The "Comedians with Disabilities Act" Hits San Francisco Punch Line 02/01/2011!

With their sold-out debut performance behind them, the "Comedians with Disabilities Act" is bringing their "special" brand of humor to the Punch Line Comedy Club in San Francisco on Tuesday, February 1st, at 8:00 PM.

The trio of Eric Mee (sight-impaired), Steve Danner (little person) and Michael O'Connell (wheelchair) will be rocking the Bay for one night only, joined by special guest Nina G, San Francisco's renowned stuttering comedienne, and producer/host Keith Lowell Jensen of the heralded "Coexist? Comedy Tour".  Covered in print (The Sacramento Bee), on radio (Capital Public Radio's "Insight") and on television (CW31's Good Day Sacramento), the comedy group is about to storm the San Francisco media, and plans to drop another standing-room-only performance on the California comedy world.

"There's a big difference between laughing at someone with a disability and laughing with them," says O'Connell, the show's headliner.  "We have a great time poking fun at our disabilities, at ourselves, at the absurd and hilarious things that happen to us in our lives.  And even at each other.  And we invite the audience in on the joke with us.  While we're there to make people laugh, we also give the crowd a chance to look inside our worlds and learn a few things they wouldn't have otherwise known.  There are a lot of things people don't know about disabilities just because they don't happen to know anyone with a disability.  After our show, they feel like they do."

Tickets are on sale through LiveNation or half-priced through Goldstar.  While tickets are also available at the box office, advance purchase is recommended.

The Punch Line Comedy Club

444 Battery Street

(Between Washington and Clay)

San Francisco, CA 94111

415-397-PLSF

Spend an evening with the "Comedians with Disabilities Act" and find out what happens when adversity meets hilarity.

2010 - My Year in Comedy

So...THAT was a good year...

2010 is now behind, 2011 stands ahead, waiting with promises of new adventures, new surprises and new people.  But before I start the major forging ahead, I thought I'd pause to take a look back - via musical photo slideshow - at my year in comedy in 2010.

And let me apologize to all the people who should have been in this thing that may not have made the cut.  I put together a timeline of photos that did a pretty good job covering the whole 2010 experience, and then realized I had right about twice as many photos as I could actually fit with one song.  My choices were to either make a video with two songs (which is not kind to ask people to sit through) or make the painful decisions and create the best map of my comedy year I could in the time available.  Had to go with pain.  But it breaks down the month by month pretty good.  I do now, though, want to make another video that's just photos of me with people, because it's the people - fans, friends, family, fellow comics, the occasional famous person - that made 2010 the most exciting and fulfilling year of my life to date.  I will get around to that dedication, f'sho.

Maybe after LA.  And San Francisco.  :)

Please take a little time travelin' trip with me (and that's high quality video, so go ahead and use the option to view full screen for best watching), and if you were in any way a part of it with me (whether you pop up on this video or not), thanks for everything.  And let's do it again...all 2011 long!

'Ello, LA! Michael O'Connell one night only in LA on Tuesday, 1/11!

Say "hello" to Hollywood.

Well, to Burbank, at least.

LA peoples, you will be able to find me perched upon a stage at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank on Tuesday night, January 11th, at 8pm.  I'll be appearing a part of "Bobbie Oliver's Too Funny Tuesdays", a show hosted by the lovely and hysterically talented Sally Mullins, and will be rocking it SoCal-style for one night only.  Not two nights...ONE!

I, with a selection of LA's finest comics, will be doing the funny for your delight.  Drinks will pour, lines will be punched, a good time will be had by all.  Not some...ALL!

Tickets for the show are $15.00.  If you're a fan and plan to be in the house, please contact me directly about getting tickets from me, either via Facebook or by email at michael@michaeloconnell.com.  Please feel free to spread this news far and wide to friends, family and Farmville buddies in the LA area, as I'd love to meet them all.  I do hope you can make it out yourself!

Again, that's:

Flappers Comedy Club

102 East Magnolia 

Burbank, CA 91502

818 845 9721

And Happy New Year to all.  No wait, not all...ONE!  No, "all" was right in that case, wasn't it?

 (Click flyer for larger view)

2010 Tweetrospective

I noticed another comedian or two ending the year by putting a selection of their tweets from 2010 in their blogs.  While this at first seemed redundant, I recently read some disturbing statistics on how few of one's tweets actually get seen.  Since there's a good chance that someone reading a copy-n-pasted tweet of mine here is reading it for the first time, I figured I might as well get in on this.

So here's a (wide) selection of my tweeting from the past year.  If you don't speak Twitter and therefore don't know what hashtags or trending topics are, some of it may confuse you, but I think you'll muddle through okay.  And if you feel, after reading all this, you (for some reason) want to read even MORE stuff I write, feel free to use the link at the right to click your way to my Twitter page and follow me.

Let the nostalgic tweetfest begin.  And in case I don't get to say it before the big ball drops, Happy New Year everybody, and thanks for a fantastic and fun year.

*************************************

Fact of the day : If you say the words 'beer can' in a British accent, it sounds like you're saying 'bacon' in a Jamaican accent.

Is it Kardashians or Cardassians? Which are the Star Trek aliens and which are the whores again?

"And bay-bay...talk dirty to AAAAGGHHHH!!" That was my impression of Bret Michaels' brain hemorrhage.


I can't decide whether to watch "Nine", "9", or "The Nines" tonight. Solution: Watching Blake Edwards' "10".

If my toilet was the stone and my plunger was Excalibur, tonight I would have become king.

If you ever meet Eddie Vedder? Don't call him "daughter". He just doesn't like that.

I just had Lasagna and German Chocolate cake. If I'd have had sushi, too, I'd have had the whole Axis.

10 years ago today the final Peanuts strip was published. Knowing the internet, I'm sure the characters live on in erotic fan fiction.

Winter Olympic sport I want to see introduced: Urinary Penmanship. Obviously the men would have an advantage in this event...

Had to get a pulmonary function test done at UCD Med Center today. So I spent the afternoon doing what all comics avoid: sucking and blowing

The problem I have with these rest stops on I-5 is that there's no charge for the gay sex. It's a free exchange. That smacks of socialism.

I have string cheese, microwave rice and frozen dinners. I live like my mom went out of town and left me food I couldn't screw up.

Michael Jackson totally molested children! Am I right? (This is what comedian writer's block looks like).

Where have all the flowers gone? Seriously...where the $#@% are they? What are they planning? I've seen "The Happening", dammit!

For the record? I'm an Ultimate Lover, not an Ultimate Fighter.

I'm smoking a cigar that my grandmother bought me in Mexico. I'm hoping if I'm really good she'll bring back some black tar heroin next time.

Have you ever wanted to slap a song in the mouth and revel in its look of shock and betrayal?

King Kong...ain't got NUTHIN on me! So since you lack any clear evidence, I think I'm done answering your questions, Detective Kong.

Dear internet: if you pluralize one more word by use of an apostrophe, I swear they'll find your body in the #$%$ desert. Thank you.

This is so weird. I just saw a movie where Michael Cera wears a hoodie.

I wish one of my junior high friends was here to see what I was watching and say, "Pssh! More like 'Nick & Nora's Infinite GAYlist'!"

Whenever I see the clock hit 12:34, I always feel like yelling out "1, 2, 3, *4*!" and jamming out a power chord.

Netflix says if I like "The Road", then I'll also like "Cider House Rules". Were there cannibals in "Cider House Rules"?

This one time? At MDA camp?

I'm watching a DVD on how to inject myself with this medication. It's like a Video Professor course for junkies.

I like it when basketball commentators talk about "dribble penetration". Because I'm twelve.

Awesome iPod moment: music on shuffle, My Chemical Romance's "I'm Not Okay" followed directly by Styx's "I'm Okay". I heart life.

Pet peeve: drinking games created by people who understand neither drinking games nor drinking.

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah...blah blah blah blah blah blah blah...blah blah blah blah blah blah ST. EL-MOS FI-EE-YUH...

Crowd chants at prison b-ball games: "Here we go, car thieves, here we go (clap clap)!" "Here we go, rapists, here we go (clap clap)!"

”All humanity is passion; without passion, religion, history, novels, art would be ineffectual.” Honoré de Balzac. (snicker...."Balzac"...)

In socialist countries, is it called an "ourPhone"?

Why comedy is better than my old job: in comedy, my job is to say all the things that would have gotten me sent to HR in my old job.

"If it feels nice, don't think twice" - James Taylor (helping the spread of venereal disease for over 40 years)

Do vuvulezas make you horny, baby? Do they?

There are key similarities between Conan's prayer to Crom in "Conan" and Cerrano's prayer to Jobu in "Major League".

Wow! There's a new Goo Goo Dolls song out?! I could SO not give a $#@%!

Facebook just recommended that if I like "Twin Peaks", I might also like "Twin Peaks". (?). That's a statement worthy of Lynch.

Did anyone hear that? It sounded like the wind whispered "Mary". That was weird.

I'm shaving. That announcement was for all the Twitter/Facebook haters out there who ask "Why would I care to know if someone's shaving?!"

I hope you have a big trunk, 'cause I'm puttin' my wheelchair in it.

Yo momma so wonderful, you should buy her roses and a gift card for a day spa. #yomommajokefail

Yo momma in such good shape, she don't look a day over thirty-five. #yomommajokefail

In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. In the United Kingdom, the one-armed man drums for Def Leppard.

I've decided the Encore Action Channel is the male equivalent of the Lifetime Movie Network.

I've decided the new censor replacement for "sh*t" will be "A SyFy Original Movie". E.G.: "Holy [A Syfy Original Movie], I won!"

I just saw Michael Madsen punch James Woods in a Dolly Parton movie. You're KILLING me, Encore Networks...

"American Me" is the "Gone with the Wind" of prison rape films.

Do people in Kentucky snicker every time they see their state's abbreviation? They must just be in a good mood all day long.

Dwight Schrute is my ambassador of kwan.

I'm beginning to suspect that all of Madonna's songs are about intercourse.

I need to add Tyler Perry's "I Wonder When Satan's Coming to Collect that Soul From Me?" to my Netflix queue.

Ran into the same possum outside overnight. If he returns again tomorrow night, I will name him Two Socks.

Just playing the double rainbow video and had to turn down the volume, because it sounds like I'm watching porn.

I don't think "Radio" was acting. Based on his career choices, I'm starting to think Cuba Gooding Jr. is actually retarded.

Netflix streaming now on iPhone. I'll miss you, bathroom reading...

"The Situation" and Bristol Palin both on Dancing with the Stars? Suck it, America haters. This country is AWEsome!

I just brushed my teeth with sunglasses on. Don't think I've ever done that before. I shall write of this in my diary.

"Smurfette? *I* smurfed her! Ohhhh!" -- Andrew Dice Smurf

"Transformer blew? He needed the money....OHHHHhhhhh!" - Optimus Dice Clay

Know how I know you're straight? You like Nickelback. #KnowHowIKnowYoureStraight

Know how I know you're straight? Your jean shorts go down to your knees. To your knees!! #KnowHowIKnowYoureStraight

Know how I know you're straight? Two words: Golf Channel. #KnowHowIKnowYoureStraight

I just ate ice cream sitting in front of a laundromat. Don't think I've done that since I was about 8 years old. #PoorMansTimeTravel

Ever notice Jackson Browne starts playing whenever Jennifer Jason Leigh has sex?

THIS JUST IN: yo mama's so skinny, Bobby Brown slapped her and then said "Oh, sh**, I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else."

I've just thought up a super-villain. He's half pig, half tree, all evil! Can our heroes face the terror of...Porky Pine?!

Good Oprah final season opener: "We're all going to Australia!". Great final season closer?: "We're all going to Hell!" - blows up studio.

One's a tribe of Israel. One's a folk singer. Together - they solve crimes! #SimeonAndGarfunkle

Left a ridiculously big tip for a haircut tonight because I showed up 5 minutes before they closed. I consider that "paying the douche tax".

"Will you repost this? 95% of people won't". Um...you ever consider if 95% won't, maybe they know something you don't?

I've decided that #@$%ing you like a vegetable or a mineral would be more likely to improve my bond w/my creator. #rockretractions

Just call my name. And I'll be somewhere else. #rockretractions

Stacy's mom is old. Ew. #rockretractions

Did you ever know that you're in no way a role model for me? #rockretractions

Now that I think about it, maybe it was the summer of '68. #rockretractions

Girls just prefer to do bland, uninteresting things that they don't find enjoyable. #rockretractions

I was not working as a waitress in a cocktail bar. That much is false. #rockretractions

Billy Jean? Okay, yeah. I actually did hit that. #rockretractions

The time has not yet come, Sister Christian. Please continue holding. Thank you. #rockretractions

After reconsidering, I've decided that rock and rolling all night and partying every day isn't my cup of tea. #rockretractions

You don't have what I need. And you've made it clear that your relationship with him is more than platonic. #rockretractions

Neither your mother nor your father are all right. And neither seems weird at all, actually. #rockretractions

You're not a rich girl. I had no idea your old man had fallen on such hard times. #rockretractions

Contrary to previous claims, I was actually born outside the borders of the United States. #rockretractions

I was mistaken, based on a typo. "Geese" is actually the word. #rockretractions

"Dude, it's not 'Pizza and Understanding'. It's 'Peace, Love and Understanding'. You thought the song was about pizza?" #DialogueIJustMadeUp

I get knocked down. But I get up again. Then I sue the guy who knocked me down, settle out of court, and retire to Fiji.

Now witness the power of this fully armed and operational adult contemporary station!

Do redneck androids dream of sexy electric sheep?

"Greed, for lack of a better word, leads to shitty ill-advised sequels."

I just watched six Vietnamese guys climb out of one BMW. So that's what the circus looks like in Saigon...

Hey, want to hear my impression of me eating at a Vietnamese restaurant? "Viet nom nom nom..." Thank you, Internet, good night!

I smell sex and candy here. #MarcyPlaygroundSongsAboutMichaelJacksonsBedroom #ImSoSorry

I'm off to shave. You can watch live on my web cam for just $1.99 per minute. Platinum members will have stubble mailed to them.

Know when to walk away. Know when to run. If there's no time for either, learn how to fake a seizure. That usually clears the room.

From a neuro-linguistic view, 4g phones are an easier sell than 3g phones because "4g" sounds like "orgy".

Sweet, it's a Cops "Grand Theft Auto" episode! That's almost as good as Shark Week!

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. But they don't outweigh yo momma. 'Cause yo momma so fat.

I'm envious of guys named Scott, so I'm founding my own country and naming it Mikeland.

Things TV has taught me: 1) All handicapped people work as computer hackers, 2) all gay people work at galleries.

"The cow says, 'AAAAAAAGGGGHHH!!!'". #SeeNSayPetaEdition

When captured by police, Randy Quaid tried to deny his identity by doing a Schwarzenegger voice & saying "My name is not Quaid!"

The Sting In My Pants #moviesinmypants

The Longest Yard In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Raise the Titanic In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Batman Begins In My Pants #moviesinmypants

The Battle of the Bulge In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Clear and Present Danger In My Pants #moviesinmypants

The Firm In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Glory In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Not Without My Daughter In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Gross Anatomy In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Hot Fuzz In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Lethal Weapon In My Pants #moviesinmypants

The Long Kiss Goodnight In My Pants #moviesinmypants

A Mighty Wind In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Outbreak In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Scent of a Woman In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Looking for Mr. Goodbar In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Searching for Bobby Fischer In My Pants #moviesinmypants

That Thing You Do In My Pants #moviesinmypants

Biggs: "Luke, at that speed you're not going to be able to pull out in time." Luke: "That's what SHE said..."

This evening I ate a Lunchables, drank chocolate milk, then took a nap. I'm back in kindergarten.

"The joker is the only foo' who'll do anything for you!" -- Mr. T singing Juice Newton at a karaoke bar.

"Oh, Vladimir Putin THIS somewhere tonight, baby..." #RussianFederationBedroomTalk

3 things better with the volume muted: CMT, Telemundo, the Star Wars prequels.

Best I can figure, George Lucas was molested somewhere between Empire and Jedi. Everything since 1980 has been a cry for help.

70s humor: "Fill it to the rim." "With Brim?" "AAAAAHHHH ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!"

I'm writing a new romantic comedy called "Sleepless 'N Cialis". Maybe "romantic" is the wrong word...

I just killed a mosquito by swatting it with the book "I Killed". #ironykicksass

Kid at the DMV mimed a gun & pretended to shoot out my tires. So I mimed a guy flipping off a kid at the DMV.

Drinking a Guinness and eating cookies. This is what snacktime is like for schoolchildren in Ireland, btw.

#rememberwhen you made that inevitable life transition from Tonka trucks to jerking off?

If you can read this, thank a teacher. iff u cn reed this thanck teh enturnett.

When I think about you, I sext myself...

There's a homeless guy wandering through my complex with a full garbage bag slung over his shoulder. I've named him Recession Santa.

I am Sarah McLachlan of the Clan McLachlan. I was born in 1518 in the village of Glenfinnan on the shores of Loch Shiel. And I am immortal.

"You down with AT&T? (Yeah you know me!)". #bandsellouts

"Light Beer right now. There is no other beer I want to drink". #bandsellouts

Passing Arco Arena on the way to the airport. It's so empty and quiet. It's like a Kings game is going on.

Just passed a sign for McGeorge law school, wondering if Spanish-speaking law students call it McJorge.

The two old ladies I rode with in the shuttle spent the whole drive talking about casinos. Slots are the new grandkids.

On a Super Shuttle headed home. Does this mean if we see any crime going down on the way we have to stop and fight it? #SaveUsSuperShuttle

The Boy in the Stryper Pajamas #FailedRockBandMovies

Hannah and her Twisted Sisters #FailedRockBandMovies

The Bridges of Megadeth County #FailedRockBandMovies

Faster Pussycat and the Furious #FailedRockBandMovies

Mr. Dio Goes to Washington #FailedRockBandMovies

The Bad English Patient #FailedRockBandMovies

Up in the Aerosmith #FailedRockBandMovies

Night of the Living Ranger #FailedRockBandMovies

Grateful Dead Man Walking #FailedRockBandMovies

Dokken Hollywood #FailedRockBandMovies

The Whitesnake Stuff #FailedRockBandMovies

The Who's Life Is It (Anyway?) #FailedRockBandMovies

Children of a Lesser Godsmack #FailedRockBandMovies

Saving Private Rihanna #FailedRockBandMovies

Cinderella #FailedRockBandMovies

I just got three stars on every level of Angry Birds! I'm like a f***ing Korean kid on this bitch! Woo!

Do teenage elves go to Rivendell High? #ElrondsPalJughead

"I will tumble for you. I will tumble for you. I will tumble for you, I will tumble for you." #MrDataKaraoke

The "Comedians with Disabilities Act" Sells Out Sacramento Debut!

The debut of the "Comedians with Disabilities Act" at the Sacramento Comedy Spot played to a sold-out, standing-room-only audience on Friday, November 26th, and was an undisputed hit.

When we first booked the date, we had some concerns about drawing a crowd.  That Friday was, after all, the day after Thanksgiving, so we figured a lot of people would be out of town or occupied with all their guests.  To make matters worse, that was also Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year, and countless thousands would be getting up before dawn to go line up outside stores all day in search of holiday bargains.  The odds were against us.

We kicked the odds' asses.

The media we managed to get - during a holiday week, no less - was a big factor.  First we pulled the radio interview with the three of us on Tuesday on Capital Public Radio's "Insight" show with Jeffrey Callison.  Then, the day of the show, we had the double TV/print whammy.  This was all Eric Mee.  First, the article on Eric Mee in the Sacramento Bee came out in the weekend "Ticket" magazine insert, both detailing his story and talking about that night's upcoming show.  Then Eric appeared on Good Day Sacramento on Channel 31 to push the show with morning TV viewers.  You never know how much of a difference this kind of stuff is going to make.  In our case, though, it was a big one.

We arrived at the Sacramento Comedy Spot just thinking we'd be happy if we could manage a half-full house.  Then we watched as more and more people started flooding in.  And these were not people I knew.  For all the Thanksgiving/shopping reasons mentioned above, most of my people were unable to attend.  Seven folks in my circle were able to make the scene.  The rest were all strangers to me, which is such a treat in comedy I can't tell you.  That's the vast majority of the house never having heard any of my material before.  That's comedian gold, folks.  Much of the draw was to see Eric after so much focus on his story, and I was extra pleased to see several canes and sight dogs with audience members entering the place.  Word had gotten out - Eric's people were, for a chance, getting some long overdue representation in comedy circles.

Quickly, we realized we had a sellout.  More chairs were brought out from the back to seat more people.  Those filled.  The last few people (including a relative of mine) who showed up bought their tickets and had to stand in the back of the room and watch the show.  And not a one of them complained.

Our producer, Keith Lowell Jensen, was the host for the show and got the crowd warmed up.  Then Steve Danner hit the stage and lit the place up.  As I said elsewhere, this whole thing really started because of my seeing Steve on stage for the first time a few months ago, and being blown away by his comedic talent.  He was true to form.  Steve slayed the crowd with his tales and observations, and being the kinetic performer that he is, never stopped moving for more than a couple of seconds during his whole set.  He was all over the stage, and the crowd loved him.

And then came Eric Mee.  Eric is the youngest of the three of us, at twenty-one, and is a cyclone of energy.  His natural and ever flowing comedic senses combined with brilliant physical comedy and blaring outbursts blew the place up.  The crowd adored him, and he worked them like a maestro.  Eric Mee's talent is raw, infectious and addictive, and it was a pleasure to see him work - since this was, it turns out, my first time to actually see him on stage.  Keith took my word on Steve's abilities since he'd never seen him live, and I did the same with Keith's glowing review of Eric.  We both ended up looking really, really smart.

I headlined the show, being the wily veteran of the group (I've been doing comedy a whole two months longer than Steve), and I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to have a warm-up like Steve and Eric.  Not just because of what great comedians they are (though that's a big part of it), but because one of the things I normally have to deal with in my comedy is getting the audience over their initial discomfort of the disability situation.  Some audiences never quite get over it, resulting in the occasional tepid set for me, and the frustration of knowing that the same material that killed two nights before didn't fly as well for this reason that's out of my control.  It didn't even occur to me until I hit the stage that night that that issue was moot.  They were ready for me, and for once, I could just kick back and do my thing without having to win them over first.  It was liberating.  I had a fantastic time with my set, made more fun by being able to slide in jokes about Steve and Eric, something we all ended up doing in our material without discussing it beforehand.  The crowd loved this, too.

So our inaugural show - our test run for this concept - turned out to be a smash.  We couldn't have asked for a better night.  We now know that people are ready and quite willing to laugh at the off-beat rantings of a little person, a blind kid and a wheelchair guy.  Our "laugh with us" instead of "laugh at us" concept seems like a winner, so it looks like the "Comedians with Disabilities Act" is here to stay.  We're already in talks for future bookings (announcement on one of those coming very soon), and have high hopes of turning our show into a tour.

So watch here for more details on the CDA, and make plans to catch our act yourself!  You may have seen comedy shows before, but I guarantee you, you haven't seen it done OUR way.  We'll see you there.

The "Comedians with Disabilties Act" this Friday at Sacramento Comedy Spot!

I think it was around March of this year when I went to check out the monthly open mic at Laughs Unlimited in Old Sac.  I hadn't realized you need to bring audience members to get stage time . I was still pretty new to comedy and didn't know the local ropes yet.  So I wouldn't be getting on stage there that night (good news is that now, months later, there's a cartoon of me, autographed by me, framed behind the bar at Laughs, so I did eventually make my mark there), but I wanted to check out the HUGE pile of comics that were fighting for mic time that night (I counted 24).  Some of them I knew from other open mics or from comedy shows I'd seen around town.  Others I was seeing for the first time.

Steve Danner was one of the latter.  Steve, a little person comedian, completely blew me away with his performance.  Great stage presence, crack comedy timing, fantastic writing.  I liked his work even more because he was doing a lot of what I was doing - talking about the thing that made me obviously different - and he was doing it so well, telling the truth from his experiences, not pandering or going for the obvious joke, and owning the crowd.  When you're a comic and you see another comic you really dig, the first thing you think is "Man, I totally have to work with that guy/gal".  That was my thought with Steve.  That was just because of his comedy skill.  But after that, it occurred to me that it'd be a really cool pairing if he and I did a show together due to both of us being "different" comedians.  I thought, further, that a show with a trio of us "special" people would be awesome and unique.  A title for the show even popped into my head - "The Special Needs Comedy Tour" - but I didn't go much further with it.  I didn't know of any other challenged local comics, save for a couple of NorCal wheelchair guys (neither of which I'd seen perform at the time), and I felt such a show should only have one wheelchair guy in it anyway.  I remember thinking at the time, "If only there was a blind comedian we could use...".

Cut to early fall.  I got a text from Keith Lowell Jensen.  He was at a comedy show, and had to let me know about this fantastic young comedian he'd just seen.  This comedian - Eric Mee - was blind.  And due to that, Keith got the idea that he wanted to put a show together with the two of us.

Oh, destiny.  How tasty you are.

I told Keith about Steve, and the rest fell into place, with Keith putting the show together and booking it for the Sacramento Comedy Spot.  My first time meeting Eric - a college student who lost his eyesight two and a half years ago when he was stabbed down by the river - was a couple of weeks ago when we all met at the Spot for our photo shoot with photographer Cynthia E. Jones.  I understood immediately why Keith liked him.  And his comedy skills were apparent just from chatting with him for a while.

So this Friday is the debut of the Comedians with Disabilities Act (my new title for the show that I liked better), and we're doing it at one of my favorite venues in town.  The media blitz is in full swing, even though we're competing with Thanksgiving.  The three of us did a radio interview together this morning on Capital Public Radio on their show "Insight", hosted by Jeffrey Callison.  You can listen to that show here:

Comedians with Disabilities Act on "Insight"

We close out the show, so our bit starts right at 39:00.  This Friday, the day of the show, is the double TV/print whammy.  First, Steve and Eric will be appearing to promote the show on Channel 31's Good Day Sacramento show (I won't be appearing because I just appeared on that show recently, and there's a rule about that), and the Sacramento Bee will be publishing a story on Eric that also plugs our CDA show.  We're hoping that the saturation brings in some Black Friday shoppers who are tired of fighting the malls and would like a little comedy to brighten up their day.

And we would love to see YOU there!  This should be a fantastic night of comedy, made more special (but the normal kind of "special") by the hosting of Keith Lowell Jensen.  The show info is as follows:

Earth's Best Comedy Show Presents:

The Comedians with Disabilities Act

8:00 PM

Sacramento Comedy Spot

1050 20th St.

Sacramento, CA 95811

916 444 3137

Tickets are $12.00 for the show, and you can use the link to buy your tickets in advance if you prefer.

Be sure to check the Bee on Friday, watch Good Day Sacramento, and come on down to 20th Street (between J and K) to see the show live!  WARNING:  all the good parking spots will be taken up by the performers.  HAH ha.

Meet the Press

I always meant to post up the scans of my Sacramento Bee article from back in April.  Never did.  I just remembered.  So here they are.  Click each for the bigger image.  Ah, the memories.