I'll be at The Dubland Underground (315 Alexander Street, Rochester) this Thursday for Lo Brau Comedie's "Bathroom Break" show.  These shows are particularly awesome because they're meant to showcase darker/bluer humor.  The poster is below and you can check out the facebook event as well.  Get there early for seats, as the last show was standing-room only.
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And here's a few pictures from The Comedy Club this past weekend...
Yup.  That's about it for now.  And if you haven't seen the video from my Valentines Day, check out the video from the last blog below.
Chet
 
 
For those of you who didn't catch the sketch and improv show Wednesday, here's a video from it.  Basically, I hit the streets of Buffalo the night before Valentines looking for a date, check it:
I BIG THANKS to the handful of comics and audience members who made it out to the club show followed by the showcase show last night in Rochester... it was SNOWY!  I decided not to risk driving back to Buffalo and snagged a hotel in Rochester.  Unfortunately, the hotel snowplow plowed my car in this morning.  Luckily, I found this guy to help me out.
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Lastly, as you may have read in previous blogage last year, I've been working with a couple of friends from Arizona and LA on putting together a comedy tour entitled The Cheeseburgers of Comedy Tour  The WHAT you may ask?  Visit the newly launched website, it should answer all your questions.  There's a cool video there as well -  www.CheeseburgersOfComedy.com. 
 
 
SkunkPost.com just posted a video of some of my stand-up along with an interview, check it out below.  Thanks to Dan Fisher for doing the piece - and make sure you check out Dan's other videos over at SkunkPost.com as well - very funny stuff.
February's been a pretty busy month thus far, I've gotten to work weekends in Rochester at The Comedy Club with Jamie Lissow and Randy Lubas (see pictures below), and did some college shows over the extended President's Day Weekend opening for Jordan Carlos (aka "My Black Friend Alan" from The Colbert Report) at Buffalo State and Tim Young at Alfred State.  All of the comics I just mentioned are really great people, if you're looking to kill some time check out their websites: www.JamieLissow.com, www.RandyLubas.com, www.JordanCarlos.com, www.TimYoungLive.com. 
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I'm pretty excited about the end of this month, as I'll be hosting another showcase and also opening 5 shows for Dom Irrera.... the showcase is free!  Hope to catch you at a show soon.

-CW
 
 
Here's a sketch I shot with Buffalo Sketch Comedy and company.  Enjoy!
 
 
Tonight will be Conan's last night as host of 'The Tonight Show' on NBC.  In honor of this, I decided to hit the streets of Buffalo in classic Jay Leno style, enjoy...
How sweet would it be if Letterman had Conan on as a guest the first night Leno returns to 11:35 in March?  I don't know if that's possible, but one can hope.  I'm with COCO!

I have 8 shows in the Buffalo area over the next two weeks, so take a look at my calendar and come catch some live and local comedy, including a sketch and improv show next Wednesday evening with all money going to the Costner family as well as another great lineup for a Rust Belt Comedy showcase at The Blue Wall in South Buffalo (see poster below).   
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Lastly, many have asked about how they can help the Costner family following the tragedy that occurred at Merge this past weekend.  There will be a benefit this Monday at Towne Ballroom: here's the facebook event link.  As previously mentioned, there will be a sketch/improv show at Merge on Wednesday 1/27 with all money collected at the door going to the Costner family and open mic comedy night will return at 10pm on Wednesday, February 3rd.... catch ya there!
 
 
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I had the pleasure of riding out with Jamie Lissow for a private charity gig in Oswego, NY this past Friday.  I got to do 30 minutes opening in front of a sold-out house of 320 people.  The stage (which had a projector and video of the stage enlarged behind us), lighting, sound, audience, everything - all awesome!  They even set us up with a greenroom (see picture above)... it was an attic with a bomb-shelter-worthy supply of booze, canned goods, and pretzel sticks...weird. 
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Jamie Lissow takes the stage in front of a sold out crowd in Oswego.
The real fun part, however, comes on the ride home from the gig.  Jamie and I were pulled over.  Multiple cop cars, some time spent in the back of a police car, and a sobriety test later... well - Lissow tells it best on The Wease Show.  Click HERE and select "Jamie Gets Pulled Over By Cops" under January 19, 2010.  It's a fantastic story.

I also opened for Early David Reed at 'The Comedy Club' in Rochester on Thursday and Saturday.  The Saturday crowds were especially awesome, thanks to everyone who came out.  And if you haven't seen Early David Reed, you missed out!

For those comics interested in participating in February's edition of "Chet Wild's Comedy Showcase" - submissions are due tomorrow (Wednesday, January 20th).  Visit the Open Mic & Showcase page for more info.

On a much more serious note, a tragic incident took place at Merge Restaurant in Buffalo this past Saturday morning.  For those of you unfamiliar, I co-host an open mic comedy night on Wednesdays with Rust Belt Comedy at Merge.  The owners and staff have always created a very supporting and welcoming environment providing performance space for the local arts.  Sadly, a dishwasher opened gunfire on the staff Saturday morning resulting in the injury of manager Rick Costner and the fatality of his son, sous chef, Ricky Costner Jr.

Merge has set up an account for donations to the Costner family on their website at MergeBuffalo.com.  We will not be having comedy night this week, but I know that many comics, including myself,  look forward to the opportunity to continue performing at Merge in the very near future.  The restaurant is owned and staffed by some of the nicest people you'll ever meet.  My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with everyone at Merge and the Costner family. 
 
 
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There are a few things you should know about me. 
1- I perform stand-up.
2 - I love ribs, wings, and any combo thereof. 
3 - Conan O'Brien is the shit.  Well, #3 isn't really about me, but it's just as true as #1-2. 

For those of you that don't know - NBC has axed "The Jay Leno Show" at 10pm and are moving him to 11:35pm.  They've given Conan the option of hosting the tonight show at 12:05am (which would actually make it the 'tomorrow' show) OR telling him to get lost.  IE, a big "fuck you" to Conan. 

Besides the obviousness of how shitty it is to ink a deal with Conan years in advance for this show, have him uproot his family/crew/staff from NY to LA, shit on him, etc, here are my thoughts....

What I would like to see happen, even though it seems unlikely, is for Conan to stay at the 11:35 timeslot with NBC.  As sweet as the thought of Conan being on another network like Fox may be (I mean, let's face it, NBC has watered down the Conan we all love to be more safe and less edgy for the 11:35 audience, Fox would let Conan be more edgy, and sidenote: Conan wrote my favorite episode of The Simpsons ever - "Monorail"), here's the reality.  3 late night shows at 11:35 is just too much and will hurt everyone all-around (not to mention you also have Colbert at 11:30 on Comedy Central and Kimmel on ABC at midnight).  Plus, taking Conan off TV for several months (if not longer) while he re-tools his show for another network wouldn't be good.  That being said, I can not reiterate how impressed I was by the statement Conan released today . . . impressed even by Conan standards.  Here's the statement:
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People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Yours,

Conan
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What a truly classy response.  CoCo for Time Magazine's Person of the Year . . . I mean, I know we have 11.5 months to go, but come on!

Conan's also addressed these rumors and whatnot in his monologues during the past Friday and Monday shows.  His jabs at NBC are incredibly clever, back to the Conan of "Late Night" with edgy one-liners against the cluster-fuck that is NBC right now.  Kudos, Conan!
 
 
I had the pleasure of spending New Years Eve performing with Gemini and Andy Hayward at The Comedy Club in Rochester.  All you can eat buffet, endless free champaign, big crowd.... not to mention karaoke after the show (I rocked a mean "Anything For Love" by Meatloaf) and several John Belushi's (the club's take on a Long Island) - all in all, a good way to ring in the new year.  I posted a few pictures below.

We had another show Friday and then another sold out show Saturday which were both a lot of fun, followed by my monthly showcase.  This one was particularly interesting because while I was on stage, a naked guy jumped out of the audience and hopped on stage as well.  I will repeat that.  A guy from the audience got naked and hopped on stage.  He literally just hopped around stage making weird noises.  I was caught off guard and didn't know what to do other than pick on how small his dick was.  Luckily, Ralph Tetta hopped on stage and dragged the guy off by the hair on his head... it was pretty brutal... and by brutal I mean awesome, because he got his ass thrown out the fire exit in a snowbank and wasn't allowed out of the snow to get his clothes for 15 minutes.  What a douche.

Other than that, the showcase went great.... solid comic performances and another audience of around 100.  The next showcase will be on Thursday, February 25th at 10pm.  Comics, check out the Open Mic & Showcase page details on how to get on that show.  I made a submission form to hopefully make the process easier.

I've updated most of the pages of my website, including new shows added to my calendar - check it out and hopefully I'll see you at a show soon!
 
 
Look at the picture below... It is me, last night, after a comedy show in the Allentown part of Buffalo....
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Following the "Doin' Time Xmas Comedy Show" I walked out to my car, covered lightly in snow.  As I went to brush the snow off, I found the most happiest of holiday gifts on my windshield... a parking ticket.  HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 

But what could this ticket be for?  I was parked in a legal spot and it was after parking meter hours, my inspection is within date, my car is in check...

I got a $30 ticket for "parking more than 12 inches from the curb"... are you SHITTING ME?!?  Look at the picture above... LOOK AT IT!!!  I drew a white arrow to highlight the area of concern.  Has Buffalo become sooo desperate for ticket money that they now have cops going about with rulers, like an anal-retentive OCD high school English teacher checking margins on a paper?  I didn't have a ruler so I can't tell you exactly how car away I was from the curb, but if this was an NFL game, the refs would be calling for the chains. 

Unreal. 
 
 
As you probably noticed from the main page, I've been adding some updates to the website.  In addition to the new flash intro, I've added a bunch of photos on the photos page and have quite a few new dates for 2010 on the calendar.  With the downtime over the holidays, I'll probably update the website a bit more.  Be on the lookout for a new "Behind The Funny" episode soon.

Also, the lineup for the next edition of "Chet Wild's Comedy Showcase" has been announced.  Check the poster below for details and please join the facebook event if you plan on attending.  It's going to be an awesome show, we'll be filming it for MYTV-18, and it's free admission!
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