Great Weekend at Scott Bruce's room in Wilkes-Barre, PA. It was the 5th anniversary of his Wisecrackers franchise and the cover was only 5 bucks all weekend. Maria Walsh hosted and Johnny Rizzo closed.
I've never worked with John before, but he has a reputation for being very funny and very likeable, if not a little offbeat. Meaning that he might see things a little differently from time to time than the teeming masses. Therein lies his comic sensibility and perhaps the genesis of his success in this business. And that is also where our story begins.
I have seen comedians sell merchanside of all varieties after the show: CD's, DVD's, T-Shirts, bumper stickers, shot glasses, key chains, plastic drink cups, panties...you name it...a veritable flea market of low-brow hilarity and capitalism. I thought I had seen it all, as far as post show marketing went. Again, I had never met Johnny Rizzo.
Through some series of events Johnny has come in to possession of a real life, honest to God, SHRUNKEN HEAD! No lie. It's authentic. It's creepy. It even smells the slightest bit funky. Now just having such a bauble might be enough for most of us (I'd put it on Ebay and be done with it)...but not John...he has taken this shrunken warrior on the road and put him to work. Wanna' see a shrunken head, without having to go to a museum?...come see Johnny and bring a 5 spot. It's just that easy. Wanna' take a picture of you and said head with your cell phone?...same 5 bucks and smile. Think you're going to be able to talk John in to raising the purple Crown Royal bag that covers the Bell Jar WITHOUT handing over the green?...guess again. He may be a show man, but like P.T. Barnum, he is also a business man.
By the way, no fewer than 8 people ponied up to see Johnny's buddy over the weekend, and that's gas money for most anyone.
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