The incense is burning, I'm big sippin' on a nice, full-bodied Italian red (Barbera D'Alba...DOC), my busted-up foot is icing down and I still have a tiny-bit of some Dad-shwag left over from the most recent BR trip (could roll a joint of nuthin' but stems n' seeds, no shit).
Altered enough to post? Oh yeah.
Am I satisfied with all that I've accomplished in the last four years? Somewhat. I've met a tremendous lot of amazing people, comedians and civilians alike. I've been fortunate enough to meet (and occasionally share the stage with) some of my comedic heroes. I host, along with Sean Patton--one of comedy's finest, period-- one of the best downtown comedy shows in New York... I'm really proud of CSL. The blood sweat & tears of production pay off (most of the time) every Thurs, so that's pretty sweet.
I do many more booked shows than I did even a year ago--and my kill-ratio is much higher--so I feel like things things are at least moving in the right direction. If only I had the time & energy to write enough jokes to grind out at the open mics... (see physical exhaustion below)... Working on a decent video to send out for festival submissions. Apparently my comedy is much like it was back in BR/New Orleans '03-'05: my forte is still blue humor and personal stand-up tragedy, just with less politics/religion, more sex/drugs... I should dedicate time to writing something more universally palatable if I ever plan to get on... Live at Gotham! or fuckin' whatever. Any one of the late night shows. Any late night show. Cable access: technically "shows" "late" at "night"...must investigate...
I've waited a shit tonne of tables, that's for sure. Via some string-pulling I was able to land a job in the trendy/busy Meat Packing District my first week in the city. Partied hard, enjoyed what the city had to offer (sex/drugs/rock n' roll/sex/drugs/sex/sex/drugs/etc). Was still writing essays but wasn't doing much stand-up... had enough patient friends to do a bringer here n' there. After about two years I quit to day-job it out, but elected to maintain the server-status, not sure why I didn't try to go back to the temp-world--oh, right I rember--the office will suck out your soul. Waiting tables makes one feel like a dirty whore (I still oftentimes list my occupation as "Laughsman McFoodwhore"). At least one can sneak his/her own work on the side in an office--within reason--but there's certainly no rewriting bits while filling up glasses of water, reciting the specials, n' fetching pints of Stella all day. Also, it's physically exhausting to make the amount of money it takes to exist in New York, particularly as a comic--late shows in bar$ almost every night (and to make enough to keep Visa off my ass, too). Tendencies leaning towards alcoholism don't help reign the budget in either, my friend(s).
I believe that, at some point, there was a goal to wait less tables and attempt the hellish world of commercial acting...? something about needing new headshots? Oh, right-- I need new head shots. (extra points to anyone who's seen my embarassing ones from when I had long hair! 2x points to anyone who actually owns one! ha! *sobs*). Anyway, the service industry blows, especially when the economy is collapsing...
On a brighter note: my living situation is sssweet. I finally finally finally live with friends... seriously, like, five of 'em--four of which are in a band together--Vintage Villain. One of 'em, Tim (more family than most of my blood-related family) was even a roommate from back in the BR. Additionally awesome, we live in a beautiful apartment--it's farther out from all the action than I'd prefer but I have space for all my rat-packin' bullshit I just can't bear to throw away. Ticket stubs from '01 & '06? Really? (see way below)
After years of staying off the Digital Crack (with few exceptions--surely I've posted about the PSP debacle a few years back?), being good and only playing games socially at friends' places, a couple of weeks ago one of my roomies went out and bought a Wii... let the good times roll. Thankfully the Wii is a piece of shit only worth playing socially; I don't have to worry about nine-hour Street Fighter IV sessions or two-day Halo 3/Call of Duty fragfests... Although, after I finish this post, I might download some online version of Bomberman... hmm. And before I speak too soon, my rolled-up change might end up parlayed into Super Mario Galaxy. Perhaps I'll yet relapse.
This post is already too long, but I'll keep going. Anyone who's read up to this point ought to be on board anyway-ish (either you're reading because you love me or are curious as to how fucked up this is gonna get).
Was thinking I'd have done more comedic shorts up 'til now, like, online funny videos. I have primitive video-editing skills, so there's no reason why I couldn't post some more shit, but, again, time & energy. I'm all about contributing to any project as best I can, but my production time is fully-consumed by CSL......... I have plenty o' friends making short videos all the time but I don't get the hollah too too often, or ever. Maybe because I say "hollah."
Full-on comedic acting, however, hasn't gone as poorly. I was in a feature-length ZomCom (zombie comedy) film, though I'm personally claiming it's more of a ComZom, because it's more focused on the funny than on insane zomberiffic gore (though there's definitely some of that, too). The Eaters. June 26 release-- has already been accepted to a festival in Long Island in July, we'll see where it goes from there (only gonna get better approaching Halloween). Shooting it was, hands down, the most fun I've had since moving up here, nooo doubt.
Been to Vegas twice, a city I'd never visited before moving to New York. My first time: Porn Convention. Awards ceremony? Nope. Expo hall? Yep. Knee-deep in dildos, where I feel most comfortable, I suppose. Great times, though. The second time, Valentines Day weekend '09, was there for three nights of Puscifer--I definitely posted about this trip (sacriligeous/vagina-centric sketch comedy + industrial/lounge/rock = Mr.Show meets an electronic version of a sarcastic/dark & funny Cure???). Wow. I feel as though I've truly been welcomed into the family, though the peripheral it may be, and it means more to mean than I can express here with mere words. And the vino they're makin' in AZ makes the 2007 D'Alba I'm 3/5 of the way into look silly.
Not to lose my status as one of the "Great Serial Monogamists of the Early Twenty-First Century," for the last two years (this Monday, actually) I've been dating a lovely young lady. She's been 100% understanding and supportive of my constant case of artists' starvation, pushing the physical limits of hearing same/similar bits over and over and over.... She's a scientist working in the non-profit sector, helping injured dancers get healthcare, so we're broke together, which is nice.
So 5/20 is almost over--
--5/20, 2001 is the first time I ever came to New York, flying up for a Tool concert on their mini-tour, five days after Lateralus was released (and was #1 all over the world) in a tiny venue (Hammerstein Ballroom)-- DAVID CROSS & BRIAN POSEHN introduced them with a ridiculous sketch. I stayed with Victor, an artist I'd met in BR but knew more through mutual friends (as I was coming into my own there after he'd already moved to NYC). His place was in a yet-to-be-gentrified (ie terrifying) Greenpoint, Brookyln. I traded three sugarcubes doused in liquid LSD for a space to sleep on his floor.
--5/20, 2006 is also the date when I saw Tool at the itty-bitty theater here in NYC, City Center, five days after 10,000 Days was released (#1 in U.S. and other English-speaking countries, #1 on some Euro-rock charts... like it fuckin' matters).
So yeah, technically I may have moved to NYC earlier in May than the 20th, but the 20th is when I'll celebrate. This post is too long, it's five after midnight. 5/21. Here's to the next four years.
Love,
Chesley
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
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