Friday night Emily and I were fortunate enough to be sans-kids. Don’t get me wrong, we love the little tax-write-offs, but mom and dad need some time together without deciding who hit who first. Luckily, my parents agreed to keep the little shenanigans so such an evening could happen.

Once we discovered we were free, I called Hooch and Ashley to see what they were doing and if they wanted to get together. Ashley (I called her first, any man in a relationship knows they are really in charge) said she didn’t care, but that they were going to some comedy show in Highland, IL. After Ash gave the thumbs-up, I called Hooch. We worked out the logistics and met at their apartment in Salem at about 8:30.

Up to this point I was expecting a trip to a real comedy club in the metro-east of Saint Louis or something. Nuh-uh. We wound up in a small bar in a town of small bars. The place wasn’t trashy or anything, just not what I had expected. We chatted for 20 minutes or so, and then the show began at 10.

First up was the morning guy(?) from one of their local stations. He wasn’t bad, and we found out after his set that it was his first time. For his first time, it REALLY wasn’t bad. That was the opening, then came John.

I didn’t expect much of anything as Hooch had billed him to me as ‘a local guy’. At that point, I gave up on Drew Carey, and settled for B-list entertainment. Still, it was better than Em and I watching MASH and going to bed early.

John was very good. He had great delivery, timing, improv (bar crowd), and the stage presence to pull it all together. His set lasted about an hour, and kept us out-of-towners entertained the whole time. Even when he was pulled off his routine by a boisterous crowd, he improvised and we were still able to follow local references (John is from the area).

The final performer was Mike McRae from FrankTV on TBS. FrankTV is an impression show from what I’ve gathered with the satellite commercials in which the star is constantly appearing. While not normally my type of comedy, Mike pulled it off rather well with a good mix of stand-up and impressions that were spot-on.

After the show, we stuck around for a bit to get a shirt, CD, and chat. John took his time chatting with everyone, some he obviously knew. He stayed around longer than you would think he would after a show.

I waited and waited as some long-winded woman was chatting him up, and John did not rush her or brush me off even after he had my money for the CD. John is a genuinely nice guy who seems to enjoy what he does and meeting the people who he entertains on any given night.

You should make time to read his blog at Blogspot, even if it hasn’t been updated in 3 months. (John?)

If you aren’t so much into reading, please go have a listen to some of his bits and watch the video he has up on his main site. The man is funny and well worth the $12 (incl shipping) for the CD. Especially to support a nice, funny, and semi-local talent.

I plan on trying to coerce John into coming down to Mount Vernon for a show the next time he is up this way if it can be arranged.