Most of this went down some weeks ago, but I only recently became aware of it. Local comedian Mitch Mekulsia didn't like that his set was included on The New Morning X bit "Stand Down." So the next time Mekulsia saw Sebas at a comedy club, he confronted him:
As soon as I realized it was the same guy, taping sets again, I went around to every comic in the place and let them know what his game was. Then, in front of a crowd of people, I called him out on his s**t. The little bitch was stuttering and trembling, I think he may have s**t his pants. I would have...there were about 10 people surrounding him who really wanted to kick his ass. See, he had been taping sets there too, but this time, he didnt even ask anyone. He went directly to the guy who runs the place, and gave him the same flowery "I wanna support local comics" routine that he pulled on us. Once everyone realized what was going on, s**t started getting heated. The owner started getting pissed, and this little c**t was shaking and trying to lie his way out of the mess he had gotten himself into. The owner forbid him from playing anything he taped last night, and this little girl started crying "but the first guy that went up wanted his stuff played..." to which the owner thundered back "This is not his club!! THIS IS MY CLUB! YOU WILL NOT PLAY ANY OF THAT! UNDERSTOOD?"
The worst thing to me is, the girl he had with him, I think she was his girlfriend, and I felt bad for her. She probaly had nothing to do with the situation, and its sad that this guy couldnt be a man for once in his life, in front of her, and own up to the fact that he fucked up. Everytime he would try to argue, I would cut him off, and say "I dont care what your reasons are. Just tell me you are not going to do it again to anyone else." and he would dance around that. "ummm ohhh trying to support local comics umm i just pissed myself."
99x guy, do you have a penis? Thats the question that I am pondering. Because, after last night, I think that had I pulled your pants down, there would be a nasty, wet, smelly vagina with 99x tattooed above it and Ace of Base tattooed below it. [asterisks added]
Funny stuff right? I can't stop laughing. So 99X stood behind the bit right? "Atlanta Laughs," a "help desk" of sorts for the comedy community in Atlanta," posts an email from Jenners:
In an effort to repair some relationships we would like to offer you and other Stand Down comics to do a local comedy night for 99X!! We'll book several local acts along with a big headliner and call the show"Stand Back Up". This is not for malice, just for good laughs and to show support for the comic community.
"Atlanta Laughs" concludes by writing:
As I'm sure you all would agree, this was not an issue of comics not being able to take a joke or Atlanta comics being whiny assholes.
Now that is funny.
Update 9/14/2007 7:12 PM
In the above post, I interpreted Jenners' conciliatory email as backing down. I was mistaken. Turns out the New Morning X discussed Sebas' confrontation with Mekulsia once among themselves and later with comedians Matt Kirshen (of Last Comic Standing) and a local comedian named Marshall. Far from backing down, they gave Kirshen the ridicule he so richly deserved. The New Morning X deserves kudos for standing behind the bit. I'll confess, I half expected to hear local comedy PSA's.
