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Desert Highway View

Where's My Daddy?
Tour 2026

February - March, 2026. 13 states in 2 months. 

63 shows - 22 headlining sets.  

Here is some of where I went and what I did.

tour merch

January - March 2026 I traveled 10,542 miles… plus the miles to shows, to tourist attractions, and looking for parking. It can be important to count things, so here are some numbers. I also got better as an artist and a comic, and some other intangible things, like WHERE IS MY DADDY? He was in every state ~ metaphorically. 

 

Numbers:

  1. 1: solo traveler/solo manager. Planned and executed this tour solo 

  2. 1: car accident (not my fault) 

  3. 1: speeding violation (HE LET ME GO) 

  4. 93: shows - 20 headlining sets. 1: feature weekend

  5. 14: households hosted me

  6. 0: people hurt me, physically or otherwise

  7. 0: kisses. Hugs: Too many to count! Fistbumps: Infinity

  8. 2: shows canceled

  9. 51: pounds in my checked bag

  10. 96 days (Dec 26 - March 31)

  11. 38: Vlog Videos

  12. 30: New minutes of material 

  13. 2: Rental cars 

  14. 1: private plane

  15. 13: states (West, Pacific Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, South) 

 

Specifically: Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Ohio, California, and Oregon, before coming back home to New York City. ​

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December 5, 2025, was my 10th Comedy Anniversary. Over the years of festivals, travels, and visiting comics, I heard, “Come where I live! I’ll hook you up! It’s really good!” I couldn’t take everyone up on their promise this time. I missed Washington, Nebraska, Utah, Vermont, North Carolina, and more. So, I'll plan another one. This will always be my first tour. The 10th anniversary of this tour will be January 1, 2036. I will be 40 years old, and I’ll know a little bit more about a couple of things!

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Scottsdale, AZ

Buc-ee's Gas Station 

Last day of my rental car

Arizona: Days 1-5

show in university phoenix

Featured at ASU Cultural Center, Scottsdale

1227 Taproom, Phoenix

Arizona's Funniest Opener Competition, Glendale

Mic Drop - Bee Funny: Spelling Bee, Chandler

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Daddy: Grand Canyon

750 miles: SFO to PHX. 2 hours, 12 minutes.

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The weather was phenomenal! January 26 in Phoenix, Arizona, is the perfect temperature, and it is dry heat, so my curly hair looked amazing the whole time. I expected the show at ASU to be for college students. Instead, it was mostly an older Jewish community - most of them from the same temple in Scottsdale. The woman who housed me, an old (Jewish) friend of my stepmother, came to watch and she knew half of the audience as well as the showrunner, who was her daughter’s Jewish camp counselor.

 

The comics in Phoenix are incredibly funny offstage. Riff after riff after riff, and the scene in Arizona seemed to value riffing and crowdwork a lot. I brought a lot of written jokes, but I might have been better off chatting. That may be true in many places. ​The comedy competition in Glendale was pretty horrific. There were 26 comedians, each doing five minutes in a loud sports bar with TVs on. They forgot I was booked, so I went last, and they tallied all of the votes for everyone else during my set. The next day I went to the Grand Canyon, and I realized that the show did not matter at all, actually. It was perfect timing.The DADDY of Arizona was the Grand Canyon, for surviving up to 2 billion years and still being gorgeous. 

My taxi driver loved that I was a comedian. He said, "May you live to be 120 years old!" And I thought he'd blessed me. In the green room, another comic said, "Oh my God, he CURSED you?!" I hadn't thought about it like that. Yeah, maybe.

New Mexico: Days 6-7

Headlined Murder Showcase at Teddy Roe's Speakeasy in Albuquerque​

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Daddy: Me. Also, roadrunners.

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The woman who hosted me told everyone at my show that she was a private investigator. Another comic asked if she should be sharing that. "I mean, no, probably not," she laughed and offered more details.

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408 miles from Scottsdale to Albuquerque. 6 hours, 8 minutes. 

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This was the most beautiful drive of the trip! Every second of it was stunning.

​I stayed with a man and a woman I had not seen for 15 years. When I last saw them I was 15, she was 32, and he was 40. By this trip, they had a 12-year-old, she was a private investigator, and he went to bed by 9pm. They came to my show at a speakeasy behind a chalkboard. They sat in front of the large pillar in the center of the room, so they could see me only if they swiveled in their chairs. The show had a lot more queer comics than I had expected. It was very queer, mostly lesbian, and super goofy. My friends cheered a lot, and the rest of the small restaurant listened politely. It felt like something in a dream - old faces from my childhood cheering on a secret gay show in the southwest. 

 

The producer of Teddy Roe’s Murder Showcase told me there is more stage time than comedians in Albuquerque, so I could always come back. It was like New York turned upside down and shaken up until everything was the opposite. My hosts told me to come back really soon. I said I would. “Really soon,” could mean anything. It could mean a week or 15 years. The DADDY of Albuquerque was me, I think, for making the effort to go there. I was only there two nights.

headlining show in denver

Colorado: Days 8-16

Feature Weekend: Comic Cents, Boulder 

Ratio Comedy, Denver

Thick Skin at Comedy Works, Denver 

Corner Beet - featured for Adam Cayton-Holland

Don't Tell, Denver

Headlined Forest Room Five, Denver

Headlined Thin Man, Denver

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Daddy: Comedy Works!

I think everyone I met in Denver told me to move there. They were like, "It's awesome! Move!!" And they made very good points. 

447 miles ~ Albuquerque to Denver. 6 hours, 11 minutes. 

 

I watched the sun go down just before I drove into the city. I saw the twilight turn the night black and then the city make the sky blue again. Seeing a city was a relief. Much less intense than natural lighting and natural darkness. I had two shows on my first night. The first show cheered me up, and the second show brought me joy. I asked the producers at Ratio Comedy, Matt and Patrick, if I could tell abortion jokes. I had all of my luggage with me. They both said, “Of course!” in a heartbeat. “Hell yeah, dude! They love it here. They love that shit! Fuck it, dude. Nobody gives a fuck. Hell yeah. Rock on.” 

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Matt Cobos made me laugh just looking at him, I think, because of his child-like positivity. He added me to his show, Thick Skin, at Comedy Works, which truly is the best comedy club I’ve ever seen. The DADDY of Denver is Comedy Works. Hands down! The setup looks a bit like a shower, and it feels like singing in the shower - loud and clear and safe. ​I had 11 shows, and even the “worst” (small crowd, bad lighting, tepid audience) was incredible. Denver felt like a comedy Oasis. My hosts - Will Hancock in Boulder and Lizzy Wolfson in Denver- had extra rooms, extra bathrooms, and extra space pouring from their homes. It was eerily comfortable - or maybe just comfortable. It would have been perfect if my skin didn't get so dry. 

Kansas: Days 17-19

Headlined Don't Tell Comedy, Kansas City, MO

Spot on Don't Tell Comedy, Kansas City, MO

Liberty Hall, Lawrence - opened for Lukas McCrary

Headlined Hot Waffle in Kansas City​

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brunch show in kansas

Lukas McCrary also stayed with Breck. He was in town from Austin, TX, to headline two shows (very very funnyyy). I asked Lukas if any women do comedy in Austin. He said, "There will be when you go there." And now I want to go to Austin, and also not at all. 

Daddy: Breck

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She housed me, Lukas, and Jake Ricca all weekend in her giant house!

616 miles to Kansas City, Missouri. Longest, ugliest drive. 

 

I drove through the entire state of Kansas in a day. It all looked sepia, and I did lose a sense of place. I headlined Don’t Tell in Kansas City after a 9-hour drive, and that was the hardest show of the tour. They liked very, very, very silly things. Very light things. My comedy does have a darkness to it that they did not seem to enjoy as a whole. One couple in the front row laughed at everything, but also covered their mouths. The bartender told me he loved my jokes about alcoholism. That was my crowd! Kansas City was a 45-minute drive from Lawrence, Kansas, where I slept. I was pulled over for speeding on my drive to Lawrence at 2 am to go to sleep. He let me go. I told the cop I was a tourist and I had “Welcome to Kansas” visitor guides on the passenger seat. I don’t know if that was why he let me go, but I did notice him notice them. 

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Breck and her husband hosted me. They left their door unlocked, and I was almost certain it was their house. I wasn’t sure until I saw pictures of them on the walls. The house was huge. The guestroom had a king bed. I slept in that bed one night before two more comics arrived for the weekend. They also stayed with Breck, who seemed to be the heart of comedy in Lawrence. Breck helped me get on 3 of my 4 shows, so Breck was the DADDY of Kansas. Lawrence, Kansas, where she lives is adorable and there were rainbow flags all over. The shows I did in Kansas - Hillsiders Bar and Liberty Hall, were fun. After Hillsiders, we ate at SLAP’s Barbeque (short for “squeal-like-a-pig BBQ” - which is a terrifying name). I’ve never had more barbecue sauce on my clothes, and I was very impressed by the comics who make it work there because they have to create all of their comedy infrastructure. I saw Reena Calm, who sold mugs as her merch that said, “Don’t Talk to Me Until I’ve had my Orgasm.” She told me that mugs were not a great idea for merch because they are hard to travel with. She did it anyway. Reena is DADDY too!

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Oklahoma: Days 20-21

Headlined Dirty Laundry at the Wash, Tulsa

Headlined Whitter Bar, Tulsa

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Daddy: Evan Hughes

Someone at the show told me they were there by accident. They were supposed to be dropped off at a gas station, not the bar. I asked if they wanted a ride to the gas station, and they said, "No, I'm working on just going wherever the universe sends me." They really loved the show! They loved my set. Maybe they were onto something.

219 miles to Tulsa felt short. Three hours, fifty minutes.

 

I ended up in Tulsa because I posted an Instagram story about my trip...​ I saw your road trip! Looks super cool. I’m from Oklahoma and have some friends in Tulsa which is almost en route if you want any people to reach out to…This is my friend Evan. He’s Tulsas most popular person and can help with shows.

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I decided to “follow the love,” a line I heard from a comedian once. It’s not something I always do, but this trip was a chance to go where I was wanted. I followed the love and messaged Evan, who said, Hey friend I will make those dates work! Just be here !!! The shows will be set up. I love getting touring comics it’s literally the best.

 

He hugged me as soon as he saw me, and then he looked embarrassed. I hadn’t expected Tulsa’s “most-popular person” to be so bashful. The first show was a free show in a bar/laundromat was almost empty except for one man, who told me he was on acid, who paid close attention. I did 30 minutes for him. He went back and forth from enjoying my jokes to calling me evil to enjoying my jokes. Evan handed me $100 in an envelope. The woman who housed me told me to "just take it". She said it came from the universe. “For someone who everyone knows, we don’t know that much about him. Nobody knows how he has his money. There are theories, but no one knows."

 

The second show was also created by Evan from scratch, and it was packed. He got Sterlin Harjo on the show to try stand-up for the first time. Sterlin Harjo was the director of the show, The Lowdown, set in Tulsa. The bar was so packed that people sat on the dirty floor. They laughed at everything and gave Evan a standing ovation. After the show, Evan said, “I’m so glad this was a good show. If you left Tulsa after yesterday’s show, I would have to give you one thousand dollars so you wouldn’t tell anyone about it!” I had a fantastic time at Whittier bar, but I also would have preferred the $1,000 of hush money. I wondered if he meant it. Evan was the DADDY of Tulsa. 

Missouri: Days 22-26

Headlined Tokyo Room in Columbia 

Platpus, St Louis

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Daddy: Jennie Weaver, pilot in training

I can tell people I flew in a private plane on tour. A comic in St Louis was training to be a pilot, so she took me up in her small airplane to look at the Gateway Arch. She took the woman who hosted me and me up to fly, and I sat in front. I steered for 2 seconds, and the girl in the back started to feel nauseous, so I stopped. 

394 miles from Tulsa to St Louis. Only 5.5 hours. Easy.

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I had some friends in St Louis whom I met at the Flyover Comedy Festival. When I arrived, I grabbed dinner with the guy who booked me in Columbia. He bought me tacos and hugged me. He made fun of me for being very cynical and pessimistic, which I really needed that night. I had a stye in my eye, and I wasn’t sure how my tour was going from an objective place. “Enjoy our fine state,” he said, a bit sarcastically, and gave me a big hug. He was sarcastic, but his hug was genuine, so I already liked his state more than I did before. 

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I drove with Jennie Weaver to Columbia, Missouri, to headline the Tokyo Room. The next day, she took me up in a plane. I was told not to do any "overtly political material," and then I was asked to fill 60 minutes. Coming from San Francisco and then Brooklyn, that request was the opposite of what I was used to. I was nervous until I started to chat with the people in the room. There were only about 20 of them, so it was easy to get to know them all. They were truly wanted to have fun. They did not want to fight, and after that it was easy to be very goofy. 

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Illinois: Day 25

Headlined Vitale's Hideaway in Worden, IL 

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Daddy: Sex Jokes

The producer gave me an envelope with $300 in cash and said, "Don't you dare report this." 

36 miles from St Louis to Worden, IL. 40 minutes. 

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I was told the crowd was “mostly red," and my only goal was to do 40-50 minutes without mentioning abortion. The show at Vitale’s Hideaway reminded me of my earliest shows as a comic - when I lived in North Yorkshire, UK, for my first 11 months of comedy. The crowds only wanted to laugh. They did not really want to think, to be smart, or right. Vitale’s Hideaway loved dirty jokes but did not like my jokes about bulimia, which may have felt too serious. That show felt less like art and more like entertainment, which was liberating in its way. 

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In the front row, there was an older woman’s birthday with six friends in their 50’s or 60’s. They cheered for every dirty joke and drank from sparkly, pink Stanley cups brought from home. The kitchen bell rang during the entire show, sometimes angrily. The producer told me merch usually sold very well at that show because they were grateful to have a show. Of course, that was the only night I forgot my stickers at home. On my next tour, I will be more aggressive about merch. The DADDY of Illinois was sex jokes. It was just a dirty, sexy time. 

Kentucky: Day 27-31

Headlined Planet of the Tapes, Louisville

Commonwealth Sanctuary, Dayton​

Commonwealth Comedy Club is a converted church and it's stunning. One of the owners sat up in the balcony to catch any stray bats that might fly around before the show.

show in louisville

260 miles to Louisville, Kentucky. 4 hours. 

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I met Eric Groovely through a web of connections. Eric is DADDY of Louisville. He is so genuine, positive, supportive, and chill. He watched my special - all of it - he didn’t just check for views, likes, and subscribers. He watched it, which is precious!! And booked me to headline Planet of the Tapes, even though I would have been happy to feature. It was a delight to headline with them. The curtain was a classic red, and there was old horror-film paraphernalia on the walls and ceiling. Eric got me housing - a comedy couple that graciously housed me for five nights and even cooked dinner when I arrived, and made quad espressos with chocolate oat milk in the mornings. Kentucky was the only place where I was propositioned by a man in an open marriage, who said his wife was “not very interested but could be open,” which surprised me. I was not interested, but I am trying to learn how to just take the compliment. 

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The feature at Planet was Justin Sands, who had hilarious merch! Kitchen aprons with one-liners spray-painted on. I’d like to try harder to sell merch!

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They also treated me very well at Commonwealth Sanctuary in Dayton, Kentucky. I’ll go back to Commonwealth Comedy Club in December to headline!

Daddy: Eric Groovely!

on stage in cleveland

Ohio: Days 32-33 & 42-46

Featured for Lisa Curry at The Comet, Cincinnati

Headlined Don't Tell, Cleveland

Henceforth Comedy, Cleveland 

The Winchester, Cleveland

Brother's Lounge, Cleveland

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Daddy: Don't Tell Cleveland

100 miles: Louisville to Cincinnati. 1.5 hours. 

709 miles: Atlanta airport to Cleveland International. 1 hour, 45 minutes. 

 

The two nights I slept in Cincinnati, a local comic let me inside her building and then immediately went to sleep, leaving her couch, cat, shower, and kitchen completely available. Over my 63 days on the road, I only spent four nights in hotels! So, there is camaraderie in comedy! I want to remember that. 

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Cleveland is one of my favorite cities for many reasons, including my best friend and host, who lives there. I spent time with Bill Squire, a fast friend and a Cleveland legend. He told me, “I’m so glad that we are friends,” several times. Between Don’t Tell Cleveland, Bill Squire, and Henceforth Comedy - an independent show at The Winchester and All Saints. The crowds were full, open, well-trained comedy fans, albeit rowdy. Cleveland was a perfect combination of cozy, fun, well-paid, kind comics, and the crowds were smart -- technically a perfect week in comedy. 

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At All Saints Pub, I told the crowd I wanted to buy a house, but I only had $10,000. A man in the front said, “$10,000 is nothing!” I let him have that jab at me. In retrospect, I should have said, “Strong words from someone who lives in Cleveland.” I wish I’d taken a shot at Cleveland instead of letting him have it. A lot of crowdwork seems to be just standing up for yourself. I’d like to get better at that. The DADDY of Ohio was Don’t Tell Cleveland for letting me headline two sold-out shows. 

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Cleveland had the most jokes about polyamory of any scene. I wonder if it just got there, and so it is still very exciting.

Tennessee: Days 34-37

New Material Monday @ Zanies, Nashville

Central Cinema, Knoxville 

JJ's Bohemia, Chattanooga​

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Daddy: Tennessee River & Edley's BBQ

174 miles - Louisville to Nashville. 2.5 hours.

179 miles (2.5 hours) to the Hilton in Knoxville.

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I drove to Nashville Zanies for New Material Night, and then to a Hilton in Knoxville after the show. Zanies was hosted by a comedian named Belly Button, who was really ecstatic on stage and seemed very subdued in the greenroom. Zanies was a very serious place, but it was nice to have a green room with snacks and drinks. They told me to take some for the road.​​

zanies nashville

I drove to Knoxville for a show at Central Cinema, which was recommended by a friend from Atlanta. It was 225 miles (3.5-hour drive) from Atlanta. Comics in Atlanta are used to driving A LOT. That's something I didn't appreciate about New York - no need to drive for hours and hours for spots, and certainly not for open mics. Feeling of gratitude unlocked! 

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I felt sick in Knoxville, so I did not visit Dollywood, which I can add to a list of regrets. Feeling of regret unlocked! Feelings are very transient. I did get to drink beer for $2.25 by the Tennessee River! And I saw the first National Military Park, Chickamauga and Chattanooga, which was my first time walking on land where the Civil War was fought. People were there jogging and listening to music. 

 

Central Cinema was an "all women and the only three good men" show.  which was a surprise. I had assumed I would, so now I know to be very clear. Next time!! It was a small movie theater that was packed, warm, and fun, and the lineup was mostly women. 

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“Your next comic is from New York City, so I don’t know WHAT THE FUCK SHE’S DOING HERE! But for some reason, she is here tonight! So, welcome her!” 

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I did headline a mic in Chattanooga at JJ’s Bohemia. I didn’t realize how disgusting the restroom was until I walked out and my jeans were wet on the bottom. I thought JJ’s Bohemia was a bar that was meant to look dirty but was secretly clean. It was not. JJ’s has two restrooms, one labeled “BLOOD ASS” with a bright red light and wet floors. The other one was normal.“Did you use BLOOD ASS?! You can’t go in there!” Jimmy told me the bathrooms were not gendered, but one was disgusting and one was not. I thought the sign “BLOOD ASS” was meant to be silly, but it was a genuine warning. Zanies in Nashville was not like JJ’s in Chattanooga. Zanies was very clean, both the restrooms and the comedians. They were the sort of clean comedians who mostly complained about being married. I don’t know if that’s more or less offensive to me than the BLOOD ASS bathroom. It’s certainly more boring. 

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On the last day of my rental car, I was side-swiped by a semi-truck. Valuable lesson: Don’t drive in a truck’s blind spot. I did have insurance on the rental, and I was not at fault, so I returned the car with a totally crunched-up door and left without a second thought. The DADDY of Tennessee was the river - really pretty! And also Edley's Bar-B-Que.

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show in atlanta

Georgia: Days 38-41

Headlined Star Bar

Headlined Fresh Produce at The Supermarket

The Laughing Skull

Tea or Bull? Storytelling Show at Lore 

Squids and Giggles @ Argosy, Atlanta

Buteco Open Mic, Atlanta

​Roadtrip Improv Comedy

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Daddy: Gabbie Watts & Marietta Mendler

225 miles from Knoxville to Atlanta. 3 hours. 

 

Atlanta was my favorite city: it had the best shows, I had a very, very, very sweet host, and it felt truly different from New York. It was its own entity. One comic I’d met years ago brought his two-year-old daughter to an open mic and performed comedy with her in his arms. On my first night in Atlanta, a New York friend who is originally from Atlanta came over with pizza and spent a long time getting an air mattress prepared for me. The mattress deflated immediately when I lay down. The first night, I slept on the deflated air mattress on the floor just to be polite because I saw her work so hard to set it up. The next four nights, I slept on the couch because it was perfectly comfortable. The only two things I disliked were the humidity and being called “ma’am”. Otherwise, no complaints. 

 

I wish I had sold merch at Fresh Produce because I had a lot of fun, and the show was in an art gallery full of campy fine art, postcards, and stickers. I could have made some money with my stickers! Big goal for next time. I was in Atlanta at the same time as the West End Comedy Festival, so I met Mandy Simonson from Portland, who was in town for the fest. She wanted carbs, so a group of us stayed out until 2am, looking for a Waffle House, eating Waffle House, and then driving everyone home. DADDIES of Atlanta were Gabbie Watts and Marritta Mendler, who both helped me a lot and also tied for the Best of Fest Award at the West End Festival, which was WELL DESERVED.

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California: Days 47-56

Headlined Don't Tell, Santa Rosa

Headlined Critical Hit! Oakland 

Headlined The Factory, Richmond 

Headlined Abbott Square, Santa Cruz

Headlined Castro Comedy, San Francisco

Hosted for J Chris Newburg @ Rooster T Feathers, Sunnyvale

Don't Tell Comedy, Chico 

Throckmorton Theater, Mill Valley

Barrel Proof Lounge, Santa Rosa 

Cheaper than Therapy, San Francisco

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Daddy: My mom

2,466 miles. 5 and a half hours. Mom picked me up from the airport. Of course she did. My mom is a hero in all of this!!

 

*I also spent all of Jan in the Bay Area - 31 extra days. Plus 9 days in March. I love the Bay.  

 

I technically started comedy in the UK during the last 10 months of my bachelor's program, but the place I found a voice was Oakland, California. I started my tour there, and took what was meant to be a “breather” between Cleveland and Portland. I wanted a built-in break and a chance to pause and think about my trip before I returned to New York. I realized, though, sometimes pausing and thinking is less of a “break” and more of a “crisis”. Maybe I needed that, too! 

 

Some favorite rooms:

 

Don’t Tell, Chico - great! All of Santa Cruz. Flower Fist Comedy in Sacramento. The Factory in Richmond is gorgeous! Critical Hit! Comedy in a board game store in Oakland. Barrelproof Lounge in Santa Rosa really impressed me, and I want to go back to headline. That is the venue where an audience member tipped me with magic shrooms. The Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa, Comedy IRL in Santa Rosa are vibrant. All of the Queer shows that Wonder Dave runs - especially Ruckus Revival, a variety show in Oakland complete with aerial acts, fire dancers, burlesque. Throckmorton Theater in Mill Valley where Robin Williams used to perform, will always feel blessed. 

 

Going to the Bay will always feel less like a tour and more like going home. It’s not just home-home with family and friends, but comedy home. I know pretty much everyone in the scene. I give and receive genuine hugs at each shows. Because it is home, it does not have that feeling of adventure, but still scary feelings! The Bay feels like a reminder of how far I’ve come and also what I miss from home, which causes existential dread. Maybe a fear of leaving or not “making it” elsewhere, and guilt for leaving at all. California (second leg) was where I had My One Meltdown. Of course, with my mom. I’m embarrassed I had a crisis, but it was inevitable. Mom drove me to SFO again the next morning and told me to have fun in Portland. She was right. Always. The DADDY of California was my mom. Always. 

independent comedy in oakland

Comedy makes space for the most bizarre compliments. I got to see Larry "Bubbles" Brown at the Throckmorton Theater. Bubbles told me that I am "cute enough for commercials", which is not the most glamorous compliment a young woman can get. But it was actually very nice. Yay! I am 'cute enough for commercials'. 

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Oregon: 57-63

Preach, Portland

Chill n Fill, Portland

USF Food Carts, Portland 

Defiant Joy, Portland

Al's Den, Portland

Laugh Basement, Portland 

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Daddy: Good Vibes

656 miles from SFO to PDX. 1 hour and 55 minutes. 

 

I’ve been told I have a “Portland Vibe” - as a comic, a girl, and a low-maintenance person. I was told - even in Portland - I fit right in. Maybe because I like Queer culture, I’m laid back, there is something a little strange about me, I don’t know. I did seven shows and two open mics, so I had nine sets, but I did not get to headline, and so I made less money than other stops. I watched Gianmarco Soresi headline at the Helium, which was incredible. I got to do Laugh Basement - one of Portland’s favorite shows. I ran new material and just let loose at Covert Cafe, a coffee shop show. Next time, I will aim higher, especially since I know more people from Portland now. I saw Mandy from Atlanta, who was hilarious in both cities. She had to run after the show, but messaged me after Laugh Basement: 

 

The specifics you use in the jokes so rich and relatable and add so much depth. Layers babbbby! Loved it!! And next time you need to save a buck am get a ride home with a dude, message me and I’ll give you the cash. Deal???? 

 

The Laugh Basement headliner drove me home, and when I tried to give him money, he seemed surprised I’d even offer. We talked about Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. One thing I realized, talking to him, was that the further along a comedian is (more of a following, more experience, more representation, stuff like that), the less they seem to talk about those things. Because I enjoyed his company so much, I hope that I can emulate that when I talk to other comedians. I’d like to minimize the times that I ask, “Where do you get up? Who books that? Who do you hate in comedy?” and instead talk about the last concert I went to, what cities I like, and when my dog ate raisins. I started to sing Vienna by Billy Joel while I walked at night in Portland. That song was a bit like magic, the same way a joke can be, in that it made the world feel lighter. 

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