New York (Day 73-77) "A Rush Of Blood To The Head"

Never...a dull...moment.

Tuesday night I performed my scene at open mic night. I recorded it and put it on youtube. It went well, I got the usual rush one gets when performing in front of an audience. When I'm up there it feels like living art, it feels like I am orchestrating emotions and pulling back and pushing forward always walking the line of just the right inflection and emotion but not over the top and not too dull.

To be honest, performing in front of a crowd and grabbing the audience, to me, is pretty much exactly like seducing a woman. You open up and are genuine because if you aren't they will see it, but you don't open too much because you don't want to put them off, you make the audience laugh, you set the tone a little lower and when it starts to get too intense you break the tension again. You take them on a roller coaster and when you are done they have fallen in love.

Now I'm not saying that the crowd fell in love with me but performing feels a lot like that. After me Jessica and Stephie got some pizza and a guy who was at the open mic came up to me and complimented my work. It is one of the most gratifying feelings in the world and it is why I'm okay with having my name never remembered and my face never known...because as long as I can do this, perform, possibly making a living from it, than I will be happy.

Wed I started selling comedy tickets again. Wed and Thur was business as usual in the comedy ticket game, I sold nothing. I was also having a hard time talking to people, I'd lost my confidence. I don't know what happened on Friday though because as soon as the 7 o clock rush hit I was on fire. I didn't sell as many as my manager but I did sell the most tickets on my team. So with the help of 2 dear dear friends who sent me a donation via this blog (thank you again Robert and Travis) and a little salesmanship I am pulled out of the fire at the very last minute once again. I went from having .50c in my pocket to having just enough to pay rent, my phone, my metro card and food.

On Friday I had my last call back for Jekyll and Hyde. It didn't go as well as I would have liked. I was nervous and it through off my improve game and my voices. They only need a few people and I know at least 2 who are much more talented than I am in those areas that I am certain got the job. I probably wont get it but hey, that's good for me. It keeps me humble, reminds me that I need to and will get better. It reminds me that no matter how natural I think my talent may be everyone needs training to become the best. So my next step at some point is to get an acting coach or enroll in a workshop.

Now for the interesting part. Last night I was threatened and almost jumped. Here is the story. There is a rival promotions team on our same block and they are all bat shit insane. This one blond woman (I use the term woman very loosely here) asked me and my friend mike to move from our spots the other day. We politely said you have to speak with our boss about that.

Last night she decides to stand right in front of me and pitch so I can't. She also interrupts me and starts pitching people I am already speaking with. I got a little smart with her here and there, nothing serious though. After she stepped into my pitch she started pitching a different couple (by the way if you don't know pitching is just talking to people interested in buying) and when she is done I say "See how I didn't step into your pitch just then...that's how professionals act."

So I start talking to a group of four ( I can't say how much I make but I can tell you selling to a group of four is the kind of thing that buys your groceries) and they say they are interested but they want to make sure the club is legit. I say of course and begin to walk them to the end of the block to set up a reservation. I have to walk in front of this rival club to get there and blond girl tries to steal them again.

I politely tell them that if they just come with me I can show them the line up for the show I was talking about and if they decide to come to this club instead they are more than welcome...of course none of that was heard over this cunt's shrill, glass shattering voice (sorry, but the word applies).

Than...in response to nothing...a huge Redbeard looking bastard walks into my face and starts screaming "If you ever sell on this block again I'm gonna fucking kill you". He than calls me a bunch of names that seemed more creative in Junior high, takes my hat off my head and throws it in the street, steps on it when i try to pick it up,pushes me back, trips my legs up as I am walking away and screaming threats...somebody obviously wasn't hugged enough as a child...or maybe too much? Maybe he wasn't breast fed and is still bitter, maybe he was a child of a C section and feels robbed of the journey through the birthing canal...maybe Father Flarity requested a bit too much out of his penance...whatever the case this man has issues.

Now some things you should know, this man is out of his mind and built...and irish...so I would have probably lost this fight had I perpetuated it...but I REALLY wanted to make him remember my name at the very least. I didn't because I didn't feel like getting hit in the face and because I didn't feel like going to jail. Just so you know however I didn't just stand there and take it passively. I told him to move and than I screamed back in his face "Get the fuck out of my way!" and so on and on forth...but I wasn't about to raise a hand to this man no matter how badly he needed the beating.

I walked up to my manager...fists clenched, hands shaking, breath heavy...it takes me a moment to get the words out. ".....that....that....that FUCKING MICK just pushed me and threatened me" I tell my manager the story.

He tells me to sit down, I roll a cigarette (barely, my hands where shaking so badly) I take a drink of water and I calm down. The owner of the club comes out and says that we are going to file a report. We file a report with the police.

Here is why I am not nervous about the future, if the cops don't handle it my bosses will...lets just say they have friends in low places and leave it at that.

I am a little nervous and I think I may have to invest in some kind of protective measure just because I was really shook up...I was pissed...and shook up. I'm a vegetarian for Christ's sake I don't like solving anything with violence, I'm too damn smart to have to throw down. But I am also not worried about my ability to defend myself, my dad taught me the essentials to self defense and he said pretty much the same thing my friend Derek said. "there is no such thing as a 'big guy' we are all built the same (points to the throat and the eyes)"

I do think it is unfair that the cops couldn't do anything but file a report because I didn't have any visible injuries...it's also unfair that if he had swung at me and I hit him in defense I would being going to jail as well.

Afterward the club owner hooked us up with an AMAZING meal at the restaurant next door to the club and a really spectacular glass of pinot. Despite that asshole I made sales and am going to be eating well for the next week or so. I am looking forward to thanksgiving with friends, I miss my family, I feel like mom dying has brought us all closer together, but it might be good to have a foreign thanksgiving experience, it makes it just far removed enough from my own experiences that maybe mom not being there wont devastate me as much as it would if I were home.

More adventures to come I'm sure.

I love you all

KH-