Bonjour, Everyone.
Very tired. Flying home from the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. Woke up at 4:30 to get a 5:00 car after sleeping three hours on a stomach full of amazing food from Liverpool House with my managers, Kelly and David. A steak with a slab of blue cheese laying on top, chocolate cake, panna cotta, raspberry mousse. Damn. That was after a croque monsieur and profiteroles at lunch with Kelly. Damn again. Great food in Montreal.
I guess I have to sugar detox again.
The car didn’t show. Panicked. Took a cab. Bill Burr was in line behind me at the airport. His current manager and my old one, Dave Becky, was already in the lounge. We had some good laughs, good back-in-the-day comedian stories, music talk. This is when the actual relaxed and normal conversations happen at the festival. Beat up and tired at the gate and on the flight after days of running around doing shows and eating.
I stressed myself out before going to the festival. I had to host a gala. It was booked two and a half years ago. I had two solo shows to do as well in a small place. I tracked the stress to some kind of PTSD. I’ve been going to the festival since 1995. First as a guy with a mic for Comedy Central. I was a comic but I was nowhere. Over the years I watched my peers become huge and I became at times bitter but always hanging in. Then everything changed. I’ve landed on my feet. I’m my own comic. The residue of stress from years past activated and tweaked me.
All it took was one show to snap me back into myself. I stopped by the theater where the gala would be to have a look and hung out a bit with Patton who was hosting the night before me. They shot them in a new venue this year. I had done a few as a guest over the years and it used to be in a 3500-seater. This place was 1200. Perfect. As soon as I got in there and checked it out I knew it would be good.
The gala was FUN. I said it. FUN. Don’t tell anyone.
I also did a spot on Jimmy Carr’s show at midnight one night which was FUN.
I saw a lot of friends and had some laughs and, again, ate great food. Had good shows. I reconfigured my memories of being there in the past to highlight hanging with comics over the years. Being part of it and evolving into an old comic with less panic, anger, compulsion, FOMO. Good trip.
Today I talk to Neil Gaiman about his work and life and his new Sandman series on Netflix. Thursday I talk to James Acaster about doing comedy, depression, mics, cords and performance. Great talks.
Enjoy!
Boomer, Monkey and LaFonda live!
Love,
Maron
Don't Tell Anyone.
