Mic 33 One More

Venue: Winchester

Host: Bryan Sternik and David Horning

Show: One More Joke 

Set Time: 1 Minute

There are certain rooms I have been in and shows I enjoy more than others and One More Joke hooked me from the beginning.

It is at the Winchester. To remind you, the Winchester is a theater bar that I saw great local bands at in my youth. Bands like Odd Girl Out with Anne E. DeChant and the Pagans. 

The place was cool. 

It still is. 

Bands, comedy, Bingo on Wednesdays and the same exact bathroom.

(This is a common theme in the Lakewood bars I go to, I somehow remember the bathrooms. The janky door setup at the 5 O'Clock — that if any door opens, no other one can. The Winchester’s blatant disregard for female privacy - the women's bathroom door opens to a major thoroughfare and the men's opens to a wall - Ridiculous!)

The front of the Winchester is an L-shaped bar and they frequently book a DJ or small band to capitalize on the space. But down the hall, past the girls bathroom is the theater where the magic happens.  Because of the set up, one minute mics with feature comedians doing 5 minute sets -  the room is filled with comedians and there are between 15–25 audience members.

A crowded room is fun. It can also be distracting, chit chat can escalate like it did tonight.  You can tell who the comedians listen for and to because they quiet down.  When you go on stage, silence is tough to bear but being ignored is excruciating.

Too much chatter is bad.

Tonight, I got to the room late and was not going to be able to go but Pope was a featured comedian yet he still put his name down on the list. So I quickly took Pope's 1 minute slot or should I say, he graciously gave it to me once he realized he was listed twice.

I want to stop and talk about the lists. 

The list is a line up and where you are on the list indicates when you will perform. The list is a handwritten chicken scratch assembly of comedian names next to numbers. Comedians change their minds, cross their names off and then other comedians move their name to another slot and then sometimes comedians are drunk or stupid or careless and put their name on more than once.

In addition to the list there is an unspoken celebrity/friend bro code that allows some people to walk into the room, catch the eye of the host, nod their head with the suttleness of a bidder at Barrett Jackson and they will get a slot without even putting their name on the list.

WHAT THE HOLY HELL?!

I am a list person. For the organization of it. For the procedural checking of things, for the order a list can create out of chaos. 

Comedians and toddlers might be the only groups of people who can disrupt a list so badly that it creates a "we are all in this together" mentality "strap in and let's see where this goes" ride.

The only problem with me getting on the list tonight is that the spot I took was right after Pope's 5 minute feature segment. 

I like going after features because I can give myself a 5 minute warning but going after Pope can come with some baggage. Pope is smart and fast on his feet and he takes his last conversation to the stage. I have seen him have a conversation and then take that conversation to the stage.  I try to be careful talking with him so I am not material.

I failed tonight because we had to chat about the slot. When Pope graciously gave me his 1 minute slot he said no problem because I was his favorite MILF. MILF is a Mom I'd like to F-word. Ridiculous. But tonight, forgetting who Pope was and how things work, when he called me a MILF. I corrected him, I am actually a GILF. Grandmother. If your going to mock, get it right. Especially if you are going to use it on stage. 

Somewhere towards the end of his set landed and made me laugh loud enough to be heard.  And he was like "Thank you older women" and pointed my way. I leaned into it. "You're welcome.”  "Oh, Missy, that was you. Missy, ladies and gentlemen — my favorite GILF."A lot has changed since I was in the bars in my 20s and 30s but the lack of personal boundaries, privacy and the inability to count and read are still constants.