I'll just never forget this
moment. I held onto the credit card I was handing to
the cashier for just a couple seconds too long as I
heard my mother in my conscience telling me
I couldn't afford this. It was December 1998, and
I had absolutely no business putting over $1000 on my
credit card (which would end up being 1/10th of the
cost of the act) to buy 4 televisions for an act that
I just thought was a "good idea".
But there I was, at Sun TV on
Morse Road... actually doing it. Suspiciously that
week someone would attempt to break into my apartment
'cause hmmm, they knew I had 4 TVs there. They didn't
succeed and the rest is history. And here we are
again. It all started yesterday, thanks to Damon
Wayans.
The Tavis Smiley crew asked if
I could do another tape-sync (where I record
the interviewee while they do a phone interview - and
then mix it together so it sounds in-studio) for the
great Damon Wayans. I actually saw him at the Ha-Ha
not too long ago, and of course - In Living Color? Are
you kidding? So it was great to be able to sit with
him for a bit. Of course I'm in the midst of this hell
career-wise, personally and just couldn't be more
lost. I hear him talking in the interview about
stand-up and it does kinda hit me. I've never really
done it. I mean, I did 4tvs at stand-up clubs but
it was an event, a showcase - like a play almost.
There was no "open-mic" night with 4tvs. It's a
massive set-up.
But as we sat there, I just
wanted to find a way... and also a way to do it
my way. Call it a gimmick, but the truth of the
matter is I like NEW stuff. I like "outside the box".
It's not a crutch, it's an attempt to do stuff that
hasn't been done before. But I was succumbing to the
fact that I may just have to do a normal routine,
telling stories and whatnot - just to make those
connections and branch out. I didn't know how, didn't
know what my take would be, but I knew I had to do
this.
Damon was awesome as expected...
the laugh is just golden. As I did with Mark Wahlberg
in 2008, I use my video camera to capture the audio
digitally, but end up just showing the floor or
something. So here's our feet:
Heh, TMZ eat your heart out.
(rolling eyes) this will never be a celeb site.
They're all co-workers to me and people to be
respected and inspired by... not gawked at.
So this morning, I was at the
Hungry Fox (favorite breakfast place out here) with
M****
explaining how 4tvs came to be and I explained
that I originally thought about walking onstage
with one of those "new flatscreens" and talking to it
and singing a song. It came and went as I immediately
thought of 4 being onstage so I could do an entire
song with 5 parts. I knew the flatscreens were too
expensive anyway - and the cabling would make it very
difficult to pull off trying to hold it.
As I was telling her this, it just
slapped me across the face: iPad. We're finally to
that moment, over 10 years later, where this is
completely feasible. I said it out loud: "I could hold
an iPad... the device itself is a draw - but I could
do an entire routine..." and then the wheels started
turning. I was worthless the rest of the meal. And
this time, it didn't take a month for me to make the
leap. Not when you're 34. No at this age? There isn't
one second to be cautious. Get the idea? GO. GO. GO.
GO. GO.
I went to godaddy the SECOND we
got back and got the domain, TheiPadComic.com
- and that was it. I had to buy an iPad. Was I really
doing this? <Gulp>
And now I wait. And pray someone
doesn't beat me to the punch. I do have one thing
going for me though: The Egos. I've been talking to
myself in TVs since the friggin' mid-90s. The
characters are defined and set, and I can move the
iPad around and include all of them without having to
have 4 iPads since I can hold it. It's just, well
hopefully, perfect timing.
They don't ship until June 14th,
so this baby is LOOOOOOOOOOOOOCKED until I get the
first bit up probably at the end of next month. Sucks
having to wait, but these are suddenly in high demand
again. Still a bit apprehensive of course. Talk about
something I just don't need, that just goes on my
home equity line, that just puts me deeper and deeper
in the hole...
...but for the first time in so
goddamned long people? I feel alive. See it in the
video?
Scheming. A twinkle of hope.
Christ, what a wretched, wretched year... and one that
I have hope of turning around now. Please let this
save my 2010.
Hell, please let it save The
Journey. No pressure or anything.
