Must Have Got Lost

Must Have Got Lost                       4612  (462)

Sunday, May 7, 2006-1:36 P.M.

Good morning, or afternoon as you may call it (I just woke up), and glad tidings today in the form of my weekend report from Niagara Falls, and the House of Comedy.

We had one show each night on Friday and Saturday, and I was accompanied each night by opener Ray Salah.  Ray's worked the club before, and it's nice not having to make the jaunt by myself, even though it's only a paltry 90 minute drive.

We left good 'n' early on Friday, expecting to get in early and enjoy a 50% discounted meal at in-house restaurant Jack Tanner's, except my directions were rendered useless by road construction, and I wound up driving through the butterfly conservatory and the Maple Leaf Village before I could actually find the AmeriCana Hotel (where HOC and J.T's are located).  We still had enough time to choke down dinner, and started the show just a little after 9:00 P.M. (the club's actual starting time) for the 40 stalwarts who showed up rather than watch the Sabres/Senators hockey game, which by all accounts was quite exciting, going into overtime and finally being won by the Sabres 7-6.

Ray did a great job, and then I hit the stage and did my usual prairie fire show, going off in all directions instead of being focused and delivering my material.  Truth to tell, I started out in that fashion, but didn't stick with the program because the audience just wasn't giving me back what I wanted, namely laughter and acceptance.  I finished strong, and we drove back to Rochester, or actually I drove back to Rochester, and Ray fell into a deep, Snow White-like sleep.

Saturday, I did yard work most of the afternoon, one of the benefits of playing close to home, and we headed out to Niagara Falls around 6:00 P.M., this time, bound and determined to get to the club nice 'n' early.  As we hit the New York State Thruway, I noticed a van in front of me with a bunch of bumper stickers, and I had to get close enough to read them.  One of them said "PatDuffy.Net," and Pat Duffy, I recognized, is another comic from Rochester, one of the youngsters just starting out, and I remembered that I tried to book him this week to host at the Comix Cafe, but he indicated that he wasn't available because he was working out of town with another local comic, Danny Liberto.  I jockeyed myself next to them in the passing lane and told Ray to visually identify them, and sure as shit, it was them!  I grabbed my cell phone and started a prank.

I called Pat on his cell phone, and he picked up.  "Pat!"  I cried.  "Our feature act at the Comix Cafe cancelled, and I need a middle.  It pays $200!  Can you do it?"

Pat sounded like I told him Christmas was canceled.  "Oh no!  I can't do it, I'm already working tonight!  I'm heading to Niagara Falls, and I'm halfway there!"

"Bullshit, you're not halfway there, I'm right in front of you, fucker, you just got on the Thruway!  Watch, I'm gonna roll my window down and stick my arm out!"  I rolled the window down, gave a wave, and Duffy knew he was bitched!  It was a mild prank, but fun nonetheless.  The four of us exchanged pleasantries, and we were on our way, Dan and Pat to the American side of Niagara Falls, and Ray and myself to the Canadian side.

We wound up missing the exit to the Rainbow bridge, and instead headed all the way to the Whirlpool bridge, and drove again through the butterfly conservatory and Maple Leaf Village.  We arrived an hour early and ate at Jack Tanner's again, but with a slightly smaller margin of time.

We were joined onstage by Marc Sinodinos, a Canadian comic who filled the middle spot, and Terry Parker, a headliner who came in and did a (25 minute) guest spot.  We all kept the audience rolling and had a good comraderie, even though the show was longer than a Stevie Wonder Grammy acceptance speech.

Before the show, I was still in a prankish mood, and I decided to jab Marc a little bit.  We'd worked together last year at a gig in Sherkston Shores, a resort area in Ontario.  The day before, Tony Gigliotti, the manager of the club, mentioned that Marc was coming in because he was dating Kendra, one of the cocktail servers at the club.  I wound up standing next to Marc and I said, "Kendra's gonna make a lot of money tonight, and she's gonna do us all!"  He didn't say anything, but went over to her and started whispering in her ear, and I called him over and let him know that I was in on the "secret" that they were dating, and that I was razzing him.  He was gonna try to have her kiss him as he dipped her to bust my chops, but I got to him first.  It was more light-hearted razzing, which is part of the comedy business that I enjoy.

The show was full-up, with a big bachelorette group in attendance, and I made the most of working them into the show, and there was one tense moment when a loud table-talker (drunk) in the back of the room was shouted down by another show guest who told him (loudly), "Why don't you go home?"  A few people in the room thought that it was being shouted toward me in some sort of anti-American way, as relations between the U.S. and Canada have been strained the last few years.  I worked through it with humor, and finished my set, and afterwards sold CD's, took pictures with guests and shook hands, my favorite part of the evening.

We got back across the border and stopped at the casino to do the currency exchange and were delighted to see that the Canadian dollar was trading at 88.5 cents on the U.S. dollar, an increase since the last time I visited the Great White North.  We then headed toward Buffalo to find something to eat, and wound up driving up and down all the roads around the Boulevard Mall, only to find the usual crappy chain open...AppleBee's, Tully's and the like.  We settled on a Greek diner where the service was polite but excruciatingly slow.  We got back into Rochester after 3:00 A.M., and I dropped Ray off, went home, and slept the sleep of the damned.

I have two days to ready myself for the big trip back to North Dakota, which I'm not looking forward to...26 hours one way to Williston, North Dakota.  I'm gonna make some money this weekend, but not much...$3.00 a gallon gas is gonna kick the hell out of my profit margin.  Still, it's a new room in Minot, and I'm looking forward to it.  Minot's a college town, and I'm wondering if being so close to graduation is going to affect our attendance this week.  Still, I'll make the most of it.

The next time I check in, I'll be in North Dakota.  See you then.

Ralph Tetta

Rochester, NY