be playing there so they can come see me. I never wanted to tell them the story of why not and now I’ll not have to bring it up if I can get a week up there in 2009. At least I have a chance to now.

This situation was a culmination of many years of blowing my political chances. I was a quick tempered loudmouth at times when I should have shut up and played the game with more patience. I burned more than my share of bridges and some of them deserved it but I didn’t intend to burn this one. It just happened. Now hopefully I can rebuild it for good.