6/4/2014 0 Comments In BetweenThe last time I saw Barenaked Ladies in concert (the band, the BAND. Ugh, perv.) they were performing at the White River Amphitheatre on a hot summer’s evening, in full view of Mt. Rainier. And they asked the simple question: “Does the Pacific Northwest have its own immigration policy? Because we don’t understand why EVERYONE doesn’t live here.” And it’s so true. When I was back in Seattle for two weeks, I couldn’t for the life of me understand why I left. Seattle on a summer day is perfection. I was back in Seattle to perform my standup comedy show Halfrican! that I’ll take it to South Africa this summer. At least, that was my excuse. In the two weeks I was in the Emerald City, I was seeing friends and old co-workers and enjoying the summer weather. Diva Espresso – my old employer – was AWESOME and let me come back and pick up some shifts while I was in town. As an actor in between jobs, I pounced on that opportunity. And I was pleased to find out that being a barista is like riding a bike: the skills come back quickly, but you might be a little sore the next day. It was great to see the familiar faces of all the folks I used to serve coffee to, and it was nice to briefly catch up as I made them a drink or two. The excuse for my trip to Seattle went pretty well. The first night of Halfrican! was sold out, which is AWESOME, but unfortunately, the sold-out audience saw my weaker performance. It was the first time I’d ever done the show as a whole in front of an audience, and it was . . . well, shaky, to say the least. It was really helpful to see what worked and what CLEARLY didn’t, and I was able to make a few adjustments for the Saturday show. I’m still working on the show as a whole for when I take it to the National Arts Festival in South Africa next month (WHAT? THAT’S NEXT MONTH?!), making adjustments here and there. So a huge thank you to that awesome audience who stuck through the jokes that didn’t work and laughed anyway . . . I’m super excited to head off to South Africa, but I’m not gonna lie – I’m so sad to leave Seattle. This is one of the most beautiful cities on EARTH. I would say that Cape Town and Seattle are tied for the two most beautiful cities in the world. To be fair, I’ve only seen a fraction of the world’s cities, but out of those that I’ve seen, CT and SEA are tied for the top prize. (And please, if you have contenders, post them below . . .)
Please be in touch – especially as I’m so itinerant right now, the chances that I’m in your neck’o’the’woods is particularly high. So please say hi! Cheers!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Matthew Stuart Jackson
Actor, writer, comedian, cat-lover, scratched-dvd-hater, and aspiring helicopter pirate. Archives
July 2014
Categories |