line of the day

"George W. Bush says he is a God-fearing man. As well he should be."
--Will Durst

That was probably the most quotable one-liner from today's afternoon at a free stand-up comedy show with S. Four hours, a few dozen comedians, in a meadow in Golden Gate Park. It is the nature of such events to be hit-or-miss, and this was no exception. A few of the comedians were pretty bad, but most at least had their moments, and several were quite funny. One was so good that I made a point of taking down his name (Will Franken) so that I could look him up and see if he's doing a show in the area any time soon. (He is. Anyone local want to go?)

Probably the highlight of the day, though, was the special surprise guest act: Robin Williams. He lives in the area, and it is not unknown for him to show up randomly at events like this, but I had never experienced it before. When the MC announced him, S and I instantly looked at each other with wide eyes and dropped jaws. Quite a moment. He actually wasn't the funniest comedian there, although he certainly was funny. I don't even remember any of his act, really. The amazing thing was more the sense of being in the same space as a living legend, the way his presence electrified the crowd. (The same thing happens at the ballpark when Barry Bonds comes up to bat.) Even if there hadn't been other quality comedians, that moment alone would have been worth the trip.

(P.S. Speaking of lines.... Answers tomorrow night, new game Tuesday morning.)