This is a picture of my new pool table. I won it as a prize at an open mic on Monday. And then at another open mic on Tuesday, there were free donuts. Comedy pays!
Random Thought
I lost a friend recently. We were about the same age. His name is Brian and he’ll be missed. We weren’t super tight but we grew up around the same social circles. I have a lot of memories of parties and fun hangs and in a lot of them, he’s a fixture. This is going all the way back to high school. That’s over 25 years of traversing the same social circles. And just like that, he’s gone. My age.
I recently wrote in this newsletter that a hard thing about the 30’s was dealing with the death of parents, not my parents, but just parents in general. It was just a thing that started happening with more regularity in that decade. I just turned 40 and now I worry that the next trend will be losing people in my age group. I’m not ready. I’m scared. And this isn’t a selfish, “I don’t wanna die,” thing. We all got it coming and I know that. I just don’t wanna look back into memories in my mind and keep coming across bright characters, the kind who lit up rooms, who are no longer here to bless our lives with their presence.
I didn’t know Brian super well. But I did know this, he hung with a lot of the same people I hung with dating back to high school. We were all outcasts and weirdos and unique and fucking awesome. Brian was as unique as they came. He didn’t have a style that you could easily classify him with. He was that dude walking down Bergenline Ave. blasting Tori Amos out of a boombox. Who does that? Brian, that’s who.
You’ll be missed. Rooms will be less bright going forward.
Movies I Watched Recently
The Irishman
Finally got around to this one and it was worth it. I enjoyed this movie a whole bunch. I’m not gonna throw any hyperbole on it and say it’s my new favorite Scorcese flick, but it’s way solid.
There’s so much solid acting in this. It’s like an acting Olympics. The cast is out of this world and deliver so hard.
I also dig the semi-history lesson we’re getting along the way about Jimmy Hoffa and those times.
There’s a certain sadness to this movie and I don’t wanna spoil anything, but just something about watching people age and seeing the wear and tear of life on everything. It takes a toll but it’s an important message.
I have no complaints about how long this movie is. Did I pause it a couple times? Yes. But I think all the complaining I heard about the length of this movie is a symptom of the times we live in. We’re all so distracted and unable to focus on any one thing for very long. It’s like you get Zen Buddhist monk cred if you’re able to sit through a 3+ hour movie without pausing nowadays (ready to receive my ‘OK Boomer,’ now).
TV shows I’m currently watching
King of the Hill
Caught a solid episode where Peggy spanks a kid in a class she’s substituting (and the kid was being a jerk and asking for it) but she gets in trouble and loses her job for it because you can’t do that, duh. But then Hank’s dad and his VFW buddies use their connections to get her job back and she gets this reputation for being a hard ass and she leans into it and starts ruling her classroom with fear. She eventually realizes that’s not who she wants to be and reverses course and stops indulging in the hard ass persona that’s been bestowed onto her. It’s a real morality play. On the surface it seems to be about substitute teaching but really it’s about all of us. I dig that shit.
Book I’m Currently Reading:
Acid For the Children / Flea
This has been a great book so far. It’s been a real joy to read about Flea’s adventures as a youth and the weird characters he meets along the way. I’ve gotten to the part where he meets Anthony Kiedis and it’s very emotional and honest and open and sorta adorable.
A thing that’s sticking with me is his relationship with his father figures, his actual birth father and his step father. Both aren’t perfect but he seems to acknowledge that and is able to try to see the good in both and show gratitude for what relationships he does have with both of them. As a dude who also went through the dad and stepdad routine, it connects pretty hard.
So I guess you can say this book is kinda hitting me on an emo level.
Album(s) of the week
Beach Slang /The Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City
This album feels like a low-fi garage rocker all the way through. Nothing super heavy going on, but it still sorta rocks. There’s no synthesizers, no nonsense, just solid song structure and nothing that will bore you.
I’m not absolutely fanatical about this album but it’s good and I think you should give it one spin to see if you like it. I think this band has heart and it shows and that’s my favorite characteristic a band can have in all of rock and roll.
Random sports thought of the week
Even baseball cheating scandals are boring.
Also, Go Titans! They are the feel good, upstart underdog team of the NFL playoffs.
Random pro wrestling thought of the week:
NXT UK’s Takeover this past weekend was a phenomenal show. Devlin vs. Bate was match of the night and should probably already get some consideration for match of the year. Holy shit, it was everything I ever want in a pro wrestling match. They just fully delivered and left me wanting nothing else. They could’ve ended the card after that match and I would’ve felt fulfilled as a fan (glad they didn’t though).
Weekly Top 5 List: Top 5 Inductees into the 2020 Rock and Roll HOF
1- Nine Inch Nails
2- The Doobie Brothers
3- Whitney Houston
4- The Notorious B.I.G.
5- Depeche Mode
There’s six inductees this year so I only left out one, T. Rex. I don’t get T. Rex. The only song I know is the one about banging a gong and getting it on. And hey, it’s a pretty cool song, but I just like the above five artists better.
And don’t come at me sideways about hip hop and r&b being considered in the “rock and roll” hall of fame. It is what it is and if they’re gonna be there, I’m gonna tell you 10 times out of 10 Whitney is cooler than T. Rex.
Motivational Quote
“Running opened up something beautiful in my life. I try to send the energy all over my body. I love the feeling of it.” - Flea
Okay, so this quote might not seem motivational for everyone. But I like to run and it’s always awesome to see a musician or artist I admire who’s also into it. It sorta reinforces my motivation to keep doing it. So if you don’t run, think of something you love to do that makes you feel better about yourself and think about all the people out there who also do it and also get the same joy out of it. Kinda an awesome thing to think about.
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@joshaintfunny
If you haven’t seen it yet, please go to Youtube and give my 40th birthday comedy set a spin, and while you’re at it, a like and a comment would be appreciated and goes a long way as well. If you’re feeling really crazy, hit subscribe… no pressure.
Upcoming Shows
Fri, Jan 17th, 8:30pm
Sat, Jan 18th, 3pm
2pm-5pm (I’ll be on the 3pm hour)
Bond Street Bar, Asbury Park, NJ
Sun, Jan 19th, 9pm
I’ll be guest hosting the mixed mic I used to regularly host for their anniversary show. Should be a blast! All types of performers welcome.
Wild Rover Pub
7103 Park Ave, Guttenberg, NJ
Further down the road, we have the next installment of the Hell Yea! Comedy Show on Fri, Feb 7th. Another dope flyer. Another dope line up.