Monday August 15th, 2011 - Ft. Worth, TX/Dallas, TX My last day in Texas, at least for a while. I have bittersweet thoughts about this place. It has so many people, I have to believe I could make a living here and not have to leave the state. Musicians seem to be able to pull it off regularly. The music scene here is thriving. I’ve always had fun in Texas, but I’ve only worked in Houston, El Paso and random one nighters here and there. For whatever reason, I’ve never gotten work at any clubs in towns like Austin, Dallas or San Antonio but I believe I could kick major ass in all those places. I’ve been through those towns, but never pushed hard to get work because I didn‘t have to. I was always able to get as many bookings as I needed in the Midwest, closer to home. Why drive two days or buy a plane ticket that comes out of my pocket when I can work a gig two hours or less from where I live? There’s no real reason to, so that’s why I didn’t. In retrospect, I wish I’d developed more relationships here. I hear nothing but wonderful things about the comedy scene in Austin, and San Antonio has history and character. Plus I really love brunettes and the Mexican sweeties and mixed blood variations are plentiful. I’d love to do some tours here, but right now it’s not smart business. I live where I live, and that’s where I need to focus my attention. Traipsing around Texas would have been a lot more fun twenty years ago but I never got around to it. I had plenty of work elsewhere. Dallas was where I was going to move in 1984 when I was just getting started. I tried to escape Milwaukee on a Greyhound bus, but I wasn’t ready just yet. It would still be a few years before I was prepared to make a jump like that, but I was proud of myself for trying. I drove to Dallas with Tanner to check out the JFK museum and we drove right past the very same bus station I walked out of as a pie eyed dorky lad back in 1984. I wish I had a time travel machine so I could’ve seen myself and urged that lad to hang in there. I ended up getting right back on another bus that day and coming back to Milwaukee. I panicked. I wonder what would have happened had I stayed? I’ve thought about that a lot. I could have scrounged up a job somewhere and a place to live and I know I eventually would’ve gotten into comedy anyway. I likely would have moved by now, but would have different friends I’d probably still have today and learned my craft from a different set of mentors. That wasn’t the case. I came back to Milwaukee and did what I did. I would have had a laundry list of new mistakes, but who knows what breaks I would have caught? None of it matters a lick today, but I still can’t help but wonder how different it would’ve turned out. Tanner really enjoyed the Kennedy tour. I’d seen it before, but I still think it’s a piece of American history and one of the most fascinating tours I’ve ever taken. It was fun to have a chance to hang with him and Cooper for these few days. They’ve had love and nurturing and aren’t the wandering, confused dented can I was at both of their ages. Good for them.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment