Tuesday January 16th, 2007 - Bowling Green, OH/Chicago, IL

Change of plans. I took a last minute fallout gig in Bowling Green, OH tonight to help a booker who had to replace a comic who had his father pass away suddenly. That’s a tough situation on a lot of levels and I know and like both parties so I offered to help out if need be and it turns out I was needed. I had to drive a few hours but if anyone is used to a drive by now it’s me. I’ve been to this place before and it’s actually pretty fun so I didn’t mind.

The guy that books it is also a comic named Steve Sabo. I really respect him because he is a hustler and I mean that in a very good way. He’s got several gigs he books and I have worked for him quite a few times in the past and have never had a problem. Most times a gig booked by another comedian is a complete disaster. There is a red flag in the business for comedians who book their own rooms because they’re usually not good at either one.

Not in this case. Steve is a headliner and a funny comic and works for other bookers on a regular basis. He started booking his own shows years ago because he saw how unfair it can be at times and decided he wanted to try it out as a sideline and found he was good at it. He really is. He is very professional and detail oriented and gets all the posters out and deals with club owners and that’s never fun no matter what angle it comes from. He has a knack for the booking end of it and is also very ethical which is yet another positive trait.

He is to being a comedian/booker what I am to being a comedian/radio host. Most radio people think they can do comedy and vice versa but it really is a totally different skill. I’m one of the few who has been able to pull off both successfully and Steve is that way too. I hung out and talked with him after the show and I liked and respected him even more. He was telling me about the nightmare of dealing with wack job comedians every week and I can feel his pain. I booked one club many years ago for about six months and that was all I needed to know I’m not built for that side of the business. I wasn’t good at it and I admit it freely. Most comedians aren’t and that’s why I respect Steve and wanted to help fill this last minute fallout. I am glad I was open and the few hours drive was worth the feeling of helping out not one but two good people. The headliner Mark Matusof is also a super guy and he helped me get booked in a club in Washington, DC a few years ago so I owed him a favor. I hate to have to do it on such a sad occasion but at least I was able to pay it back.

On the way out to Ohio I had lunch with my friend Dave Rudolf. He is the guy I did the Christmas benefit show for a few weeks ago and he also is a cancer survivor. Dave is just the best of the best and we had a really productive lunch because he wants to do seminars to train entertainers how to promote themselves and I think we can do some together. He is a real doer and always has projects going and we spent two hours at The Olive Garden hashing out one idea after the next. The waitress thought we were nuts and I guess we are. I love Dave’s energy and we really hit it off well and I had not spent much time with him since his cancer ordeal but now that’s over and he’s ready to go. He didn’t even mention it the whole time. That’s the kind of guy he is. He would rather talk about DOING a fun project than something that’s in the past. I don’t know if I could be that strong and I hope I never have to find out. Spending time with Dave and Steve today was positive energy.