Here ended the lesson....

so um, yeah...just when I get in a journal entry earlier today, thinking I won't have anything to talk about for another couple of weeks, I have one of those days, where it becomes a double entry day. Sooo, I have to go to D.C. next week for my cousin's wedding, and I really want to be able to go to D.C., and try to drop a name, so I can perform at a "real club" in D.C. At least, that's my mindstate as I start my day, hoping to be able to get a set in, at Michael Colyar's room later that night. The plan: kill at Michale Colyar's room, get approval to use his name when I go home. The plan is in motion, and I'm going to leave my martial arts class early, so that I can be perfectly on time to hopefully get a fill-in for the beginning of the show. I even have my outfit laid out of what I'm taking to wear that night on stage. Start out with my white Phat Farm, drawstring, light textured sweats, with the dark blue and red stripe running down each side of my leg. Then I'm going to wear my extra large, red, ten dollar TJ Maxx Nike tee. Throw on top of the tee, my large sized white, muscle tee, with the raised blue and dark blue Nike print on the front...gotta let the red tee expose itself from the shoulders and at the bottom. Throw on my red D.C. Nationals baseball hat...and the piece de resistance? My all white Nike Air CR1's, size eight and a half(don't joan, I love my little feet)- I've may or may not have worn them more than ten times, but I still keep them in the box like, back to formula. The outfit might sound familiar to some - it's the same outfit I'm wearing on the homepage of my website. And no, it's not the only outfit I have to wear, but it is THE outfit to wear when I'm planning on going to destroy. Whatever your occupation, everyone has THAT outfit - the confidence gear. I'm right and ready to bring it tonight at Mike's room tonight...everything so far, is working according to plan. I leave my class at eight thirty that night to make it to Mike's room by nine. I'm taking a chance on spending gas to get to his room by nine, without the guarantee of a set. But I've talked to Mike's wife before, and get that feeling that even though there are rules and procedures for Mike's room, she genuinely wants to try to help unknowns if she can - as long as every Tom, Dick, and Harry (or every Mike, Reggie, and Chris for that matter) ain't looking for a handout. I'm there perfectly on time, and Brooks (Mike's wife) gives me the notion; didn't want to rock the boat, she tells me "Hang back and I'll see what I can do." So I hang. Not to many people in the audience as of yet, so it's prime opportunity to cash in. They throw on unknowns to fill time until the audience fills out. Mike starts the show, does of a little bit of him, announces that he will be bringing up a couple of new guys - per his lineup given to him by his wife. Now I know I'm officially going up. He directly addresses the three comedians that will be going up first(me, and the other two comics). Then he looks at me from the stage, as I stand near the back of the room, and says I'm going up first. His room, his rules - no problem. I WANT TO GO FIRST! Blow this stage up, and show them who Chris Reese is. I'm ready, absoulute confidence in myself, and my proven material. It's time. He brings me up, and with confidence I step to the stage, shake Mike's hand as he hands off, quickly place my wallet on the stage against the back wall(because of how light my pants are, a wallet sitting in my pocket destroys the integrity of the look of the pants, with it just swinging around down there), and I grab the mike, and set the stand out of my way. Time to wreck..."So is it hot enough for y'all yet?"....first punch goes off okay, not the reaction that I was expecting. Okay, I got more..."I guess if we run out of aluminum foil at a picnic, we can just start laying black people down on the grill." Okay, again, some laughter, but not what I'm expecting or at all looking for. That's as good as that bit went. Moving on, switching to the next bit, I'm not at all feeling love - as a comedian, you know when you're getting it, and when you're not, though some, however few, are giving you their audience. Now I've let THEM get to ME, and I know I've let it rattle me out of my game. Now I'm just spitting out material, rather shoving down their throat, what is apparently not working-laying the proverbial egg on stage. The light is early, and I have to get off the stage. I finish what I'm on, and take leave of the stage - shaken not stirred. "What's wrong with this crowd?!", I'm saying to myself. Mike takes back over the mike as he comes to the stage, takes riffs on my set, commends my confidence, and tells me to stick around for the critique. Later, I get a chance to talk to Mike, and he tells me that I may have noticed that the light came on early. He never saw my set, but he just knew people inside weren't laughing like they should have been. He tells me he wants me to come back in three weeks, where he can literally sit down, watch me do my set, and write notes to critique. Let me say that again. Michael Colyar is going to watch me do a set, write notes, and talk to me to critique and give advice. WOW! That can't be bought, and is more precious than anything for a comic trying to come up. NO ONE wants to talk to you out here in Los Angeles, unless you can do something for THEM! And Mike wants to see not just me, but comics in general grow and get better. Whatever you think of Michael Colyar's standup, gold is found in the words of a comedian who has found that destination, that you as a comic, are trying to get to. They say in comedy, you learn more when you bomb, than when you have a great set... Mike tells me, "Five minutes, you ain't got time to fuck around. Hit 'em quick, let 'em know you funny, then you can say what the fuck you want"....and here ended the lesson.....