Sleepless In Memphis

Thursday February 5th, 2009 - Memphis, TN

It was a balmy 3 degrees as I got up at exactly 3am to pack my car for the drive down to Memphis this week. One of my comedy friends is having marriage hiccups and wanted to get out of the house for a few days and asked if I minded if he came along. I kind of did as I wanted to use the time to think and plan but he was pretty insistent so I just said yes.

What’s a guy to do? I guess I could have said no but then there are bad vibes. It doesn’t really matter if anyone rides along or not since it’s my car and I decide when we leave or stay and I make that very clear before anyone gets in. I don’t like to waste my work time.

That’s what I’ve learned to make my long drives too - WORK time. I rotate between an hour or so of listening to educational or motivational materials followed by maybe jotting down some raw thoughts or trying to outline a comedy bit or movie scene or class lesson.

Maybe I’ll do a crossword puzzle or listen to a comedy recording of a friend or fun stuff that appeals to ME. Having to hear about someone’s marriage problems or how great that new serpent in the white house is can tend to put a strain on any friendship for 668 miles.

He really is a nice guy and I’m sorry he’s having a rocky marriage but that’s not my job to be anyone’s marriage counselor. As a friend I can listen and I really try to be a quality friend but sometimes it gets to a point where the best steak in the world couldn’t hide my bad taste for sitting and getting sniped at by certain people’s problems. It beats me down.

This isn’t a time to be beaten down. This is a time to recharge my life and make my run at the big time and God forbid have lots of….f-f-f….f-f-f…uh…er…ah ..oh yeah…..fun! I’ll suck it up this weekend because it’s only three days and hopefully I can get to some of my projects that are holding me back from living how and where I want to live my life.

We pulled into Memphis about 6pm. The weather got better as we drove south and it’s downright pleasant right now. There’s no snow anywhere to be seen and it’s like a mini spring break in a way. We took our coats off and cruised through town like we were in a parade. We had windows down and big smiles and we waved at anyone who’d look at us.

The show tonight at Comedy Tennessee was KILLER. There was a small house but it’s never an issue when they are this good. I did about 50 minutes and didn’t break a sweat. It flowed from within me and I didn’t let a long drive with little sleep stop me from doing a great show. I knew I needed to have a solid set and they appreciated it so that made it fun.

The guys who own this club are two of the nicest guys I’ve ever met who run a club or a steady comedy venue. They’re both comics themselves and really try to treat us like we’re someone rather than many other clubs who treat us like a disposable diaper after it’s full.

This is the part of comedy that grinds on us all. Yes, the money is nice and making it is a thrill but getting up at 3am to drive 668 miles to Memphis isn’t. I will earn my money.