“Nice Set”

The first few interviews that I conducted were great and awful all at the same time. There was a sense of feeling wonderful about who I was interviewing, and a gnawing dread because everything I touched up to that point seemed to go wrong. This interview was one I was anxiously anticipating because this comedian and I are friends and have been since we met about 4 years ago.

I was doing 5 minutes on stage at an open mic at Jokers Comedy Club in Richland, Washington. After getting off the stage, I felt I did alright, but not great. As I walked towards the back of the club a guy wearing a black Seattle Mariners Triton Baseball hat said, “Nice set.” I said, Thank you.”. I had never met this guy, but he looked so familiar to me. I told him that he looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. He smiled real big and said, “Have you watched Sex and the City?” I crinkled my face and quickly replied, “Hell no!” He had a look of confusion for a moment until it came to me, “King of Queens” I said excitedly. He laughed and said, “I was only in one episode.” I said, “Well, I remember it.” He introduced himself as Craig Gass. We shot the breeze for a couple of minutes then he asked if I wanted to open for him the next two nights. I readily accepted and eagerly waited for 6 p.m. the next day to roll around.

Two dates at The Pub

The venue was a bar in Kennewick, Washington called The Pub. That Friday night was great. There were approximately 50 people in attendance and it was just Craig and me performing. I did a 15-minute opening, Craig ended the show with a solid 75 minutes of jokes and perfected celebrity impersonations. We got free drinks from The Pub and two free pizza from an upscale pizza place. The next afternoon we saw a movie for free. I was learning fast that Craig knows the hustle and how to stay having fun while not going broke. It wasn’t Craig’s fault the movie was awful. That night for the Saturday show we had another comic show up. His name was Andy Burgdorfer a comedian from Spokane. I did another 15 minutes, Andy did 15 and Craig did 60+ minutes. More free drinks and more free food, this time it was burritos. Delicioso! Craig and I talked a little while longer before he headed back to his hotel. He was opening for KISS the next day. Andy and I became pretty good friends from that day forward.

What if I Never?

I thought I would never hear from Craig again. I felt I could have done better that week and was sure Craig probably thought I sucked and was just being nice. A few months later I received a call from him and he was calling just to say hello and make sure I was still doing comedy. A few more months passed, then another phone call. “Randy, you want to go to a Seattle Mariners game with me my friend Jason Stewart?” Of course, I said yes. Before I knew it the calls were coming regularly every few months. Some calls were just to say hello, other calls about going to a baseball game and still, some calls seemed to just be an encouragement, while other calls were offers to perform with him and other great comedians from around the Seattle area. I’ve had some of my favorite comedy memories because of Craig Gass and his longtime friend Jason Stewart. I’ve met rock-n-roll legends because of them. I got to sit behind Kate Upton at a Mariners game because Craig got us seats there. To think what I could have missed out on if I had skipped the open mic that night and never had the opportunity to hear Craig say, “Nice set.”