Live from Oslo......

 I've always had a fantasy of being on Saturday Night Live, a.k.a. SNL. I think it started when I was a little boy. Of course, in order to get the full picture, you'd have to imagine me as a young boy. Simply take a mental image of me as I am today, but instead of a 5'10'' Eritrean man, imagine a small, chubby, nappy-headed kid with droopy eyes and a safety blanket. Seriously, I went everywhere with that thing. I wonder whatever happened to it?? 

 Yes, I'm nostalgic like that sometimes.....DON'T JUDGE ME!! 

 Anyways, I've always appreciated stand-up comics and I've never been one to stick to one particular genre or artist. I've enjoyed white, blue-collar humor from the likes of Robin Williams, Bill Engvall & Jeff Foxworthy, foreign-influenced, culturally diverse humor from Russell Peters, Ahmed Ahmed & Maz Jobrani, provocative humor from Margret Cho, political satire from Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert & Lewis Black, just to name a few. Of course, I can just mention comedy with mentioning the "O.G.'s" of my era, such as Red Fox, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle and so on. 

  I love stand up comics because I love anyone who can make people laugh. The idea that you can inspire laughter is, in my eyes, one of the noblest acts that one can perform. Musicians can inspire passion, artists can play upon emotions and stimulation, actors can captivate an audience. But, comedians, that's a whole other breed right there. They can stop someone dead in their tracks with a well-placed quip or comment. They can mock you in a way that would leave you helpless, were it not for the laughter that it would illicit. The beauty of it is, no one is immune. Comedians are all-powerful high priests of hilarity, simply because of one reason.....we all want and love to laugh, plain and simple. 

 Despite my affinity towards SNL, I have enjoyed other shows, such as MadTV, who have produced a few notable comedians, such as Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele and Aries Spears, who I happened to have had the pleasure of seeing live.

 Spears came to Oslo this past weekend as part of his tour. I first heard about it on Facebook (once again, thank you, Mr. Zuckerberg). When I found out about it, I contacted every single person I could think of who would've been interested in attending, followed by countless man-minutes of planning and organizing (I could only dedicate so much of my time to this due to....well, life). And on the weekend in question, the game plan was set and it was on.

 At this time, I would like to give a special shout out to my home girl who helped me pick out a good shirt for the evening......yes, men have these problems too.......DON'T JUDGE ME!!!

 Where was I...? Oh yes, after meeting up with the crew and enjoying a few pre-show drinks, we congregated to the venue and wait until Mr. Spears made his appearance. And he did not disappoint. He opened with props to Norway for welcoming him, proceeded with some audience interaction, joked about life, relationships, people and the likes, followed by his signature impressions of several rappers like Snoop Dogg, D.M.X., Biggie Smalls and Jay-Z. That did me in. When done, we all stood up, giving him a loud, wall-shattering standing ovation. 

 What proceeded afterwards is somewhat unclear to me due to the wonderful atmosphere, ceaseless laughter and the near endless flow of alcohol. Yes, I like to drink......DON'T JUDGE ME!!

 But, what I take away from that is the fact that I had a wonderful time. I was among friends, I enjoyed a good show. I screamed until I was hoarse, I danced until I nearly dropped and I drank without the subsequent "reverse-peristalsis".

 Most of all, I laughed. I laughed and laughed and laughed. And I learned that, no matter how bleak the world may appear, a good laugh will always brighten your perspective. So, from all of us who enjoyed your show, thanks for the laughs, Aries.

 Yes, I know this sounds cheesy.....DON'T JUDGE ME!!