You Keep getting Up

I've gone two years now without any work. I used to be a stand-up comedian until my son was born. I realized then that I can no longer do this type of work in these types of venues and be a good dad.

My act was about sex, drugs, alcohol, violence and insanity and I lived everything I talked about. I was working in clubs entertaining a bunch of drunk twenty-five year olds who don't even respect themselves, much less anyone else. It took having a baby to realize that. If I'm going to raise my son right, I've got to get right first. Now, I walk a different path.

It happened in Madison, WI. I was the headliner and being introduced by the MC when it hit me, after twenty years in this business, I'm still working comedy clubs for drunk twenty-five year olds who don't respect what I do.

By the time I hit the stage, everything it takes to be a professional comedian had left me; my attitude, my drive, my willpower, my timing; everything was gone. And it didn't come back. And because of it I got a bad report and my agent, who I had been loyal to for twenty years, dropped me like a hot potato. He sent an e-mail telling me I was dropped and not to call or write back. So much for loyalty.

Not wanting to work these types of venues for these kinds of people and for these kinds of agents any longer, I decided to write a clean act and start doing Christian comedy.  I thought it would be an easy transistion, but it has been anything but. I've sent out e-mails, postcards, letters; I've called churches and all I've gotten in return is rude comments and e-mails from preachers telling me how wrong it is.

They don't realize that Christian comedy just like Christian rock is a great way to reach the youth. I wonder why some of these people became preachers in the first place.

But, still I'm trying. If I quit now I will never know if I could have made it or not. Every time I try I get knocked down. Then I remembered what my dad once told me, "It's not how many times you fall that counts. It's how many times you get up."

I'm getting up one more time.

BC