Jay London

The other night I witnessed something quite remarkable.  In a city full of aspiring Comedians, often talent can be found lurking in the shadows of small venues and workout rooms.  Rumor had it that a young comedian I had heard good things about was going to be performing at The Ramada on Vermont.  The Top of The World Bar in the basement of the Ramada has been a starting point for many talented comedians, and a recognized workout room for professional comedians.  The eclectic mix of guests staying at the hotel offers a unique opportunity to try out material.

When I arrived at the Ramada last Monday night, the audience consisted of two hotel guests, the performing comedians, and me.  I immediately began questioning my excursion.  On a night when The Jay Leno Show was premiering and the first Monday Night NFL game was airing, it was no surprise that the guests may have been locked in their room favoring the TV over live entertainment.

The comedians began taking the stage for one lackluster performance after another.  The two hotel guests looked as if they might have another twenty minutes of attention span at the most.  Then I caught a familiar figure out of the corner of my eye.  Jay London was in the corridor with a notepad, going over some jokes before going on stage.  Now I wasn’t surprised to see him, as he is known for working out at rooms like the Ramada around town.  I was surprised by how focused he seemed.  He was actually warming up like this was a show he was getting paid for, and not a workout room with two legitimate fans in the audience.

Suddenly the urge to flee the scene was replaced with excitement.  I’ve long been a fan of Jay London, his self-deprecating humor, witty one-liners and outlandish wardrobe, always put a smile on my face.   Jay London bounded onto the stage and launched into his routine.  Consummate professional is not a phrase that previously entered my mind when I thought of Jay London, but it is now.  For about twenty minutes Jay had the two hotel guests mesmerized and every comedian there glued to their seats in front of the stage.

After his set, Jay quietly said goodbye to the room Booker and the bartender, shook a few hands and went on his way.  It was truly remarkable to see a professional dedicated to his craft.  It didn’t matter how many people were in the room.  Jay London had some material to work out, and that’s exactly what he did.  My hat’s off to Mr. London, all those aspiring comedians, not to mention many professional comedians out there, could take a lesson from Jay.