Getting there

Wendy Mosher and Chris Adams are the dynamic duo that is Toasted Marshmallow Adventures Podcast, based in Boise/Nampa, Idaho. They are die hard comedy fans, strongly support our local scene, and are always coming up with fun, awesome ways to communicate and engage with comedians, in the format of a podcast.

One of their podcasts is called “Uber Funny”. In this, they interview comedians while driving them to a destination of their choosing. This could be a traveling headliner from the airport to their hotel (or more realistically… Motel, tiny Airbnb, someone’s floor, THEIR car). For the non comedians reading this in particular, MOST working comedians, even those flying or driving a good distance to a show, are not staying in the nicest of places. Not only is this a fun way to record an episode, but great for saving comedians a rideshare fare.

September 19th I asked to book a ride for Nate and I to the Ford Idaho Center, you know, for that one time I opened for BILL BURR (this is my personality now). They obliged, so we had a ride to the big show! They picked us up from my house, it was dark out, so while recording we held little lights hoping to help the cameras out. I haven’t seen the episode yet and have no idea how that part turned out, either way it was a fun time, we got to recall the story of how we got the show, our thoughts and feelings surrounding it, and just hang out and have a great time with two very cool, supportive people.

Several hours before the show, we were emailed instructions on where to park. Takes us a while to figure it out, but we get to the backstage area, next two two large semi trucks. The email said to go through a specific door, and that someone on the other side would take us to the dressing room.

We left the Uber, gave big hugs to Wendy and Chris, they drove off, we looked at eachother with big “This is it!” eyes, hugged, and went to that door. Opened it up, sitting about 10 feet in was a 20 something year old kid. We told him who we were and he said “WHO THE F ARE YOU??!??!”

OK, he didn’t but that would’ve been funny. While he didn’t say those words aloud, he definitely thought them. He had no idea what we were talking about. Obviously we were going to have find someone else to talk to. While we did that, we saw a peek of the arena itself. We were behind and to the stage right of the stage, and I would post a picture from that moment, of the empty seats, but as soon as we took our phones out to snap them we were told that was not allowed and promptly put them away.

A very nice lady walked us through this underground feeling, under part of of the stadium seating, turned right, which opened to a larger, brighter area, with wide halls. It wasn’t like in the movies where there’s normal doors to dressing rooms full of full length mirrors and makeup etc. The hall was more like a hallway of a large high school, with doors, well, like to high school class rooms.

Our guide walking us through casually says “Catering is in that room over there,” pointing to the right, we keep walking but take note. “It’s actually pretty good this time” she says, we nod like that was normal to us WHICH IT WAS VERY MUCH NOT NORMAL TO US!

She brings us to a room and introduces us to the main guy running tech. He explained that one of us would bring a wireless mic on stage, do our set, introduce the other, then they would get on stage, take the mic, first guy gets off stage. After his set, second guy would introduce the feature (the PAID opener, who knows and had worked with Bill Burr in the past), then Bill would go on.

Next room on the right, “Bill Burr Dressing Room”, a couple more doors, then ours “Bill Burr Support”. It’s a large, open room, with a large bathroom and showers. In case you weren’t aware, the Ford Idaho Center is well known for the Snake River Stampede. One of the biggest Rodeo’s in the USA. The layout was very appropriate.

We’re in our room, with not much but a couple sofas, coffee table, and drink cooler with bottled water. A bunch of sinks and mirrors. And us, two fellas taking it all in, with approx 90 minutes before the show.

That time flew by quickly.

I did not expect to have an appetite but that was NOT an issue. I took down a fair amount of delicious roasted beef short rib. Met a couple of the guys working on the show, they travel with Burr and make shit happens as it should.

After eating we went back to our room.

We made silly social media posts, I silently rehearsed into the mirror.

Show time was at 8, and 20 Minutes prior we hung out in that hall, kind of wondering what we were supposed to do. Do we get to the stage so we’re there to start the show? We don’t want to look like idiots getting there way too early or being in anybody’s way but would they just start it, say “Well, I guess those doofuses missed their spots”. Do we ask someone what we’re supposed to do? Last thing we want to do is annoy these people working hard to keep everything moving.

At 10 minutes till 8, we figure OK, let’s head back through the tunnel, to the stage, and at least be close to it for whenever we start. Unsure of what we were really supposed to be doing, we made it halfway through the tunnel, while the tech dude who had given us the mic instructions came walking the other direction, briskly, with another worker. We ask if we should go to the stage, he says “No, they’re not even here yet” and tells us they’ll come get us when it’s time. So, like two kids going to their first party, arriving early and realizing that the parents at the house where the party was to be, had not left yet, we turned around.

Club Soda Kenny

Back in our room, some amount of time later, we hear a knock at the (open) door and someone asks to come in. Enter a tall man in leather jacket, with a serious look on his face but with a charm where you can tell he’s not mad, he’s just doing whatever is necessary to make sure things happen properly. This is Ken Feder, aka Club Soda Kenny, Bill Burr’s tour manager. A retired NY Detective Sergeant, who provides security and related services to celebrities, royalty and the like, and whose tagline on at least one of his social media pages reads “Have gun, will travel”. This is who we had been emailing with starting a week and a half prior, regarding details of the show.

We shake hands, exchange short pleasantries, he tells us we’ll start the show at around 8:30. In the same breath and with a staggering level of sincerity, he asked if that was OK with us. Masterfully putting us ease. Like he has experience diffusing tense situations or something…We of course said that was fine then he calmly says…

“You guys want to meet Bill?”

We politely informed him that we did, and I don’t think that surprised him at all.

The door to his dressing room is open, as we walk up to it, Bill Burr, in the voice you have heard on countless specials and interviews, shouts out

“THESE THE LOCALS? … THESE THE GUYS WHO’VE BEEN BUGGING ME ON TWITTER?!”

I told him “We are the locals, and yes, I’ve been bugging you on Twitter”, we met his feature, Dean Delray, we all shook hands, sat down, and talked.

More to come.

Please follow my page and share this. I would appreciate that very, very much.

Toasted Marshmallow Adventures Podcast — They run several fun podcasts. Check em out

Toasted Marshmallow Adventures

https://www.instagram.com/toastedmarshmallowadventures1/

https://www.facebook.com/ToastedMarshmallowAdventures

Hall pass

PRETEND LIKE A PHOTO IS HERE OF MY ACCESS PASS I REALIZED I PROBABLY SHOULDN’T POST THAT PUBLICLY BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE LUNATICS AND SOME WILL RUIN IT FOR THE REST OF US

Entrance to our dressing room

Pretty sure I have quite a few pics of the inside, I’ll post those when I find them.

I saved some dessert for after the show

Shortest version: Twitter

Slightly longer version: Same way I get most of my spots, I asked and followed up

Full version:

At approx 11:23 PM MST Saturday May 28th, at an open mic in Boise, at Mad Swede Beerhall, produced by Blue City Comedy, the host, Hailee Lenhart-Wees introduced Comedian Nate Ford to the stage.

What she also did was demand that the audience Tweet to Bill Burr, to tell him that when he’s in town on 12/8, at the Ford Idaho Center, that he should have Nate Ford open for him.

Tuesday, May 31st, I decided to check Twitter to see who had followed Hailee’s direction. To my slight surprise, I found that nobody had. Until that moment, I had tweeted a total of 6 times ever. I figured what the hell, I’ll do it.

Here is that chain. Bill replied within a couple of hours calling Nate “a self promoting cunt”. Which alone felt like a credit. Nate would be able to be introduced on shows as “This next comedian was recently called a self promoting cunt on Twitter by the legendary Bill Burr”

Bill quickly followed up with “You can do 5 up front”. For non-comedians, this means 5 minutes at the start of the show. The way replies work on Twitter, my username/handle/whatever was also tagged in his reply. I took this as an opportunity to DM Bill Burr, to “clarify”. I thanked him for the spot for Nate, and asked if I was included in that, told him I wasn’t expecting it but of course I’d be thrilled to.

He replied… NINE DAYS LATER!

He also followed me on Twitter the night I first Tweeted at him. He currently follows 413 people including me, and has 2.1 million followers, also including me. To this day I am approx 76% certain that following me was an accident that he either hasn’t caught on to, or feels guilty if he’d stop. Really though, I don’t think Bill is the kind of person who would just not unfollow someone to protect feelings.

Did I mention I tend to overthink things?

His reply, again, in very Bill Burr words, which makes sense, being Bill Burr and all.

“I’ll put both u bums on” was his response to my asking if he “meant for me too”.

I replied that both of these bums appreciate it very much.

I posted on Instagram, tagging the venue, about how I’ll be there to do an opening guest spot for Bill Burr. I was thrilled. I almost IMMEDIATELY got a DM on IG from the venue, with them asking me who told me I was on the show, lol. I was like oh no! I don’t want them to bug Bill about it, because I was concerned that he would just find it to be too much of a pain in the ass and cut us from the show. This was the fear I lived with for the following 6 months. First world problems, I know, however, still was in my view, a legit concern.

I replied to the venue, telling them that Bill had told me that Nate and I could have spots. They said they needed to check with their bosses on what they wanted them to do regarding my post, and as I didn’t want them to go back and forth to potentially screw things up, I removed my post and told the venue I had done so. Whew. That was kind of a bummer but potentially a bullet dodged, is what I thought at the time.

August 28th, approx 1.5 months after my new, close personal friend, Billy / Bill Burr had confirmed we’d have spots on his show, I reached out to see, well, how do we do this? Do I just show my phone to security? Do we just say “BILL TOLD US WE COULD!” at the gate? I sent Bill Nate and I’s full names, I included dumb, positive things about having heard him recently on We Might Be Drunk, Mark Normand and Sam Morril’s podcast, and that I had also seen him on the show “Reservation Dogs” that I hadn’t known he was on when I started watching the show.

4 Days later he replied that the stage door would have our names and that he’d send me his tour manager’s email address. It hit me again that this was really going to happen. Nate Ford and I were going to get to see and likely meet one of the best to ever do the thing, AND perform for an enormous audience. Still though, it could go away at any moment.

2 Months later, 1 month before the show, I messaged again, as I had not gotten his tour manager’s email. I provided MY email address and noted “in case that’s helpful”.

Then… 9 DAYS BEFORE THE SHOW

I got an email from his tour manager, confirming the 5 min spot, and asking for my address etc. This was when I knew 100% this was happening. I send my info back as well as Nate’s, later to find out he had found Nate’s email address online and had emailed him directly, which had ended up in his SPAM filter. Whew.

After close to 6 months (and nine days, but who’s counting?) in the making.

We had some back and forth with his tour managers regarding parking pass(es). He said he’d follow up 1–2 days before the show with more details.

Day of the show, we get the email with what time to arrive and where to go.

So, we did that.

And now I can post dumb stuff on Twitter without as much concern. For 6 Months I’ve been trying to NOT post anything incredibly stupid there, that could lead us to lose the show.

More to come.

Thank you for reading this, please share, and I hope you are doing great.

Check out Toasted Marshmallow Adventures Podcasts — Here’s the episode recorded on the way to the show! https://youtu.be/_SyJ8GjJBRw