The Comedy Buddy

Without my comedy buddy, I would probably still be talking about doing my first open mic. I am a professional procrastinator and an expert in finding an easy way out of anything. If you don't believe me, ask around. I had some stuff written in my notebook but had no clue where to start. I heard that a couple people from my Stand up Level 1 class had gone out and done an open mic and that one guy in particular "killed it" meaning he got lots of laughs. I was so jealous I couldn't even stand it. It was my jealousy that caused me to ask him if I could tag along next time.

I wasn't motivated by some inner confidence in my abilities, or by a desire to prove to the world that I had arrived. I was motivated simply by the fact that I was jealous. I was in complete awe of this guy who said he was going to do something and then just did it. No excuses, no backing out at the last minute, no fear at all. He just went for it, he set a small goal and accomplished it, then set another one. Simple as that.

I have the attention span of a bolt of lightning, and have lacked focus in almost everything I've ever done, so having someone like this in my corner has been the most valuable asset so far. We compete with each other while at the same time helping each other along the way. My buddy has a drive to do better that is inspiring. He books shows and signs up for everything under the sun. It keeps me motivated and pushes me to stay on top of my game.

We book a lot of the same shows and open mics, and we pick apart each other's material on the drive out to Leominster or Fitchburg or Providence or wherever the hell we're going on any given night. We workshop new ideas on the drive out, and rework them on the drive home after they either succeed or fall flat on the audience. By this time we know each other's material and could probably recite it word for word. Its a competition but its friendly, we each want the other one to do well. If we both happen to do well that night, it certainly makes the drive home a lot easier. Sometimes we're like the two old muppets in the balcony complaining about everything, those are usually the nights that don't go as well as we'd hoped. Every night is an adventure and I am so grateful to be doing what I love.

Please check out Bryan Sobolewski on facebook. That's the guy who has to endure hour long car rides with me at least twice a week, he deserves a medal for that and for helping me stay focused on this journey.

These last two posts were to kind of catch everybody up on where I'm at with this dream of mine. Thanks for paying attention, it means the world to me.

love b

Chasing the dream

If you are reading this blog, it probably means that I probably posted the link on your facebook page and asked you to check it out. If not, you may have stumbled across it while researching "the man from Nantucket" limericks or just by pure bad luck. Whatever way you ended up here, I would like to just say "thank you" for taking the time to check in on me. I hope you will subscribe to this blog and join me on this journey of stand up comedy. It is most likely going to be a long and bumpy ride, so buckle up. If you're willing to hang with me on this adventure while I chase my dream of becoming a stand up comic, you will hopefully see me grow and evolve before your very eyes.

My whole life I have tried to make people laugh. As a result of this, I have endured more time in detention in high school than any one person ever should. I grew up on Nantucket Island, a very unique place to be raised to say the least. I am by all accounts the laziest person on the planet unless I am working on something that I'm really passionate about, such as comedy, music, thinking about dune buggies, going fishing with my dad or driving my mother crazy. I always wanted to do stand up comedy since I can remember, but like many things in my life, I talked about doing it rather than just doing it. So 29 years ticked off the clock in the blink of an eye, and it seemed as though I would never leave my tiny island and would never shoot for my dream of doing stand-up. That was until my girlfriend enrolled me in a stand up class in Boston. Ever since that day my life has changed. I took the class seriously, I even took notes. I was the guy that never even brought a pen to school. I wrote and workshopped my new material every chance I got. Then I took it to an open mic.

I'm not writing this as a person who has accomplished anything significant. I am at the beginning of what I hope turns out to be a career in comedy and arts. I am finally, after all these years, chasing my dream. It's the one dream i've had since I was a little kid cracking jokes in class and getting sent to the principals office. Laughter, and the pursuit of it has been a constant in my life, through good times and some really rough ones. My hope is that I am able to share some of that laughter with as many people as I possibly can.

I may succeed or I may fall flat on my face. I am prepared for either outcome, but I'll feel good knowing that I tried. So if you keep checking in or coming to shows, I'll do my best to have you leave with a smile on your face. Unless you heckle me, because then i'll make you wish you were never born. Hehe