Tulsa Time

Tulsa Time

Thursday, March 10, 2005-12:03 P.M.

Reporting from the Tulsa Comedy Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma; I'm working with the very talented Jim Dalaikis from Australia by way of New York City-he's my partner in crime this week at the comedy club.  I worked with Jim back when he was living in Syracuse and I was the GM of the Comix Cafe in Rochester; it's always nice when you are on the road and get to work with someone you know.

Yesterday and the day before, I hung out with my buddy Steve Burr from Rochester, NY in San Antonio...he came in a day early and we had lunch together and Steve even slept on the floor to save me from destroying my back and then making my eight hour drive to Tulsa.  Steve is one of the good guys in the business and really is doing the work necessary to become successful.  I have a lot of respect for him (plus, he saved me the money of a night's lodging at a hotel, even though I had to hear his incessant bitching about the floor, how drafty it was, etc., etc.).

My first show in Oklahoma was certainly an eye-opener; I went clean, because I thought the people of the Bible Belt would appreciate it, and come to find out, the dirtier material was the material they appreciated more.  Also, they like to interject....not heckle, just have a conversation.  I said something about Canada, and a woman identified herself as a Canadian transplant, but I think she spent enough time in the States to bleed all the Canadian decency and ettiquette out of her.  She was downright rude, and even walked up to the stage to speak to me during the show.  I was taken aback, but luckily the situation didn't escalate.

Just like San Antonio, I'm staying in a comedy condo, an apartment that the club rents out for the convenience of the out-of-town talent, and I'm none too impressed by the repair of the place.  The property itself is quite run down, and my bedroom contains only a bed and a TV stand, minus the TV.  It's the type of place they put you in temporarily before the Witness Relocation Program finds you your permanent residence.  I'm counting the hours until I get to return to my family, who I miss very much. 

On the upside, I sold a mess of my comedy CD's at the club last night, which takes the sting out of the substandard accomodations.  Not all problems can be solved with money, but in this case, it certainly makes the misery a little more tolerable.

Ralph Tetta
Rochester, NY