Write Things Down, Keep Good Notes
You never know when they will come in handy
Hello and welcome to the Museletter, stemming from the mind of longtime comedian, writer + (wonderful?) weirdo Jessica Delfino. I’m happy to helm this crazy ship, and all I ask is for $7 / month to keep it afloat. In exchange, I’ll help you along your comedy path, which promises to be covered in prickles (and pricks) that want to keep you from success. Ask me anything. Operators are standing by. Too broke for that? Just follow me on Insta. Or Twitter. Or Xiaohongshu.
Etc. (this is the part of the post where I talk about me and my stuff)
Upcoming shows:
- Sat. 2/15 Pocono Underground Comedy, Stroudsburg, PA.
- Sat. 3/1 Comedy and Cocoa, Stroudsburg, PA. | Tix TBA
- Tue. 3/4 Garage Sale Vintage, NY, NY. | Tix TBA
- Tue. 3/15 Pocono Underground Comedy, Stroudsburg, PA.
- Sat. 3/22 Camp Papillon Comedy Show, Saylorsburg, PA.
- Sat. 3/29 Scranton Comedy Truck, Scranton, PA.Postpartum Depression | Follow me on TikTok!
Tiktok failed to load.
Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browserNew song: Secrets | Follow me on Instagram!
(One of) my day job(s) is writing as a news reporter, and it’s award season. Wish me luck!
I got a message last week in my inbox. It was from the husband of a comedian friend of mine who died. Angela Muto, a.k.a. Shecky Beagleman, a.k.a. the voice of Ronny the Limo Driver’s mom on Howard Stern’s husband was hoping to find some information about her whereabouts in the early 2000s NYC comedy scene. He asked me if I had anything to prove she had been in downtown Manhattan during that time, so her insurance would cover costs relating to the illness that she eventually lost her battle to. (Are they just the absolutely worst, most soulless business there is?)
I dug through some old emails and phone messages, but didn’t find what he was looking for. Undeterred, I decided to go analog.
In my basement, I have a giant box of comedy notebooks that I’ve been carting around with me for over two decades. There must be about 40 or so notebooks in there. In the books are set lists, comedy show dates and details, the line ups of comedy shows, flyers from shows, and so. much. comedy. history.
Going through it all was bittersweet. I read about and relived break ups, breaks, hook ups, bombing, 9/11 (I witnessed it from the 7 train and recorded the 2nd plane hitting the tower and exploding into a ball of fire), the angst of being a young comedian trying to find my way in New York City in the comedy world in the early 2000s… it was a trip—literally. It was like traveling back in time.
As I dug through the books, I was able to identify people, shows and information details that helped me provide what he needed.
Helping a friend in need posthumously get what is rightfully theirs is only one good reason to keep all your comedy books. Other great reasons include:
The serotonin boost from the feelings nostalgia may bring on
Finding old details that help you reconnect with past friends and bookers
A treasure trove of old jokes that could be re-invigorated
And many more!
Check out the video below to see some of the goodies I found, and also how nice my handwriting used to be. I could literally start a comedy museum with all the stuff I was able to dig up. Maybe I will. Funders? Anyone?
Me, age 20. Just a few years before I hopped on this crazy comedy train and never got off. Look how puffy my lips used to be—no filler!
Send photos of your comedy notebooks to jessdelfino@gmail.com.
Daily Musings
Would you pay $100 a month to rent a space at a downtown NYC storefront to have a day to do whatever you wanted to with? If so, email me.
“Why shouldn’t comedy be hard?” asks Seth Rogen | Variety
‘Crass comedy’ under fire | YouTube
Louis C.K., Rich Vos performing in Scranton, Pa. | Scranton Times-Tribune
That’s it for today, kiddo. See you soon.
