DVD Release Party

The DVD release party at Steven's Steakhouse was a big success.  We sold all the DVD's we brought with us.  The new DVD is still available at www.cliffyates.com .  I opened the show, since I wanted to make it more of a party than a show. I wanted to host the show giving thanks to all who had supported the DVD show.  This was my free thank you show to everyone who supported my shows last year.   And I knew that  I was going to be rolling out 30 minutes of new material.  I had rehearsed rewrote rehearsed, and rehearsed some more, knowing it was a big risk to roll out such a big chunk of new stuff, but i don't get up every week to be constantly working in new material.   When we went over 45 in the crowd, i knew i had just the right size crowd to get a true reading on how the new material was going.  I had Chris Zee, along with Jimmy Delle Valle, and Rudy Moreno, waiting in the wings.  I knew that I was not headlining the show, so if things went really bad, i could bail out, and I had my big hitter headliners ready to close out the show.  Wow, i knew the new material was going well, but i was really surprised that almost all of it worked.  The feedback that I received form Jimmy Delle Valle and Rudy Moreno, was so inspiring.  It gave me such a boost of confidence in my writing.  I'm already planning the next hour special, so stay tuned. 

Cliff Yates at the Icehouse

What a great show we had at the Icehouse comedy club on September 17.  Performance wise it was my best.  It was an honor to have Frazer Smith and Mike Marino in the show.  I was honored and humbled to have so many family and friends pack the icehouse on a Tuesday night, for my send off from my 35 year police career to now my full time Entertainer career.  It was great so see so many faces that I have been working with, and so many I have worked with as far back as 30 years.  My only heartbreak is that I can't spend time with everyone personally after the show.  I saw so many that i hadn't seen in so many years, and we had so much to say.  But I'm very conscious of everyone else who are waiting to say hi or goodbye after the show, it drives me crazy trying to manage the meet and greet after the show.  It does my heart good to see everyone come together for a night of laughs, and to reconnect.  With all the techno entertainment we have at our fingertips, I hope we never lose the need and joy of live performance. Thanks to everyone who came out to the show, and I know many couldn't make it,  I will be producing several of my own shows in 2014.  Keep up on the schedule at www.cliffyates.com 

Once Before I go

The timing of the El Portal Theatre show might be just right as my "Once before I go" show.  It is taking place less than a year before I retire from the L.A. Sheriff's Dept. So many friends and folks I've worked with over the past thirty years have already bought tickets to the show. Although it wasn't planned that way, the show, with the after party, could serve as a great pre retirement celebration.  Looking at the group of people that have already committed to coming to the show, I don't know if i ever could get them together like this again.  This is going to be a fun night, with the show itself, and showing the footage of what we shot for the documentary, and the after party at Universal Citywalk.  For details of the show and a promo clip, go to www.cliffyates.com

Thursday February 7, 2013 will be my first theatre show, and my second DVD taping.  This show has a special twist, in that it is also a culmination of a documentary film, showing my life as a cop by day and cop by night.  We added a dream sequence where I lock my comedy self in jail, while not performing, and when it comes time for the big show at the theatre, I go as my cop self, and pick my comedy self up from jail, and take myself to the theatre for the performance.  We shot many unauthorized clips in rogue fashion with television and film maker Bill Boyd. In the end we will end up with the documentary footage, leading up to the big theatre show, and the actual show itself will be shot as a stand alone piece, giving us a two disc set.  Tickets are still available for this show, so get them now, I'm excited that the pre show sales are going great. The El Portal Theatre on Lankershim blvd in North Hollywood is a beautiful historic theatre.  It's an intimate space which seats 360, we are half way there to a sell out,  so go to www.cliffyates.com and buy tickets on line, or email me at cliff@cliffyates.com give me an address and how many tickets, and i will send them right out to you with a self addressed stamped envelope for payment.  Your ticket for $30 gets you the show, and the after party right after the show at the Saddle Ranch Steakhouse at Universal Citywalk.  

The Cop and The Con Return to Caledonia NY

The Cop and The Con, returning to Caledonia, New York, for the annual Totsie Cook/Dan Coyle Scholarship Comedy Night. Mike Marino has been selling out Theatres all over the country, and headlining in Las Vegas.  Mike is currently filming a movie in Los Angeles, but insisted on changing the shoot schedule to make his Caledonia commitment. I am still cop by day and comedian by night.  I have been ramping up the writing and performing for my switch to full time comedy work as retirement from the cops approaches, so plenty of new material from me.   All my back east people please come out and see this show, no way are you going to see a show like this for 20$ bucks.  This show benefits a scholarship for kids, in the name of two of my close high school who left us way too early in life, so this show is special for me.
I will see you at the show, this will sell out, buy tix today on line !

Eureka, I made a guy throw up

I had a great week opening for MIke Marino in Reno, at Catch A Rising Star, inside the Silver Legacy Casino.  Eight shows in 6 days, it was a great way to start 2012.  Last night while on duty, Sheriffing, driving the streets, those doubts crept into my mind.  Do I still have the comedy chops? Is it really something I should be doing ? Wouldn't it be easier just to concentrate on my cop job.  Yes I had probably 4 good shows, and two killer shows in Reno, but there were two, where I really felt the pangs of rejection, my self confidence was shaken a bit.  I met with a deputy for coffee, 7-11, Echo Park, Los Angeles.  We received a call of a wild man threatening a bus driver, refusing to get off the bus.  It was in the San Fernando Valley, it took us about 25 minutes to arrive.  We quickly brought the situation to a peaceful conclusion, or the deputy did, while I stood by.  As we drove away from the call, the deputy made a comment to me on our car to car radio.  A declarative statement, truthful observation on his part.  I retorted with my reaction to what he said ( a punch line to his statement).  It was still pretty warm, and our radio car windows were down.  I heard him screaming with laughter.  He then quickly pulled to the curb, and I pulled in behind him.  He jumped out of his police car, bent over, and threw up !  He was still laughing.  He said thats the first time in my life, I laughed so hard I threw up !!  Did you see me, you made me throw up!!  I still have it.  Thats what it's all about.  That is the key to my writing, To take real situations, observations, and insert my natural sense of humor reaction to them.  My attempt to structure made up jokes is not going to work, doesn't work really.  This epiphany comes on the heel of my study of the work of comedian Steve Roye, who professes to do just what I did just then naturally, to develop killer material.  I have been too funny off stage, using my natural sense of humor in reaction to conversations.  I have been less funny in my act, trying to write, structure, create funny out of made up stuff.  Making a deputy sheriff throw up, never felt so good.  I felt like I was back at the lunchroom in high school, throwing in the punch line someone took a drink of their milk, just to watch them spray it out their nose, as they laughed uncontrollably.  I'm off to observe and report, and insert my personal sense of humor reaction, with my point of view and twist.  I want to make more people throw up.  

Occupy LA

Occupy LA, I was there last night as it went down.  We were protecting our territory, the nearby subway stations.  From the Civic Center station, we had a birdseye view of the happenings, probably not as good as television, but being there gives you your own personal perspective.  Driving by the area for weeks, and seeing the destruction of property and  the litter and garbage, was unbelievable.  What happened to taking a stand, tax payers payed for this park, and the rules are, you can't come in here and camp, crap and piss all over the place, and otherwise damage the property.  Wow, to avoid confrontation and bad press, come on in and destroy everything to the tune of thousands of dollars.  LAPD did a great job, blocking off a perimeter for several blocks surrounding City Hall.  Hundreds of working, tax paying people were then not able to get to their cars, to go home, so they could get to sleep, for WORK the next day.  This was caused by Occupy LA, but ofcourse the police will get the blame.  It was awesome to see 1400 LAPD officers arrive in buses and in a caravan of radio cars.  Ofcourse we had to activate hundreds of Deputies, to get Transportation Buses to and from the jail, to transport prisoners, and to protect the county buildings in downtown. Wheres the outrage from the public, after we have now spent I assume is now over a million dollars.    Isn't it great, we peacefully concluded the movement.  I thought it was sickening to see hundreds of people, taunting the police, and shoving cameras two inches from the officers faces, and yelling obscenities.  Hoodlums were riding around with gas masks and sticks with impunity.  I guess I'm from a different time, I say from the beginning, tell these people very nicely, please get off the property, and if they don't, Force, fast and hard. Let them occupy central jail, full medical coverage, three meals a day, showers, and weekly change of clothes, its a win win.  Well I can't say anymore, lawyers already google me, and look for anything they can find, to use a gainst me, I do have the right to remain silent,   So until retirement, I will keep my opinions close to the vest.  Had to vent a little on this.