Cheeseburger Update

This blog was originally started to chronicle my travels through stand up. I started it when the Cheeseburgers of Comedy Tour was forming. But when that didn’t come together like we planned, I stopped making entries here. My progress is pretty much recorded on my Facebook Twitter pages, but I find myself drawn back to this blog so I can make some comments that are longer than 140 characters.

I got an email the other day from someone who wanted to know whatever happened to that tour, so I decided to make a quick entry here to update that.

We only ended up booking three weeks for the tour. One of the weeks got cancelled because of logistic problems. Though three of had regular communication, we couldn’t all seem to get on the same page. We knew we wouldn’t make much money and would have trouble being booked because we weren’t well known, but I think things began to fall apart when we realized how much of a financial commitment it would actually take to get out there.

Three of us (me, Myke and Chet) did do two weeks – one in the Phoenix area where we performed for six straight nights. The other week, we went to The Comedy Club in Rochester for three nights which Chet booked for us. Both weeks were successful and exactly what we wanted to do for a six to eight week period for the tour. So, from all the effort we put out, we essentially accomplished about 25% of what we set out to do. We agreed that we might pick it up again later.

Chet, Myke and I still talk regularly. Myke and I perform together all the time. We will most likely do something with Chet again sometime I’m sure. Hallie is doing very well for himself and even put out a CD.

Though the experiment of three or four unknown comics crisscrossing the nation didn’t come to pass, three guys did go from one end to the other, so it wasn’t a complete failure.

Thanks for reading. More on me soon.

What’s in a Name?

The official launch of the Cheeseburgers of Comedy Tour has begun. We put a video promo together and now have a website. The first leg of the tour won’t officially start until June in Phoenix, but all four of us will be getting together for a trial run at the end of this month. We start in LA for a show at the Ice House with fellow Bootcampers Jimmy Shaw and Roy Brewster, then we head up to Oregon and Washington. After that, we return to LA to do a show at the Comedy Store. For the two LA shows, will be just be doing short sets and the shows do not feature the Cheeseburgers of Comedy.

So far, the name of tour has begun to do its job. People remember it. With few exceptions, it has been received in the spirit it is intended. It’s not a big thinker. We’re touring the country, telling jokes and eating cheeseburgers. In fact, we will be looking for the best cheeseburgers in town and putting up YouTube videos of our experiences visiting them. So the name not only references our shared food choice, but also a secondary activity – a quest for the perfect cheeseburger!

The name also lends itself to an easy and relatable design for t-shirts and other merchandise. Eventually, we also hope to put a DVD together of our stand up exploits and our cheeseburger critiques. The money we make along the way from the bookings alone will most probably not be enough to sustain us. Selling a few t-shirts and other items along the way will help us keep gas in our tank and food and lodging on our days off.

Also, if you hear we’re coming to town and you know of any great places to get a really good cheeseburger, let us know. Hell, let us know even if we're not coming to town, it might be on the way and I'm sure we'll be hungry.

Schedule for March/April

3/28 Ice House Comedy Club (Annex Room), Pasadena, CA

3/31 Wildcard Bar, Wenatchee, WA

4/01 Wildhorse Resort, Pendleton, OR

4/02 Quality Inn, Ellensburg, WA

4/05 The Comedy Store (Belly Room), Los Angeles, CA

Cheeseburger of Comedy Website

Cheeseburgers of Comedy Promo Video