One More Cast

Fishing was a huge deal for myself during my younger years. My dad and I spent countless hours on the backroads of rural Swifton, AR casting into small creeks between rice fields in hopes of enticing a largemouth bass or two. I loved the thrill of catching fish and the time spent outdoors enjoying nature as much as the Yorkie sized mosquitoes would allow. I say thrill because reeling in a fighting fish is such a blast. I have friends who scoff at the idea of fishing because their few experiences were throwing out a bobber and waiting for a small panfish to nibble, often while being lectured by a grandparent. Yeah, that’s not fun, but constantly casting a lure that must stay in movement and getting ahold of a larger species is such pure fun. I can’t convince them to let me take them out and change their minds though. Can’t win them all. 

When I was a kid, video games were huge for me. I’ll never forget that 1994 Christmas when my parents brought home a Super Nintendo and I saw the starting map of Super Mario Brothers for the very first time. I had no idea what any of this meant but I wanted to investigate immediately. From there on the pixels had their hold on me. For me, fishing feels a whole lot like a real life video game. There’s so much trial and error, but when you accomplish your goal it feels so rewarding. I have not encountered Bowser at a lake yet but maybe I just haven’t made it to that level yet.

Another reason I love fishing is that I get in a flow state where I’m focused on this singular activity and time just slips by. I’m fully engrossed by what lures to use, what spots or techniques to try and I don’t even remotely consider checking my phone. This is huge in today’s app riddled social climate. Try to think of a time recently where you’ve spent time with people and not a single person pulled out their phone to check on something. Pretty difficult, right? I’m not trying to sound like Grandpa Brown over here but I love that I’ve found a pastime that totally unplugs me from the digital world for a moment. It’s such a nice mental vacation for the tired brain. I’m not concerned with finding meaning through red numbers or any of the related nonsense. Even if I don’t catch a single fish, the time outside away from screens is still a great time.

When I moved to a new city for college in 2008 I did stop fishing for a number of years. With my new busy schedule I just never even thought about it and was in a strange new urban landscape without rice fields. I started fishing again around 2018 and immediately fell in love again. I couldn’t believe that I had ever stopped and was back to spending countless hours on the water. I lived in Chicago at the time and would often try my luck on the shore of Lake Michigan. This wasn’t the muddy Arkansas water that I was used to and I had to learn new techniques. I learned that clear water fish in busy areas are a little more discerning than the backroads bass of my youth. I only caught baby Rainbow Trout and Rock Bass that season but loved every second of it.

I’m back home in Arkansas again now and fishing some of the same waters I started on. I do venture out to some new rivers like The Little Red to better learn Trout and keep my skills sharp. 

There’s some absolute beauty here in this state you just have to explore a bit.

Comedy Beginnings

To say that a show as silly as Conan O’Brien changed my life may seem absurd but it’s a true statement. After seeing Zach Galifianakis on TV I started keeping up with his doings. I’ll never forget him coming to play at a dive bar in Little Rock, AR that I was too young to attend. Seeing such incredible talent in an intimate setting would have been a dream, but location, location. I found it odd that he wasn’t performing on a proper stage at some sort of theatre but I was new to observing niche artforms. If you’re brave enough to try that in a small town you’ll have to contend with cheap beer and shot combos with wacky names being shouted over the thing you have devoted your existence to. 

In 2005 a short documentary “The Comedians of Comedy” came out. This happened during a time where our household once again did not have cable but luckily I was able to view it at a friend’s house. The film covered alternative comedians Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifianakis, Brian Posehn and Maria Bamford on a tour playing small indie rock clubs. I wasn’t aware of the others but knowing Zach was involved was enough for me to have to watch. 

My friend and I became obsessed with this movie! All of these people are actually super funny and just having a blast on the road. I loved the creativeness of their jokes and how each person had a unique style. Sure, they are doing shows at small venues but people are showing up every night. Who knew this kind of thing was happening behind the scenes? I began feverishly following each of these comedians and a small desire started to grow within me. I think I want to try to do comedy someday? That’s insane. They don’t just allow anyone to do that, right? 

It’s hard to remember exactly when our household was granted the brief gift of cable TV, but I do know that in 2003 around St. Patrick’s Day we finally got our first PC. I vividly recall the date because I was beyond excited! Between school and visits at friends’ houses I had known the absolute joy that computers could bring since around 1996. My friend next door had teacher parents that strictly regulated what media he could consume. These kids were not allowed to watch The Simpsons but they could play Doom on the computer. I still can’t wrap my head around this riddle to this day, but who cares, I got to shoot demons with a shotgun in a digital hellscape. I was only 6 years old and this was another pivotal moment for me that I’ll definitely have to write about soon. 

Having our own computer was a huge deal for me. Along with poorly playing Yahoo Pool into the night, I could now explore this new world of standup comedy I was so engrossed by. I began reading and learning all that I could. Eventually I discovered that if you wanted to try standup comedy you’d have to find an open mic event. This is where ANYONE is allowed to sign up and try out jokes on stage in front of people. In fact, this is how all the professionals started. I could not comprehend this and it would take years to eventually seek out an open mic to try comedy myself for the first time.

The thought of attempting standup chilled me to my core but I knew that I had to give it a shot. I could not stop thinking about it. I love joking around with my friends and my jokes usually land. How hard could it be? Oh, to be young and incredibly naive again.

On being under the weather and jokes

It only took me being very sick for the first time in a few years to update this page, but here we are! Oh, the things taken for granted. Energy, being able to breathe, not having a body writhing in pain, you know, all the classics!

I have a local comedy show to prepare for soon. Comedy is a strange thing. So subjective and free. One of those things that has to be practiced in front of a live audience for growth. What other hobby is like that? I’m very glad I can practice poorly playing old Coheed and Cambia guitar riffs in the privacy of my own home and just pretend that the cat’s musical awareness is offline. I take Oscar for a smooth jazz fan regardless, so I’m sure some offense is taken.

Once a main driver and passion in my life, I would consider standup comedy a creative hobby at this point. I’m very thankful that in 2017, I took my still full head of hair to Chicago to finally dive into ‘real’ comedy scene. I learned a fair amount about myself, made some great friends, and witnessed the reality of those who treated comedy like a job. Quite the arduous and unrelenting path. Absolutely fun on paper but not something I really wanted to pursue turns out.

Since I was a child, my default mode of thinking was always “Where’s the joke here?” Not to say I was obnoxiously cracking wise all the time, though. Even then, I knew only to share a humorous thought if I really believed in it. Sure, my brain was always seeking punchlines in an uncontrolled reflex, but it was also editing and reading the room. I knew when to flip the switch.

I was aware of stand-up from a young age and struggled to see the appeal. At that point, I had only been exposed to mainstream titans such as Jeff Foxworth and his ilk. There’s a room full of people, and boy, are they having a good time. Is this just for adults? Why am I not laughing? Well, alright then. That’s stand-up comedy, and I suppose it’s not for me.

It wasn’t until I was around 14 that I stumbled on some stand-up comedy that really resonated with my budding brain. We rarely had cable consistently growing up, but it was during one of these glorious spells that I stumbled on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. What’s this? Talk shows can be funny? This is wild! I saw this towering crimson hair man perform his skillful hip-string dance amongst some off-kilter jokes that aligned perfectly with my sensibilities, and I was hooked.

My friends and I always had our sense of humor labeled "odd,” but here it was on a televised stage. People were laughing, and so was I. It was then that I became aware of the broad spectrum of what’s considered comedy. Just because it’s labeled as such doesn’t mean that it will be funny to every single person.

Much like the death metal I was tapping my young toes to (sorry mom, it wasn’t a phase) at the time didn’t quite connect with my Top 40 loving sister. There’s comedy out there for me, and I just have to start digging.

One night on Conan, the performance at the end of the show was a little known (at the time) alt comic Zach Galifianakis. With a name like that, I had to check him out! This stocky lumberjack looking man walked out, sat behind a large piano, and changed my life forever. This person I have never heard of can play the piano beautifully while telling short, witty jokes? What in all of creation is this? You’re allowed to do this? I was immediately hooked. Stand-up comedy can be good, and I have a lot to explore.

This journey is a long one, so I will expand in another post. But for now, some tea and BC powder are calling my name.

Updating

Working on making some changes on here. Stay tuned!