epic blog
Very Funny Weekend — a photo essay
Jun 21st
Just letting you know up front — this one’s an epic ;)
I just got home from Chicago and the inaugural TBS/Just For Laughs Chicago Comedy Festival. I wasn’t in town long enough to catch most of the shows I wanted to see, but from what I hear the shows were great. I went there and came home in less than 24 hours. Here’s a recap of what went down… :)
Patron and Grey Goose bottles just chilling on the dresser — the hotel they put us up in was way nicer than anywhere I should ever be staying. I did my best to ignore all the fancy liquor and yummy treats, but I did take full advantage of the fluffy robe! ;) Check out the thumbnail on the far right… TBS gave us a swag bag that contained — among other things — a bottle of Remy and a flask shaped like a cell phone. It even came with a cell phone carrying case. Perfect for sneaking alcohol into sporting events and concerts carrying small bits of water to the gym. BOY do they know comics!!!
Me with Wendy Liebman
The show taped at Zanies Comedy Club in Old Town Chicago. During our downtime, I got to spend some time with the hilarious Wendy Liebman. I’ve been a huge fan for years, and it was a pleasure to be working on the same show with her. When I first got into comedy I sent her an e-mail thru her website just introducing myself and telling her what a big fan I was and how excited I was about stand-up, and she wrote me the nicest e-mail back and was so encouraging. I’m relatively sure I printed it out and have it somewhere… I should try and dig it up!
This was the show set
As far as the actual show and taping, Murphy’s Law was in full effect — as it often is on big days in my life… More >
NACA, Please — a photo essay
Feb 17th
Yay! So I just got home from the National Convention for the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) in Nashville, TN. It was held at the convention center in the Opryland Hotel so that’s where we stayed. It’s HUGE and gorgeous… Easy to forget you’re actually inside.
One of the many walkways where I got lost this weekend...
The waterfalls -- inside the hotel
The whole deal with the entertainment portion of the NACA convention is that campus activity boards and their advisors from colleges all across the country come and watch bands, poets, comics, motivational speakers showcase and then they choose which acts they want to come and perform at their schools. There are several regional conventions in addition to the National. I was selected to perform as an individual showcase and I’m part of the NBC Diversity package as well. College dates are how a lot of comics fill their calendars — and pay their bills. So I was super grateful to be invited. It’s pretty competitive.
The Sophie K. booth
The "K" team -- Meg, my agent Kate, and Bridget
This is the booth for my college agency, Sophie K. Entertainment. After our performances, we come back to the booth to meet the students and [hopefully] contract show dates.
I didn't say it...
This is me and Michelle Buteau. Hilarious comic, super cool lady. Check her out… Michelle is a NACA pro. I was trying to learn the game thru osmosis… More >
I’mma be on TV, Jazmine Sullivan, and is this shirt the devil?
Feb 13th
Sorry in advance for the epic. Eat some now, save some for later…
So, I went up to NY yesterday for what I guess you would call a ‘commercial shoot.’ It was a project for TBS where instead of having their corporate advertisers run 30-second commercials, they ask comics to write bits around the products and perform them in comedy club settings. I guess it’s a more subliminal type of advertising and the spots air primarily during the weeknight comedy block. Not sure if I did a good job of explaining this, so here’s one that cutie patootie Jeff Dye did last go-round:
That make sense? So our companies were Pop Tarts, Cici’s Pizza and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter. It was a challenge to write jokes that portray all these products in a completely positive light because my instinct as a comic is to poke fun at things, point out what’s bad or dumb about them…Â Strangely, that doesn’t seem to work when you’re writing ads for a product. Imagine that. ;)
We shot in Brooklyn and I headed right back to DC as soon as I wrapped the shoot. I hate driving on bridges but in order to get home I had to drive the Verrazano and the Goethals. I was OK on the Verrazano…
Wide lanes, I didn't feel constricted...
But that damn Goethals Bridge… OMG!!! It was smooth sailing leaving Brooklyn and all the way down the Jersey Pike, but as I’m merging onto 95 South after crossing the Delaware Memorial I hear a loud CRACK! I can tell whatever it was happened to my car, but I had no idea what it was. As I slowed down I heard a crunching sound and thought that I had run over a bottle or something. But my tires seemed to be OK… I had to cross 4 lanes of traffic to get to the shoulder and when I finally parked the car and turned around I realized that my rear driver’s side window was completely blown out. That crunching sound was the glass falling out onto the highway. More >
Airplane Venom, Pt. II
Dec 11th
To the turd that was seated in 15-D on American Airlines Flt. 1624 to Chicago O’Hare on Wednesday evening, I have one word for you –Â Valium.
Best I can tell, you’re taking a nap now, and I swear I’m so tempted to get up and take a photo of you once the fasten seatbelt sign goes off. I might just. But what I’m definitely gonna do, if I can catch you on the way off the plane, is give you one of my postcards so that you can read this blog once I post it. I used to be scared to do asshole-ish stuff like that… Like right now in this moment, the conservative Erin hologram on my left shoulder is whispering in my ear and saying, “Leave it alone, E. Yeah, that guy was a douche, but don’t stoop to his level.” But the bitchy Erin on my right shoulder is screaming in my ear and saying, “Get him, E! This is great for the act. Plus it’ll serve as equilibrium for punking out on that flight from O’Hare to Baltimore a couple weeks ago.
Now I know none of you know what the heck I’m talking about so here’s the background…
I was having a fine day. Found a laundry room at the hotel and did laundry so I didn’t have to travel to Indy with dirty clothes. Got to LAX and returned the rental car with plenty of time to spare. My bag which I was positive was gonna be overweight came in at 49.5 pounds. And my large tube of Extra Dry Skin Curel made it thru airport security –Â What? I get a little ashy when I fly. :)
I boarded the plane and put my bookbag under the seat in front of me. I also had a small plastic bag with a sweatshirt I bought in the airport and my coat. IÂ put the coat and the plastic bag in the bin above my head. About 5-10 minutes after I’m all settled, an older gentleman a few rows ahead of me asks if he can move my sweatshirt and coat to a bin a little forward of his seat so that he could fit his bag in the one over my head. OK, dude. Sure. Thought nothing of it, put my iPod on. About 2 or 3 minutes after that the aforementioned douche a few rows up starts having a tantrum about how a coat and a bag mysteriously “jumped into” his compartment. He said something to the effect of “I was trying to make room for a real bag.” –Â which of course meant ‘his’ carry-on suitcase. I told him it was mine, but explained that I didn’t move it. Then he started huffing and puffing about not wanting to “be in charge of everyone’s stuff.” WTF, right? So I said, “What do u mean be in charge of it? Just close the… bin!” Now the ellipses are important because they show you where and how I edited myself. I didn’t see any kids, but my reflexive profanity would have still been inappropriate I’m sure. More >
Going back to Cali, Cali, Cali…
Dec 10th
So I’m in California this week for the finals of the NBC Diversity contest. And just like last time, I thought you’d be interested in every minute detail of my trip… Obviously that’s a lie. But if you make it to the bottom of this blog, lemme know. I appreciate you and you’re a good friend ;) Sorry in advance for the epic.
SUNDAY
Ran into Sheryl Underwood at LAX. I met her about a year ago when she was in DC with another comedian friend of mine. She took us out for drinks and was super nice. She asked if I was living in LA now and I told her what I was doing out here. She gave me some great words of encouragement and some advice as well. Then she asked if I was ok and needed anything… cash, etc. while I was in town. Of course I thanked her and told her no, even though I am broker than a joke, but I just thought it was super nice of her to offer. Who DOES that?
Sunday nite I went to the Lakers game with Dawan. I”ve always wanted to see the Lakers play at home. And I got 100-level seats! They were playing the Bucks and it ended up being a pretty lopsided game but I was happy to be there ;) We were in the seats that were actually just chairs, you know so you can move around and no one can really put their feet on the back of your chair. I felt so famous ;) There were these two jerks sitting above us in the next section who didn’t stop shouting the whole time, but it felt good to sit in judgment of them — AH, the commoners in the cheap seats — they can’t help themselves ;) Tee hee ;)
MONDAY
I had a meeting at Universal Studios. While I was looking thru my paperwork trying to find the suite where my meeting was Howie Mandel came over to help. He was very nice and we talked about my being a comic. He and his friends were very helpful and he wished me luck. When I was leaving — out of habit and courtesy — I extended my hand to shake his. And in that moment I remembered — Duh. This is Howie Mandel. He met my outstretched hand with a fist. I won because paper covers rock. And in the end we just gave each other a pound. How could I have forgotten that about him. A lot of people think that the “not touching” thing is weird, but I say, hey, everybody’s got their something.
Monday nite was the showcase, which was tons of fun. I had a pretty good set. No complaints… The other comics on the show were Billy D. Washington, Meena Dimian, Hassan Minhaj, Ali Siddiq, Rob Stapleton, Yamaneika Saunders, Bobby Miyamoto, and Reese Walters. Up for grabs is a network holding deal and a spot on the NACA Stand-Up for Diversity college tour. A bunch of other comics, as well as managers, agents and industry others came out. It was a great event in a swanky nightclub, and hosted by my old friend Bill Bellamy! I’m 0-1 at competitions he hosts. We’ll see what happens this time. ;) Here are a few photos from the evening.
Me and the HILARIOUS Billy D. Washington. If you’re not familiar with Billy, apologize to and then forgive yourself and then look him up. He is just too………. ;) My favorite two take-away lines from his act that nite…Â “I just found out my great-great grandfather was a runaway slave… because my great-great grandmother was a bitch.” and Nicorette sounds like a really small Black person.” I heart him. You should too. More >
Homecoming and ‘headlining’
Nov 9th
So I was in Jersey this past weekend working at the Catch a Rising Star comedy club in Princeton. Princeton is about 20 minutes away from where I grew up so it was amazing to be home. I get nostalgic for Jersey a lot because there’s stuff you can get there that you just can’t get south of the Mason-Dixon — like an authentic bagel shop bagel w/ cream cheese and lox in the morning, a good thin greasy pizzeria pie… and Puerto Ricans. I really miss those things. Puerto Ricans most of all ;)
I was closing the shows this weekend, which was exciting and scary at the same time. I hesitate to say that I was headlining, because until I really get the hang of the closing spot, I’m not a headliner. I’m just up last. I never feel prepared to close, but I also know that there’s no other way to figure out the art and pacing of closing a show other than to do it. There were 4 shows this weekend and I’d say that 2.5 of them went really well. It definitely helped that I was close to home and had a bunch of friends come out!
Nothing makes you rethink your material like your former Sunday School teacher sitting in the front row ;) But I knew Mrs. Winfrey could handle it. She was like the “Scared Straight” version of a Sunday School teacher. Heart her forever.
If it’s possible to have two sets of parents who you absolutely, positively love to pieces, then this is my second set — Charles and Ada Martin a.k.a. Jersey Ma & Pop. Through every mistake and triumph I’ve made in my entire life they’ve been there to support me. From sliding me money when I was broke and building me a computer when I couldn’t afford to buy one, to cheering on all my successes and helping to put my setbacks into perspective, I couldn’t ask for two better people in my life. I mean, other than the fact that they’re diehard Jets fans, I’d be hard pressed to come up with one negative thing about them ;) And even then, they still root for the Green & White ;) If you’re a fan of the martial arts — karate in particular — you might be familiar with Pop. He was featured in the martial arts documentary Fighting Black Kings and he is a Shuseki Shihan in Seido Karate — which is the highest honor a student can achieve. He’s in the Martial Arts Hall of Fame and he’s like a rock star in pretty much every country in the world. So don’t mess with him… Or me… cause he’s still got it ;) More >
These are a few of my [new] favorite things…
Nov 2nd
No, I’m not channeling Oprah, and I know most of y’all don’t come here for my shopping advice ;) but I ran across a few things today that I really wanted to share with you… It’s Sunday again, and in addition to feeding my football habit, Sundays also mean my weekly trip to Eastern Market. I skipped the early games today, but I am planning to watch Dallas/NYG later… since I don’t have NFL Sunday Ticket and can’t see the Eagles game ;(
Is there anyway both of those teams could lose?… ‘Cause that would be ideal.
This week I took the fabulous DWJ with me. She’s not a regular market-goer, but I’m trying to ruin her and get her addicted ;) D runs an awesome blog about accessories called The Art of Accessories. If you haven’t already, please check her out! Her blog is perfect for girly-girls and fashionistas and even girly-girl wannabes like me! I’ve known D since sophomore or junior year at Howard. I think she initially saw me as a ‘project’ a’ la Tai in the movie Clueless. Ten years later, she’s finally begun to rub off on me ;) Tee hee ;)
One of the first stops we made was to this booth that had these amazing handbags made out of old book covers. Sounds funky, right? Well wait ’til you see ‘em! I immediately saw one that I thought would be perfect for D… and then right next to it, there was a bag made out of the cover of an old Bible and it was screaming my name. Please see below:
Compromise vs. Acceptance
Sep 23rd
I recently came across this quote by Chinua Achebe:
One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised.
And it really spoke to me. I’ve been struggling a lot lately with the direction I want to take my act in — not because I’m uncomfortable with my material or persona, but because my father has a huge problem with it.
I said the word “bitch” on Comedy Central. I think it’s the second bit in the clip below:
| Jokes.com | ||||
| Erin Jackson – Marrying Into Comedy | ||||
|
||||
After the show aired my father reamed me for cussing on TV. I told him that you can say “bitch” on the networks. But he wasn’t trying to hear me.
I see comedy nite in and nite out — all kinds of comics with varying styles. And I know that by comedy club/booker standards, I am not a dirty act. I say “bitch” in my act. I occasionally say “shit”. And when I’m referring to this particular incident (which is only of late) I use the “mother” of all cuss words. But only because I’m repeating something I overheard someone else say. And I believe there’s a bigger point to it.
I grew up in a pretty religious household. Nothing fanatical. But my dad was superintendent of the Sunday School and a deacon at our church. So yeah I was at church every Sunday, but my folks weren’t strict and I was always a good girl. But I haven’t gone to church on even a semi-regular basis since I left home to come to DC for college. I honestly felt awful about it in the beginning — I remember the first Sunday I didn’t go to church I felt like there was this big gaping whole in my world. But that feeling began to fade the more and more I slept in. Of course I still believe in God. And with all the blessings I’ve received just these last 6 months in both my professional and personal life, I KNOW I need to be back in church. I joined one about a year ago and I even have a new bit about my trip to church this summer. But I’m out of the habit. And now after a late show on Saturday, its way hard for me to get up and go.
All that to say that while I believe in and thank my parents and extended family for the Christian principles upon which I was raised, I am my own person. And I don’t think it makes me a bad person if I say “bitch” on stage. But my dad is worried that all his friends and former colleagues who see me will be offended by what I say and it’ll reflect poorly upon him.
Exhale. More >
Erin & Ellen: An epic blog
Sep 17th
OK guys, I’m gonna attempt to chronicle my entire trip so I’m warning you — this is gonna be an epic. Read some now, come back later for the finale. Really, don’t try to read it all in one sitting — your boss is already looking over your shoulder right now. OK well then the least you could do is open up an an Excel spreadsheet or a MS Word file for quick toggle access in case you get caught … Do I have to do everything around here? Sheesh :)
Here goes…
SUNDAY:
So when my flight got into LAX on Sunday, I headed down to baggage claim and who did I see but my soon-to-be fast friend Steve. He asked me if I wanted him to hold up the sign so I could take a photo, but I told him no worries ;)
There was a really long wait between when we got to the carousel and when the bags were finally loaded so Steve and I spent some time getting to know each other. If you know me you know I like to get to know people and hear their stories — either that or I’m just way too nosey ;) Found out Steve grew up in Manhattan but had been in LA since he was 18. I told him I was from DC and he said that the last time he was in DC was for the March on Washington where Dr. King gave the “I Have A Dream” speech. Steve heard Martin Luther King, Jr. give the speech live. We talked about that some. Then we talked about Barack Obama. Steve was awesome. I wish he’d been the driver for the whole trip.
I stayed with good buddy Dawan Owens who moved out to LA about 2-and-a-half years ago to pursue his comedy and acting career. He’s done great out there and just bought the most adorable little house. The Ellen Show of course offered to put me up in a hotel, but I said “No thank you to that bridge to nowhere…” Oh wait… I mean, I said no thanks to the posh room in a fancy LA hotel. I’d rather kick D out of his bed and make him sleep on the couch ;) This is the part where I should probably insert a photo of this adorable house — but I didn’t take one. Boo for me ;(
After we watered the lawn (damn city condo living, I miss lawns… and being able to wash my car in my driveway) we went to the Hooters in Santa Monica where we had a waitress who totally could have been an SNL character. Think Molly Shannon on crack rock. But I digress… I turned in pretty early Sunday nite. Big day ahead. More >
Great Americans, Pt. I
Jun 22nd
This week I was out in Norfolk, NE for The Great American Comedy Festival. The festival ran Tuesday thru Sunday and there was a comedy competition featuring 24 comics from all over the country, a youth comedy camp, and closing nite gala show where Dick Cavett received The Legend Award. There was also some big prize money up for grabs!
Norfolk was the childhood home of Johnny Carson and he was apparently very kind to the town and all its people throughout his life. The majority of the shows took place in the beautiful, state-of-the-art Johnny Carson Theatre. The theatre seats 1,234 and I don’t think there was one show the whole week where there weren’t at least 700 – 800 people in attendance. Turnout was great.
The whole festival was put together by a crew of volunteers in Nebraska in coordination with Eddie Brill, the booker for Letterman — who hand picked all the comics participating in the contest portion of the festival. I’m going to attempt to list the names of all the comics that were there: Tapan Trevedi, Chuck Bartell, Dan Boulger, Matt Braunger, Chris Coccia, Joe Derosa, Deacon Gray, ME, Jesse Joyce, Myq Kaplan, Joe Klocek, Darryl Lenox, Jamie Lissow, Robert Mac, Vince Maranto, Shane Mauss, Jim McDonald, David Powell, Micah Sherman, Marianne Sierk, James Smith, Paul Varghese, Drake Witham, and Roy Wood, Jr. Also performing/hosting were Jeff Caldwell, Nick Griffin and Eddie Brill.
Think I got everyone…
All 24 of the comics flew into Omaha on Tuesday. And once all the flights were in, we hopped a bus to Norfolk, The first nite most of us just settled in and watched the Celtics kick Laker butt. On Wednesday morning, we had a field trip to the Johnny Carson Museum. On Thursday there was a trip to this place where you could see fossils and stuff — I didn’t go on that trip but I heard it was cool. And on Friday we had a trip to a ranch where we ate well, bottle fed calves and took a hayride through fields where marijuana grew in stalks… Word.
Because the purpose of the festival was to honor the legacy of Johnny Carson all material had to be TV clean and “family-friendly.“ Really cuts down on the material that you have to choose from. It was definitely a challenge. There were four semifinal rounds with six comics each. Two from each semi advanced to the finals. And the top three finishers earned cash prizes. My semifinal was on Thursday. I had a pretty good 8-minute set and advanced to the finals.
The finals on Friday were judged by Robert Klein, Dick Cavett, and Wende Curtis (owner of Denver’s Comedy Works) and hosted by Eddie Brill. It was pretty nerve racking being brought out by the guy who books Letterman only to see Robert Klein and Dick Cavett in the front row with judging sheets in front of them. But I had another good set and felt pretty good about it when I got off stage. When the winners were announced later that evening, I ended up taking second place — HOORAY!!!
Your two cents