Today's a major date. Five - Nine.
Back in 2006, this was originally slated to be a huge day for 2 HUGE reasons:
1. It was going to be my first stand-up show & a lot of friends and co-workers planned to attend.
2. After basically killing "Dani California" for at least a month, Stadium Arcadium was to be released. (tracks today are the aforementioned, "Warlocks," "C'Mon Girl," "21st Century," "Tell Me Baby," "Turn It Again")
I'd been looking forward to this for really quite some time. I wasn't sure what exactly to expect but I knew the effects would be profound. As it turned out, though, it'd be a HUGE day for a THIRD REASON:
It was also to be the day where I'd go on my first date with Liz.
I took the day off work, picked up the album, went to lunch with my mother at IHOP (I took that day off), broke in the album, and then changed and made my way up to the Comic Strip Live.
I had the fuel from a day off, a new musical milestone and chapter in my life, and was ready to go on a date with a girl I couldn't get out of my head since the previous September.
My underwear was soaked with sweat. At the time I used the pressure as motivation and though I was excited, my heart was not accustomed to beating faster than a speeding bullet that grew nostrils and inhaled a ton of drugs. I had this wonderful, new 28-song collage forcing its way in to my brain and it was probably pushing out algebra, alarm combinations and all the jokes I'd been practicing.
Friends and co-workers showed (it's a mental-psychological thing, I realize now for the comic -- if you see someone you know the pressure is off. For the club it's all monetary) and I was extremely grateful for that. When Liz showed up (after pulling an entire night shift) I was so thrilled but also more under the gun and I knew that I had to succeed. It hadn't dawned on me that I wouldn't, at the time. Those feelings rarely came up when I did stand-up -- it wasn't that I thought I was so great but I knew I had enough good material to get me through my 7 minutes without getting booed off. Come to think of it, the only time I got doubtful was after I got hit by a car in September of '06 but I shook that off, too.
I was thankful I was able to greet Liz at the door and we sat together and watched the show until it was my turn. I have video of my performance and maybe I'll post it one day. If you'd put me on a hamster wheel I could've powered the city. I had the jokes in my mouth, the music in my soul and the girl in the crowd, which emitted more love and support than I'd known. If there was a Justin Smulison biopic, I'd want that to be either the opening or the final scene.
Afterward, Liz and I went to dinner and then Central Park and then home. Two years later we moved in together at almost the exact same date and two years and one month later we were married.
In many ways today is more of an anniversary than our wedding anniversary, though that date is equi-special.
I know I could've done this in Winter but I wouldn't have been inspired enough to do it.
When I reflect on that date it's a reaffirmation of many things I've done and choices I've made. It surfaces much more in this nice weather because it was the backdrop to the time and the mood. I was acting on instinct and it paid off one million-fold. Perhaps I ought to revive that thought process.
Thank you for reading.
Thanks!
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