I had nearly pushed it from my mind, but thanks to Facebook memories, I was able to recall my Georgia show in 2012. Back then, I was at the tail end of I’ll do any show at all in my comedy career. I was offered a gig that barely covered gas, but my dad offered to split the driving and go on the road with me.
I got to the show in Savannah, Georgia, on Labor Day weekend and the bar had forgotten to 1) book the hotel or 2) promote the show. After ten hours of driving, nothing like having no hotel to stretch your legs or shower before a show. They found a hotel almost 30 miles away, but the lovely lady behind the desk wouldn’t take the bar’s card, so I had to front the money. Nothing is scarier for a touring/traveling comic than getting a check from a shady bar, but having to cover the hotel is a close second.
The show finally kicked off and I did alright for the eleven people there, but then the bar wrote me a check for the hotel and the gig and I was sure I was getting stuck. The headliner that night was Andy D, a guy who in all honesty looked like Kenny Powers but more white trashy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hukwN47gvA
After watching a shirtless man in Zubaz pants dancing and wearing a repurposed Nintendo power glove, my dad said something along the lines of, “So this is what you do, huh?” I had no rebuttal. I was outside having a cigarette when a tall guy wearing cowboy hat told me after a brief exchange that comedians were the most miserable people he had ever met. Well, you’re not wrong, Tex, you’re not wrong.