4/8/10 Owl and Thistle or nothing at all

So when you have a night off... Maybe it's for a reason.

Thurs April I was passing through Seattle with no gig that night. I don't know if it is the same for a surgeon but I'll take and guess and say that if a surgeon has a day off he isn't calling around trying to whip up an appendectomy or any ectomy for that matter.
I'm not a doctor. I'm a comedian and as such I need stage time to validate myself as an awkwardly pseudo functioning member of society that no one can relate to.

Thursday filled in with a bar show at an Irish pub called The Owl and Thistle.
I was to headline after the host and two or three other guys did a total of 30 minutes talking the people into staying mostly against their will.

Up I went jokes in mind, guitar in hand (Good Measure).
After 10 minutes of uncomfortably out of place reactions from the people who seemed to be listening, I switched away from material and began searching for a way out of this without giving back the Guinness Stew that was my payment.

Low and behold a drunk / pill-popping / maybe just insane dude. One look at him and he started spilling the "I'm fing nuts!" beans.
Also you should know that a young woman and gifted singer / musician had Canada walked (she was Canada) over from the youth hostel to take in some free entertainment.

It didn't take long to formulate a plan. Befriend the crazy guy and bring him up on stage to tell his peculiar, nonsensical stories while I played the soundtrack and sang background vocals... PERFECT!

Eventually I brought the girl up and had her improv song verses to the most disturbing chorus I've ever written... (Brightly "Shake the baby! Shake, shake the baby")

In the end comedy won again.

But it was a squeeker!!

Alamo... Car Hacks

I showed up at 7:58 pm for an 8pm show... let me explain.
Medford, OR, 10am at the Alamo rental car counter there stood a man (ME). He heard the words "I know you have a reservation sir but we have no cars."
The man had no response as nothing seemed to make sense in this new universe he had woken up in crumpled up in seat 5a flight # whatever.

He called everyone he knew in Medford, OR. Amazingly two people. Each person had a similar response... "No Sh#$t!"

Finally Avis rental car got a load of cars seemingly from nowhere. Avis rented Alamo a car that Alamo rented to the man... alright ME.

By the time I got my car I had 7.5 hrs to drive 9 hrs. No problem I did 52hrs in 47hrs once!

As I blazed up the I-5 I wrote joke after joke about this and that. Of all the joke garbage running through my melon, two made the cut.

I got there at 7:45pm. Just in time to handle the usual hotel room reservation mix up and run to the showroom where 200 of the good people from N. Washington area waited to here my thoughts and watch me move around as humorously as possible. And of course the NEW JOKES!!

All went great! New jokes flew! I sold CDs!

I am left wondering though... I made a reservation for a car. (What alamo provides) when I showed up, they did not have the one thing that they provide as a business...

Should I try that at my next next show. "Sorry I don't have jokes. I could however get jokes from another comedian and provide them for you to fulfill my contractual obligation."

Alamo
AKA Carlos Mencia Car Rental