California's comedy show sensation - Big Al's Big Ass Comedy Show - is coming to the Punch Line in Sacramento this Wednesday, September 29th, at 8:00 PM. And Michael O'Connell is coming with it.
O'Connell will join other comics such as Mike Bettencourt, Alex Fuchs and the show's creator himself, Al Gonzales, for a night of razor-sharp alternative comedy on the Punch Line stage.
Big Al's Big Ass Comedy Show has been a touring hit from one side of California to the next, regularly selling out venues and delighting crowds. The show completes its performance at the Improv in Hollywood tonight before heading back to Northern California.
The show originated in The Bay Area, is produced by the likeably funny Big Al Gonzales, and features the best in Latino/Alternative comedy. Big Al Gonzales has been doing comedy for 7 years. He has become a well know fixture in the Northern California comedy scene. He has appeared in commercials and local television. Big Al started out his comedy career doing improvisational comedy where his troupe (Big City Improv) was noted as Best Of The Bay 2002, after which he broke away and went solo, doing stand-up comedy.
Tickets are available online or at the Sacramento Punch Line box office.
Prepare yourself, Roseville! The Tommy T's alums are coming to your side of town to burn this mother down!
This Wednesday night (the 15th), I'll be reunited with two of my fellow finalists from the Tommy T's Finals championship round - Kristen Frisk and Willie Mac (we tried to get Joey Gonzalez as well to get the whole final four, but alas, he'll be out of town) - as we bring the funny to the Rose Room in old town Roseville.
Headlining for this show is the legendary Sac comic and comedy instructor, Del Van Dyke (also a Tommy T's alum), and a guest set will be coming from local Roseville comedian Brian Jagger. This is the second comedy showcase to go on at the Rose Room, and the first one nearly filled the house, so you might want to call ahead for a reservation.
The show starts at 8:00 PM and the cover is $5. If you do the math, that's only $1 per comedian! Wotta steal! It's going to be a great night of comedy and cocktails, and we'd all love to see you there. So drop in and let us entertain!
Heads up, Sac area peoples! I'll be on TV for a good cause on Labor Day!
I'll be on cam on the local broadcast of the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon on Monday, September 6th, between 3:30 PM and 5:00 PM on KQCA Channel 58. This'll be the final leg of the Telethon broadcast before sign-off, so it'll be crunch time to get those last dollars from helpful viewers. They've got me set up to do some comedy, and probably some on-mic other stuff. I'll find out when I get there for sure, but I'm up for whatever they've got for me.
I've been watching the Telethon my whole life (having MDA myself, in case you didn't know...), and have always wondered when I'd get my chance to get on the other side of the camera for the event. That time has come. So tune in and be a part of it...and take the opportunity to pick up the phone, pledge a little money, and help out a fantastic cause. I already can't thank you enough!
As of Wednesday the 21st, I'm outta here, Sac-Town. My two weeks in southern California begins, and what a trip this is gonna be. Movie stars, comedy and motivation! I'm in the middle of all the pre-trip prep (wondering if I'll get it all done in time) and wanted to fill y'all in on where I'll be and what's gonna be going down.
PART ONE: COMIC-CON
I'm not just a geek...I'm a professional one. No, seriously. My creative life before comedy was as a comic book writer. I've been going to Comic-Con International in San Diego for years, both to pimp my comic and just to check out the GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH. Seriously. If you're unfamiliar with this event, let me sum up.
Over 125,000 people show up for this 4-day convention (this year tickets sold out months in advance) and fill the ginormous San Diego Convention Center. What's inside that center? Sights like you wouldn't believe. When this convention first started, it was pretty much what its name implied - a convention about comic books. That's changed over the years to include the film industry, television, videogames, books, and just about anything that falls under the banner of "the popular arts". Hollywood has taken this thing over. I mean the REAL Hollywood, dude. Just a few of the people showing up this year? Bruce Willis. Sylvester Stallone. Jeff Bridges. Will Ferrell. Tine Fey. Seth Rogen. Michael Cera. Kevin Smith. That's just some of the movie people. TV's everywhere. Fan of the show "Community"? The whole cast will be there (Chevy included). This thing's become like a second Sundance. Studios show up to pitch their upcoming product directly to fans. It's amazing. You see big names like those above, yes, but even more fun is bumping into your favorite less famous (or formerly famous) celebs, who are much more accessible (as in, you can bump into them and chat while they're having a cigarette outside).
There are panels from morning to late at night, and next door, at the Marriott, there's even films showing all night long (for those people much younger than me who can do four days of this stuff on, like, zero sleep. I used to be that guy...). Every kind of merchandise you can imagine (and some you never thought of) is available for sale on the convention floor. Comic fans can meet and chat with their favorite artists and writers directly and get autographs and sketches. There are people walking around the place in costumes ranging from ridiculously good to brilliantly awful. Every kind of fan is represented and appeased here - film geeks, TV nerds, animation types, Trekkies, Star Wars die-hards, Twilight fanatics, (Lord of the) Ringers, Browncoats, etc, etc. It's a wall-to-wall senses-overloading carnival, and it's so worth the trip.
So me and my artist/homey Tim Watts are catching a plane and using our pro credentials to take in the whole thing. Should be a blast.
PART 2: COMEDY
As this is my first time back to southern Cal since starting comedy, I'm excited to FINALLY be able to get some SoCal stage time in! I'll be hitting the mic at the Comedy Store in La Jolla on Sunday night (the 25th) at 7:00 PM, and also at the Comedy Palace in San Diego on Tuesday (the 27th) at 8:00 PM. I've got some built-in audiences for both shows. Sunday night looks like it's going to be friends, as this is a return to San Diego for me (I lived there for almost 7 years). Old pals are coming and bringing friends, plus a Twitter fan of mine who's only seen me on YouTube is going to make it and bring a group, too. Awesome! Whereas Tuesday night is going to be family, as my folks are going to be in San Diego on that day, and they, my step-sis and all her family are coming out to catch the Palace performance. Big fun all around. Cool.
PART 3: TONY ROBBINS!
On Wednesday the 28th, I'll be catching a ride with my folks to Long Beach, where they'll be dropping me off at my hotel. Starting the next day, I'm then going to be spending four days attending one of Tony Robbins' seminars. Yeah, THAT Tony Robbins! Tony read my Quest Magazine interview online and got in touch with me through Twitter. He told me how much he enjoyed the interview and asked if I wanted to be his guest at one of his seminars. Uh, you THINK? I'm a total Robbins nerd! I actually did the whole 30-day Personal Power program a couple years back. I'm a huge fan of his stuff, and now I'm actually getting to go to one of these things live! And as the big man's GUEST, no less! Woo hoo!
So I'm planning to come back really, really motivated, so you might want to stay away from me for a few days after I return, as I may annoy the hell out of you trying to tell you how you can achieve your dreams. Oh, but after that, I'll still find you and tell you...
So yeah...big trip! Lots of good stuff. I'll write about the whole thing when I return, but before I left, just wanted to let you all know where I'll be. If you're in the San Diego area on the 25th or 27th, drop in to one of the clubs listed above and check out the show! As for you Sac fans - see y'all when I'm back! Hold the fort down while I'm gone. For those of you not from Sac, that wasn't a cliche...we actually have a fort here...
Anybody remember that Bowling for Soup song, "The Girl All the Bad Guys Want"? I came across that the other day. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's basically the story of a not-so-cool guy who's in love with a cool bad-girl chick. She, of course, is just into guys who drive Trans-Ams and have mustaches. It's an uphill battle for our hero.
This got me to thinking of a different story. What if this was the tale, instead, of a "cooler" guy who fell in love with a geek girl? Same basic set-up, but he'd be shut out of her world for his lack of nerd knowledge and ability to speak fluent Klingon. Instead of being blocked by muscle-bound fratboys, he would, instead, be losing her to Jedi-loving fanboys.
I wanted to hear this song. So I wrote it. Over the top of BfS's original song, of course.
These things usually go better if you play the song along while you're reading the lyrics, so I recommend using the handy video below.
THE GIRL ALL THE FANBOYS WANT by Michael O'Connell (by way of Bowling for Soup)
Coffee shop, Monday night, and I’m waitin’
To finally talk to a girl who seems so different than me
Her name is Nona, she’s a Trekkie with a com badge
She is a Browncoat but I’m not quite sure what that means
And when she walks
All the wind blows and the wood elves sing
But she doesn’t notice me
‘Cause she’s watchin’ X-Men
Creamin’ over Twilight
Listenin’ to Warp 11
Transporters in her eyes
It’s like a bad movie
Like SyFy produced me
If you were me then you’d be
Screamin’ “Greedo shoot me”
My roll fails miserably
Tryin’ to get the girl all the fanboys want
‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want
She likes B5, I like How I Met Your Mother
Her PS3 is rockin’ Final Fantasy all night long
She writes fan fiction about Legolas and Frodo
I tried to read it but it’s just disturbing and wrong
And when she walks
All the wind blows and the wood elves sing
But she’ll never notice me
‘Cause she’s watching X-Men
Creaming over Twilight
Listening to Warp 11
Transporters in her eyes
She likes ‘em with a goth look
Readin’ comic books
She’s a Klingon dude fan
Does a Bat’leth make a man?
It’s like a bad movie
Like SyFy produced me
If you were me then you’d be
Screamin’ “Greedo shoot me”
My roll fails miserably
Tryin’ to get the girl all the fanboys want
And she’s the girl all the fanboys want
And she’s the girl all the fanboys want
And she’s the girl all the fanboys want
There she goes again
A corset on, and green dye in her hair
She’ll be my Rogue if this goes like I planned it
All I want is just to be her Gambit
Now I’m watching X-Men
Trying to read the Twilight
Listenin’ to Warp 11
Transporters in my eyes
I don’t have a goth look
And I ain’t read no comic books
But I know what soap is…soap is…soap is…
It’s like a bad movie
Like SyFy produced me
If you were me then you’d be
Screamin’ “Greedo shoot me”
My roll fails miserably
Tryin’ to get the girl all the fanboys want
‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want
‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want
‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want
‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want
(Boldly go again)
‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want
‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want
(Boldly go again)
‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want
‘Cause she’s the girl all the fanboys want
So on June 11th, Sacramento comedian Keith Lowell Jensen posted on his Facebook page that he's heading down to San Francisco to go see Bobby Slayton play at Punchline, and wanted to know if anyone wanted to join him. I wished I could have, but I was fresh out of the hospital. So I commented on his note, telling him to say "hi" to Bobby for me, as, you know, Bobby and I go waaaaay back.
That night I got a voicemail from Keith, from there at the show. He said that Bobby had just finished his first set, had just gotten off stage, and was all hyped up. Keith had stopped him as he came down and said, "Hey, Michael O'Connell said to say hi."
Bobby, quite loudly (and if you've experienced Bobby Slayton, you can hear the voice in your head right now), said, "Who the $#@% is Michael O'Connell?"
Keith answered, "Uh, you worked with him a couple of weeks ago, wheelchair comedian...?"
Bobby then replied, just as loudly, "Oh, yeah! I #&%@ing LOVE that guy!"
One of the many perks of wheelchair comedy, folks. They may not remember the name, but they always remember the chair. Hear endeth the lesson.
Man, it has been a long week of promotion for the MDA event. Flyer posting, emailing, blogging, phone-calling, and dealing with radio, TV, newspapers, etc. It was a lot of fun, but it's nice to be able to just kick back and relax on a sunny Saturday without running through a checklist of contacts needed to be made. So I'm blogging this on my laptop on my patio, enjoying both the gorgeous weather AND the second cigar that the MDA gang gave to me at the show. I am officially in chill mode.
Thought I'd put up some links to the other media that happened over the week, besides this "Insight" radio interview I already linked for you. Let's take a look, shall we?
There were two articles on SacramentoComedy.com about the event. The first came out about an hour before the Bobby Slayton news went down. So a second follow-up article went up about the Slayton stuff.
Always a big fan of SacramentoComedy.com, and big thanks to Steve Bloom over there for the coverage. This is always your best place to head to to find out what's happening in the Sac comedy world. Well, there and this blog, of course...
I'll go ahead and repost the link here to my "Insight" radio interview, just to keep everything in one handy place. Again, host Jeffrey Callison and all the folks down at Capitol Public Radio (KXJX 90.9 FM) made the whole thing a lot of fun to do, and were awesome to get me on there so quick to pimp the event. Thanks again, guys. Sorry we didn't get the Bobby Slayton news until AFTER your show wrapped. :) My interview is the last segment on the show, so it's about 37 minutes in.
My second radio interview was done with the show "Radio Parallax" on KDVS 90.3. I met the show's host, Doug Everett, at the Will Durst show at the Crest, and he took my card and said he wanted to follow up with me to come on and do some comedy talk. When he heard me on the "Insight" show, he gave me a call and wanted to know if I wanted to come on his show and plug the Tommy T's event. Uh, you THINK? Funny side story - my comedy partner Vladimir and Doug are good friends, and Vladimir has been on Parallax several times as he's their official aviation correspondent. And yet, Doug and I met and then hooked up for an interview, all without realizing we both knew Vladimir. Great of Doug to throw this together for me! Sounds like I'll be going back on Parallax to chat with him for longer pretty soon, so I'll keep you posted.
My interview is about three minutes long, and starts at about the 11 minute mark. Go to the link, look for show #415, and you'll want segment #1 there. You can either click on it and listen to it right there in the browser, or right-click on it and choose "save link as" and save the MP3 file to your hard drive, or you can click on the "iTunes" button on the left-hand side of the screen. If you choose the latter, your iTunes software will come up and take you to a list of Parallax podcasts. You'll want to go to the 5/27/10 show and listen to/download "Segment A".
Now this is pretty exciting stuff to me. Quest Magazine has been on my radar since I was a kid, since this is the official Magazine of the MDA. I still get it in the mail. After my comedy stuff started and word started getting around the national MDA office about me, Bill Norman called me up (after getting my info from the local MDA office) and asked if they could do an interview with me. This one's about me and not about the event, but it posted online the day after the event so they added a blurb about it at the end.
That's it for now. If TMZ starts following me around, I'll be sure to link you up on that when it goes down. Why can't these people give me a moment's peace?! And why did they have to publish my cottage cheese bikini pics?!
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