I think I'm asking too much of 6 minutes. I'm thinking this 6 needs to be: - My absolute best 6 minutes - The 6 minutes that would make the best audition video for festivals - The 6 minutes that will help me get the most local corporate work - The 6 minutes that are the most original - The 6 minutes with the most laughs Probably i should be thinking...what are the 6 minutes that I personally really WANT to do? The fact I don't know is starting to upset me I must admit.

I watched Jerry's new Netflix special last night (and again huge thanks to Melissa Murray who is not only living with the comedy focus 24/7, she's actively helping and feeding it) and I saw him do bits from over 20 years ago. I've put far too many rules on my myself and my act. I've never done big broadcast TV or a special, so my whole 20 year act is still 'new' and completely eligible for use at this point. I made a horrible mistake early in my career listening to agents w

Sleep appears to be pushed off the map these days. I'm up every night thinking about comedy again. Working bits, watching interviews and routines. Being open to new ideas. And then I remember I have several jobs, a darling 2 year old, a perfect puppy and an absolutely adequate wife that also require and deserve time and energy. So sleep loses out in the equation. I think the entire flight and day before Gotham will be dedicated to sleep, quiet thought and summoning the energy

Rediscovering my Inspiration Every comedian is somewhat like another comedian. We get an early impression on us from one of the big names of the time and then we adopt that style as we discover our voice. For me it's Dennis Leary. No Cure for Cancer played around the clock on my Walkman and I loved Lock and Load as well. I can easily see his influence in the way I structure my bits, he wrote my playbook. But where Dennis had anger fuelling him I had incredulity seasoned with

Money. So much in life boils down to money. I am exceptionally fortunate that I have an understanding employer and business partners that allow me the freedom to do the comedy I do. But the real gatekeeper of my time is money. I don't got none. Now like most things in life all things are relative, but to be truly honest with myself I'm about as hand to mouth as you can be in this world. My car had a minor breakdown today, pushed the credit card back to the limit. I still have

What does it all matter? What I feel will be a milestone in my career is but a casual Monday night to other talents in other journeys. Other comedians will go "further" than me, others will never get half as far as I've already gone. I get the full spectrum of reviews, notes, comments and compliments. What this opportunity is Illuminating in my life is that my search for external acceptance and approval has been both a source for creative strength and a crippling burden I've

Well what I thought was my "Gotham 6" is actually my "Mediocre 9". I have always had a challenge distilling my set down to 6 minutes. You're supposed to just "do your best stuff" but as an observational/storyteller comic that's very difficult. Do I pick one story or bit and make that the whole set? If it kills great, if that's not an "IKEA" crowd or a "2nd Marriage" crowd I could be dead. It's very hard to pick out a hot 2.5 minutes of an 8 minute bit. It throws the timing an

I've always enjoyed blogging, and it was writing that got me started on the road that's leading me to appearing at Gotham in NYC October 2nd. 15 has been a prophetic number in our family, so I'll be writing a 15 day countdown here. So at Day 15 I need to say thank you before things get nuts. Thanks to Melissa Murray for her support and her help getting my travel setup (and being a life partner, mother of daughter blah blah) OK, now that I've done that I totally have permissio