Observations and Notes – ..:: Spike.fish::..

When you spend enough time around comedy, you start to notice the little things that make a performer special — the timing, the rhythm, the choices that seem small but change everything. I’ve kept track of those moments in the form of quick notes, nothing more than my own way of studying the craft. These write-ups grew out of that habit. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy flipping through them as much as I enjoyed watching, listening, and learning.

Born to….Bring the Pain….

Legend has it, in 1974 Clive Davis took a limo from his office at Black Rock all the way to West Long Branch, NJ… to tell Bruce Springsteen he was on the verge of being dropped from Columbia Records unless his next opus had hits. The Boss, was running on fumes, fueled by the fear […]

Comedy, Magic, and ‘Merica… from a trusted source

For the last 10 years, “cultural inclusion in Hollywood” has served as both a four-letter word for some and a battle cry for others. From making his bones as a pitching staff writer on In Living Color to co-creating the Bernie Mac Show and Insecure, Larry Wilmore has been leading the charge…by not only composing […]

The Dreamer – one artist’s take

Shine Dave Chappelle’s “C” logo (with the red at the top and green at the bottom) on the side of any building and watch Millennials and members of Generation X walk towards it like summoned ThunderCats… Not since Muhammad Ali has there been a cultural warrior fighting some of the hardest fights; with both an […]

He sounds too experienced to be this young.

Date: October 5, 2024 Venue: DC Improv Socials: With a presidential election looming, Ian Lara arrived in a Washington, DC that wanted to laugh at anything BUT what we’ve argued about on social media or at family dinner tables. In a room of scattered demographics united in their collective need of a safe but real […]

Shots fired … in Defense.

Only time will tell if Katt Williams’ appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s couch will be equivalent to Suge Knight’s acceptance speech at the 1995 Vibe Awards. If you’re familiar with my writing style, you know I use obscure pop culture references to illustrate the patterns I see. Not since Suge Knight’s starter pistol of an acceptance […]

Does he even need a mic to do this?

Date: November 10, 2023 Venue: The Venue at Hard Rock Hotel Socials: Donnell Rawlings, the DC born comedian who is not afraid to speak his mind (or yours), returns. The high energy exchange other comedians can struggle to get out of a crowd, is the fevered pitch at which a Rawlings show begins. Donnell’s voice […]

Has Crayons Will Travel

Date: October 5, 2023 Venue: Apollo Theater Socials: Often when the word colorful is used to describe a comedian, it’s referencing their language or their clothing… When discussing Patrice Deveaux, I feel compelled to use the word. But only to describe how she intends for you to see the world when she leaves the stage. […]

An evolution in progress.

Date: June 1, 2023 Venue: Howard Theater Socials: | Fans of the verbal and intellectual martial art that takes place behind a microphone and in front of an audience… know how easy it is, to oversimplify why things work or don’t. To say “this is better because…” when at the end of the day it […]

Master of His Own Style.

Date: May 14, 2023 Venue: DC Improv Socials: | If the Earth were to suddenly stop spinning…I mean really came to a screeching halt….with everything hanging in suspended animation. I know two things for sure: Stevie Wonder would still be loving whomever he was talking to in “As” … If he happened to be […]

Guard changes

In my own words, a consistent theme of Roy Wood Jr’s comedy is “common sense is still common sense…and if you don’t see it, you’re probably looking at it incorrectly.” We’ll come back to this. I’m not entirely sure if it was the universe’s atonement for the 24 hr news cycle or the amount of […]

how I experienced ‘selective outrage’

I didn’t see the hour Chris Rock was developing prior to the 2022 Oscars , but immediately thereafter the world only wanted to hear the SNL alum talk about one thing. Admittedly I was curious too. So when I went to the live show at Constitution Hall in DC prior to the Netflix broadcast(!) in […]

standing room only

Date: August 18-20, 2022 Venue: DC Comedy Loft Socials: | There are only a few seconds left to claim “early adopter” status on the bullet train comedians know as Zainab Johnson before it leaves the station. Her ascent to the stratosphere of super stardom, isn’t a matter of if, but when…and truth be told it’s […]

Family Valued

Date: September 22-23, 2022 Venue: DC Improv Socials: | The worst kept secret about the black community: though the majority of us may vote liberal, the homes that raised us were not. While other American cultures have been slow in finding the intersection where familial acceptance meets identity and sexuality, black families all too often […]

Self-advocacy realized.

Date: October 22, 2022 Venue: Lincoln Theater The Lincoln theater on U st. fills up with patrons. Aside from a chair and a microphone, the stage sits empty but lit. There was no zany music playing in the background, there was no opening act (or two) trying to raise the crowd’s temperature. The random conversations […]

Prove Him Wrong

Whether it’s from his hyper impactful Netflix debut appearances, his podcast “BS with Brian Simpson” or his current series of live performances, the man has made first impressions his super power. In fact the only downside of a Brian Simpson first impression… you only get one. After that, you’re prepared. You know to expect the […]

Observations & Notes