Does Reading Matter?

I was reading in the most recent copy of Emory Magazine about how the "bookworm" is a vanishing species.

Apparently there is a recent study which indicates that the willing consumption of fiction, drama, and poetry has declined 10 percent or 20 million readers between 1982 and 2002. One of the important questions asked in the study is what happens when the common themes presented in reading materials and people lose some of the context for engagement in society. How this will impact on the children in school today, students who have a tremendous amount of opportunity to undertake activities other than reading, is a question that bears some exploration.

I wonder whether or not this will have an impact on the way in which comedians think about developing material. Most of us rely on particular common reference points, but if those common points are limited to things that are simply in the broadcast media, then I wonder if that makes developing some kinds of material harder.

Just a thought.

An Article About Comedians Who Write....

I found this article and thought it was interesting, maybe you will too.

Stand up and be counted.

George Lopez Gets A New Kidney....

I read on CNN's website that George Lopez got a new kidney from his wife.

Anyone who has ever pursued comedy while in a serious relationship knows how important it is to be supported in that decision by the people you care about.

As a happily married man, I can tell you that the support I get from my wife is invaluable. Nonetheless, I am sure that were she ever to give me a kidney there might be a time or two when she brought it up in conversation. "Oh sure, I can give you a kidney, but you can't go over to my parent's house."

We hope that George and his wife recupperate quickly.

An Irrelevant Agent?

While I did not expect to have any of the prospective NFL players that I am working with drafted today, it still would have been nice to have been surprised. I don't know that we'll see any activity tomorrow either, which is unfortunate because they are some really great guys. We'll see what happens when the street free agents get active.

The last player chosen any particular draft year is called "Mr. Irrelevant."

Safeminds....

Jerry Farber and I are doing a gig on Sunday night for SafeMinds, which is an organization that is very active in the fight to protect children.

We were involved in some Thimerosal cases, and my wife and I have chosen to ensure that our children receive vaccines which are only thimerosal free.

If you are uncertain about whether or not your children are exposed to vaccines containing thimerosal, I would encourage to spend a few minutes getting up to speed on the issue to ensure that you are making educated medical decisions.

Jerry and I are performing at Ray's on the River.

Bobby Slayton...

I always enjoy talking with Bobby Slayton. He has such great insight to share about comedy and the history of the industry.

He is with us through Sunday night. His bio refers to him as the "pit bull" of comedy, but his bark is really worse than his bite in my view.

Special K and Maria Borgio are doing a great job of supporting Bobby.

Saturday Night....

It has been a couple of busy days once again.

Thursday night I had the opportunity to spend some time with Dave Attell and Lewis Black. Lewis was in town to play the Roxy and Dave was playing the Tabernacle. Like many comedy clubs, we to are seeing certain acts either play concert venues exclusively or mixing concert dates in with the club dates.

I believe that we will see both Dave and Lewis back in our club before too long, each expressed an interest in coming back through the club. In point of fact, this Roxy date with Lewis was originally planned for the club.

Last night I visited with Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, and Zach Galifianakis - the whole show was hosted by David Anthony. The whole show was held at The Earl here in Atlanta and is part of their "Comedians of Comedy" tour. I believe that they are pretty much exclusively playing small rock clubs, which is interesting if only because the audience stands for the entire show. Now, it's not really if only interesting, but also interesting because they are all comedians who seem to thrive in the small rock club environment.

A Couple of Schedule Changes....

For a variety of reasons we have made a couple of schedule changes.

Lisa Ann Walter is taking the place of Jon Reep who has moved one week later to the place previously held by Paul Mercurio.

Arnez J. is going to make his Punchline debut in the spot that was to have been filed by Mitch Hedberg. I still can get over that fact that Mitch is gone. Though I suppose that he will live forever so long as people are listening to his material. Take a minute to read what Josh Sneed has to say about it. His take is as good as any.

Sunday Night....

Having a great time at the club tonight.

Shubert has been great all weekend. Grabs you from the moment he hits the stage and doesn't let you go.

Claude Shires has been enjoyable to watch, and a treat to hang out with in the green room between sets.

Both guys are on their way back to LA for auditions in the morning and we wish them well.

We are in the middle of the second show tonight and Special K, Big Rome, Scotty K, and Earthquake are just simply tearing the stage up.

They will all be back tomorrow night, so I hope that you consider coming by to check it out.

Earthquake...

Earthquake will be taping his new HBO special in a few days. He will be working out the material for the last time at the club this Sunday and Monday.

I don't know if you've ever been a part of the final creative process, but this might be a good opportunity to see what the process looks like up close...

Jimmy Shubert...

There are times when I wish that the people who come to the club could all hang out after the show and spend time with the comedians. Shubert is one of those comics who just shines in groups of two and three. His material is terrific and I learn something new each time I get to see him perform.

But it is when you spend time with him off stage that you really see how much is cut from the cloth of the old school entertainers.

Pat Dixon at The Ugly Mug...

Pat Dixon is at The Ugly Mug Saturday night as part of The Punchline Neighborhood Comedy Series.

I am working with Pat and really looking forward to it.

We hope to see you there.

Forty-Four Cents a Mile.....

Alright, there is some serious neglect going on with this blog.

I have been away from any computer for since last Friday and as a result have let a bit of dust gather here on the old blogaroo. As it happens we are driving back from Naples this evening and I am standing here in the lobby of the roadside motel taking a moment or two to catch up. I bet the place heading southbound has both highspeed and a chair....

It turns out that piling three children under the age of five in to any vehicle that doesn't have wings is an idea that looks much better on paper. Not that the kids haven't done a great job of it - 300+ miles in five hours is not too shabby if I don't say so myself.

I have always enjoyed road trips, not necessarily of the variety these boys are taking, but I enjoy them nonetheless. I learned today from the back of a trailer that you can earn forty-four cents per mile if you drive for certain companies. I also learned today that you would be under compensated if that included crying children.

Where In The World Is Jamie?

So when I last posted, it was Thursday night and we had just received word that Mitch Hedberg had passed. The following morning I took off for San Francisco where I attended a one day conference for the NFLPA. As many of you know I am an NFL agent in addition to my responsibilities at the club, in the law firm, and on the radio, and I will be off to Athens this weekend for Agent Day. The trip was a one day turn around, so I was on a red-eye back from California the same day. Somewhere over the Rockies, while I was sleeping, I think someone dripped a flu bug in my drink and I have spent the last several days flat on my back. That's not entirely true because I spent a considerable amount of time both hunched over and excusing my dog from the bathroom, so I guess it wasn't all flat on my back.

Today, however, I am once again healthy and have returned to posting.

I hope that you'll come by this week and check out DiPaolo. He's a little twisted in his own way, but gentle and funny as well. A little bit like your big brother - he loves you, but he still is going to wail on you now and again.

See you soon.