Watch Out, Godzilla! Here Comes The Mighty Snowcone!

This past week, I had the opportunity to travel to Atsugi Naval Base on the outskirts of Tokyo. This was made possible by Mike Bonner, a long time friend and well known comic. One night at a club, I ran into him and he had asked if I had a passport. I responded, “What do you think? What white dude do you know without a passport?” So Mike ended up connecting me with a promoter that books shows at military bases. I sent my information to the promoter so that I can get clearance to get on base. After weeks of planning and preparation, the time came to fly to another part of the world-Japan.

I was so excited that I arrived at the airport three hours early. Oh, that’s when you’re supposed to get there. Haha! I went through the security checkpoint and took everything off. I felt like I was going to jail.

Once on the plane, all was well. At least, it’s what I thought until the pilot went on the speaker and said, “There is a problem with our current flight plan…There is a volcano on the Pacific Islands spewing ash and so we need another route. We will fly to San Francisco, then to Tokyo”. It would have been great if we were on a Concorde but we were on a 747. I was on the plane for nineteen hours straight. Oh my God! My legs were so tight and sore. I had to get up every hour and a half to do a lap around the seats in economy class because that’s where the real stars sit, in case that you didn’t know.

I finally arrived in Tokyo at 9 the next day, which is 12 hours ahead of Detroit. It was funny when you really don’t know where to go. You just follow the people that you remember being on the plane with you. Now, I know why animals form packs. They hope that the one in the front knows where to go. In my case, I was in the front because I’m the alpha male. At least, it’s what I though. I wasn’t looking back and found myself alone. I guess that I wasn’t the alpha after all. So here I am trying to find the pack. Somehow, I found customs and then looked for my driver. I thought to myself, “I don’t know what he looks like. Japanese people look the same to me.” They probably say the same about us. To my surprise, there was the driver holding a sign with my name on it.

The ride to the base took about 90 minutes. Now, if I was driving, it would of taken 45 minutes tops. At first, the driver was quiet. I think it’s just their custom. The taxi drivers in the States, on the other hand, won’t shut up unless you ask them to. I started the conversation by asking what his name was. He said JJ and I responded, “No. What is your real name-not your American name?” He said, “Ooooh. It is “Mesuji.” His English was ok-not an “A” student in high school English, but he still knew more English than I knew Japanese. He tried to point out things on the way to the base though it was raining as much as in the Forrest Gump jungle scenes.

We arrived on base. There was a hotel for family of the troops when they come to visit. It was really nice and had everything in the rooms except remotes for the TV. Haha! Time for a soft bed and some long needed rest. It’s what I thought until six in the morning when I started hearing loud music like a house beat outside of my window. I look and there is a gym across the street doing Tae bo style aerobics. I tried to go back to sleep but it just wasn’t happening. Rise n’ shine, baby.

The person at the front desk gave me a map of the base to get around. As I looked at it, they had everything: a grocery store, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Dunkin’ Donuts. It wasn’t so bad. I looked for breakfast and walked around so that I could get used to my surroundings on base. I hooked up with the other comic, Curtis Arsenal, that was on the show. We started talking about the LA comedy scene and I asked him what he was up to. When it was time for the show, we arrived at the club.

I was on my own mission to give back to our men and woman serving our country to protect our freedom. I went up first and had a great set. They loved all the bits. It’s always good to know that no matter where you go, people are people all going through the same thing. After the show, I signed autographs and sold DVDs. The thanks were overwhelming for doing what I know how to do. The least that I could do was to thank them. They are the ones that deserve it.

Thanks again,

The Mighty Snow Cone

Author: The Mighty Snowcone

No related posts.