Episode 298.5 - Sklarbro County 204

[Kevin Bartelt 87]

Comedian Mike Lawrence talks to Randy and Jason about the importance of taking a stance as a comedian. They also discuss interviewing losers of a ping pong tournament, "Finding the Funny" and Mike writing for "Inside Amy Schumer." Daniel Van Kirk brings a County Story of a woman who fell for a police department's obvious online trap. Plus, Stone Cold Steve Austin drops by and endorses Hillary Clinton.

[OrigamiMami 395]

I'm liking this Mike Lawrence guy more and more!

 

It came up early in the ep, that a couple folks walked during the Sklars recent outing. Which brings up the topic, that audiences today need to be read a Code of Conduct, before each show. The entertainer entertains, it is not the responsibility of the audience to have a voice during the show. Unless the comedian has specifically requested feedback.

Scary night in Tampa, when we went to see David Cross just a few nights ago. The show was in a theatre, not a bar. The theatre sells alcohol, which in any other town isn't a problem, but this is Tampa. Florida.

David started about 15 minutes late, I assume it was because the liquor sales line was extremely long. No opener, just David. Early in David's set he notices there are empty seats in the front row, and invites people to move up and fill in. A couple people do, and David is pleased. Ten minutes later an usher comes up to the couple and bounces them back. David stops the show, because he realizes the usher has pulled the audience's attention. The usher explains to David that the rightful owners of the seats have arrived. The rightful owners walk up, and they are both holding drinks. David remarks to them that they interrupted the show because they had to get drinks, and now he has to explain the joke he was setting up to them.

David continues on with his set, and periodically a drunk woman is yelling out arguments to David. David is hoping that maybe he can mine some gold from the drunken woman, but he can't because the woman is not clever. She is only negating what he is saying. The woman should have been removed. David marches on, a few minutes later the woman again is yelling nonsense, and now throws her drink towards the stage. Only she was about 20-25 rows back, so it splatters the audience. Finally the theatre removes her. But that is not the end.

If you know how David works, you know how he leans on topics. His topics turn to election year issues. A joke about Trump, a couple minutes about Cruz, and the entire row/section behind us stands up and walks out. That would be the second row. That's about 6 people that stood up together, and walked out. You know what? They handled it correctly. The show wasn't their cup of tea, and they walked. David didn't say anything. That was a tidy sum of money (2nd row seats) that walked. It made me think, "how did this group of people spend that amount of money, and NOT know how a David Cross gig is going to go?" He has plenty of recorded stand-up. The guy has been around a long time. I can't blame alcohol for them walking, they are just baseline ignorant of the entertainer they invested in watching.

David continues on. Things get scary.

"FREEDOM ISN'T FREE, KILL YOUR IDOLS, THE LAST ONE IS THE RECLUSE!" Is just part of a screed that is hollered out from the 2nd or 3rd level. David now stops, because the words aren't attached to what is going on in the show. But he wants to know what the guy just yelled. Again, "FREEDOM ISN'T FREE, KILL YOUR IDOLS, THE LAST ONE IS THE RECLUSE!"

Supposedly people in the area begin to scurry to the exits, this was hostile stuff this guy was yelling. Not sure if David's wife was there, but a woman (who I assumed to be his wife) came from backstage, and stood far to the side, but at the side of where David was. Another woman, this time a staff member of the theatre also took a position just to the side. David then announced that there was a finish to the joke he was telling, but he wasn't going to finish, and that people can hear the ending in his next special that was filming in a few days.

He tells one last joke, says "good night"and takes a picture of the audience. In that picture is also a low mounted clock. He was probably ending the show ten minutes earlier than usual. He steps off to the side, the house lights stay off, which means he's coming right back out. Most of the crowd is heading out the door. We stay at our seats.

David comes out, tells one last joke to an exiting crowd. He's not coming back to the Tampa Bay area ever again. You blew it alcohol, you blew it Tampa. This is why we can't have nice things.

The audience is not the show.

http://www.tampabay....e-straz/2273620

Edited April 20, 2016 by Origami Mami