20240703_2 mics, 1 amazing night

Date: Tuesday July 2, 2024

Mics:

1. Montavilla Station - 417 SE 80th Avenue Portland, OR - Mic starts around 7:00, 3 minute sets for 40+ comics

2. Firkin Tavern - 1937 SE 11th Avenue Portland, OR - Mic starts around 9:30, 3 minute sets for 40+ comics

Some people say it's never been a better time to be a comedian. Certainly, that isn't the case in Portland, OR. We have an embarrassing wealth of talent but most stand ups I know have to work a couple different jobs to make ends meet. Me included. I am an accountant now and have been doing that work since I was 31. I didn't go to college until I was 26 but made the most of it living abroad one year in Lyon, France and another summer in Copenhagen, Denmark during the five years it took me to complete my bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting. I also took and passed all 4 sections of the CPA exam in my last semester of school. I was only concerned with passing the exams and didn't care about the scores because I was taking my final two classes over the summer of 2008. I was more concerned with being able to study the culture in Copenhagen, Denmark than I was with straight As. More concerned with life. It was the right choice because noone has ever asked me what scores I got on the exams, my CPA license was always sufficient.

I've been fortunate to have some success and my wife and I decided not to have kids. She's never been interested and I'm okay with it because we get to pursue hobbies instead of changing diapers. I could never have done this documentary otherwise. It takes so much time. Yesterday, for example, after working all day I took a quick shower and loaded my cameras in the car to film at Montavilla Station's. The comedy open mic created/produced/hosted by Lucas Copp with Brandon Wayne Little running music and helping show run along on this night had guest hosts Ronnie Mackaroni and Milo Loza. They kicked things off with some fun and laughs which really helped get the crowd engaged. Whenever that happens you can feel the magic. It was a good night at the mic. I saw green comics maturing like the shoots of a grapevine in Spring as bud break occurs.

Yeah, that's a snob metaphor but you get it.

Drawing on this theme are also the veteran comics, like old vines with deep roots, they are resilient producers who have seen the good times and the bad. They've also seen a lot of people come and go. You never know who's going to make it 5 weeks, months, or year.

After setting up and starting a static stage recording for sets I sat down, watched some sets like a normal fucking person for once, and got my own ready complete with some notes from the previous sets I was getting to see. In my set I got some good laughs, and more importantly, I worked on a couple of jokes/bits I'm toying with and trying to tag/punch. Also working on my set openings. My goal is something simple and digestible for a laugh to get you going, to set the stage. Something about me or a quick zinger.

After working my set I headed to Firkin Tavern to meet up with Producer/Open Mic Host Kellie Irwin to record sets and some behind-the-scenes (BTS) footage at the open mic she's been hosting for about 8 years along with this month's co-host Imani (Patterson). It's also just up the street from the only comedy club in town, Helium Comedy Club, so there's usually a good mix of talent in the room and it's a great bar to hang out in. The Men's restroom is nicer than Montavilla Station, barely.

So you know it's a God damn fantastic spot to get a beer, a slice of pie, or some chicken tendies. Yeah, I said tendies, judgemental readers.

I have been hitting Montavilla so long I know the crowd that works out there. They are my tribe. At Firkin, I saw Dan Weber, a legend and assassin in the PDX comedy world hanging at a back table. This was like going to someone else's gym. It was like being at a YMCA in a different city. Like when I was a traveling auditor working for a Fortune 500 aircraft manufacturer. It's got the same purpose but the layout is different, the space is different, there are different old men hanging out naked in the dressing rooms watching you change. I am not comparing seeing the legend of PDX comedy Dan Weber to an old man in a gym locker room, well not exactly. But you get the reference.

It was super fun to be there. Helium had a double-header Portland's Funniest Person with shows at 7:00 & 9:30 so probably not the usual scene but a great depth and breadth of comics for sure. Wanting to get some BTS footage I didn't take a ton of photos. But I think footage I got was great, shows the spot, the people, the rhythm of the joint.

I have a small break as I transition to a new job and I am working full-time to get organized and have a plan rolling into the back half of this documentary project. I've been watching some of my past interview footage and trying to both schedule and sit down with people in the scene for interviews and podcasts. The podcast format is pretty cool and lets me talk to open mic comedians in a more relaxed and free way. I am having a blast and the people in this scene are gracious with their support. I really think that we are making something special that is going to lift and help this scene so much. I get excited and sometimes very emotional when I think about it. Because I know how easy it would have been to quit. I have thought about it many times but there was always an urge to keep going. To believe as Ted Lasso would say and work hard as I've learned from people around me. It will pay off. It may not be how you expect it, but hard work always pays off. Hell, look what it did for OJ Simpson. He worked really hard to kill his ex-wife and her boyfriend and not go to jail for it. It was a miracle.

Well, I have to do better at writing these more consistently. It is fun to recap and will be a good reference for me. I am not worried about anyone really reading these because these days no one has the attention span to read this far.

Last night was awesome, thank you PDX Comedy All-Stars. Thank you and see you at another mic soon. Hopefully without a camera in a few months too.

Happy Fourth of July.