A funny thing happened on Main Street in Louisville last night. Mad Man Pondo made his stand up comedy debut.
Pondo promoted the event for weeks on Facebook and through his loyal network of friends and fans. You’d have thought this was some big ticket debut, the way he put it over. Turns out Pondo was one of nearly two dozen comics appearing at an open mic night at the Louisville Comedy Club.
That’s not a slight towards him, or the event. It’s a reminder that Pondo is a smart man and a heck of a promoter!
It’s a tribute to him as well that the comedy club ended up giving him extra time. Most of the aspiring comics (and a few semi-pros trying new material) only had four minutes. They gave Pondo six, and he made the most of it. The crowd was laughing right from the opening line – which was so filthy and vulgar, I will not be printing it here.
The same goes for the rest of his routine, a wild and bizarre story about a “romantic” encounter that started with a Craig’s List ad. Pondo spent the last several weeks attending open mics and other stand up shows, getting a feel for how a well-crafted act unfolds. He knew he had to start with a bang. He did. And as for the rest?
Well, if you’ve read his book, or been around him for any length of time, you know Pondo is a phenomenal storyteller.
The house was almost half full for the free, two hour open mic set, with at least a third of the attendees coming just to see Pondo. Joe Wheeler, the long-time OVW senior official who started out calling matches at Louisville Gardens, was front and center. World-renowned photographer Scott Romer made the drive down from Indianapolis with a friend. Wrestling photographer Chrystal Brigman and her husband took in the show as well. Billie Starkz’s parents sat in the back corner, and the Black Dahlia herself, Paige Collett, put in an appearance.
Pondo made an impression on everyone, including the Louisville Comedy Club. He’s been invited back to MC an open mic himself. You can expect to see Pondo promoting the hell out of those appearances when they happen.
You never know what you’ll get at an open mic night. Sure, there were some awkward silences and jokes that died quick deaths, but there were definitely highlights.
Most in attendance agreed that Samuel Lee should be doing stand up on regular shows. Lee’s observations about Korean culture and American were brilliant, and he handled the political humor in his act in such a way that both sides had to laugh.
The crowd was split on the dark humor of Ali Hussein. His set, which touched on his experiences as a young Palestinian in Louisville, was fearless, edgy, and twisted. Me? I absolutely loved it and told him so. I hope to see more of him too.
It’s great to see Pondo trying new things, and it’s no surprise he did well. He’s creative, he’s smart. He did his homework before getting on that stage and fearlessly tearing into a story that would make Gilbert Gottfried blush.
And let’s be honest. Mad Man Pondo is a very funny man.
Wanna buy Pondo’s autobiography? Get it now from Dead Park Books!