Seven, Six...

Wednesday March 4th, 2009 - Milwaukee, WI

I think I need to go back and take a math class. I thought I was counting down to my big day but I blew it. I started on March 1st and am taping on the 10th. That’s ten days, right? I never was a whiz with numbers but it doesn’t seem that difficult. Today is supposed to be day seven which means I’ll be a day short on the 10th but it’s too late to start over again.

I guess I’ll have to live with it and just keep counting. I know when the damn day is. It’s next Tuesday and however many days away that is that’s when I’m going to be in L.A. for a chance to finally begin a comedy career. Everything else in my life is taking a back seat.

No matter how I feel inside my dented can head really doesn’t matter to anyone but me. Everyone else has their own river of problems to paddle through and I’m not going to let myself blow this opportunity no matter how deep a mental funk I may be in now. I’m still doing everything right that I need to do to make this experience pay off in a very big way.

Again I forced myself to get out of bed and out of the house rather than waste the whole day like I‘ve been known to do in the past. My first stop was at Radio Shack of all places to pick up some batteries for two recording devices I have so I can get a recorded version of the set down and then play it over and over and over again until I know it verbatim.

One is an old cassette mini recorder I’ve had for years but never used. The other was an add on when I bought my computer and I haven’t used that yet either. Now they are both in working order so one way or another I’ll be able to get that done in the next day or so.

After that I went back to the mall and took another three laps and reviewed my set over and over and over again in my head. I pictured myself on the stage in L.A. and I heard the crowd pop with laughter and applause and I saw Craig Ferguson’s face with a smile on it.

I pictured it all vividly as if it were really happening instead of me just imagining it and that made my walk seem a lot shorter than it was. Three laps in the Gurnee Mills mall is a long hike and I was again spent and sweating when I finished. But I felt like I worked out and I did both mentally and physically. This is the right thing to do if I want to get better.

After my walk I went once again to the Golden Corral and had a plate full of vegetables. I didn’t have a soda and I didn’t have dessert either. I also bought a newspaper and did the crossword puzzle which I really enjoy. I worked out my mind, body and ate healthy too.

Doing these kinds of things over and over again will guarantee I will get a return on this investment at some point. It has to happen. It’s the old law of sowing and reaping and that law never changes. I’m doing a lot of solid things that a lot of others would not do at all.

I’ll be the first one to admit I should have been doing a lot of these things years ago on a regular basis but that’s not important now. What is important is that I’m doing them right before I head out to L.A. and not just winging it and seeing what happens. I’m preparing.

It’s very difficult because I never had to do this before. Oh sure I could have done it but I didn’t HAVE to do it. I had enough natural comedic ability to get me through whatever I needed but now that I’m seeing how the TV game works I am embracing this challenge.

This can only make me a better comic and it truly already has. I sliced and diced and did a lot of editing and rearranging and still am in the tweaking process but I see how this is a necessary part of forging material and there are no shortcuts around it. This takes WORK.

I’m putting in my work on this particular set and it’s giving me all kinds of ideas for the next set I’ll write and the one after that too. I’m seeing the process and liking it and I’ll do the same with all the rest of my material. I’ll bet I have a dozen or more TV spots in me.

Material isn’t the most important ingredient in all of this though. It’s important but not most important. Character and likeability are what will take me places. If the public buys Mr. Lucky like they did Rodney Dangerfield I’ll be in a very good space for a long time.

That’s a big if though. Rodney was around my age when Johnny Carson took a liking to him and he was on The Tonight Show 70 times. SEVENTY! I would love it if I captured the fancy of not only Craig Ferguson but his fans too. I think he’s a very funny guy and is a quick wit just like I am and I’d love to come out on the couch and riff back and forth.

First I need to prove myself and do ONE set without throwing up or having security get angry and kick me out of the building. One is all I need for now and that’s why I’m doing all the work I’m doing to make sure I put my best foot forward. This is a really big deal.

An even bigger deal was the surprise I got up in Milwaukee tonight at the BBC over on East North Avenue. My friend Art Hinty did one of his once a month live shows booked under his ‘Big Boned Comedy’ umbrella. He is the new Godfather of the upstart comedy scene in Milwaukee and he’s perfect for the gig. He loves comedy and it really shows.

Art generously offered me the chance to run through my set in front of that audience if I wanted and I took him up on it. I can do Zanies anytime but Art’s shows are once a month so I wanted to go up mainly to support the Milwaukee scene but to do the set again also.

I got up and fumbled through it but I got the lines out and that’s all I cared about. When I finished Art and Melissa Fleming of ‘Mel and Blossom’ came to the stage and presented me with money the comics came up with when they passed the hat. That blew me away.

These guys are out there struggling their asses off and they took up a collection for ME. I still can’t believe it and am grateful beyond words for such a pure gesture of kindness. I try to be that way myself and when it comes back it’s overpowering but in a positive way.

I was told Jeff Lampton started the idea and others followed. Thank you Jeff. Thanks to Art and Mel and all the others who did that for me. Yes, I have to pay my expenses there but I knew that. This was totally unexpected but really appreciated. I sure can’t suck now.