The last few days have been a whirlwind of busy. I can’t
even get into it it’s been so busy. There is some exciting stuff coming as a
result of my DVD, YIPEE!!! My fans are watching my video stream and then buying
the hard copy online. The video stream was my webmaster’s idea, genius. Either
way, I hope word gets out there about me and my hard work.
Thursday my mom and sister came to town to start Heisman
weekend. My sister was the 2004 Wendy’s High School Heisman Award Winner. They
bring back the alumni every year for this event, and they crown a new winner.
It is a fun weekend, but it is so intense on so many levels. Not just my family
coming into town, but then it always falls when I am super, duper busy. I was
exhausted to begin with, and had a filled last few days and a few coming up. Of
course a family visit only intensifies everything.
On top of that, the event is nice and everyone is always
dressed up. It is a so called “family” event, which means I have to curb my
normally foul mouth. And the action of the weekend is usually jam packed
between the activities the Wendy’s people have planned, the event itself, and
familial fireworks. Add in my already crippling schedule and you get the need
for a nap and a Red Bull.
Thursday night I took my mother and sister to Pippin on
Broadway. A good friend got me good tickets for free and so I took the two.
Skipper and my mom liked the first act, and I did too. The second act was a
little, eh. Pippin had commitment issues. Then the ending was blah. Basically
my mother, Skipper, and myself concluded that Pippin was a whiner that would
never be happy.
After Thursday night was over came Friday, the most intense
day. I told myself if I lived past Friday I could do Saturday and maybe the
next six months. Friday I had a television show taping and then I was headed to
perform at an animal benefit in Staten Island. Before that, I did some
Christmas shopping with my mother and sister and we got matching dresses at
Forever 21. After that, we had lunch at Juniors and I was on my way.
I went to my TV taping and gave my commentary. During one of
my lines, I was kind of stuck in my head aka thinking. When I think real hard I
look like I am going to kill someone. So they kept having me do the line and
they commanded me to smile. I hope they use my footage, and I don’t look too
much like an angry jerkoff New Yorker.
From there it was the ferry to Staten Island. On my journey
to the event I passed the infamous Bay Street where Eric Garner was killed
(RIP). The whole thing is kind of sad and they so need to put cameras on police
cars. So then off to the event I went which was far out in the island in
Tottenville aka where all the big houses and old horse farms are.
There was much drama surrounding this event. Apparently the
night before the event there had been some disagreement that got heated. It was
a gentle reminder of why I didn’t book and produce live events anymore, shit
like this. One woman got so mad she even tried to cancel the event on facebook,
and had purchased a table and didn’t show up. Again, a gentle reminder of why I
stopped producing live events.
When I got there, I met the people and socialize a bit,
which is not what I normally do when I perform. The DJ I had messaged wasn’t there,
but his assistant was. I donated a few of my books to be auctioned off for
charity and to benefit the animals. The people were nice, very passionate about
animal rescue. I didn’t know a lot about animal rescue before that night so it
was a little educational.
I sat at the table of the woman who tried to cancel the
event and didn’t show up. Originally, I was supposed to go on at one time but
the people from the rescue mission were speaking about the shape they found one
of the dogs in. Then dinner was being served. Of course the demographic of the
event was mostly women and some men who were dragged along because their wives
were in rescue-not the normal April Brucker crowd. Not to mention I wasn’t told
until I got there that a child was going to be present. It was as if God was
trying to test me.
During dinner, there was some heated discussion about the
adoption of the dog the benefit inspired and the ethics behind it. The woman
sitting next to be had the most insight on the situation. I told her the event
had some interesting behind the scenes happenings. She said, “There is always
drama in rescue.”
As the discussion intensified, this same lady said with a
big smile, one of those one wears when things are truly awkward, “So, when are
you going on?”
I went on shortly after dinner. At first I did a little
crowd work and they seemed like they would be into it. I was in the middle and
almost surrounded by tables, so the only way to perform was to walk around. The
crowd was laughing, but then they would return to talking amongst themselves,
but then they would laugh again only if I engaged them. I had a nice set
planned, but the second I started into my material I saw it wasn’t happening.
So I decided to abandon Plan A and just go to them.
I got out my puppets and went from table, to table to table.
One table, the one with the mix of guys and girls, was really receptive and
took photos. Two tables of women were cool and laughed. One table was hard to
crack completely, and another was 50/50 depending on the puppet. Granted, these
people were tough like most SI crowds are, but sometimes you have to come to
the people. Was the set a success? I dunno. All I know was it wasn’t a dismal
failure, and people laughed and took photos. That’s the important part.
The crowd knew there was comedy, but wasn’t there to see
comedy if it makes sense. While it wasn’t the best set I ever did, it wasn’t a
complete disaster either. I made it work and sometimes that is what live
entertainment is about. People were gracious afterwards, and they invited me to
dance during the dance party. Also, the people who won copies of my book during
the raffle friended me on facebook, and from the looks of it I got some new
fans. They also did me a solid and made sure I got back to Manhattan, the and
DJ played my song “Hell No, Joe.”
While the night was a far cry from what I did at the Metropolitan
Room or the theater in Long Island, I tackled a mostly female crowd on Staten
Island and wasn’t killed afterwards. I did alright. I wouldn’t have been able
to do that 5 or 6 years ago. I wouldn’t have been that quick on my feet with
the gear change. That in itself was a victory. My only prayer is that they
enjoy my book. I also find myself perhaps wanting to foster a dog someday, and
wanting to do more animal benefits if possible.
My only regret is I felt bad about how I ran out of the
event, but the downside of having your mother in town is she thinks you are
dead if you don’t pick up your phone. So I bounced out at 11:40. My driver was
a nice dude, and we talked about life and family and all that jazz. Poor guy
had another job at JFK early that morning, so although the animal peeps had
covered my ride I gave him a generous tip. FYI, always tip your drivers well.
Friday had concluded and I wasn’t dead. The weekend was 2/3s
done. Now I just had to live through Saturday.
Saturday came, and there was no way I was going to be
Skipper’s date to breakfast. My mom went instead. I was originally going to go
home, drop my stuff, and join my mom and sister at the hotel, but I nixed that
plan. My mom had been half asleep waiting for me, and the hotel was only down
the street. So I just went to there instead. I saw some people from the event
by the elevators and we caught up. Yes, Ashford and his friend Manny. Ashford
won the same year my sister did, and Manny is his buddy from business school.
Ashford like my sis had just gotten engaged, and Manny’s engagement had broken.
We shot the breeze for a bit before I went back to my room.
Of course my mom was up waiting for me. Life in comedy means
I come tumbling in at all hours, and having my mom in town meant it wasn’t that
easy. Some things never change. Either way, I was so exhausted that I just fell
asleep in my clothes.
I woke up to a contraband breakfast smuggled from the hotel.
Then I was told we were hitting the hotel gym then headed to a bowling event at
Lucky Strike. FYI, Lucky Strike is the only bowling alley in NYC with a dress
code. We walked over with Emma, a girl who won the Wendy’s High School award
last year and was now attending Yale. She seemed like a nice lass. Emma was
seeing a chap on the baseball team and playing lacrosse. She seemed to have it
figured out kind of.
Our bowling game was interesting. Skipper and I were the
bi-polar bowlers. We had some strikes, but then would just screw up. Emma was
consistent. Ashland and Manny joined our team. Ashland was decent, but Manny
was amazing. I was kind of fancy on Manny, but couldn’t tell whether he was
into me or not. His doctor fiancé had dumped him because he didn’t make enough
money, but now that he had completed business school she wanted Manny back.
I asked Manny whether or not he hit the strip club after the
break up. Manny insisted strip clubs were unfulfilling. I then inquired as to
whether or not be had sex with random women. Manny said he didn’t do that.
Instead he went to business school. That’s when I lost interest. Not because he
did something positive, but because I felt he was lying. No dude just breaks up
with a girl and does a positive thing. There’s usually some drunken sex with
randos.
After that we went back to the hotel for the event. Of
course, we showered and got beautified. Originally, it was just going to be
Skipper and myself. But then something happened and someone’s date backed out,
so there was an extra ticket for my mom. As you can imagine the three of us jumped
on top of that. My sister dawned her outfit and got ready. My mom changed hers
a million times. I just tried to stay sane.
We raced to the Best Buy Theatre after the reception hoping
to get good seats. Instead we found them slow to open the doors and waited
outside in the cold. I cursed my sister out because it had been her idea for us
not to bring spare shoes, and thus my bare toes were getting frozen. Finally,
the doors opened and in we went.
There was some drama over where we would sit, because my
mother is rather tiny and it is hard for her to see, and plus she hates to be
cold. Then of course she wants to take a thousand photos and my sister Skipper
was resistant. My mom wanted pictures up close and personal, so she snuck down
to the stage. The corporate people thought she was in charge and asked her
where to sit. My mom directed them, and then told them her single daughter
April was there and to say hello. They waved and I waved back unaware that my mother
was trying to sell me to a bunch of strangers. When I found out I almost killed
her, but decided against it because if I did I wouldn’t have any more good
stories for my blog. FYI, everyone in the vicinity thought this was funny.
The Heisman Ceremony started, and was lovely as always. My
father who could not attend was watching live at home, and my mother was
texting him during the telecast. As for my sister, she was texting Boomer her fiancé.
Melvin Gordon and Amari Cooper were both very nice young men, and I know life
will be good to either one. However, Marcus Mariotta won as we all knew he
would. A nice, humble, mannered young man, he gave a speech that nearly moved
the whole place to tears. Two words, “Go Ducks.”
After the ceremony, we met some former Heisman guys and
their wives who were all quite nice. Got to see Matt Leinart again, and had not
spoken to him since my sister won in 2004. He’s retired from the Pros, and now
is just chilling out with his son I suppose who is very adorable. My mom
accidentally hit Matt coming out of Starbucks with a door, FYI. Then we met Jim
Plunkett and his wife who were both quite nice. They are passionate pit bull
owners, and the bull they own (Godey I believe is it’s name), is very
protective of their grandson. It was a good night.
That is, until my mom got her camera out and Skipper decided
she was pictured out. Skipper walked away from our mom to join a conversation
with some other folks. Fuming, my mom sent Skipper the following text:
“How dare you walk away from your mother? What is going to
happen if I ever walk away from you, bitch? Did you learn nothing from the
young man that won tonight?”
My mom sent this seething, scathing text to Skipper, someone
who would never intentionally hurt anyone. The whole thing was amazing, and I
almost died laughing. Then my mother commanded me to mingle. I went back into
the broadcasting room, and met some people and learned more about the event. My
mother followed me in and took a massive amount of photos. At least she was
happy with one child, but that could easily change on a dime.
Then Skipper sent my mom an apology text and she joined us
in the broadcasting room. We took some more photos, and then went to socialize.
While Skipper and my mother had made peace, I could tell there was some
animosity still brewing underneath. That is, until we saw a dude who looked
like Colt McCoy. A few years earlier a guy had come to the Heisman’s
impersonating Reggie Bush. This dude was forthcoming and admitted he was not
Colt McCoy but rather the senior QB at Princeton.
Well Skipper then informed
him that I was single, and I was only a few train stops away and available. My
mother joined the chorus and they both buried the hatchet as they both rejoiced
in torturing me. I nearly killed them both right then and there. The Colt McCoy
look a like felt my pain and was a good sport about it, especially when he learned
my mother had tried to sell me earlier in the evening.
I would have killed my mother and sister, but again, would
have no material for my blog.
We left and now Skipper had changed her mind, she wanted to
take photos. I was pictured out and my mom was revved up and ready to go. I
went with it, but bitched and moaned the entire time. When we got back to the
hotel, my sister had to call Boomer and my mom had to call my dad.
Having a
significant other seems a lot like having a probation officer, you have to
check in. Sigh….
Then I remembered the weekend was about family. I also
remembered the people at the dog benefit putting their heart and soul into a
good cause even if it looked like they all might kill each other. I remembered
how well they took care of me, making sure I got home safe. I remembered the
hard work behind the Heisman event, and Mariotta’s endearing speech. And yes,
he had probably wanted to throttle his family members several times during the weekend.
But family cannot be replaced. They are who they are and you
need to roll with it. You also need to put your best foot forward, and
sometimes your job was just to make something work when up against the wall.
This includes saving animals, performing onstage, dealing with family, and playing
football.
My mom and sister got off safe, but not before I told some
asshole in the elevator to go fuck himself. He was being an asshole to impress
a girl. I should have punched him but figured he wasn’t worth a felony. That is
when it occurred to me that the weekend was over, I lived, and it had been the
New York woman that got me through it. Now that New York woman needed a rest
before she got ARRESTED.
And I can’t take my photo for World’s Longest Variety Show
if I am in lock up. Yes bitches we are going for the Guinness Record xoxo
www.aprilbrucker.com
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