COVINGTON, LOUISIANA

Last Friday and Saturday night I had the opportunity to perform at The Gut-Buster Comedy Room in Covington, Louisiana. It rocked!

I was contacted about a month ago by Terry Comeaux, comedian and booker, from the New Orleans area and asked if I'd be interested in performing at The Gut-Buster Comedy Room located inside The Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites on the New Orleans North Shore area. I jumped at the chance.

I left my "day job" early on the 10th to make the two-hour drive over to Covington via I-10. My car had just been fitted with a new tire and an oil change, but I was worried about making the trip after dark, because the old Buick was running really rough. If it did happen to break down, I wasn't looking forward to being stranded on the highway somewhere between Moss Point, Mississippi and Slidell, Louisiana. Fortunately, the Buick made the trip like a champ--a bruised champ, but a champ just the same.

This particular gig wasn't paying for a motel room (I was scheduled as the "Opener"), but I opted for my own room in Slidell, LA, just 20 or so minutes from Covington. The price of a Motel 6 for two nights would be just a bit more than the price of gas and making the trip nightly back to Mobile. I checked into the Slidell Motel 6 around 4PM and promptly went into a short panic session.

The Gut-Buster Comedy Room is a large venue seating over 200 people and promoter Terry Comeaux had booked me, sight unseen. I was nervous. Would I be funny? Would I be funny enough? Would this gig make or break me? I eventually settled myself and relaxed. I was ready.

I decided to leave the hotel early and head over to the Holiday Inn. I wanted to grab something to eat and look the room over prior to showtime.

The Covington Holiday Inn is located at 501 N. Hwy 190, just off Interstate 12. The Gut-Buster Comedy Room occupies one of the Hotel's banquet rooms on the second weekend of every month. The room is impressive.

Ballroom chandeliers; covered tables; great sound system; professional lighting, including spotlight; large stage; and everything is arranged to the performer's benefit and the audiences' enjoyment. I met Terry and his partner(whose name escapes me, sorry) and they knew exactly what they were doing with the execution of the room and the promotion of each weekend.

"Nerves" grabbed me once again when Terry asked me, "Where's your dummy?"

When Terry and I first spoke on the phone the previous month; he had asked me about my ventriloquism. I told him I was mainly doing straight "stand-up", but I was introducing my ventriloquism back into the act. I have been focusing on getting my stand-up routine to a point where I was happy with it; before I started working with my ventriloquist partner, Skyler. I had brought Skyler with me to Covington and was going to use him over the weekend, but Skyler had second thoughts.

During the process of dressing Skyler for the show, he had a "body malfunction". I know Skyler will be mortified that I'm telling you this; but his right leg came off. There wasn't time for an "emergency surgery" before the show. Terry seemed disappointed and that bothered me. But, I was ready to "go it" alone.

Showtime came, and the room was full. The audience was drinking. Good music was playing, thanks to the sound guy, (Really, they had a "sound guy"...not just somebody that plugged in the microphone) and Terry took the stage to welcome the enthusiastic crowd. Terry is funny and the audience is ready.

"...Let's bring to the stage, BILL Robison!"

In a split second, I decided Bill Robison wasn't in the room and took the stage in his place. It so happens, that Terry knows a Bill Robison in the Covington area and he just made a slip of the tongue. I made the most of the situation and re-introduced myself to the audience to a lot of laughing and some applause.

And they continued to laugh. The audience was great. I felt comfortable on stage. "Bits", I had been tweaking in recent weeks, were working the way I wanted them to. My "standard" jokes received bigger laughs and my "crowd work" was comfortable and the audience members played along at the points that they were supposed to. I had two "pauses" after two bits that suggested to me that the jokes may have reached the point where I'll cut them. I'm really in love with the two jokes and I've tried to nurse them along; but it's time to say good-bye and set them free.

I closed the set a little weaker than I anticipated, but the audience laughed and applauded me off the stage. If I didn't "kill" Friday night, I think I, at least, "mortally wounded".

Saturday night, I arrived back at The Holiday Inn with my semi-repaired ventriloquist partner in tow. The plan was to bring Skyler out for a few minutes at the end of my "stand-up" and do some "local humor" that would result in an argument between Skyler and myself. Local humor involves jokes tailored to the area and the venue.

Terry met me before the show and was excited that Skyler was with me. He also was worried that my prior night's act might have been too risque'. I had not dropped the "F-bomb" like the Feature and The Headliner had, but my act might have been too "sexual". He asked could I drop one bit entirely and possibly edit some more. I promised that I would try to comply. Terry is a great guy and he wants the best for his audiences. Unfortunately, the request rattled me.

"....and now let's welcome DAVE Robison!"

So far, so good. My opening worked, as usual. Audience participation was good. On-stage edit. Timing Off. Laugh. Laugh. Laugh. On-stage edit. Timing off. Forgot segue'. Laugh. Laugh. Laugh. Deleted bit. Timing off. Pause. Forgot Bit. Timing off. Laugh.

Then came the awkward introduction of Skyler, bringing him to stage. Laugh.

Ordinarily, I would place Skyler on a stand, similar to a microphone stand with a small table attached, that Skyler would sit on. Saturday night, I decided I would use the traditional Ventriloquist stance, and prop my foot on a stool and place Skyler on my knee. Because, I was already nervous, when I placed my foot on the stool and weighted my leg with Skyler; my leg began to shake up and down, bouncing Skyler up and down like he was a baby on my knee. I re-positioned my foot to stop the bounce, but I wasn't able to control Skyler with the dexterity that I needed. His movements were "jerky." I was self-conscious. Suddenly, he wasn't my "partner" with funny jokes; he was a foreign object in my hands. The pauses were too many. The jokes were gone. I closed to polite applause.

It wasn't a total bomb, but it wasn't the previous night's performance.

I apologized to Terry, but he graciously said don't worry about it. But, I did.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention my fellow comics that allowed me to share a stage with them.

I had performed with Jason Thompson once before. Jason is from Little Rock, Arkansas and is a strong "feature" performer that deserves to "headline" much more often. His jokes about being a father and growing up poor in Arkansas can be heard over and over again providing laughs at different spots each time.

John Wesley Austin is a Cowboy-Hat-Wearing Headliner from Augusta, Georgia with some smart "Southern" humor, and a pretty good singer and guitarist offering up Country Music parodies, and even an attempt at "rap". His "bit" about NASCAR drivers with their wives and children in the backseat of the car was hilarious. His observations about married life leaves you repeating his "tag line", "That ain't right".

All in all, it was a great weekend. I got laughs, I got paid. And if the comments I received after the show from audience members were indicative of my performance; then I can hold my head up high. I batted .500 and that's pretty good.

Thanks Covington.