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

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