Vegas, People!
I was at Wiseguys in the Las Vegas Arts District and it was truly great. The audiences were amazing. It’s sort of a perfect room for standup. Low ceilings, wide. The sound of the audience reaction coming back at you is perfect. It’s really the only place I play in Vegas. I’m definitely not a strip guy. I just can see myself and my type of material really being a draw for the average casino-goer. Even if they know me. I imagine if they saw a poster or ad for my show at someplace like Caesars they would say, ‘I know that guy. He’s good. I just don’t think I’m up for it. We’re having too good a time. He’s a bit heavy.’
I’m okay with it. When I do Wiseguys, it’s locals and people that travel in from other places. My people, mostly. Much better.
My dad’s wife brought him out for the show. I think he may be a little too far gone for the big traveling, the walking. It was the first time he seemed very fragile to me. The walk across the street from their hotel almost did him in physically and mentally. He shuffles a bit. He’s paralyzed with a fear of falling down. He had a hard time during lunch with some stomach issues. I guess it was the first time I spent time with him in a few months and he seemed like he was getting worse. He seemed to be fading a bit.
He still knows me. He knows mostly what’s happening and where he is, I think. He’s a bit confused. I know I am seeing the best he’s got. A lot of energy goes into him trying to make me believe he’s still got it together. I’m always grateful that his wife Rosie is taking care of him. It’s definitely taking a lot out of her. I know we’ll have to get some help soon. She needs a break. He was a lot to deal with before he got old.
My mother’s sister Barbara passed away last week. I was pretty close to her all of my life. She was my cool aunt. She was a great mother, grandmother and my mom’s best friend. It’s going to be difficult for my mom. She will be missed.
It’s amazing to me that I am dealing with this stuff for the first time and I am turning sixty this week. When your parents have you at a young age, you’re kind of old when they are getting really old. They seem less like your parents and more like people that aren’t that much older than you.
This all seems heavy, I know. It is. My birthday this week is the first one I’ve really registered for a while and somehow it signifies change. A transition. The beginning of the home stretch. I hope. I’m not saying that to be dark or weird. It just is. I start factoring it into how I think about the future for the first time. If what I am doing requires consideration about the future in terms of it being doable I have to factor that in. Will I be here long enough to enjoy this and is it worth it?
I mean, I don’t even know if I’m going to outlive two of my cats.
Yom Kippur today. That may be having an effect on my brain and heart. I’m not fasting or going to temple but the weight of it is wired into me. I am reflecting on my year, my life. I am trying to look at myself with the perspective of a guy who has been here 60 years. Where could I have been better? Who did I harm? How can I be more of service? Acknowledging loss. Getting humble.
I hope you all are holding up. Sorry about the weight of this missive.
On a lighter and much less thoughtful note I talk to Chevy Chase today. I treated him like a guy I loved as a kid and tried to keep him engaged and not piss him off. I think I did it. On Thursday I talk to LeVar Burton about LeVar Burton stuff.
Enjoy!
Boomer, Monkey and LaFonda live!
Love,
Maron
