The News

I had a great weekend at the Baltimore Comedy Factory; the crowds were great and I had a blast hanging out with the staff after the shows. Lets get to the compliments:

Bird Knight was the MC and did a great job. His DMX closer was 7 for 7 with applause breaks while I only heard him give 3 Ric Flair "woo hoos" during the week. He usually employs the Ric Flair when a joke doesn't work so that would reflect a very successful week.

Justin Schlegel was awesome. I've worked so many shows with him in 2006 but this weekend was the best I've ever seen him. He crushed 7 out of 7 and some of those shows were lightly attended. Not only did the crowds have fun but Justin had fun. I could see it on his face; he was loose and playful on stage and owned the room. Incredible.

December was a tough month for me; I did 25 shows and was booked every weekend. I am happy for the stage time but still exhausted from working a full-time job and performing. After this week, I'm going to take a week or two off and try to write. Working at the Factory is so much fun but a comic definitely has to be on his or her toes. One crowd will be attentive and enjoy material; the next can be rowdy and boisterous. This forces a comic to be flexible and gain confidence in his skills. When I first started attending open mics 2 1/2 years ago, I thought if you were funny you could bypass all the other stuff like; heckling, crowdwork, etc. I was naive.

After a show, I had a women ask me if she should take a comedy class to become a comedian. I've never taken a comedy class but if a person can afford one, I would do it. I'm still learning how to write a joke; learning joke structure early in your career is a wonderful tool to have. Still, there is no way around all the other stuff. If you want to be a stand-up comic, you will eventually be ignored, heckled, insulted, and embarrassed on stage at some point. Fortunately, I delt with all those emotions by my 4th time on stage so I was ahead of the curb.

I recently found out that Justin Schlegel and Danny Rouhier will be leaving this spring to tour Canada. I could not be happier for these guys; they are both great friends and great comedians. The selfish part of me hopes they remain in DC for a while so I can enjoy hanging out with them and watching them perform their magic tricks. But, what I really want for them are opportunities. I do get a little sad to think that the guys I first met when I started comedy are slowly leaving the area. Ryan Conner and Rory Scovel will be gone soon and Justin and Danny are right around the corner. At the same time, I am proud to call them my friends and anxious to follow their careers beyond DC.

Next blog will be pics only and you will like them.