Monday, June 21, 2010

Discounted tickets for Mahatma Moses Comedy tour shows

There is a discount code for the Mahatma Moses Comedy Tour shows. Use code "MMCT10" to get $10 tickets for any of the 3 upcoming shows. This code can only be redeemed when booking on the phone or at the door, can't be applied to online ticket purchases. (see Comment below for deets)

The tour: http://www.mahatma-moses.com/tour.html

To buy tix ahead of time with the discount, here's how you contact the venues:
(6/28) SF Punch Line: 415.397.7573 (Tue-Sun: 3pm-6pm)
(6/29) The New Parish, Oakland: Email info@thenewparish.com
(7/11) Sacramento Punch Line: 916.925.8500 (Wed-Sat: 1pm-6pm, Sun: 3pm-6pm)

Sunday, June 20, 2010

After Show @ COBO Thu Jun 17 2010

A very interesting night at COBO this. First the Lakers v/s Celtics NBA Finals Game 7 was on, so we decided to wait for the game to finish. Some in the crowd were praying for Lakers, some in the crowd were praying for Celtics, the comedians were all praying for "no overtime!"

We finally begin the show an hour late, with due updates to the comedy fans, most of whom were pretty content to sit and watch the game. While the comedy show was on there were a few vocal non-comedy-audience members at the bar blaring their vocal chords, it's something we are getting used to and frustrated about - more and more - at the same time. We did our part of asking them to soften their decibels, but some drunks have the attention span of a goldfish, others...the attitude of a shark. This Thursday was different though, because when our number 3 comic was up, the friend of comic number 4 duly walked up to the chirpy and got one group to shut up and the other to leave.

The comic number 3 finished his performance and I was back up, as the host and got the impulse to say "Before I bring up your next comedian (turned to the comedian) and sorry to bring you up this way but (back to the audience) I wanna give a special round of applause to the friend because ever so often there is a group of people that just don't respect the fact that there's a show going on, and that there is a comedian up on stage and that there are people wanting to listen to the comedian. We as producers of the show try to politely ask them to....umm....shut the fuck up. Not every show organiser does. But today, here is a lady who has the balls to walk up to the trouble makers and ask them to....umm....shut the fuck up. A lot of audiences make faces and groan and some have sagely words of advice of what to do; today for the first time in my comedic life I have seen an audience member walk the talk (turned to the friend) so thank you very much."

The audience lets out a roar, I let out a smile, and the show goes on...

Friday, May 7, 2010

After Show @ COBO Thu May 6 2010

After last night's show spent time chatting to a French husband + American wife. The French guy knew of the French company I work for. He was surprised that I knew of his southern France town of Toulouse....thanks football! The American wife lived there for 7 years, struggled to get a permanent job, decided to move back. Discovered that France is one of the most socialized countries with up to 19% sales tax. 35 hour work weeks with 2 hour lunch breaks and "what's the hurry" mindset (sounds like Pune). Back in the US, she had foot surgery (
bunions), a limp in her walk, and was fired from the Art Gallery because her limp did not fit in with the Gallery's image. We parted ways with an assurance of "we will definitely be back!" from both parties.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

10 differences between a wife and a motorcycle

10. A motorcycle may pose real-life dangereous situations all the time but it will never pose a hypothetical question

9. When you take your motorcycle to the shop it doesn't buy every accessory that fits on it

8. A motorcycle never complains that you never spend enough time with it

7. When your friends and you go group riding, other people look at you and think - how fun!

6. You can ride your motorcycle anytime you want

5. You have to wear a lot more stuff - helmet, gloves, boots, jacket and pants - to ride a motorcycle safely

4. You don't mind someone else riding your motorcycle as long as they don't damage it

3. It's not a fetish to ride your motorcyle with your friend

2. Having multiple motorcycles is neither condemned nor unlawful

1. A motorcycle wont read your blog and frown at you.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

31st Dec 2009 - A nought to remember

Indians love arts, especially arts like music and dance and theater, because those arts require skill and talent and practice. Comedy, that's easy. A comedian simply walks up on stage and talks. How hard can that be! Indians are very adept at talking endlessly, especially when someone else is. Have you ever tried to moderate a verbal exchange of words involving Indians? If you haven't had the opportunity, invite some Indians over, moderate a game of Mafia, and don't forget to take a Valtrex pill for the Cold Sores & Hearpes. According to a recent study the decibel levels in Mumbai local trains are higher than those of a Jet engine, so when a Mumbaikar appears on stage, the warm and welcoming Indians will go out of their way to make you feel at home...through the entire stay.

Dec 31, 2009, 8pm-ish, I walk into the India Community Center (ICC) for the New Years Eve celebrations. 450-odd people walking in and out the banquet hall, helping themselves to food and drinks. I walk in, check with the sound guy, discuss the logistics with the light guy, and inquire the sequence of events with my point of contact at which point I discover that I am the first act of the evening and have the added little unimportant responsibility of introducing myself. I barter to introduce the next (also last) act of the evening in return for one of the dancers introducing me. Chaos...check!

8.30pm, the scheduled start of entertainment, the actual start of dinner. Late...check!

9.00pm, decide to start to make it possible for the 2nd act - the bollywood dance group, to perform and leave and make it to their next Indian event of the night a little less late.

An unsettled crowd, people walking in and out of the banquet hall with food in one hand and kids in the other, people sitting around tables eating dinner, having their little dinner conversations. Breach of contract term "all food/cleaning services are halted prior to and during the performance & that the crowd/audience is settled down for the start of the performance"...CHECK!

A quick short introduction prompts me on stage, the hall lights still on, the light guy, omnipresent, except in the light booth. As I take to the stage a cursory glance from bird's eye view reveals a noise-maker toy in the hands of a kid sitting in an adults lap on the front tables, back tables proving the power of the Indian dinner conversations to top amplified vocals, and noise maker in the hands and mouth of what seemed like an adult homo-sapien. Chaos reigning supreme...check!

A few quick cheers and a quick request...futile...move on. Jump into crowd-work, talk to random tables across the banquet hall to grab some attention and get people to take some notice. Futile. Keep trying. Slip in a joke. Notice some people listening. Appreciate them loudly and distinctly. I finish the first joke-bit, accompanied by beeps-background-music by the party-hardy homo-sapien, and chorus sounds of soothing conversations! Another quick request...futile...the show must go on!

I timed myself, during the show and the video review afterwards - 20 minutes of "the show must go on" mantra. This one particular adult homo-sapien with a noise maker in his mouth, that grabbed all my undivided attention right at the start, and regularly throughtout the 20 minutes, and also managed to coax a few quick requests to...oh well, at about the 20 minute mark appears on a table a few rows ahead of his original table, perhaps disappointed that he didn't grab my undivided attention earlier. At which point I, for lack of a better term, lost it and supported by the minority asked the well behaved man to shut the ffffffff (managed to keep the rest of the word in me and out of the phrase!) up or get out. A different minority was not so supportive and let their displeasure be known, for lack of better alternatives, in sounds.

Apologies to the organizers for cutting short, apologies and thanks to the attentive minority, an introduction of the next act and off the stage I go. My immediate instinct was to post my frustration online, but restrained myself.

In my head I kept debating the pros and cons of posting a piece of my mind and jeopardizing my relationship and prospect for future shows with the ICC. Just before the start of the event, the organizers and I decided to meet the following week to discuss some ideas for more shows at ICC. I, for the past entire year, having consciously worked towards identifying suitable comics for Indian masses, was worried about burning the bridge before a stone was laid. Well, after losing it on stage, I possibly burnt it already, but what bothered me is how small inactions of individuals contributed to the big fiasco of the night.

Where were the organizers when the over-enthusiastic noise-maker was completely out of control, and according to my watch, they had 20 minutes, by which point I figured I am left to fend for myself, and I did. Then, there was another gentleman with words of advice afterwards "You should have stayed calm. Now ICC will have to bear the brunt." How saintly?! Was it really that difficult for this calm and sensible man to walk up to the noisemaker and enlighten him with some words of wisdom?! Was it really that difficult for any one of those that were enjoying, to verbalize their discord with their neighboring tables? One person walked up two tables to ask me to move out of their line of vision when I stopped over to talk to the "you-should-have-stayed-calm" saint, but where was Mr. Maximus earlier? There were so many people there who could have done something, anything, to try to make a difference, but did nothing. Then we, as a people, complain, "What can I do, the problem is with the system". That's how every problem is dealt with - raise your hands, sit back and complain about how we are so powerless to affect a change in the system, thereby contributing to strengthen the system.

During my trip to Mumbai, during a number of cab rides, the cabbie would spit on the road, and all my sis and I did was come home and complain about how disgusting it is. Until one day I uttered "Why do you spit? Not good." to one cabbie who didn’t feel the urge for the rest of the hour-long journey. Not a heroic deed by any means, but thoroughly satisfying.

Now, I had the choice to either push everything under the carpet, act like it was all ok, and try to be pally with the ICC OR lay it all out on the table and work with them towards improving the system. Not sure if I made the right choice but it sure is thoroughly satisfying!

Friday, January 1, 2010

May 2010 be the...

May 2010 be the year where you find food on your table, wheels moving you around, spare change in your pockets and something funny, every day.

May 2010 be the year where you find reasons to do things instead of excuses to not do them (and may that reason not be "because I had nothing better to do")

May 2010 be the year where you don't find time but make time for things you want to do.

May 2010 be the year of good actions and not just good intentions.

May 2010 be the year where you travel to atleast one place you've never been before.

May 2010 be the year where you do atleast one of those things that you have been wanting to for a very long time.

May 2010 be the year where you don't find the time or energy to complain about how unjust the world is because you are too busy making a difference.

May 2010 be the year where you realize that nobody in this world is trying to hold you back and that you are nobody.

May 2010 be the month where you find a reason to celebrate. If you have nothing better to celebrate, and find (or can excuse yourself) for some time, and your intention is to do something fun, make a difference in celebrating my birthday, even if you have never been to one before or have been meaning to for a long time but just been holding yourself back.