Hi, People!
San Diego was much better than I expected.
I’m not sure why I had an aversion to San Diego but I was wrong. I don’t know if it’s a great place or what is really going on there. I know people seem to go there to party. The streets were filled with people wandering around in shorts and different types of beach party/nightclub outfits. Some carrying drinks. I was downtown though. I have no point of reference for the big picture. I do know that the crowds were great and The American Comedy Club is a sweet little venue. It’s a real comedy club. Basement-style. There’s something about low ceilings and a subterranean environment that make for a good laugh hole.
I didn’t have a great attitude going in. I had done a bunch of big venues lately and as much as I love doing clubs, the five-show haul in a beach city had me dreading it a bit (even through all the shows were sold out). I assume that people who live in beach areas live there because they’re laid back and enjoy life. My other assumption was that I wasn’t going to sell many tickets because after a nice day by the water people would think, ‘Do we really want to do that to ourselves? I love Maron but today was so relaxing.’ On top of my skewed negative expectations, it took me five hours to make the 120 odd mile drive on HIGHWAYS. Why? Because Southern California sucks. I’m a traffic baby. I can’t stand it.
Needless to say, with the lingering jet lag from my Europe trip and the fact that I was running on three hours of sleep and I had just spent five hours in traffic (on a road that would’ve been fine if I was MOVING) I was a bit loopy and cranky. I felt hungover, beat up. Like I did back in the drug days on the third day of a three-day run. Then, something magical happened.
My fans came out and that room just had the amazing comedy club electricity that comes when people are scrunched together in a small basement comedy room. The sets were sizzling. There’s was riffing and big bits and crowd work and weirdness. Sometimes I forget that I am and always have been a club comic and I know how to do that shit.
I would definitely go back to San Diego. I really don’t have any sense of the city but I had great shows and some of the best sushi in my life. Seriously. In my life. At a place called Azuki Sushi Café. I mean, I would go back just for that fish. Three grades of fatty tuna. Are you fucking kidding me? It might be worth the mercury poisoning. It’s all about moderation.
I was thrilled to speak with Brené Brown. If you don’t know here from her TED talks or her books you can watch and read those but she has a Netflix special out now as well. I needed to talk to her. I’m having a bit of a rough time in the emotions department. You can listen to that today. On Thursday I have one the funniest talks I’ve done in a long time with comedian/actor Brian Callen. We go back but I didn’t know him that well. Good time. Great talks.
Enjoy!
Boomer lives!
Love,
Maron