Brian Bogart (feature to come soon), is another one of my client/friends here in Austin. He’s a local actor, model, and comic.

Anyway, Brian has been hosting an open mic night for a while now but I hadn’t had a chance to go until last week. In my defense, the show starts at 9PM at the Austin Ale House downtown and that’s when I try to go to bed. I finally planned out my work enough to make a bedtime exception, since Brian is a client, after all. So, I sacrificed a bit of sleep and it was definitely worth it.

I’ve been to a fair amount of stand up shows since moving to Austin…of course, all because of Mr. Bogart. But what I liked about his was that it’s not just a bunch of quirky people waiting in line to talk about their lives or make jokes. It actually lives up to its name, “Banter with Bogart.” Brian plays off the “banter” side quite nicely, making the event name more than just a cute alliteration. He still has a list of comedians who get up one at a time for a five-minute set but he sits off to the side with a microphone, throwing in his two cents as he pleases and then asks the comic a question or two at the end. It really enhances the show and is definitely classic Brian.

I took notes, hoping to write out some of the highlights of the night, but I feel like they’re considerably less funny when I talk about them. Plus, it’s kind of one of those “you had to be there” things, right?

But I will say that my favorite part of the night was watching Brian frantically run around the bar before the show…because he’s my friend and I don’t know that I’ve ever been to an event that he planned. “Event Coordinator Brian” was definitely a new side of him but he definitely did a great job in spite of being short a microphone. Luckily, Elizabeth was able to pick it up on her way over, so the “Banter” side of the show wasn’t completely lost.

I’m excited to see what he has in store for us tonight! 😉