One Night Stand-Up

On July 13th 2009 at approximately 7:45 pm. I stepped onto the open stage at the Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles California. The bright lights blotting out the front row, I was alone on stage. I was also alone in the club save for my fellow amateur comedians. The Pot Luck shows at the Comedy Store are a tradition that date back to the earliest days of the store. Alumni that have gone on to stardom after paying their dues at the open mic include Richard Pryor, Sam Kinison, David Letterman and more.

The evening begins when the sign-up sheet appears in front of the store at 6:00 pm. Up to 40 aspiring comedians can sign up for 15 to 20, three-minute performance spots. After seven weeks of not making the cut Bobby Pope appeared in spot #12. It was a slow night at the club, a total of four people were in the audience and not at the same time. Technically three people were audience members and one was a comedian sitting with a friend. So the fanfare was nowhere and the crowd a little brutal but the show went on.

The performers were gracious to each other and the night became a proving ground for new material. Not a bad situation to be in when performing for the first time. It was a walk through for hopefully many attempts to come. My three minutes went by without incident, there were some definite hits and some misses and I was able to end on a laugh. In the end the sting of the stage is as strong as ever. I am a person who thrives in the spotlight. A full house may mean more pressure but you also get a more accurate barometer of how well you perform. Some questions were left unanswered but the experience I will always have.

Joke that got the biggest laugh - "So I was shocked to find that in L.A. you can buy hard liquor at the drug store. You can walk into CVS and buy enough Vodka and Tylenol P.M. to recreate Liza Minelli's honeymoon."

III,

Six Months in L.A.

Six months ago I pulled onto Hobart Blvd with my roommate and the Penske moving van we had rented and gazed upon the apartment that would be our new home. 30 seconds later a car crash occurred in the intersection we were just in, somehow almost punctuating the cross country journey we had taken with a final thud. The beautiful country we passed through from the lowlands of the south to the plains of the southwest finally across the desert had given way to the vast expanse of the city, and smashed against the reality of the situation. We were there.

The basics came slowly but surely, television, phone line, internet. The intangibles still up for grabs, interviews, auditions, school, careers. In between there was life. Since I've been here I've experienced three earthquakes, only one of which I have actually felt. I spent St. Patrick's Day at the roof top bar of a very nice hotel that I would normally not be allowed in. The Lakers won the NBA championship with rioting and fire. The 4th of July celebrations with barbecues and fire. Tragically the death of Michael Jackson and the year is only half over.

The time has gone by very rapidly. I remember being shocked that I had been in L.A. for two months and now college football season is only two months away. I have seen the Rose bowl and the Coliseum, been to Dodger stadium and Angel stadium in Anaheim but was turned away because the game was sold out. My first friend from Georgia ventured west for a week in May and we astonished ourselves by seeing all the sights it took a week to see last year, in a day. My roommates involvement with USC and also his attention to 7-11 online giveaways has made it possible to see several movies in advance and also for free. Some times these are great and sometimes they make me regret ever giving money Transformers 2. I have played volleyball on the beach and also enjoyed the simple but fantastic pleasure that is In N' Out Burger.

The career path has been exciting and frustrating at the same time. I have been able to be my own person and people seem to appreciate that more here than I have ever encountered. The downside is waiting for the opportunities. In a place where individuality is celebrated, you are evaluated, individually, which can take some time in the constant search for "it" whatever "it" is. I'm not sure I ever want to be "it" but I believe it takes a little bit of "it" to become free to create. I remain optimistic that something will happen very soon because for the first time in a while all of my bases are covered. The rest will hopefully be history, I just need to continue to try and not be bogged down by self doubt.

Hopefully the next six months will be just as exciting and rewarding as the previous six as new obstacles and challenges arise but new friends and experiences will be discovered. The life we have on this planet is only ours for a short time and to strive to be ordinary and take the easy beaten path is to truly miss out on what makes life worthwhile.

III,