More road, Folks.
Columbus, Indianapolis and Louisville. Boom.
I don’t know what I’m getting into out there unless I’ve been there before.
I had been to Columbus many years ago. I believe I did a Funnybone back in the day. It was in a mall and I remember you could see free movies at the theaters there if you were the comic. I remember the dressing room was connected to the stage. I remember the sound system was good. That’s it. I may have been there another time but I have no recollection. Cities become a blur as years pass.
This time, we were at The Southern Theatre and it was one of the sweetest venues I’ve ever played. Beautiful old place. Built in 1894. The sound was perfect. It was literally connected to the hotel we were staying at. It seats around 900. I got about 600 in there which was just right. The third balcony was only partially full but it was almost part of the ceiling so it was fine. The riffing begins.
I have a history with Indianapolis. I’ve been going there since I started working as a comic. Years ago a couple named Chic and Patty owned the downtown club and the Broad Ripple club and a bar in town. I remember they used to put us up in a furnished apartment in what seemed like some kind of large halfway house. I remember seeing police lines over doors twice. The downtown room was narrow and difficult and there were three shows on a Saturday. The Broad Ripple club was suburban and had a pretty good sound system. It was later owned by a woman who’s old, hunched over, cranky father would drive us to the Bob and Tom Show at six in the morning for radio. They always had food there. Chick McGee was always hilarious.
This time we were at the Egyptian Room at Old National Centre. It’s a huge ballroom that was seated for a show. Ballrooms have a different energy than theatres and the stage was very wide. It turned out to be a fun show. I riffed a lot of weird shit. The crowd was great.
I have been to Louisville once or twice in the past but I have no recollection of anything other than vague legal mistakes made in a motel room and being told over and over how to pronounce the name of the city correctly.
This time we were at The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts Bomhard Theatre. A 500 seater. Truly perfect. Modern. Tiered. Sweet sound. I did a two hour show. I continued the heavy riffage. Took it pretty far out. Brought it back in.
There were plenty of late-night eating horrors. I have to start putting dinner in my rider. Scrambling at 11 to find food in small cities can get challenging. Both in the finding and the eating. You can hear one tale of sad late-night food in the bonus content for Full Maron WTF+ members tomorrow.
Lara Beitz did a great job featuring for me on all the shows and we had fun driving and eating and talking and recording some of the talking.
Today I talk to Sam Quinones about his devastating but engaging new book, The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth. Important stuff. Patton Oswalt returns on Thursday to catch up. It’s been years and he has a big movie coming out.
Enjoy!
Boomer, Monkey and LaFonda live!
Love,
Maron
