There was a brief moment of panic this morning when I talked to my agent Chris Burke. I told him I was home and He asked, “When are you leaving?” It is an odd question for him to ask since he holds the calendar for my shows and should know the next time I am going out of town. The conversation gets stranger as it continues something like this:
“No, I mean when are you leaving for your show.”
“What show, Chris.”
“You have a show tonight, right?”
“No.”
“Sure you do. You have a show in Anaheim tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes. I have the deal memo and contract right here. Anaheim Hilton, Anaheim, CA 10:00.”
“Chris there is nothing on my calendar for tonight, I don’t have any advance on this show and no paper work.”
“I have it right here. I was planning to come down and see you perform. I am leaving directly from work. I wore a suit and everything.”
“Chris, I am looking at all three of my calendars and there is nothing on my books about a show tonight.”

I hear papers rattling in the background and there is an increasing tone of alarm in his voice, when he says, “Here it is Feb. 23, 2007. That’s today right? Anaheim, California, Anaheim Hilton Hotel, the Wow Factory is producing. I have a signed contract and signed deal memo with your signature on it. We definitely sent the paper work out. Do you mean there has been no advance on this show at all? No one has called you from the production company? Wait a minute. This show is at 10:00 in the morning. If you are not there right now we are in breach of contract. Let me call you right back.”

I immediately check all my files, calendars, bar napkins and scribbled notes to see how this show could have fallen through the cracks. It is now noon and there is no way I can make it even though Anaheim is only 45 minutes away. I can’t believe it; I have never missed a show in my life.

There is a moment of wondering if I will ever work in this town again before Chris calls back. The solution is simple, but very odd. It seems I did have a 10:00 am show at the Anaheim Hilton for the Wow factory on Feb. 23… of last year. Somehow the paper work for that show was misfiled at William Morris with a 2007 instead of 2006 date. The Agency computer held the date for a year and sent notices to Chris’s office computer, which triggered blackberry and email notices to everyone at the Morris office.

I guess this is a modern day problem caused by letting computers dictate our schedule. All is fine now and the blood pressure is back to normal. Except for Chris wearing a suit to work on casual Friday, all is as it should be.
As you were,
Jay