Last Night at the Improv

Aaron started writing nights at the Improv where we can all critique each others' acts and brainstorm. With "The World" running seven days a week, the only time we can do it is Mondays at midnight. That hurts. Physically.

But I wasn't going to miss it. So I went home and tried to catch as much of a nap as possible before leaving the house at 11:30. It wasn't worth the wait for the train so I drove into Manhattan alone. This is big for me.

Since the NY Underground Comedy Festival is running, we've seen an influx of heavy hitters. Last night Rick Overton was there. He's been in over a hundred movies. He's been doing stand-up for 35 years. And he sat in on on the writing night.

For the next hour, he discussed comedy, stage presence and how to manage your career. The information was invaulable but his spirit was immeasureable. We've all been working so hard lately, we were in dire need of inspiration. Rick gave us that and more. He told me exactly what I needed to hear; don't let your head get in the way of your gut. Every time I overthink a situation, I screw it up. The brain is just storage, he said. Don't listen to it on stage.

On the drive home (still big for me) I realized I'm really in comedy. A lot has happened in the last eight months and it's taking all my energy to keep up with it. On days of five hours' sleep, barking in the rain and audiences of eight people, I wonder why I'm doing this. Last night was the reminder I needed.