The next leg Wentworth

The next show was on the Saturday night in Wentworth at the Royal Hotel, Again Gibbo was on board for this one along with Dave Ickovic. We got in early as we were filming for the We are here documentary which is highlighting the town of Wentworth.

We got to go on a speed boat up the Murray and Darling rivers as they were filming Kev's arrival using drones then we went to the Wentworth Gaol which was in use back in the bushranger's day they would have a lot of people go in to town to send their money at the pub and then after a fight they would get locked up. I did an interview with Dave who looks after the Gaol. It opened in 1881 and closed in 1927 and was very barren,dry and hot the temperature can get up to 50 degrees which is around 122 fahrenheit.

Then we headed off to the river to do a interview at a paddle steamer the Ruby P.S. We met with the caretaker Ian who came off a bit abrupt at first but once we got in to the interview he turned out to be a champion. He was a real crack up and a real character I am really getting in to learning about all the old things about this country like i do when i am in America,like how things were done back in the day and you get a sense of how easy it is today and I think it is important to appreciate how easy we have it these days.

The following morning we headed off to a cattle station and had a chat with two 5th generation farmersagain it was really cool to see what they do what they go through each day to put meat on our tables in the city, you get a disconnect with were it all comes from,you would be spending most of your day finding and killing your food with out these guys.

Now for the show, I was told there would be a huge crowd for this one as there was a country music festival and a rowing regatta here at the same time,so the plan was to have the show outside in the beer garden luckily it was moved inside to the dining area because it wasn't a huge crowd. It was the dinners and we kept them there.

We had a late start as the kitchen was running behind time so by the time I got on meals were still being served.

First up was Gibbo he was fun did some classic tunes that sounded great, unfortunately most of the audience were chatting and catching up but they were giving him a round of applause after each song. I was up next as an Emcee for the show and again got stuck in to the crowd work there was a lot of material in the room for me to make fun of and I bounced off the audience well. I did get pretty dirty with this show without being crass I am starting to really work out how to get away with murder up there I think the fact I am finding my voice now is helping.

Because we were running late and behind time we didn't have a break, But when I did the Intro for Dave he said aint we having a break? No! He said, "nah lets have a break I'm going for a piss" and walked out then most of the crowd walked out too.

That's the reason you don't have a break when its getting late because people are tiered they have been held up already so you need to jump on and get going, So when he came back in I did the intro again to only a few people. His set was always going to be hard as most of the crowd had left, he tried his hand at roasting me but it just came out like a rude insult. I did hear one of the best Heckles i have ever heard he had his guitar out and was playing a tune but before he started singing a drunk sang the works, "listening to you is like watching paint dry" The people who were still there lost their shit!

Again we hung out with the crowd after and had a few laughs sang some songs they were a really cool bunch.

The next show is in Morgan South Australia which is Kev's home town so it will be a great show.

Lessons on this leg;

Again flicking the switch and just going for it sets the tone for a show and lets the crowd know that you are in control.

And getting back to crowd work, I haven't done much of late and you tend to jump in to your material but I am really a lot more comfortable on stage now, after the hard shows I have done this year I feel like I cant be broken as I have already been to hell There isn't anything they can do that's worse than what I have been facing.

I am looking forward to some gigs this week and maybe just doing crowd work and a couple of new bits. If I can get really strong with the crowd work i think I can take on any crowd.

Thanks for reading If you like give it a share and a like.

stay funny

Flemo

The show goes on.

The next show was at the Toolyebuc Sports Club, This time I was Joined by 2 other acts, Nick Capper a 10 year vet and Dave Ickovic a 20 year vet. Again the AFL and NRL finals games were on this weekend so it is always hard to pull crowds this time of year.

Nick and I caught the 2 hour train ride together from Melbourne to Bendigo which was good cause I could give Nick a heads up on what to expect from the trip as it isn’t a normal comedy setting. I was good to get to know Nick a bit better, we have done a few gigs together and shot a couple of comedy skitz together but never hung out much.

The crowd was small on this one I was Emcee, They were good for a small crowd but it was always going to be hard to get a good rhythm going but I got them warmed up with about 20 minutes, I was saving material for the second bracket where i was going to do another 20 before bringing Dave on.

I found some holes in my set for some of these shows where it was a bit wordy for a small crowd but in saying that I wasn’t on, as in going crazy, I was doing the work to try set up the show for the other guys the same set in a real club goes great.

I brought Nick on first this was Nicks first gig on these shows, he is from a country town in NSW and is very original in his style and delivery which i like. The crowd warmed to him but it wasn’t a punchy set so it did come off a bit wordy but that is Nick’s style I think if i had of introduced him in a different way it might have set the stage for him a bit better. But i know for next time as we are very different acts If rolls were reversed it might have been the same for me as they get set on one style then get presented with another. But we wont know till the next one and a bit of trial and error.

We didn’t have a break because of the small crowd so I brought Dave on and he did some crowd work early and then went into his set. He was struggling with losing his voice a bit but hit them hard and had a strong set although lots of swearing but he was drunk, and a lot of stock jokes and older acts material which a lot of the older acts still do in Australia although they never admit it.

That is what I love about America if you got up and stole jokes or just did stock joke book jokes from the 70’s the crowd will turn and the other act’s on the show will ruin you and you wont get work again! I can only prey that happens here one day.

I went looking for Nick during Dave’s set he vanished when i found him he looked a bit dejected which i know that feeling as I had many gigs like that at the football and cricket clubs when i started. But with Nick If we did a show the next night we would have smashed most likely I think you forget that especially when its fresh in your mind.

The positive thing is he is 100% original he writes his own material and it is far better to die on your sword doing your material than stealing jokes or doing stock jokes and winning. I let him know that and i think that is really important and told him that, I wasn’t trying to give him advice as he has been doing comedy twice as long as me It was more a support for a team mate sort of thing I do hope he took it that way.

On the Tuesday night I jumped up at the Comics Lounge again and had another really fun set in front of about 450 people. I put the foot down in parts and got a lot out of it I am really finding my voice on stage now. It was also great to hear my jokes get what the should be getting and to build my confidence back after these tough shows. I know what i can do in a comedy club and i do it consistently.

I had the crowd in my hands and did a solid 15minute set I made a Youtube clip of about 8 Minutes you can check it out here.

The next night I went to guerilla comedy the small room i usually go nuts in by the time i went up the crowd had cleared and it was just open mic acts watching which really pisses me off. They don’t laugh and if the clicky acts are there they just fake laugh at their friend act and cross their arms for you. It went good though i just worked on presence and control so i ended up getting a bit out of this one.

The next show I did solo at the Robinvale Golf Club this town is very multi cultural.It was a huge Asian and Maori community but also form all accounts a lot of crime. Which suits me fine as I grew up in Springvale which was the Heroin Capital of Australia, you know your suburb sucks when that’s the crowning achievement and what you brag about.

When we got to the club we noticed that the advertising wasn’t the best the poster had betting odds stapled over the top of it, so i wasn’t expecting a big crowd. I did tell the promoter that the posters were not good they don’t have any reference to stand up comedy on them just a small mention at the bottom of it which nobody will read when the poster doesn’t invite you to bother reading it.

When your doing gigs to help out, you want a great crowd so it isn’t painful or really hard work then you can enjoy it and as i was hoping when i agreed to do these shows I can work on my new material and building a bigger set. But it has been a fight the whole way which is making me strong in one way but can beat you down as well.

We had a folk band playing before and after me on this one. There were so many children here really young and a couple of tables of Yee Haa Grandma’s and Grandpa’s so i got up and interviewed Kev and gave them a warning. I would prefer to go hard to nobody than be safe to a crowd that isn’t suited.

There was a good crowd in the end people had come in from the bar area and were right into it. I did a lot of crowd work in this show which set up the material perfectly, They were really fun and interacted with me so i could bounce off them.

In the end everyone had a great night we got a huge donation for the charity and everyone at the show donated so it was a positive experience all round.

The Next show was at the Nangiloc Tavern which is near Mildura, This small town was heaps of Backpackers there and we also had a muso playing at the start Gibbo, unfortunately he has playing in one room while everyone was in the dining room. He was really original and very good I dug his stuff. The next show he will have the crowd in front of him.

I was really worried about this one the crowd were in the dinning room and I was just wrecked and half asleep. But once i got started it was a really fun show, I did heaps of crowd work with the backpackers and riffed on most of it for 15 minutes. I blended my material in here and there I did about 45 minutes and it ended up being a really fun show.n The locals were really nice people and lots of fun.

So the lessons from this lot just work with what you have got.

For me connecting back to crowd work it does get easier just build the tension then release it. I am looking forward to doing a few crowd work only gigs this week in Melbourne it really helps to command the space.

And stay humble just know where you are going and only worry about where you are going. So many people will try and bring you down to their level because they don’t work hard or want to work hard.

Thanks for reading

Stay funny

Flemo

Touring the country

I'll give you a brief run down of these shows as the are not all fresh in my mind and i have tried to delete them from my mind. The crowds are small if any which is the problem when you don't charge entry plus most people in these town don't know a shows on.

I started a tour along the Murray River a couple of months back for a charity which is raising awareness of mental health issues for our farmers. The Murray river is a very long 2,508 Km to be exact and it runs through three states New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. A huge part of the trek is us following a Kayak-er Kev Cook who is paddling the whole length over 64 days and 42 towns.Four farmers take their lives each day in Australia, so the tour is set up to stop in at the local pub,Golf resort or sportsclub and raise some awareness and bring some laughs to the locals.

We started in Jingellic at the local and only pub in the village, There was only a handful of people at this show but it went well considering. I made one lady spit her drink across the room which is always a win for a comedian.

The lessons range from gig to gig, at this one there wasn't much i could do either way just plow through it.

The next show was at a golf resort in Howlong, It was a big venue not really set up for comedy but non of these shows are.

Kev and the crew had rounded up a crowd the problem was they were all over 80 years old it was a retirement village show so i was holding back and trying not to offend them.

The slightest swear word got gasps one lady was just shaking her head the whole way through the show. The only positive was crowd work with a couple of the old fellas to the side of the stage they were having a great time a least and came over for a chat afterwards. Tony was a funny guy really friendly and he had a ball so it makes it worth it in some way. The crowd work saved me on this one the material was not suited at all.

Next stop was Corowa Golf Club again this wasn't set up for comedy and the crowd were there for a raffle so they were held hostage till the comedy was done. And like the night before it was like a retirement village, Add to this there was a darts tournament on right next to me as the show was going on and the AFL Finals on the TV's.

Again not many people here but at least i found the people who were into it and just worked on making them laugh so it was a slight win. But i was starting to realize the shows might not get any better than this. Again crowd work helped although i didnt do much and punched my way out was becoming the norm on these shows.

Lessons dont finish with a joke about strokes when most of the crowd has had one!

Next was Bundalong a small pub in the middle of nowhere again nobody was there for the comedy it was two groups there for birthdays and I just interrupted their parties with my jokes. I made a dumb move here as i got a child up to tell some jokes which got a great reaction because it was a kid then when i went back to material it didnt work so we had a joke off with some old stock jokes which worked but im not that kind of act i'd prefer to die doing my material than win stealing other comics jokes or reading from a comedy joke book.

Lessons don't bring a child up on stage until you have finished this gig sucked I sucked the crowd sucked the best thing i did was finish.

Next up was Club Mulwhalla a huge club on the border of NSW and Victoria.

We go in and there are no posters up for the show and the manager knew nothing about the show being on so another good start. I was really over it each gig has nobody there and we have to round up a group of Yeehaa Grandma's to sit through my hardcore set. The only good thing was it had a huge stage which i feel very comfortable on but a huge room with no audience in it. By the time we finished dinner I really didn't want to go up, It is more damaging for my mental state and confidence than anything positive that could come from this, I really have not had this many bad shows in a row before.

So I start the show with an interview with Kev and Peter about the trek then head into some jokes. There were mabe 15 people a few ladies from Melbourne who i messed with and did a bit of crowd work but they didn't hang long. Someone would come down from the pokies so i would hang it on them till they left.

This gig was the best so far mainly because i really didnt care at this point so i didnt hold back or care if i offended anyone plus being on the big stage helped me feel more at home.

One thing I learnt was when i just let loose or get in the zone i win it has been that way over my 25 years in entertainment. It is just hard to let loose when your getting kicked night after night.

When i got back to Melbourne I jumped up at The Comics Lounge which is my home ground and had a killer set, which is just what i needed. I was starting to doubt my material after these shows but when you get up in front of a comedy crowd at a comedy club it made me realize it is the audiences I'm performing to not me.

The next night i got up at a open mic room and ripped out a 28 minute set in a 5min spot haha they dont mind. I went nuts as i do in this room I use it as practice to connect with the crowd.

I really need the real gigs each week to lift me or I will get down,It is hard to get up for a crowd that hasnt turned up for comedy and hasnt paid for the show they have no investment in the show.

But these shows a making me a lot stronger and able to handle to bad things that are going to come up in the next leg.

I'll do another blog tomorrow about the next leg,

Stay funny.

Flemo

My past year

Hello again, It has been a while since my last post.

I have been doing a lot of different things over this past year from doing some really fun shows to being homeless to traveling through The united states of America to a small tour i am currently doing in Outback and country Australia.

It was about a year ago I was feeling a bit down with the lack of shows coming my way, As i was leaving my apartment with Chris Nelson who is one half of the Nelson Twins a great comedy act here in Oz, He asked me what i had booked I said nothing just the Comics lounge weekly show then my phone rang it was a Sydney number I only get calls from Telemarketers in Sydney so i ignored it.

We had a chat down stairs before parting ways I walked down the street to my car I thought i would check the Voicemail.

“Hello Justin?

This is Andrew Laing from A-List Entertainment We were wondering if you would like to Support Akmal Saleh on his Tour of Victoria in October.”

I thought it was a prank I wouldn’t be on A-lists radar, But i rang back thank god because it was real! He said they had heard good things about me and they wanted me for the support.

I got off the phone and just balled my eyes out I really didn’t expect this to happen.

So from nowhere a gift came and we headed off for a month in Victoria playing all over the state doing some really fun shows on big stages too which i am a lot more comfortable on, I guess from my years singing for Pegazus.

I did learn a lot on this tour, as I had to open the show cold and like when we opened for International acts in Pegazus you have to work really hard to win them over because your the person in the way of them seeing who they really want to see.

One thing I did notice on getting this gig was how some people were really pissed off at me for getting it and in some circles i was punished for getting this gig but it doesn’t matter in the long run.

I went to the USA in late March for a great backpacking comedy boot camp.

My plan was to spend 3 months there going from gig to gig while smoking as much weed as humanly possible. I made the choice to throw all of my older material away so I would have to write while there and also write to their humor. I started off in LA and did some gigs but really wasn’t into the scene I guess my goals didn’t match the rest of the scene.

Most of the comedians goals in LA are to make it which wasn’t why i was there I just wanted to get better fast and to learn as much as I could. So when i do go back there to make it if i ever do i will be a beast.

So after a week I went to Sacramento and stayed at a beautiful Hostel the only one there. The gigs I did were really fun the weed was great and i started to really get to writing and understanding the place, I cant wait to go back there and catch up with some of the local comedians who i made friends with and to do some bigger gigs to.

The next place was San Francisco I didn’t like it much I had a weird feeling when i got there It was so expensive but the gigs went well and I started to get a few minutes of material together.

Then i went back to LA for a few days I decided to get up at the comedy store during the Kill Tony show and ate a big one although It was a o1 minute spot. The jokes that worked in the other cities had no reference in LA, I learnt there that what is funny in one city or state might no work in another. The interview part went well comics were coming up after the show saying i did well the most important thing is the interview part, not in my mind i want my material to work. After that show I went to room in Hollywood that a mate Alex runs and had an ok set there running new stuff. It was very Urban which was cool I want to do those rooms and latino rooms because it is just so different from what i would get back home and the people are pretty cool.

The Vegas I didnt like the place that much just gambling non stop I’m not really into that.

The Queen Creek Arizona to hang with my homie’s Deni and Jackie who I met just before I left at the Arnold Classic which is a bodybuilding comp held in Melbourne.

I just chilled out there for a couple of weeks and hung out with Deni and her hubby John who was really cool. I was a bit messed in the head by this stage I was smoking way too much weed and had been for a year, I found that traveling on my own is great but also dangerous for me as I get stuck in my own head and I can get really depressed. Which sucked because they weren’t getting the best version of me to hang out with.

But I really had a great time just sitting and chatting with Deni about life and telling stories, she is just a really great human to the core.

Then I went to Denver, I got goosebumps walking down the street it had a great vibe I had a really good feeling about this place.The gigs I did there went well a few I went nuts and let loose and my style and material was working really well with them. The weed was great too and cheap plus the altitude and i got really high!!!

I was there a few weeks then Headed back to LA then home. I got what I wanted from the US, I got better I also saw what I have to do and also where I am at in the comedy scene If I let loose In a long set I can more than hold my own and excel.

Since I got back I have quit weed and been having some great shows the spots at The Comics Lounge have been crazy I have smashed and feel like I am bringing it all together.

The most important thing I have taken away from this is always be as honest with yourself as you can be. I see so many acts come off stage saying they just smashed or they think they are on a level that they are not. If you suck or a joke sucks and you don’t acknowledge it, You wont fix it or work harder to get better.

I just want to be the best I can be and I know that can be great.

I will write a blog tomorrow about the country gigs I have been doing.

Thanks for reading if anyone did read this.

Flemo

Mad Monday's at The comics Lounge.

Ok I'm back, The last 6months I have been working pretty hard on my act and really trying to bring in all the things I learnt from my last trip to Canada and the US. It was something I wanted to add to my show slowly so I can form new habits that would be lasting. Another thing I have been doing is Roast Battle which I spoke about in my earlier blogs from Just For Laughs and the Comedy Store. I saw how it could really help the Melbourne comedy scene having a sharper edge to it and also teaching the acts to train a different comedy muscle. So we have been running a weekly show at The Comics Lounge to up to 400 people and it was added a new life to some of the shows the crowds really dig it. And last Sunday I stared a new Roast Battle room for the up and coming comedians to get in on it and I can see how it will help them having to write a heap of new jokes each week so I will be doing updates on that show. 

I thought it could be of value for my comedy and for anyone reading my posts to start blogging about each gig I do the up's and downs. I have a lot of gigs coming up some are in some good rooms and some not so good rooms but all will have a lesson I'm sure.

Last night I did my regular spot at the Comics Lounge in North Melbourne this is Australia's biggest and best comedy club it seats over 500 people and has the best from around the world play there. The Monday show is a little different it is hosted each week by good mate of mine and one our funniest acts Doug Chappel he does live phone pranks which are always funny we also do a roast or two which will be back next week along with a few acts doing 10min spots. 

The crowd this night was tiny about 25 people and they weren't a real hard laughing crowd which is fine because you just have to approach it differently and fight your way through or as Dougy would say keep punching till the end or go down swinging.

I usually go straight into my material but because of the size of the crowd and how they were reacting to the other acts started a bit more conversational which is something i learnt at the Comedy Store in LA if there is a small crowd you can't go straight into jokes or it will look weird. I started with a couple of older bit I know work the crowd were very judgmental giving oooo's at any joke that might have a bit of edge to it and some didn't get a huge response but enough to keep a flow going. Then I tried out some new stuff I have been really excited about one about passing out in a shopping centre and the other about my family and they both got a really good response laughs were where i wanted them and  I finished off with a bit I have been doing about the Voice where I do a bit of singing so it's a bit of fun and it got what you would expect from this sized crowd. 

Lessons being confident is a huge thing a crowd can smell it if you show any weakness so stay strong and work hard through each set deliver everything with confidence and a strong energy and you will stack the cards in your favour. 

Although I said the crowd on the night wasn't the best you can never blame them, I have done shows to the same sized crowds and they were awesome, you just have to keep punching through it till the end. Too many comedians say "oh it was the crowd!" And I spoke to Doug on the way home about this and he agreed.

Its up to you! not the audience they have come to laugh so you dictate what happens not them its you 100%! 

A Positive I took away was the crowd work it was very minimal but i never do it so I was happy that I did it and then worked into my material from there.

Tonight I head back to the Comics Lounge for the workshop at 6pm with Nick Cody and then the show which is Pro's running new material night so I can give the new jokes a bit of re-working ill let you know how it goes tomorrow.

Stay funny 

Flemo.

Night 3 JFL

First rule of JFL fightclub is, Don't walk across town to see a show and leave your pass back at the room.

So the first show was at Newspeak its a really cool room we came here last year to see Iliza Shlesinger destroy. This show has 9 acts and the Mc was Flula Borg he is German and doesn't do stand up more a weird singer/character. It was trying to get the crowd going. The first few act weren't the best I have seen one guy had a dummy and got nothing! There was a step back in quality and big laughs compered to the other nights. There was a lot of flat jokes. Some were obviously for a gala crowd so it has a different rhythm that doesn't work in this type of room.

Then Burt Kreischer hit the stage, he was the reason I came to this show and he didn't disappoint, Now the movie Van Wilder is actually based on Burt and he is one of the best story tellers there is and the way he tells it makes it exciting all the way through.  The rest weren't the best.

Next stop was to Cleopatra's a strip club to see Ari Shaffir's "This is not Happening" This is the same show that is on Comedy Central where there is a subject this week it is CRAZY! Each act does around 8-10 mins telling you a story about something crazy. All of the acts smashed on this show Burt again was incredible this time going topless for the whole story and Sebastian Maniscalco was awesome as well. This would be such a great show if we could do it back home along with the roast shows.

Lessons 

Write stories about something interesting and add your tags. These guys tell awesome stories the way you should tell awesome stories with a great build up and a huge pay off at the end. 

There is a big step up from the guys who are the top here to the other acts. The guys like Burt and Ari can crush a room. The others can have good spots and thats it. It takes years there are no short cuts in comedy just years of hard work!

Tomorrow back to 3 shows and an after party drunk on.

Flemo

Night 2 JFL

After last nights shows I was pumped up for tonight. It was pissing down with rain most of the night but lucky all the venues are close. The first stop was to see The Host with Most show this is show with 8 guests and the MC was Will Anderson with Faisal Butt, Joel Creasey, Dan Naturman, Tom Segura, Ahmed Ahmed, Mea Martin, David Ace and Gina Yashere.

I was really looking forward to seeing and hearing the Aussies here to try pick up on any tricks that might help. Will started well and got the show off to a good start. And then it was really flat the act didn't get a great response a lot of tags fell flat. The audience really needed a jolt, so the first act Faisal Butt came on and didn't go much at all. Joel did better at the end of his set but the crowd still weren't giving much, no one was smashing like last night even Tom Segura didn't get much. I drank a lot and that didn't help so I went to see Ari Shaffir at Cleopatra's a strip club. We saw Ari's late show every night last year.

The opener was Tony Hinchcliffe he was very solid and doesn't care what comes out of his mouth which is refreshing to see no PC people  here. Then Ari came on with a new look no glasses and now a mohawk and still as funny as ever, Again he goes where ever he wants but brings you along because its funny. This was a great show.

Next was the Toastmasters Invitational preliminary, This is a new show from Jeff Ross the king of Roasts. 

Each night 8 comedians will battle it out 1 on 1 and the judges Ari, Arti Lang and Jeff Ross decide the winner each one goes through and by the weekend we have a champ.

To warm up the crowd Jeff bring people from the crowd up on stage and destroys them I love this it is so funny.

First up was Mike Ward vs Joe DeRosa this was a close one with some full on roasting no holds barred. winner DeRosa. 

Next up was Tony Hinchcliffe Vs Luenell Tony destroyed her she was out of her depts on this one. Winner Hinchcliff. 

Next Tom Ballard vs  Randy the puppets was close Randy was funny. Winner Ballard 

Last round was Will Anderson Vs Jimmy Carr this was great they had a lot of venom in this one. Winner Jimmy Carr.

This show was awesome! I will get to a few of these shows this week I wish Australia wasn't so PC.

Lessons 

Sometimes its the crowd, It just is. They were really weird and flat during the first 2 shows. But in the first show it showed if your set wasn't really funny.

Writing a lot is so important! Ari releases a new special every year his show This is not happening was picked up and is going great.

Every one does act outs here!

Tomorrow a mix show and Ari Shaffir's Story teller show.

Dig it the most.

Flemo

Night 1 JFL Montreal.

I headed out early to see a 7pm show as I had a spot at 9pm, but walking through the crowds and feeling the excitement in the air here I started to think it's a bit far away.  

The first show was at the Katacombes its a Metal venue really cool with skulls all over the pillars, Last year the door guy recognised me from Pegazus. So I rock in, I have an Industry pass so I can get in to most of the shows free. $5 PABS at the bar and I'm set. I was hanging to see this show It has a few of the same elements as a show i have been writing for the MICF.

This show is called The Goddamn Comedy Jam a mix of music and comedy each show has 3 acts get up do a set then tell a story then sing a song with the band. It starts with a band and the singer/Emcee Josh Adam Meyers a very good comedian from Baltimore, Maryland. They play songs but sing them in a funny way taking the lyrics literally while roadies are rocking out with the band and really getting the room pumped up.  Then Josh does some stand up and then bring on the 1st act.

First up was Kyle Kinane he has been to JFL a couple of times but been around for ages and he was awesome! The whole room were laughing hard! Great jokes and story before the band joined him for Sweet child of Mine. The guitarist has a flying V violin and starts. And they all go off! They really get the crowd up and going with a crazy intensity and energy. The roadies are jumping around the audience then during the solo the guitarist hangs of the balcony playing the violin then running through the crowd.  

Next up was Brent Morin he plays Justin in the sitcom Undateable they are all here for the awards show later in the week. He has done this show a few times and like Kyle he was awesome too he got stronger towards the end.Then they jammed out to Are you gonna be my girl by Jet. Fucken Hate that song! Fake as! But anyway, he and they crew just rocked out hard on it! It was very funny and entertaining everyone is going off on stage the roadies are going nuts and the crowd are loving it.

Then Josh announces that they had a special guest Bill Burr but he has had to split early to film something, But we have a special guest coming up instead one of the biggest rockstars in world Dave Grohl! And everyone goes off! It's Bill Burr with a wig and a pair of sunny's on and he launches into a brilliant set, everyone was pissing them selves laughing from start to finish. He is a freak! How can you get much better year after year? To be better than the best year after year and you are the best! My face was hurting! If you know Bill Burr you know he love's playing the drums so they blast out on some Foo Fighters. I couldn't believe it this is the first show I see and was I going to go to that gig now? Fuck No! So I bolted to see Duncan Trussell he was right in the middle of the main strip a 5 minute walk.

Duncan is awesome I saw him briefly in LA and he did a lot of the stuff he did at the store but he had tweaked it so it was a lot more punchier. his show has a lot of turns and if you Duncan he has a soothing voice and nature that he can really take you anywhere and you will go.,And his closer is awesome I don't really want to give any jokes away so I'll just say when he comes to Australia in November go see him.

Then I raced back to the Katacombes to see Tom Segura, I have been wanting to see him live for ages and he was amazing! He smashed the room was rocking with laughter, Like a packed comics lounge with Pommy Johnson destroying. He is heaps funnier live his mannerisms and looks he gives add so much to his like ability.

The whole night was Stand up Comedy at a different level there is a polish to the jokes and a naturalness to these guys from 10-20 years of really hard work. 

Lessons 

If my jokes don't get the same response they are not finished. They can its just a matter of hard egoless work.

Acting out, everyone does it and does it right!

This is the best festival in the world, if only the Melbourne festival would spend some of that crazy money they make from open mic acts each year and spend it on this level of comedian it would inspire and raise the bar in Melbourne. So we all get better. 

Political correctness is way too over the top in Australia the things that get said here are full on and hilarious!

Don't be afraid to go further it might be where you find your voice.

This was one of the best nights of comedy I have ever seen. 10/10 

Be Cool 

Flemo

The Stoner Sunday show.

Ill make this a quick one as Im in Montreal now and saw some crazy shit last night.

We arrived just before 9pm I was told that I should speak to Mike Rita about jumping up. I have saw Mike the other day and he’s a very funny guy.  Mike was cool he said he had hear about me which is cool.

The show started off with a guy playing some songs as the room filled up its a long room with benches in the first half and tables in the second half of the room all with tables all with vaours and bongs on them.

Mike is Mc tonight and he is really funny a lot of crowd work and his material is gold he is someone to watch out for. There are about 4 acts on then a magician then a few more acts. The acts on before me were good they all got solid laughs while the room filled with smoke its really cool to see no drunk idiots or hecklers just a room full of people smiling. I was pumped up for this spot to try some new stuff out an add on to the Jesus bit and some editing in the new card story.

Before Mike brought me up he had a DABS! Which is a way of Vaping that smashes you hard! So when he did it i could hear this music like a small bagpipe as he to breaths, then I clicked on it was a music track. So there was my opener I thought he was making that noise with the Vapour It went well. The Card story went good but needs some work on editing and tags but Im happy with how its coming along. Jesus went well but the Punchline didn’t get its usual response then the add on went well so I think that will work out.

The crowd here was split it seemed younger at the front and older at the back and everyone stoned out of their brains! And Mike slipped me some cash at the end of the show. Nice!

Lessons Learnt.

Stoner rooms can be harder they don’t pop with laughter for the obvious reasons but they nod their heads along with you and chuckle. 

Record yourself from the back and middle of the room I didn’t think I got much then I listened to my recording and the second half of the room were laughing a lot more than the front which is good to know for editing my set. 

I wasn’t really happy with my set I said Fuck far too much I don’t know why? There is no need for me to even say it once in my set.  I don’t think it was nerves I had a faster rhythm in this set Its just not being aware on stage or being present to being on stage. Next gig no swearing! 

Also talk about what your crowd know about if you mention weed they are gonna be up for it.

Toronto was awesome the scene is crazy! It is massive and the standard of acts are crazy their pros are polished and the new guys are like our good pro guys.

But here is the coolest thing about the open mic scene here, It doesn’t seem to have a clique. People get along, And they are so fucking nice and friendly, there is no body trying to protect their spot or laugh at their mates jokes all night and refuse to laugh at another comedian because they don’t them to get over. No bullying or bagging out others and It was refreshing to not hear an open mic act or anyone walk off stage and say ” I killed it I smashed tonight” They don’t say it because they don’t have ego’s which means they will go home and fix the jokes because they need fixing. Always! Just be cool people!

I will be going back for a long run next year.

You have come up a treat today.

Flemo.

The Deathsquad show.

Last night I went to a club to see the Deathsquad show with Brian Redban and Dean Delray as the headliners. It started a bit late as they were hoping for more people to come in I think. This is a really cool old theatre it would seat about 300-400 people tonight there was about 100 maybe 120. 

So the show started with a local band I can't remember their name Im not here for music anyway. Then an MC came out and did a bit and brought on a burlesque dancer who just stripped! some of the guys were wooing then back to the MC who brought on a twerking group they weren't ready so he did a bit more then they weren't ready so we had a quick break. 

We return with the twerk group who taught me something valuable! White men can't jump and white girls can't twerk! This was funny as fuck they just moved around moving there asses in the air while half of the audience including myself cried with laughter. I can't write material this funny!

Then Burlesque girl came back then Brian O'Gorman the first stand up for the show he had a really solid set. Then the MC brought up Brian Redban, Now if you don't know him he is the Producer of The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast which has a massive following! His set was dirty as i expected and he got a good reaction from the crowd he wasn't a killer but when you feel like you know someone its easier to laugh along because you know their humour.  Next up was Dean Delray, Now I have been looking forward to seeing Dean as he has followed the same path as me Heavy Metal singer to Stand up Comedian. 

He had a good set it wasn't killer but he has only been doing stand up 5 years so I wasn't expecting him to slay the room. I was hoping he would talk about his music career a bit so I could see how he tells his stories and also how I can relay my music life to story.

Like I said before the show was pretty messy everyone went outside then some came back in for a podcast and Q&A but I had enough by then. I had a quick chat to Brian O'Gorman he told me to head to the Vapour room again tonight and ill be able to do a spot. Then we will catch up with Evan for a Toga party before heading to Montreal for Just For Laughs tomorrow morning. And I have a show that night in Montreal at 8pm somewhere?

Lessons learnt,

White girls who twerk are funny as fuck! If you suck at comedy there is your path right there.

We all here from friends you should do stand up and that is because you know them, but as most of you know that doesn't translate to a crowd you don't know. I will see this again in Montreal if you have your own crowd they will go with you because they feel like they know you and have a personal investment in you. 

But if you get your own crowd it would be easy to just do enough to sell and make coin. I don't want that I really want to hit hard and making new faces laugh.

If you run a show make sure it is smooth and flows without people onstage saying is he here or out front after you have introduced someone.

So tonight Vapour bar and then off to Montreal first thing in the morning. I have a heap of new material i want to try tonight before I have the gigs in Montreal.

Be cool stay in School.

Flemo

HotBox Toronto

I am a day behind so ill mix the two nights in one. And thanks for the Birthday wishes everyone.

I messaged Evan Desmarais, Evan is a very funny comedian from Toronto and a very cool dude. He said he could get me on at Hotbox a Vapour Bar in downtown Toronto a Vapour Bar is a bar where people are smoking dope pulling bongs while you try to make them laugh. Sound like fun? Yep!

The stage is outside in a beer garden and there is no microphone you just yell it out. Amanda Runs the room she was really nice and easy going, she told me it can be a really hard crowd cause everyone is stoned and I have 5-7 minutes which was great so I didn't have to edit my closer (the Jesus bit).I was on ninth which is cool, I can watch a heap of acts before i get up.

The acts were really good even if the crowd wasn't making noise like at a comedy club they were strong acts. Some were warming up for Just For Laughs which is next week. And the female acts are really strong over here and really funny! 

The act up before me was Mini Holmes, Mini is a veteran of comedy You could tell she had being doing it for a long time her voice reminded me of Roseanne Barr. I was a little nervous about not holding a mic thats just what I'm used to So I go up and make a joke about with a name like Hotbox I thought I was doing a gig at a brothel! Then worked on the new bit about my medical card it went well I had everyones attention for the whole gig they really like the family bit and responded well to the Jesus bit especially the build up to the punchline. I didn't get to do a new bit to finish the spot that I have been hanging to do but hopefully the next gig. 

After the show we had a chat with Amanda and Mini they were really nice and Mini suggested I go to the cage cause they would put me up, but Evan was trying to get me on at another Vapour bar that Brian o"Gorman runs so we walked down there and it took ages lol the city is huge not like Melbourne. We got there after it started and again it had some very high level acts on. One stood out he over smiled and laughed through his set and I mean he laughed at everything he said. This is a trick that some acts do which is makes the audience laugh along with them but it starts to wear thin when you're laughing at a joke that isn't funny. The funny thing was we were walking back to the bus later that night and saw him and there was no smile in sight.

I got a message from Evan saying it was cool to go up but i got it with a couple of acts to go so I didn't want to push the show back. So we tried to walk to the Cage but again it looked closer on the map.

Lessons Learnt,

Try different styles and different rooms and step out of the comfort zone. Nothing bad can really ever happen if you go up wanting to learn.

Be yourself on stage just talk to the crowd like you would to your mates if it doesn't look natural the crowd will click on.

Tonight we are off to see a Deathsquad show with Brian Redban Brian O'Gorman and Dean Delray ( He used to be a metal singer too) So Ill do a review tomorrow.

Can you dig it?

Flemo

Yuk Yuks in toronto

Tuesday night we headed down to Yuk Yuks one of the biggest Comedy clubs in the world. Its a really cool room more wide than long. There was a collage comedy show on first. I saw Bryan O'Gorman who is a Canadian Comedian I have seen kill at the Comics lounge a few times.

A good sized crowd started to fill in after the first show finished, I introduced myself to the MC Jeff Elliot and looked at the running order Im on third It's a mix of pro's and newbies about 10 acts so its the same as how I run the Tuesday show at the lounge.

The first act is a sign up on the night spot the only one for the show, Now he wasn't the strongest act Ive seen! He died hard the other acts were commenting on him and then the MC got up and ripped through him bagging him out too. I have never seen it that full on before. Really good for the nerves which I don't really get but now?

I moved over to the side as he brought on the next act, This guy is going to Just for Laughs next week and was a slayer one liner act the opposite of me. The Mc came over and said there is someone before you. Thank Fuck for that! This guy was a killer! The next act was a newer act he wasn't bad but brought it back down a bit.

I have been nervous about what would work and what wouldn't over here so I wrote a couple of new bits that day about how the bus drivers in Toronto need weed because they are so angry, And a funny story about getting my medical card in LA. so I opened with those two bits and they went well ill the medical card bit has legs.

My family bit went good and strong laughs on the end of that bit. And I finish with the Jesus bit, which was going great until I noticed the red lot was on so I had to jump into the final bit to close the set. But it worked out great I was able to cut a minute off that bit, got a round of applause and said thank you good night and got a couple of fist bumps on the way out. I checked my phone and it was 622secs so I was pissed off for going over time.

The rest of the show was cool every couple of acts were pros and the newbies were good too, After the show I met Ryan who booked me for the gig he was really nice and happy with my set I apologised for going over, He said, " thats cool that was great when you come back let him know and ill put you on in any of our clubs. Yeehaa!

Lessons learnt

Don't die on stage here they will let you know it! and everyone else!

I need a new joke or tag in every set, i have an excitement about the set to see if something new works or not it makes me focus So thats cool to know.

Don't go over time ever! It worked out for me this time but if it happens at another club they will ban you!

I have to run

Tonight I have a gig at Hotbox and maybe another so ill work on the new bit and a tag for the Jesus bit.

Word up!

Flemo

Alt dot Comedy Toronto

This will be a quick post and I apologise for the vagueness with the names but this morning I can't remember much maybe Kim pulled a Bill Cosby on me. Or its still jet lag.

I arrived in Toronto yesterday and tonight we headed into the centre of Toronto to check out a show at the Rivoli Alt Dot Comedy Lounge. There were about 100 people in the audience and the room has a really cool vibe we got in during the Emcee's spot. 

Now I won't give names out because there were so many acts on doing 10-15mins each I didn't remember names and there was no list. The opener was very strong he was very funny and very polished as were 90% of the acts on this bill, there was that same fast smooth rhythm that I saw in the states. The second and third act weren't as good but I could see that they used that rhythm to not give the audience a break, there was no silence on stage just one gear. It really stood out as to why so many acts would adopt this approach. 

The next act was Pete Zedlacher he was awesome and really funny, he is doing the Sir Patrick Stewart Gala at Just for laughs this year and really showed why he is on that bill. Then there was a drop off for a couple of acts they had that same rhythm but not the tags along the way. So lets say a tag didn't hit they were already talking or going into the next bit so there is no silence. 

The next few acts were really good an older guy screaming a lot he ended his spot well a guy in a flannel shirt he was the best I can't find his name but he would kill in Australia. A blonde lady she was also a great act funny all the way. All up there was 14 acts on with no break so it was a long show. The final act only did a few minutes he wasn't going too well so maybe he bailed.

Lessons learnt,

The whole faster rhythm thing really started to become clear to me at this show. 

Keep them entertained with sound or movement so if it's not so funny at least you are stimulating other senses.

It is a bit of a trap because you need laughs along the way. I asked Dan Connell about his style of slow story telling and he said he used to talk fast incase someone yelled out something during his set or heckled but that isn't his true voice and he has slowed down and it works perfect for him cause thats what he is really like.

The smiling thing a lot of the acts in the US and here smile a lot from start to finish which makes you more welcoming and a friendly face is a happy face. 

Tonights gig

So tonight I have a spot at Yuk Yuks which is one of the biggest clubs in the world. But I have no idea what to do fast pace my normal pace it's a room that is know for saying what you want with no limits which makes me think maybe my early material will work lol. 

I do have a new bit i want to try this isn't a pro night so its more important to learn what works here for me that trying to impress anyone that will come down the track. 

Dig it the most from coast to coast.

Flemo

Bobby Lee and Duncan Trussell

I was really pumped for the show tonight so I brought a ticket cause the rest of the week it was sold out. So of coarse the room was half full and the manager said no man you get in for free just sit in the comics section haha all cool. there was a few acts on I was really looking forward to seeing. @bobbyleelive@duncantrussell @MazJobrani @CheetoSantino @michaelkosta@kevingchristy @ChristinaP @kirkfox @fahimanwar

First up Bobby Lee, I love Bobby Lee last year I saw him 3 or 4 times each time was better than the last. He was doing all new material and yes full on but he can get away with it. He was great he had the audience off side a bit but he had to run his new stuff, But like a pro he switched to old stuff to finish the set out so the crowd was up for the next act.

I don’t think I mentioned this there is no Emcee just 15min then the next gun for 15mins all night long!

Next up was Duncan Trussell Im a huge fan of Duncan , I saw him last year and he was killing me Duncan is a very spiritual guy so his material is along that line he looked like he was tuning some new stuff too most likely for his Montreal run in a couple of weeks. That is what I love seeing a bit early and then seeing where it ends up with these guys they are on a completely different level.

Next up was Michael Kosta I have only seen youtube of him but like always he was 10times better in the flesh half off the cuff and the rest like a pro lead the audience into his bits seamlessly and he really has that it factor he could just stand there and say nothing and people would watch.

Maz Jobrani is from Iran but a huge act in the states like the rest very good and clever.                                           Kirk Fox was also great we saw him last year and he really stood out this set was very funny and dark he comes across like a redneck serial killer. keep your eye out for him.                                                                                     Christina Pazsitzky is another I wanted to see her podcast she has with her husband Tom Segura Your moms house is huge and will also be in Montreal. She was cool as and running a lot of new material and going dark and dirty and again leaving the stage on a high for the next act.

The next few acts were good but again its hard when one act gets off and half the room just get up and go home so you come out to a tiny crowd. But they just push trough and its crowd work then lead them into your jokes.

Lessons learned 

One trick I noticed was some acts have constant hand movement when talking mostly in the hands, the hands are talking and telling the joke too.

If you have a small crowd you look stupid going straight into your jokes. It doesn’t make sense so chat have a play then ask them a question about what you are about to talk about but make them think they did it.

The old adage of start with your second best joke and finish with your best is always a safe bet when you don’t have a huge comedy toolbox leave the stage with a laugh.

And back home it is embarrassing how PC we have become, the audience go out here and know its all jokes thats it! Say what you want! We are not stupid and we will go with you on a goof! 

Tonight I will head down before and after the UFC its the biggest fight ever!!! But I will see I fly off to Toronto in the morning. I need to prepare for the gig at Yuk Yuks.

Dig it the most from coast to coast.

Flemo

The Laugh Factory and the Comedy Store

Last night I met up with Australian Comedian Monty Franklin at a legendary club The Laugh Factory. This is such a cool old school looking club with a historical vibe. Monty was hosting or Emceeing the show which had a lot of older acts on some good some not so strong. Monty was great right off the bat talking about being an Aussie in Hollywood and the crowd loved it.

First act on was Mindy Rickles the daughter of comedy legend Don Rickles, Mindy wasn’t the strongest act! Then Brian Babylon hit the stage he has a new with Hannibal Burres on Comedy Central starting this week. Brian started off ok but then got better as the spot went on. Next up was Erik Griffin who plays Montez Walker from WORKAHOLICS he was great off the bat too very funny and he just looks like a funny guy I’d check him out again for sure. Mark Schiff was next he is old school he opens for Seinfeld on the road. Mark did a lot of old stock jokes but the crowd didn’t notice some were laughing but it wasn’t a strong act like I have been seeing. Then a special guest the great Dom Irrera, Start away he started banging out Mark saying that was the best gig he has ever done, He’s finally getting it he’s gonna make etc. He was very self deprecating and he did a lot of crowd work, it was awesome to see such a legend showing you how it is done!

Then we headed over to the Comedy Store we went out the back past Mark Maron, Fitzsimmons, Al Madrigal Bobby Lee was on but it was full again. Jodi Miller came up and said hi Monty introduced me I did meet her last year but I don’t think she remembered me. Jodi made it through Americas got talent last year she is a strong act. So we just hung out and chatted in the front bar for a while. Monty was heading off so i went upstairs to the Belly room for The Urban Show.

This show was cool as there was one white guy on he wasn’t very good but some of them were awesome its a completely different gear the Urban style and when the audience go they really loose their shit its great to watch and be a part of. I can’t remember the names there were too many on but ill try catch another show like this before I go.

Tonights Lessons 

My good buddy and mentor Brad Oakes always says you need gears in comedy great acts can change gears at any time. They have gears here but for the most part in 15min spots they just keep a relentless pace hitting the audience hard. But the gears between the shows were very different. Its just what they are used to.

As an Aussie Comedian find the funny differences between the states and Oz they love it.                                           Talk slower and articulate your words so they can understand you we do talk fast.                                                        Be universal Monty said to an audience member your from Interstate? They had no idea what it meant which was fine for Monty cause he made a joke about it. But it easy to forget what words are slang and what are english.

One thing with the not so strong acts is when a much doesn’t hit they just move on with confidence you wouldn’t even know they show no weakness.

And Monty is a legit gun his Aussie set is great but his US set is even better and he is an awesome guy Im really grateful he got me in and took me around last night.

Tonight ill hit the store and pay for a ticket It doesn’t always pay to be a comedian.

Be cool Stay in School.

Flemo

The Icehouse and Hollywood Improv

I caught an Uber to the Icehouse Pasadena to do a spot my first one on this trip. The show was in the front room there was about 60 people in attendance. The first guy was really good i enjoyed his set. I went up about 4th in and started with a joke about how Ice is what we call meth in Australia. So you can imagine my disappointment when I got here and Its a comedy club not an Ice house! It went well then i went into some material and didn’t get much along the way chuckles along the way and a few people up front were into it. Ari told me on the drive home that they were all Comedians so I can’t tell how it was really its like home comedians don’t give you much.

I didn’t hang around to see Joe Rogan the show was sold out so Ari gave me a lift back and invited me to the Improve for the main show.

This was an awesome show everyone was a killer act like Daniel Tosh he had the audience falling off their seats with hit after hit after hit.

Now for an edit.

I forgot to mention when I got in the security said your a comedian right I said yeah he said just go sit in that booth with the reserve VIP on it, Cool. So I’m watching the show and some old guy with two hot!!1 girls come over hey I’m ….. I can’t remember but he sounded Important, He said you’re a friend of Jeff’s? Did he seat you here? I said nope and just kept watching the show. About 20mins later Jeff Ross come over and started chatting to them. So now I’m thinking oh shit I’m in his private VIP booth! Then he left to do the show and he was at the security for 10mins pointing at me freaking out while I was pretending not to notice by watching the show but nobody would come over. I gave it another 5mins then moved to the next booth 10seconds later Larry David comes and sits in my seat hahahaha. 

Jeff Ross was even better tonight than last night. At the end of his set he does a spit roast where he gets audience members on stage to be roasted and I heard one of the greatest roast lines ever! The crowd lost their shit big time everyone was on their feet!

Brett Ernst is very cool he is a good friend of the Comics Lounge and I love his stuff cause its a lot like what Doug Chappel does and thats talk about crazy things that have happened in their lives. His rhythm was different to the rest which was cool he stood out completely.

Dane Cook was the special guest headliner Im not a big fan of his but he had some killer stuff and i learnt heaps just watching his presence on stage.

I learnt a lot tonight as far as my spot goes i wanted to just run material and see what happens. Crowd work would have been a better option but its not what i went into the show to do so its cool.

The same as the other nights nobody really lacks confidence on stage weather the material is good or not.

Roasting we need it in Australia its a pity because people would want it stopped back home because its not safe enough for them. These guy go hard to the place you would stop and a mile further it is really funny.

Pretty much all of the acts tonight were performing on stage as though they were being filmed, it was a bit weird make it is for practice or it is a stage trick I’m not sure but ill find out.

There are over 3000 comics in LA from the best to the worst spots are limited so in Australia we shouldn’t complain about spots there are enough spots and we can make more if we choose.

A huge thanks to Ari Mannis for helping me out with spots and driving me back to Hollywood this guy is a very cool Dude!

Tonight I’m off to the Laugh Factory to catch up with Monty Franklin I saw his US set last year it was super strong so I’m pumped for that. Then he is taking me to the Comedy Store to meet with the manager so i can pop in when i want and not look like a freak.

Be good stay down with the hood!

Flemo

Night 3 The Comedy Store

Ill start by saying I am Very spaced out today so sorry if this sounds like a lot of rambling!

Last night I headed back to The Comedy Store to check a huge line up with the likes of Bill Burr, Mark Maron, Pauly Shore, Steve Rannazzisi, Dean Delray, Jeff Ross, Joey Diaz Neal Brennan and many more.

I arrived about 30 mins before the show, two girls were sharing a spliff out the front they said hi nice t-shirt here pass it around so I had a brief chat and passed it round. Don’t worry I have My Medical Card Woooo! Tickets were only $15 for this show but it was in the original room which properly only holds about 90 people, the line was huge so I figured I could just head in as a comedian at the end which they are cool with like The Comics Lounge.

While I was waiting a newer comedian from came over and started chatting Al from Texas he seemed to be an encyclopaedia on Comedy this dude knows a shitload comedy facts. He was a nice guy I started to meet a few other younger open mic acts. Alex Duong he was really cool he was telling me about the scene and different shows around town. And Ari Mannis he was working the door at the Store, hey that rhymes! Ari had done some gigs back in Australia including my home ground of at The Comics Lounge on the Mad Monday show with Doug Chappel.

We headed to the back of the room where the comedians sit to watch the show then a waitress came over and asked what drink I wanted for the 2 drink minimum? I didn’t want to sound like a dick by saying I’m a comedian so I said lemonade. Then she asked if I wanted them doubled or something like that which I think meant bring them over now and get the 2 drink minimum thing out of the way. I just stared at her like a dog that’s been shown a card trick! I knew what she was on about I was just playing dumb for a goof. Then someone came over and said oh he’s a comedian you don’t have to buy 2 drinks. Great? No!

1 act in and we get kicked out to make way for the public cause its a full show! Fuck! I should have just paid for the drinks and I wouldn’t have been moved Idiot!

So I spent the next hour waiting to get back in chatting to other acts. One dude was funny as fuck Eric Carter from Mississippi he was crazy along with the full on southern accent. So I missed Burr missed Maron Delray and Shore. It didn’t bother me that much cause ill see them around this week and in Montreal anyway.

Then I saw a familiar face Justin Edbrooke,  I met Justin last year with the boys from the lounge we had lunch he’s a really nice guy.  Justin is an agent for a lot of my favourite acts from Joey Diaz to Ari Shaffir. He said come over and meet Joey Diaz and I said Fuck yes! I will come and meet Joey Diaz!  Joey is one of my favs his podcast and comedy have been a big influence on my Stand up so i was freaking out when I shook his hand. He was very laid back and friendly Jeff Ross came over and had a quick chat but I really wanted back into the room so I could watch these two in action. So i said bye and great to meet you and snuck back into the room.

It was great timing cause I got to see Steve Rannazzisi then Neal Brennan who is a great writer co creator of Chappelle Show He was great I was so happy I got to see him.  Jeff Ross was also great bagging out the audience and going hard at them and getting away with it the crowds really get it its about fun not being PC just fun. Then Joey came out and he was even better live than i could have imagined he goes anywhere without a care but you can’t help but love him. He could talk about the worse possible subjects and get away with it clean!

Once Joey finished the crowd started leaving its weird to watch cause the room is packed then the next act walks up as half the crowd walk out! I hung around and watched another heap of acts I didn’t know them except for Tony Hinchcliffe who I was hanging to see. He really didn’t do any material cause of the crowd size. I learnt that last year you can’t just go into material in a small crowd or it looks weird just lead them into a bit here and there.

By this time I was really spaced out and dragged myself home.

Lessons I learnt Buy a ticket next time $15 bucks 2 drinks killer line up haha.

When they go after the crowd they don’t hold back almost roasting them but they dig it here.

A lot of the twists in the routines you don’t see coming. The really dark stuff like a lot did bits about the shooting last week and didn’t care. Most had a great punch for it so the crowd were with them.

Don’t get really stoned b4 the show then you will remember more of what you saw!!!

Tonight I’m off to the Icehouse in Pasadena I have a spot thanks to Ari for hooking me up then Joe Rogan is on after at 10pm another one of my idols. This will rock!

Be cool stay in school.

Flemo

Night one at The Comedy Store

https://justinflemingcomedy.wordpress.com/2015/07/07/the-comedy-store-night-1/

Last night was my first night back at the Store in a year. It has a feeling to the place I can’t really describe but its awesome. Monday night they have over 40 acts on in the original room I didn’t see them all but most seem fairly new or not at the pro level yet but they were all good. One thing that stuck out was that they all spoke and performed with 100% confidence and in their own voice.

My main reason for going tonight was to see the DeathSquad show Kill Tony in the Belly room. I am a huge fan of the Deathsquad guys, they are a huge influence on my comedy.

The Kill Tony show is a live podcast and open mic show where over 50 acts put their name in a bucket and 8 get drawn out to perform 1 minute and each show has 2 special guest Legends of Comedy. This week had to rippers The godfather of American stand up Dom Irrera and the king of the roast Jeff Ross. The hosts of the show Tony Hinchcliffe and Brian Redban bring out our guest and straight away they are all riffing on each other setting a fun tone for the show.

The acts were all pretty new some said they have been doing it for years some brand new but again all spoke with confidence i guess it is an american thing of people are confident here were as in Australia we have the Tall Poppy syndrome of don’t think too much of yourself which is really poison to you if you want to stand on stage for a living.

So after each act performs the panel ask questions give and advice and bag the fuck out of the acts when you have Dom and Jeff doing that its going to be gold and it was! Jeff really gave out great advice really smart advice like prepare don’t get up and blow the gig off with oh i didn’t have time to prepare and much more. Where as Dom would give advice in a bagging out and funny way. For example and act would finish their set with excuse after excuse after excuse as to why it wasn’t good and Dom would say. “So do you have an excuse for that performance?”

I won’t talk about the acts as they are new and It’s not for me to judge them although one dude DJ from Georgia he was crazy and funny as fuck!

You can view the podcasts here http://www.deathsquad.tv/category/kill-tony/

I will put my name in the hat when i get back in a few weeks and hopefully get up.

Now to what I took out of the show and learnt. For starters some of the acts have been putting their name in the bucket for 8 – 9 months! So be grateful that you can get a gig in Melbourne guys just make the most and learn the most from each spot. Put in a new tag edit just try something to improve your set.

If you are going to bomb. Bomb with confidence on stage it will smooth things over. And you give yourself the best chance of winning the audience over.

Till tomorrow.

Flemo

Day 1 in La

Ok here is my first entry I have landed in a cold LA it feels just like Melbourne!

I will be hitting The Comedy Store tonight to watch the Death Squad show Kill Tony and a huge line up after.

I will post who I see and what things i learn each day before i head to Toronto and Montreal.

The Journey Begins

In 2 weeks i will be hitting LA to see the best acts in the world every night I will be posting my thoughts and ideas here each day.