Diary - December 2004

Diary - December 2004

Diary - December, 2004

On this page you'll find all of the diary entries for December 2004

December 3, 2004	Diary December 3, 2004 This evening I got a chance to work with Brett Butler at Cozzys Comedy Club in Newport News, VA. What a wonderful woman. I dont know what its worth coming from me but I was just blown away by her intelligence. She was one of the nicest people Ive met in the comedy business. It was a genuine nice I got the same feeling from Bobcat Goldthwait. Ive met quite a few national headliners, those with big time credits to their names, and each one is different. Some are nicer than others, more helpful than others, more approachable than others and basically better human beings than others. The funny thing is that you never know what goes on in a persons life on a day to day basis. They could have had a bad day or week or month and they are expected to come into a town that they may or may not have been to before and perform regardless of their personal situations. Along with that they have to deal with fans who want autographs and time. They have to deal with employees who think that theyre family to you just because they work at the club. And they have to deal with young, hungry comedians like myself who want to be recognized, remembered, befriended and liked. Comedians who want to gain some insight as to how to reach the level of success that they have attained. Im one of those comedians. Ill soak up any information that they are willing to give if they are willing to give it. If they arent, then Ill be just as happy to do my portion of the show and give the people what they paid to see. There is a fine line between conversation and annoyance, between inquisitiveness and being a bug-a-boo. Some comedians draw that line right at your feet. They dont want you to take a step towards them, and please dont ask questions. I dont know where that line is for Brett Butler. She drew me in with a big hug upon meeting her and apparently didnt bring a pencil to draw any lines. Im looking forward to tonight. Peace until next time.

December 5, 2004	Diary December 5, 2004 Its 1:15a.m. and I just stopped packing my stuff so that I could sit down and type this entry. Im in the large bedroom of the comedy condo. That is what they call this condo that also houses Karen the Jello Lady, from Cozzys. Ive been her housemate for the past two days and Ive seen her a total of 5 minutes here. One minute of that was when I saw her doing her hair getting ready to go to work and the other minute was when I scared the crap out of her and her house guests last night. Apparently they forgot that I was there and when I went downstairs I surprised them. It was like a scene out of The 6th Sense They were like I see black people. Tonight was the final night with Brett Butler at Cozzys Comedy Club. The shows were fantastic. I loved watching Brett perform. Just seeing her create dialogue on stage in the moment was phenomenal to watch. It made me appreciate where I am and also appreciate where I could take my comedy. Loraine and her entire staff were just as helpful and accommodating as they could possibly be. Brad was running around trying to make sure that everything went off right and on time. Im pumped. I dont know what else to say. Im gonna finish packing get in the car and hit the road. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm back at home and needed to write down a few more things that I forgot. I got another weekend at Cozzys. Ill be performing there on February the 25th and 26th. Im looking forward to going down there again. Id also like to give a big up to Roger, one of the house emcees at Cozzys. I could feel the energy coming off of this guy. He was pumped to be able to open up the show. It gave me a boost of energy to be around him. He and his wife were extremely nice and added a bit of warmth to the entire weekend... / ... And just to add a side note. I beat Brett Butler at pool twice. I think that she's trying to set up the hustle for the next time that we meet. That's when she'll ask me if I want to play for a few bucks. Next thing you know, I'm trying to bum a few bucks off of somebody to purchase a Greyhound ticket to my next gig. Peace for now!

December 7, 2004	Here's what I'm feeling at this very minute. I'm thinking about this show that I may or may not do this evening and wondering about my personal feelings about certain performances. Comedy is comedy but it seems that some crowds are more apt to accept a performance from someone that they don't know than others. I am who I am. I have my style of comedy that transcends racial, ethnic, political and gender borders. I find it rather unsettling when I am in an environment where I feel forced to swing my comedy one way or the other. I've always said that comedy is about the audience. I'm there to perform a service. It's like when you go to a restaurant and you boss the waiter or waitress around and basically treat them like crap, you don't really expect them to be happy about it. I know that on the other hand some waiters and waitresses are just crappy. They come in with bad attitudes and preconceived notions about certain clients and then don't give them 100% because they don't think they're going to get 100% back from them. It's just a viscious cycle that brings about the question of which came first, the chicken or the egg?! So after writing this I guess that I have answered my own lingering question. I'm in the service industry and I need to give 100% and expect 0% in return so that anything given back will be viewed with pride and thanksgiving. I'm off to a show.

December 8, 2004	I did the Apollo Night at the Funnybone in Richmond last night and had a ball. Here was the line up. I was the emcee and then there was Laughin Lenny who basically ripped up the show and gave notice to those going after him to bring their A-game. Then there was K.J. a radio guy, Gary Menke who is going to be at the club all weekend, Bam - Bamm my boy from Birmingham, Alabama, Julian Haynes from Atlanta by way of D.C. and the headliner was Big Kenny. It was an awesome show. Lots of energy from the comedians and the crowd made it an exciting night. The show is getting bigger and bigger. Promotions and a papered room are at least making for good crowds and hopefully good food sales. Next week brings another out of state headliner and a chance to get some mic-time. But for now I've got to get prepared for tonights show at Breakers. I'm on the hunt for work. Peace for now! See you at a show.

December 9, 2004	It's 2:13 in the morning and I'm wide awake. My schedule has changed tremendously since I started doing this full time. When I come off stage I'm so pumped that it takes me a few hours to wind down. I spend quite a bit of time analyzing how things went, what I could do better, what I could've said or done. There are so many things that run through my mind. Earlier tonight I did the show at Break Time Sports Bar and Grille in Ashland with Mike Lapara, Brandon Eades and Nancy Frowert. I had a great time. Here's how it went down. When I got there I started setting up the equipment at the stage area. As soon as I turned on the lights to look at the sound equipment I heard the song 'Dirty White Boy', a country original, playing in the background. Apparently it was someones favorite song because they turned it up. I guess so that I could hear the words clearly. If it's not obvious yet I was about to perform in a 'redneck' bar. I had a blast. The crowd was rowdy from the get go. Mike Lapara started the show and got as much attention from the audience as he could. This was the first night of comedy in this place and some of the patrons were surprised to learn this. There was talking and verbal diarhea from a number of people. It took a while but they finally came around. Brandon did a good job and then Nancy Frowert got up on stage and rocked with more energy than I'd seen from her in a while. She put on a great show. I closed out the show to a more attentive crowd than they were at the beginning of the show. In fact I unknowingly and quite visciously shut down a heckler who also happened to double as the owner of the club. Hey, I didn't know and wouldn't have cared anyway. You can't come stand in the middle of the floor, talking all loud to a customer during a show and expect not to get shut down. Either way, this is genuine comedy at its best! It's like this sometimes. Thanks Mike Lapara. Peace for now.

December 14, 2004	When I left my job manufacturing solid surface countertops, a friend of mine told me that I think too much. I couldn't stand the racism that was running rampant through our company. I couldn't stand the way that they treated the Latinos that worked there. I couldn't stand the fact that no minority was ever considered for promotion or that they were rarely if ever used in a capacity where they would have to interact with the clients of the company.... He told me that I think too much.... Well I guess that may be true. I think about how many of the clubs treat the comedians that perform for them. Now don't get me wrong. I know that these places are running a business and that they need to make money but there comes a point where they have to take stock of the employees and the commodity that they have. As a comedian I know that I am a commodity to these folks - the management. But let me tell you this: I'm a human being. I am a man! Cut the crap. I don't need anyone to feed me lies and empty promises. I'm not some freshman class girl - first time away from mom and dad who ends up getting pregnant by some playa with 8 kids because he said I was pretty and I never heard that before in my life. I don't need your lies. I need work. And if you ain't got it then don't lie about it. Some people feel that they can treat you less than human because of their position. Close a door on someone while they're standing in the doorway. Dismiss somebody with a wave of the hand as if their wrist held some magical power. Expecting me to take that with a grain of salt. I'm always funny, I'm always professional, I'm always on time, I always deliver, I always help out when asked to, whether it's handing out tickets or passing out flyers. Remember that! Ask yourself what makes you think I'll tolerate being treated like less than a man! And just in case you come up with the wrong answer, here's the answer sheet. I WON'T TOLERATE IT!!!!!!! Hey, I make mistakes and I admit them. I slammed a door from 6 inches out. It was a mistake made by a man who was being treated less than such and in making that mistake I conceded to immature, gutterball, and amateur tactics. News Flash*** - being like the one in the wrong makes you just as wrong as them. And so I admit it, I was wrong!.... Lesson learned! Like I said, for better or for worse, these are my words about my personal odyssey! I'm going to go pray and meditate... I'm not sure for what yet but maybe that will come to me. Peace for now!!!

December 15, 2004	It's a brand new day! I got a brand new attitude. I have to say this to anyone that's reading this - When I write, sometimes I'm in the moment and sometimes there's been a period of reflection. Situations aren't always what they seem to be at the moment they're happening. You don't always have the luxury of knowing what the other person is thinking and by the time you find out you're already hot. I've prayed for patience. We'll see. What I know is this. What it all boils down to is being a good human being. I've made some apologies today. Some well needed apologies. I also learned something that I hope will be with me the rest of my life... prayer works! I'm about to try to get to the beach. I'll let you know how it goes.

December 16, 2004	It's Thursday around lunch-time and I've been sitting here getting my set for tomorrow night together. I'm performing with A.J. Jamal in Petersburg. It's funny because my brother called me up yesterday all excited because he heard my name on the radio commercials. I hadn't heard them at the time but this morning I got a chance to hear them. Wow!!! When they get to my name, which is the last name that they say, she says it all sexy. Dragging my name out. I swear these people think it's a stripper name. Either way I'm excited about it. It's a family show and I'm looking forward to performing for a crowd of people that came to see some comedy, sober.

December 18, 2004	It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. I did the show at Petersburg High School for the Petersburg High School Booster Club. On the show was A.J. Jamal, Bo Bo Lamb, Ice Cream. I was the first act up after the emcee Ice Cream. It was a fun set but I struggled with it somewhat. I wasn't quite sure of the crowd. First of all the Petersburg High School Auditorium was huge. Secondly, the audience turnout was dismal. And in that huge auditorium it made it look like there were less people than there were. I've never performed in front of a crowd where the majority of the people were High School kids. They're a tough audience. I tried to stay away from black white stuff even though I knew it would get a laugh in the majority black crowd. For whatever reason I feel a responsibility to not feed into the black white thing with kids. I'll let somebody else teach them negative stereotypes. Bo Bo Lamb got a great response from the crowd - he followed me. Then A.J. Jamal came and crushed out the night. Afterwards he said that he felt like he struggled a little but you couldn't tell from the reaction that he got. I enjoyed performing on the same stage with these guys..../.... I got a new haircut. The only reason that I'm mentioning this is because I like it a lot. My barber, Chuck, hooked me up and he told me that I'd been brushing my hair the wrong way for years. I was going against the 'grain'. Once I started combing my hair with the grain, I was trippin on how different it looked. By the way I'm going to put my barbers phone number up here in case anyone wants a cut when they come to Richmond - 804-869-4899 / Ask for Chuck and tell him Odyssey sent you!!!

December 21, 2004	I'm making an awful lot of phone calls and sending out quite a few phone calls. My buddy Hoop hooked me up. I'm trying to set it up so that I can hop in my car and go around doing a crap load of guest sets so that I can get some work. Tapes are cool but they are kind of like e-mail - people will look at them when they get the chance. I get the feeling that it's better to do this kind of business in person, develop relationships with humans instead of their web-adress. Plus, it will give me more stage time and time to see this beautiful country. When you gotta go, you gotta go!..../....Had a writers jam at my boy Kenny's. I got there well after it started so I'm not quite sure what I missed but we did come up with some good ideas for a movie. We're going to be putting on a sketch comedy show - the folks from the 955 club, that is. I'm looking forward to the process. I'm going to get ready for the show tonight at 'the bone'. Peace for now!

December 27, 2004	It's two days after Christmas and I'm stuffed from eating Nestle's Toll House Chocolate chip cookies and turkey wraps with cheese. I'll be working out quite a bit to get rid of the extra girth that I've put on. I've had people giving me a fit because I haven't updated my diary in 'forever'. Well here it is! I'm full. I've done a few shows, I've gone back to church, I've traveled a little and I've eaten a lot. Santa was good to me in that he allowed me to see the joy on my nephews faces as they told me about their gifts (I was asleep while they were opening them cause I stayed up real late the night before). All of the stuff my youngest nephew got, played second fiddle to the cheap little tool belt and plastic screwdriver and hammer set that he got. That's hilarious! How simple life is at that age. I loved every minute of stepping around their gifts and wrapping paper. Makes me think about the day I'll have my own. (Insert dream sequence music here!)...../..... My cousin lost his wife on Christmas night. I pray for him. His son was named the Times Dispatch High School Group 3A Player of the Year. He broke all kinds of records both rushing and scoring, and is excelling as a human being. And now his mommy is gone. I'm praying hard for him. And his little brothers and sisters. My Grandma told me that there is not a thing that God does that is a mistake. I believe it and know it and rarely question it... I just ask for strength in accepting it and living with it. I don't know where I'm going with this... Gonna get ready to go to the 955 Club. The show must go on... in more ways than one. Peace for now!

December 29, 2005	I performed at the Funnybone last night with Bam Bamm, Ryan Robinson, Bodacious, and Alex Ortiz. It was a great show. I'm loving the packed house at the Bone on Tuesdays. It's gone from a comedy show to a must see event. I'm glad to be a part of it...../..... Tomorrow or later on today I'll be going to a funeral. Yeah, pump the brakes on all the fun stuff. Comics get serious too. There's nothing like a comic that's 'on' all the time. I'm gonna start carrying a flashlight around on my key chain so that when I'm having a conversation with a comic that's running non-stop material on me, I can just light him. It's fine in small doses or when it's done for the purpose of fine tuning a joke but... whew!!!! Come down off the stage, Homey! As I was saying... I'm going to a funeral. As I selfishly mourn for my cousins wife (with every right to do so), I realize that half a world away there are untold numbers of people who are in need of prayers. It cost me nothing to pray and so I will. People have died and so more will. This isn't morbid, it's the truth. And so while I am able I choose to live, love and laugh... hoping that you'll live, love and laugh with me. These are my thoughts. Peace for now!

December 30, 2004	I went to the funeral today. It was held in one of the largest churches in Richmond. A good thing too because with as many people that showed up, they wouldn't have been able to fit into my Grandma's little country church. My family was there, of course, and then there was what seemed like all of Highland Springs High School. I'm kind of bi-polar at funerals, floating between extreme seriousness and foolishness. One minute I'm thinking of how my family must be feeling and the next minute I'm cracking up at the fact that some preachers will throw a commercial into anything they do. I don't know, it's just what I do. I still think that God doesn't give us more than we can handle. And as long as we are counting on his hands to handle what we can't, I believe we'll be all right..... I almost apologized for being preachy right now but this is my diary, this is what I'm thinking. If it's too 'spiritual' for you then stop reading!...../..... This is a portion of a poem that was read today - it was written by the family...*a million times we will need you / a million times we will cry / If love could have saved you / you never would have died*... It was when this was being read that I began to smile. I felt a peace come over me because I know that, Love did save her. And because He did, she will never die. (John - Chpt. 15 / vrs. 9-17) Peace for now!