Well, here I am, just back from a run. As I approached the homestead I watched Coconut the cat crawling quickly through the still lush garden. It’s hunting season in south Minneapolis.
I always feel good after a run. Today my last thought before I stepped into the house was a gentle reminder that all of life is in this moment. Not the most poetically stated thought I’ve ever had but that’s the truth of it. I thought, in this moment I feel good about resisting a few temptations in recent days, I miss Myra who’s down in Winona, and most of my laundry is done. All in all, not bad.
So why go write a blog to be posted 6 months in the future? Can that truthfully be considered “living in the moment”?
To be honest, I’m not sure. I do think that it makes good sense, regardless of how hippie woo-woo you want to get about things, to make positive declarations about where you want your life to go. And I know that this is not an area in which I have historically excelled. So that’s what this first FLOG is all about. Me. I promise the next one will be about something much funnier, like how 6 months from now the Supreme Court may have finally gotten around to installing a new president.
So, here goes…
Hello February! I am writing to you from back in August. Remember August? When it was muggy and 80 degrees and St. Paul hadn’t been burned to the ground by Republican-protesting anarchists and Jon Stewart fans?
I hope that the winter wasn’t too brutal for you. Or isn’t I guess I should say. Still have a ways to go, right?
Isn’t that typical for a Minnesota boy writing to himself in the future to start out by discussing the weather?
You are, you know, very Minnesotan. What does that mean? A lot of things I suppose. Back here in August you are feeling hopeful about the upcoming Vikings season. In March you are swearing to yourself that this is the last time they will suck you in to believing that they actually have a chance.
Ultimately, I believe, what sets Minnesotans apart though is a greater willingness to be equivocal.
“Well, on the other hand…”
That’s what we say. Sometimes this is a strength. Seeing other people’s perspectives makes us compassionate and willing to help out where we’re needed. Just look at the rates of volunteerism, Minnesota is 3rd in the nation and Minneapolis/St. Paul is 1st among large metro areas. Go Finnegans!
Unfortunately, we tend also to be wishy-washy and/or passive aggressive, particularly when contrasted with folks on the coasts.
And in the south.
And probably in the southwest.
And probably everywhere else in the world, with the possible exception of China. In spite of the fact that they are unequivocally kicking our butts in the medal race right now, the Chinese set the standard when it comes to being indirect.
When it comes to your future though, as a comic and humorist, as a business person, as a friend, and most importantly as a son and brother and husband and uncle, you cannot afford this ambiguity. You must believe, very actively, that you will rock the holy pants off of each of these roles. You have to fully expect success in every atom of your body with no room left for negotiation. You haven’t always lived this way, but in these next 6 months you will. It’s time to push yourself. To work harder, to play harder, to write harder, to love harder.
I know where I want to be when this post is published. I plan on going there.
But wait! You’re thinking, that’s all well and good Zach, but it’s not exactly a clearly stated prediction now is it? Give us something concrete! Give us something that we can measure!
Ok, here’s one. When this blog gets published, I plan to have had a month in which the FIC/LMC has received 5000 page views. I haven’t had a month over 1000 yet. By the time you’re reading this it either did or it didn’t. And I’ll tell you about it, no bullshit.
Filed under: comedy | Tags: bryant lake bowl, inappropriate laughter, la vie theater
I’m taking a week off from the Resolution this week. I’ll either catch up by writing two one week, or this will be one of my official weeks off. Don’t judge, it’s my resolution.
Inappropriate Laughter opens on Thursday. We had our tech rehearsal today, now we just have to hope that the chimpanzees we hired can remember their cues…
Anyhow, come on out the Bryant Lake Bowl one of the next 3 Thursdays at 7pm! Also, this Friday I’ll be there for Last Laugh at 10pm doing standup!
Filed under: comedy
Today’s Yahoo headline stated,
“In a New Interview Nadya Suleman (a recent mother of octuplets) Reveals her Motivation for Wanting so Many Children”
I immediately thought, well there’s a statement that can be read a couple of different ways, isn’t it?
Well, as my title indicates I am in no position to throw stones at others for their media whore-ishness. It’s just too bad she’s so much better at it than I am.
What else? Let’s see, I got heckled by a poet the other night. Ironic, no? Not to be all drama about it or anything, but it never fails to baffle me that people think that just because you’re the guy or gal who’s onstage telling jokes they are somehow invited to pipe up and share whatever’s on their mind. People who would never dream of interrupting an angsty poet, or are angsty poets, feel no compunction about inserting themselves into a standup comics act.
Hmmm.
There’s a lot more that could be said about this. One question that I’d like to come back to is the frequency with which the very people who you’d think would be the staunchest supporters of free expression, or at the very least the folks who want to appear that way, are the first to shout down anybody who’s message they don’t like or don’t want to openly consider.
It only counts as “diversity” when it’s diverse, is what I’m trying to say.
Regardless, comics don’t like hecklers. It is, almost without exception, an unwelcome intrusion into somebody’s act. Unless you are attending one of those new bars/coffeehouses/comedy clubs where they chain you to your seat, you are free to vote with your feet and bounce on out. You are also free to approach that person after the show* and express whatever it is that’s burning in your mind. Otherwise, show respect for the rest of the audience and keep your thoughts to yourself. The only real caveat being those times when a performer explicitly invites you into their set by addressing you directly, then all bets are off…
* Unless the performer in question is super famous, like Chris Rock. But I still don’t recommend heckling Chris Rock.
Filed under: comedy
Check out my buddy Gabe who made Rooftop Comedy’s Daily 8 today…
Every morning I tell my girlfriend that she is like a beautiful butterfly. Because every night she spins herself a cocoon out of all the covers on the bed.
Except on the really cold nights when she leaves me a single sheet. But that’s just to cover my body with in case I freeze to death.
They say that freezing to death is just like going to sleep. Sold! I’ll take it. That means I finally get some sleep and she gets a break from listening to my teeth chatter, everybody wins.
Just cover me with the sheet and call The Cremation Society of Minnesota in the morning.
At least then I’ll get to be warm.
Filed under: comedy | Tags: bryant lake bowl, ezra stead, greg hernandez, la vie theatre, minneapolis comedy, minneapolis storytelling, new year's resolutions, the dez
I am working hard with La Vie Theatre on a production coming up also at the Bryant Lake Bowl in February. Mark your calendars for the 12th, 19th, and 26th. If you are in touch with me to any degree you will be hearing about this somewhat ad nauseum in the next 4 weeks. Be patient with me. The show is going to be totally worth all the spam, I promise.
Also! I’m 4 weeks into my New Year’s Resolution of writing and posting a 1000+ word piece every week in 2009. All 4 pieces are available over on the left. Comments and feedback are welcome!
For the link lazy:
And the latest, Resolution #4
Maybe I should change the name of this from “New Year’s Resolution” to the “First Draft Project”? I think by March I’m going to be sick of constantly referring to the “new year”. Any ideas for names would be tremendously appreciated.
And finally, I should mention that I was fortunate to perform along with a bevy of other comics and musicians at a fundraiser for the feature film “The City” at the Bryant Lake Bowl the other night. The film stars Greg Hernandez and Ezra Stead and I expect that you will be hearing a lot more about it in the coming months.
Ok, bye.
Filed under: comedy | Tags: andy brynildson, minneapolis comedy, minneapolis improv, monday night comedy show, standup comedy, the beat coffeehouse
Here it is, another Monday morning. I had a really good weekend, got a ton of writing done, worked a little bit, went to see Biggie on the big screen with my girlfriend. It was rock solid. I hope your’s was too.
It feels good to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day today. Thank you Dr. King for your courage and leadership. Thank you for your sacrifice.
The weather in Minnesota has warmed significantly from the bone-chilling lows we saw last week. It’s pretty amazing when 25 degrees feels downright balmy, but that’s how it is.
Monday also means that tonight is the Monday Night Comedy Show at the Beat Coffeehouse in Uptown. I woke up this beautiful morning, logged in to check my email, Facebook, and check in on my friend’s blogs and I came across this. You can read the whole thing if you want, I will summarize the salient points if you don’t. When my friend Andy says he isn’t big on editting he’s not kidding.
Here’s the gist, Andy is finding it harder and harder to book improv acts for the MNCS these days. Apparently there are some folks in the community who don’t think it’s a good space for improv. Whatever the reasons, the acts are not showing up. The show is relying more and more heavily on standup, storytellers, and slam poets to bring the funny.
Here’s the deal, since I started attending and performing at the MNCS I have always felt that it is one of the best tickets in town. Spending 3 bucks to see the MNCS is a comparable deal to going down to see the free open mic at Acme. Seriously. I love all the comics who show up to Acme every week, but let’s be honest, it’s the same people every week. They’re funny as hell, but if you show up regularly you’re gonna hear a lot of the same material.
Not so at the MNCS. You’re going to see a unique show every week. Some of the acts will be better than others. But you will see variety, you will see risks taken on stage, and you will laugh.
So what’s the deal with the improv acts not showing up?
I don’t know the answer, or answers, to that question. I do know that it’s super lame that in what is supposed to be one of the best improv towns in the country(!) that we should be having this conversation at all. I also know that it is not a “bad space for improv”. I’ve seen plenty of improv sets at the Beat that were as good or better than anything I’ve seen at the other big venues in town. I’ve also seen some real junk. But the junk was never the result of a ”bad space”. Hearing that kind of excuse from any performer, but particularly from an improviser, is just sad. Whoever is saying that should have their improv membership card permanently revoked. The crowd at the Beat is probably one of the friendliest crowds you are ever going to encounter. They tend to be young, open-minded, and they are primed to laugh by a capable and hilarious host. If you can’t make that group laugh it has nothing to do with “the space”, it simply means that you are doing shitty improv. Your bad.
Bottom line, Andy should have acts booked for weeks with all of the improvisers that the 3 schools pump out every couple of months. So check it, if you are an improviser, and you have ever bitched about how hard it is to get stage time, what you need to do right now is email Andy Brynildson and get a slot booked to perform at the MNCS.
Unless you’re scared of going head to head with some of the most talented standup comics in town?
Oh, snap! Yeah, I took it there. Prove me wrong.
Braggadocio aside, I will be putting my money where my mouth is. Stay tuned for news of my upcoming improv set at the MNCS.
Filed under: comedy | Tags: minneapolis comedy, minneapolis storytelling, minnesota microphone, rockstar storytellers, word ninjas
Last week I made my first foray into the exciting world of storytelling at the Rockstar Storytellers Open Mic, appropriately named “Word Ninjas”.
My hope going in to the night was to qualify for my Word White Belt. After performing my piece “The Beavers Must Die” I feel confident saying that I will accomplish that goal any day now.
Anyhow, the show got blogged about at a site called Minnesota Microphone. Check it out if you want to see a super hot picture of me.
