LM, Episode 1143, 2/3/23, My First Set

I know I’ve told this before, but there was a guy who complained daily about his job shoveling elephant dung in the circus. When one of his buddies suggested, “why don’t you quit,” the guy replies, “And give up show business?”

Even though I had been speaking for a few years, twenty years ago tonight I did my first set in a comedy club. It was in the Loony Bin in Oklahoma City. After nine months of doing open mic night, I was hired to emcee for the first time in November of that year.

One of the first headliners I worked with was Tommy Blaze. The first night you could sense it was going to be a rough week because he was just a jerk to not only me, but the feature act as well.

That first night, the feature asked, since neither she or Tommy had a car, if I would drive her to the gym every day, she’d buy my lunch. I told her I’d be happy to drive her, but she didn’t need to pay for lunch.

On the second day of this routine, Tommy asks, “Can I go with you?’

I reply, “If you’re not an asshole you can.”

That was all it took. From that point on, the three of us got along great. Tommy and I even did some writing together.

Tommy was a great comic. One show I tanked, the feature struggled, but Tommy was masterful. He threw out his act, talking to audience members and letting those conversations lead him into whatever bit that applied. While he was killing, I was at the back of the room marveling at his skill.

As good as he was onstage, he was equally miserable off it. Between shows, he’d sit with his head on a table in the back of the room saying, “I hate this.” And I am sure if I asked him, “Why don’t you quit,” Tommy would have replied, “And give up show business?”

Have a great weekend and always remember laughter matters.