DC Improv Comedy Club

I am performing at The DC Improv with Jake Johannsen and Chris White this week. It is a great club and the crowds have been fantastic. My college friend Jim and his friend Chris came to the show tonight. Jim is a pretty funny guy so I felt a little extra pressure since he was there. Luckily the show went really well so he continues to be one of my biggest fans.

(Chris, me and Jim)

Appearance on The Bob & Tom Radio Show

Here is an edit from my appearance on The Bob & Tom Radio Show this morning. The other guest is comedian Mike MacRae. Here are two different segments from the show.

Part 1



Part 2 (I think this segment is funnier)

Kenton, OH

Kenton, OH seems like a normal Midwestern city until you notice the Buckeye Firearms store located in the town square next to a tanning salon and Domino's Pizza.

Then I found out they have an annual event that draws over 10,000 people from across the world that they claim "has been one of the most exciting annual events in the Midwest". It used to be called the Kenton National Coon Dog Field Trial but recently changed the name to... drum roll, please... Kenton National Flea Market and Festival. Unbelievable. Granted most of the people that would attend a coon dog festival would also attend a flea market but is it really necessary to make it a national flea market?

If you pass through a trailer park with one farm house on the way to Kenton, you could be in Jumbo, OH.

Newport News, VA

Cozzy's Comedy Club will never have a show like this one. Can you believe these three guys even have a sense of humor let alone can make total strangers laugh?

- John Betz, Jr. teaches Algebra with a degree from Duke;
- John Garrett was a CPA with a degree from Notre Dame;
- Mark Reiss studying Neuroscience at William & Mary.

Someone in the crowd took this picture so I figured I would show you the proof that I was there.

Branson, MO (round 2)

I really don’t like Branson. Period. So much so that I cannot put it into words. Branson is a glamorous karaoke town. It is where American Idol performers will go to retire in ten years.

Unfortunately for me, the crowds do not like originality and creativity. In case you have never been to Branson, here are some pictures for you to get a feel for what it is like. Feel free to click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Chicago, IL

I had a really fun week performing at Zanies Downtown Chicago with Dan St. Paul. Zanies has been around for a very long time so it was nice to perform at such an established comedy club. It was nice to have my friends Tim, Dave, Chad, Lisa, and Paul at the shows.

Mark the Beer Guy even came to a show. It’s not often that someone in the crowd gives me one of their trading cards.

Milwaukee, WI

It was a lot of fun coming back to Milwaukee. I started my comedy career in Milwaukee, so it was nice to have friends come to the shows to see the new jokes. I would like to thank Gloria and Dave, Joel, Randy, Todd and Kristen, Vimal, and Sharon for coming to Giggles.

I knew the weekend was going to be good when I passed the Raminator on the highway. I had never heard of this before but anything that has a metal ram head with red eyes has to be cool.

Then I saw that the Raminator was a 4-time national champion. I'm not sure at what but that sounds impressive.

Wardrobe Change

Based on the urging of comedian Tim Bedore, I wore a tie on stage this weekend at The Jukebox Comedy Club in Peoria, IL. Tim's thinking was that it made me look more like an accountant on stage.

I was concerned that the tie might come across as too formal, so I loosened it a bit and rolled up my sleeves. The crowd reaction didn't seem to change. As a matter of fact, not a single person asked me if I was really an accountant because they all believed it.

Maybe my tie will be my new signature. Drew Carey has his glasses, Steve Martin has his suspenders, Jay Leno has his chin and now I have my tie.

Dayton, OH

What is the appropriate response when someone asks you to sign their head after a comedy show? I didn't know, either. It seemed a little odd but I guess that is the least I can do for a guy that thought my set at Wiley's Comedy Club was funny. So, thank you Erik (aka "Unkle") for being a comedy fan. I hope that washes off eventually.


("Unkle" with signatures from Tim Bedore and me)

Branson, MO

I am in Branson, MO this entire week and have seen some of the craziest things. I have seen more guys wearing t-shirts with their sleeves ripped off in one week than I have in the last three years combined. Unbelievable. Maybe they could take some of the money spent on a show ticket and go buy some t-shirts with sleeves.

There is a guy that performs nightly at The Golden Corral buffet restaurant. That has to be the worst gig ever.

The best show I saw in Branson was SIX, a group of brothers that provide all the percussion and harmony with their voices and no CD track or band. They sang everything from U2 to The Beach Boys to Amazing Grace.

The other shows I went to were:

- Best of Motown (they really need a comedy writer),

- Legends (the Britney Spears impersonator was skinnier and a better singer than the real Britney),

- Yakov Smirnoff (old people love this guy as much as he loves America) and

- Magic of Darren Romeo (made Jeff Gordon's NASCAR car appear and then disappear, which was impressive).