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