I'm in Milwaukee this week, doing announcements for JD's Comedy Cafe. There's a lot of stuff going on that I normally don't have to deal with when I do open mics or when I work somewhere closer to home like the Comedy Forum or the Fairview Heights Funny Bone.
I took a bus to get up here, because I figured if I did that and watched my spending, I might actually walk away with a bit of cash; if I drove, literally every dollar I made would go to filling my car's gas tank. The bus left St. Louis bound for Chicago Wednedsay around 10:15, but somewhere around 3:00am, just outside of Champagne, IL. The bus's transmission went down. Around 7:30, another bus came to pick us up (and I was supposed to be on a bus at 7:15 in Chicago heading for my final destination, Milwaukee). When I finally got to the windy city, the people at the bus station were very helpful and I only had to wait about forty minutes to get on the way. When I finally got to Milwaukee, I caught a cab to the club, grabbed my key and tried to settle in.
The Condo here is pretty cool; at least I like it. I've heard other comics complain, but I suppose I'm still so "happy to be doing stand up for money" I don't agree with their arguments. This week, only myself and the Feature act, Murv Seymour, are staying in the condo, since the Headliner, Scott Henry, is from here and the opener, Jamie Cruz, is from Chicago (I believe).
The show last night was good over-all. Before the show, we heard that a group of nurses (about a hundred) were coming as an organized way to keep them entertained and relieve stress that probably comes with being a nurse. The entire crowd (which may or may not include the nurses) was very talkative during the beginning (meaning "my") part of the show. Literally, I had to start out saying:
"Hey everyone, welcome to the comedy cafe, Milwaukee's home of five star comedy for over two decades. We consistently bring you the funniest and best comics around and tonight is no exception. Your headliner tonight is a local boy, give it up for Scott Henry. And your Feature tonight comes to us from Tampa, FL, make some noise for Murv Seymour. Also in the show tonight, from Chicago is Jamie Cruz. My name is Marcus Robinson and I'll be your host and emcee for the evening.
At this time, the Comedy Cafe would like to remind you that if you have a cell phone or pager, please set those to vibrate or turn them off so as not to distract those around you, and for the enjoyment of all, please keep your table conversations to a minimum.
On your tables, you'll find these (I hold up a card) )Gold Cards, if you fill them out and give them to your waitress, you have a chance to get your bar-tab paid for tonight.
Lastly, if you want to find out about upcoming shows, visit the website, www.271joke.com or call the box office at 414.271.5653, that's 414.271.JOKE. Now, with all that out of the way, you guys ready to start the show?"
Literally throughout the first 60-70% of that, the crowd was talking (loudly); and when I finally got into my act (I only got to do about 4 bits) I couldn't really hear myself through the speakers, so I wasn't sure if the crowd could hear me. It was kind of unnerving at the time, and I think it may have caused me to yell a little bit too much. After the show, JD took us all out to dinner, and Murv commented later that I wasn't very talkative. Much of the conversation, though, revolved around automobiles (classics and such, mainly), sports and local businesses/clubs/celebrities. Since I didn't feel like I could contribute, I just listened and ate my steak (which was awesome, and I finished. Usually I have to take the leftovers home for lunch in Friday). When I got back to the condo, I realized I lost my key (probably somewhere in the club) and so I had to walk about 5-6 blocks to the bar and have Duke let me into the club so that I could get another key. I'm wearing that one around my neck on a string so I don't lose it... That's what I get for leaving my keys at home, I guess...
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