Badass Burlesque at the Bowery Poetry Club

Badass is a fun show, usually a little darker or more twisted than regular burlesque. The theme for the evening was Janis Joplin. And my friend Diane hosted, doing a real burlesque routine, and an amazing job of keeping up the Janis persona all night long. Yes, those are pot leaf pasties.

Sweet serendipity

Sometimes you stumble into the right place at the right time and something unexpected and good happens. Really. No, really. Tonight, I walked into Sweet at the Slipper Room, Seth Herzog's long-running, well-respected, well-attended comedy show on the Lower East Side. It always attracts top talent, and I just went in to watch a great comedy show. I said hello to Seth, and he asked me to fill in for a last-minute cancellation. I accepted immediately, and got to share a bill with Seth, Baron Vaughn, and Todd Barry. Oh, and Seth's mom (who appears in every show, this time as sidekick). It was unexpected and good. See? I told you. These things happen sometimes. I have a crush on Seth's mom because someone in the audience mentioned narwhal whales and she explained that they have unicorn-like horns that they rub together as foreplay before making whale babies. And she raised Seth, who seems like a real mensch to me. Well done, Mama Herzog.