Sunday April 29th, 2012 – Kenosha, WI
If having fun were currency, I’d be a one man mint. All the activities I’m doing in my life right now are exactly what I enjoy, but turning a respectable buck with any of them remains just out of reach. If I knew exactly what I needed to do to remedy that, I’d do it in half a second. Or sooner.
This afternoon I had a comedy class to teach at Zanies in Chicago. I love to teach those classes, and I know they do good for people on many levels. Those who want to be actual comedians can have a great resource to get started correctly, and it will save them years of making the same old stupid mistakes most newbies end up making. Those who just want to have fun can do that too.
There’s a very nice mix in this particular group, and they’re hungry to learn. They’ve asked all the right questions, and I see genuine effort coming from all of them. That makes it worth a drive into Chicago on a Sunday afternoon and a hunt for a parking space. Bill Gorgo was able to show up, and he always adds to classes. He’s a teacher in real life, and like me enjoys seeing progress.
Gideon Bailey is another veteran comedian who has taught his own comedy classes in the past, and he knows one of the current students so he volunteered to stop by and hang out. I hadn’t seen him in years, but he stepped right in and added to the class nicely. I never have a problem letting another comic sit in if they have two requirements – competence and sincerity. Gideon has both.
Between the three of us, those students got WAY more than they paid for whether they realized it or not. Class flew by, and there’s always a buzz of positive energy at the end because of all the focus that’s required to teach a quality class. Teaching is a joy, and this is a win/win all around.
Now if I can just find a way to make a consistent living with it. Yes, Zanies does charge for the classes and Bill and I get paid, but it needs to be taken to a higher level if I’m ever going to make any real money. I know I have a quality product, but just like my comedy I haven’t done the best job of marketing it. I should have all kinds of products by now, and more of an online presence.
After class I drove up to Kenosha, WI for another radio ride on The Mothership Connection on AM 1050 WLIP. There’s another project that’s a total blast but this one doesn’t bring in a nickel. At least I make a few bucks teaching the comedy classes. The Motheship Connection is done for the love of it, but love doesn’t pay any bills. What can I do to change that? I’m about loved out.
We had an extra packed show tonight, with Mark Gumbinger and Lou Rugani in studio talking about Mark’s DVD documentary ‘The Titanic Disaster’. He really did do a stellar job with it and was fascinating as he told the story of what actually happened the night it sank. Lou knows about a lot of different subjects, and between the two of them it made for two hours of stimulating talk.
We also had a return appearance from one of our very favorite guests of all time named Pamala Oslie who is an expert in reading aura colors. She’s flat out fascinating, and I highly recommend a visit to her website at www.auracolors.com. We had four hours of interesting content tonight.
Days like this are what I live for, and they fly by because I’m having so much fun. Now I need to find a way to put some cash in the coffers while I’m doing it. That’s been the glitch for years.
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