Typing that title,
it just hit me that the year is ending. I've been
thinking so "day-to-day" the past several months it
never even crossed my mind. Amazing. Well, it ain't
over yet, and I'll get all "retrospective" later. For
now, tonight is the final footstep of the year: My
"Ha-Ha Cafe" Debut. Man is there a bunch to tell you
about the last ten days. I'll start from the
beginning...
Aspen. The shock
hasn't really lessened any. It's one of those things
you can't really deal with until you gain a bit more
persepctive on it. It can still go both ways. We could
whole-heartedly be laughing at the judges
short-sightedness in a few months, or looking back on
it as the moment reality slapped us. We just don't
know. As I've stated before, it really doesn't matter
HOW I deal with Aspen right now. My attitude
towards it changes nothing. As long as I keep doing my
shows, finding ways to make it better, and following
Charlotte's lead - the fact that I'm miserable about
Aspen effects little. And truly, I'm only miserable
when I think that it's a foreshadowing of future
rejections. So, I don't think about it. I learned
that lesson with my divorce. Don't deal with it right
then. The horse is dead, only TIME will decompose it:
MOVE ON. Heh, this from the over-analytical
author of "The Journey" - LOL.
Now when I last
wrote, "The Largo" was the spot for the final
show of 2001. It ended up we couldn't get the time we
needed, so we booked it at a different place. I
would've had to go on really late, and during the week
you can't expect the industry crowd to stay out too
long. Ha Ha will have me on around 9, and is nicely
located next to several studios. We're pushin' our
luck trying to get a LOT of industry there so close to
the holidays - but Charlotte's bankin' on two BIGGIES
that would make it all worth while. But that's not the
most interesting bit of news from all of
this...
So the owner's
pretty excited about the act. He says if it runs
smoothly, he'll set me up for a Wednesday show with
Chris Tucker in January. Uhm, right. Here we go. Yeah,
I'm really sure Chris Tucker is all about the
Wednesday nights at the Ha Ha Cafe in between making
$20 million a picture. Mhmm. Charlotte and I both
laugh about this one. She said: "Well, I'm droppin'
off a tape up there on Wednesday so I guess I'll see
Mr. Tucker won't I!" LOL.
She
did.
Dude was just
leaving the club and getting into a limo. The owner
wasn't full of it. This could VERY well happen. She
called me that night and I nearly peed my pants.
You're damn straight I want to do a show with Chris
Tucker. JESUS. I've already mentioned my embarrasing
need to be accepted by the black community - yeah,
this would help. LOL. It's so funny, I can't look at
Chris Tucker without thinking of Leon Kerber. We were
watching an old Chris Tucker Def Comedy Jam routine in
1996 and he turns to me and says: "Dude died of a
heroin overdose...so sad." I was KNOCKED out. We
spent a good 10 minutes talking about how sad that was
- 'cause the dude was so funny. "Friday" had come out
around then and we were both just bummed. Of course I
see him in an interview a few months later and have
razzed Leon ever since. (sigh)
So what a great
prospect this could turn out to be. I just want a
positive response from someone who's STOOPID famous.
Ya know? Even if it didn't inch my career AT ALL,
if Chris came up to me and said: "That's some funny
shit" - I would think about that moment for 48 hours
straight. You would have to watch a 60 second video of
me sitting on the floor, eyes wide open, thinking
about what Chris Tucker said about my show. LOL. I
never want to lose this innocence. What is it? What
keeps you humble? Am I being humnle? Heh. I mean
I consider myself having a pretty healthy ego
when it comes to my talents, but if I was totally
arrogant - would I give 2 shits what Chris Tucker
thinks? Hmmm... Not sure how to analyze my brain
sometimes. Anyway -onward...
The Xmas show on
Friday. Eh. I absolutely love everyone at this
apartment complex, and haven't written about Friday
yet 'cause well - it was nothing to write home about.
LOL. I couldn't think of a nice way to say that it was
pretty ho-hum. I'm really not sure why honestly. The
crowd had thinned a bit, as the first part of the show
ran REALLLY long. What was supposed to be from 8-8:45,
went until 9:30. A lot of smokers in our complex
too - so they were standing around in the cold a
bunch, and a few of them gave in and went home I
believe. What I was able to see of the show was funny
as hell. Little kids getting up doing stuff. People
playing keyboards and guitar. Comedians - skits -
everything. I love my apartment complex. It certainly
feels like a family here.
The night before I
had quite a little eureka. This is a bit of a spoiler
for anyone who hasn't seen the show, and knows they're
going to. If you've seen the show, or you're stuck in
Columbus and won't by my tape (lol), then by all means
highlight the following:
The show starts
with a cell phone ringing low enough that most people
think it's in the crowd. Cameron comes on his tv and
asks if someone would please answer it and then
realizes it's his. It's Adam saying he's running late.
It's a fun gag, and on Friday - some dude actually
turned off his cell phone when he heard it. Well, I
knew for this XMAS show I'd need to be around helping
with all the technical stuff as they were using my
TV and amp for the rest of the show. It kind of
kills the opening if they see me there the whole time.
So I decided to hang out as CAMERON during the
rest of the party. Cameron has long sideburns, a
goatee, glasses, black hat, black vest and blue shirt.
I even introduced myself to a few people as Cameron
Kontras. LOL. Then right before I went on, I ran home
- shaved down to Live Adam's little pornstar patch
(HAHAHAHAHAHA -goddamn that's funny if you're
picturing what I'm picturing) - and changed all my
clothes. It works on another level because Cameron is
supposed to be the brains behind everything...so it
makes sense that he'd be working with all the
technical stuff. Now because most of the people knew
me, this little charade went mostly unnoticed
I believe. Absolutely no one came up to me
afterwards mentioning it. But in stranger settings - I
think I may really screw with some people. Especially
because you see Cameron first in his opening. If you
see me before the show, and then on TV you may just
buy that I'm backstage on a closed circuit signal -
and the live guy is someone different....
Giddy-up.
Ok. Heh, I
guarantee you no one skipped that. LOL. Remo, you
better have. You're seeing it for your first time
tonight! Don't ruin it!
So the show was
pretty blase. A lot of people had seen it more
than once, so they got more into the CEREBERAL aspects
of the show (FUCKING aspen....grrrr). It's inevitable
after you know the jokes to start to realize just how
technically INsane this show is. As well, some people
just didn't get some things. During the rewind
bit...oh jesus I mentioned this before didn't
I...well that's a secret - DOH! Anyway, there was no
reaction! In fact I saw some lady turn to her man
and look befuddled. Well shitfire and damnation - the
hell can I do about that?! LOL. And of course the
capper of all, the absolute failing of the clap test.
This is too funny.
At The
Comedy Store, I could just feel that the
cowd was with me, so I started clapping in
the "solo" of the last song, to see if
they'd follow suit. Boy did they. 3 claps
and they took over. Oh how I was
DENIED on Friday though. I clapped 8, yes
8 TIMES. The entire measure - then felt
stupid and moved on. ROFL. Watching
the
video
of it now is simply the funniest thing in
the world to me. So of course I had
to spruce it up with some semi-graphics
for the site. Most people would try not to
spotlight such absolute failures in life,
I on the other hand get some twisted
thrill out of it.
I think it's
because I have ABSOLUTELY no insecurities about
the show. If I was insecure, I'd probably try to paint
a better light on it...then again - I always just tell
it like it is don't I. So shoot down that theory. Why
ask why...it's just funny watching me fail.
LOL.
Looking back on
the tape - it went much better than I remembered it
live, but there are many many parts that people seemed
afraid to laugh. Interesting. Tonight's crowd will be
much different. I can't WAIT to get onstage!!! Damn,
that's so unlike me! I mean I love performing,
but I've always felt that CREATING a great product is
the best part. Well I guess since I'm doing so
little creating right now - this is my big bright
spot. But for the first time, I'm looking forward to
the applause. I need that applause to get me to
January - and to cover up the utter pain of Aspen.
WOW. If that doesn't sound like a drug analogy then
what does. Man, you are certainly watching a
metamorphisis of someone in this Journey. I'm changing
at every turn. It's a little spooky to watch it happen
inside a paragraph.
In Jessicaland,
our heroine was told that she has been promoted to
GENERAL Manager of the Burbank Boston Market! She will
be ready to officially take that over in 12 weeks.
This is an insanely quick amount of time. She starts
her first day as a MANAGER (what she was hired for) at
her store TODAY...and because of what she showed in
training and 4 weeks at a temporary store, that will
only last for 3 months until she jumps WAY up. Her
hard work pays off so quickly sometimes it's
unthinkable. Every place she goes, she becomes the
hardest worker and blows everybody away. She's the
best teammate I've ever had!!! LOL. Seriously, I
coudn't be more proud of her. But dear GOD our
kids...they better come out the WOMB with resumes
in-hand. How will they ever live up to our work
ethics? (shiver) I just realized I'm not gonna be the
"cool" dad anymore. I'm gonna be a pain in the ass.
Heh. Shweeeeeeet.
So that's about
it. Go Bears (10-3!) Go Wizards (11-12!!! 6 STRAGIHT
WINS!) Go Trinitrons. Next Entry will probably be
Wednesday...
