That Guy Who's Everywhere
The Gratitude List #13
I’m in the green room at The Creek and The Cave, preparing to do my 9th spot in 3 days. This is my second-to-last show of the Texas run; tomorrow I drive to Houston to drop in on Zahid’s show before driving back to Dallas to make my morning flight back to LA. I’m chopping it up with Ehsan and Tre about what’s in store for 2025 on our comedy calendars.
What I’ve got in store already: a couple headlining dates in Atlanta and Chicago, plus a whole slew of dates for WRONG! in LA and San Diego. What I’ve got in mind: getting a regular slot for WRONG! in New York, bringing it back to Austin and Chicago, and expanding it to new cities, along with more frequent trips to Texas and New York do spots and visit family.
"So you’re trying to be that guy who’s everywhere," Ehsan says.
“Yeah,” I reply. It feels right. It feels good to be in motion.
Building new material after doing a taping1 is an incredibly fun, but arduous process. Most of my spots this trip have been what I call “weightlifting sets” — productive and a little painful. I’m trying out almost all new jokes, and there is still fat on those suckers. The parts that work are hitting nicely, the parts that don’t are falling flat. They need to be edited down until they’re lean and mean. The pain of having to recognize I’ve got to kill some of my darling is there, but it’s momentary. Knowing that these will become jokes I am proud of is more than enough of a reward. The prospect that I will be able to tell those jokes all over the place, that’s just the icing on the cake.
If there’s one thing I’m grateful for today, it’s that even after all my years in comedy, it still feels like the real fun is just beginning. And there’s a lot more fun on the horizon.
THINGS I’M GLAD I’VE SEEN
Tell It To Me Singing by Tita Ramírez
The Creative Writing program at Elon was small but mighty when I was in school. Four professors, varied disciplines, and a lot of workshop time. Tita was the last professor of the four who I worked with; her effervescent joy and her carefully-thought-out notes were a highlight of my senior year. When I saw she had released her debut novel, I knew I had to give it a read. You should, too. The charged family drama of this story – following a Cuban-American woman’s grappling with the sudden revelation of her mother’s secret past – is told with humor, heart, and plenty of gripping twists.
Dan Perlman's latest Substack entry
I met Dan years ago in New York, really enjoyed his standup, and have gotten to experience the secondhand joy of watching his career flourish as a filmmaker and writer in addition to his more standard comedic output. He doesn’t post on Substack super often but his latest entry is a must-read for all you creative types who I know are regular readers here, especially as we continue to learn how to navigate an increasingly more confusing artistic landscape.
Caleb Elliott crowd working chairs
I met Caleb at a NACA event recently and have been a fan ever since. If you want to understand why, give his promo video for his upcoming headlining show at Goodnights a watch. Heck, maybe even buy tickets to his show if you’re in the area! You won’t regret it!
A BRIEF DISPATCH FROM RECOVERYLAND
Happy to be back in LA, happy to be able to hit my regular meetings. But equally as happy for late night phone calls with fellow recovery-types who need to talk through some overreactions and how they adjusted in the wake of them.
WHAT ABOUT ME?
This week, you can find me:
in LA - full show calendar is here
doing WRONG! at The Comedy Store on 12/7 at 11:45 PM and at Caveat in NYC on 12/18 at 9:30 PM, get your tickets early!
Until next time, friends. Thanks for reading, I’m glad you’re here.
special dropping soon, edits almost done, stay tuned