Funny how? -- An only moderately horrible photograph of me in 2011 (pre-facial feminization surgery), as I appear at the BCC.

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Jim Gaffigan emerges from the darkness

One night at the club, in the Cafe Room to be precise, I did about about five minutes or so, stepped down from the stage to decent applause, and made my way toward the door.  From the darkess emerged a large, pale shape that turned out to be none other than comedian Jim Gaffigan.  He whispered in my ear a very nice compliment about one of my jokes, and then proceeded to take the stage himself and do his own set.  The next day, I sent him a friend request on Facebook.  He has not yet gotten back to me.  This was four years ago.

Hecklers

Of the relatively few times I've been heckled, some of these have come within the spirited confines of the Broadway Comedy Club.  I always have a few good put-downs ready, should things get nasty.  But dealing with hecklers typically is an exercise in gentleness and patience, as most heckers are really just nice people who want a little too eagerly to participate in the show.  The "get-off-the-stage-you-bum" variety of heckler is surprisingly rare.  Either way, you never want to overreact -- otherwise the whole crowd will feel uncomfortable and they will stop laughing.  The best way to deal with the threat of heckling is simply to be yourself -- to be authetic, to be honest, to avoid making judgments about people, places and things about which you know nothing.  Then you will be respected.  There will be nothing to heckle.

"I've got a spot tonight at Broadway!"

That's at Broadway.  Not on Broadway.  The club's precise location is 353 West 53rd Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenue in Manhattan.  A short walk to Times Square.  The comics who wish to appear here are numerous, and there is fantastic competititon for stagetime.  In the earlier years of my comedy career, I would "bark" in customers, work as an intern (essentially an usher or ticket-taker) and perform in showcases packed with comics looking to impress.  Now I am a regular performer in a club that values originality and individuality -- as long as you make the audience laugh.

"I bought nine jokes from Alison Grillo.  If you don't like me, blame Alison Grillo."

Andy Nadler, comedian