An awkwardly emotional post about Chris Gethard.

I've honestly lost track of how many people have said that if you want to become a "member" of the Chris Gethard Show community, you just have to talk to someone and you'll instantly be welcomed in and feel like you were always there.

I was skeptical when I parked myself in the UCB line last Friday night.

There were three teenage boys in front of me, and I caught snippets of their conversation. Chris' name kept coming up, but I didn't think much of it or jump in because he's one of the main performers in The Stepfathers, so I just assumed they were fans or whatever. Around 8:15, though, I realized that everyone else in line was going inside first to get their actual admission tickets, and I hadn't, so I double-checked with them to see if that's what I was supposed to do.

They must have talked about me while I was inside, because when I got back in line, one of them, Coby, started berating me with questions about myself -- of course, that could have been payback for the only other thing I said to them before that; I yelled at him for never having seen Donnie Darko. ANYWAY.

In the next 45 minutes, we did not shut up. We were joined by Mimi, the hula hooper from TCGS. We laughed about the stupid claims to fame that Erie, Pa. has. They let me have my fangirl moment when I first stepped inside the theater. They invited me to sit with them during Stepfathers. After the show, they introduced me to the other cast members and then we talked with Chris for half an hour. We awkwardly said goodbye countless times.

The specifics of our conversations aren't what I'm going to write about -- they're not that important to you if you weren't there and they're the memories that I'm going to keep with me when I think about my first time at UCB. What IS important and what I'm going to dwell on for a long time to come, though, is how right everyone was.

The community that Chris Gethard has formed with his show is one of the most perfect things I've ever discovered.

Obviously, TCGS is a comedy show that is usually unplanned and tends to make its way into some interesting places -- hell, the show I went to in Philadelphia started off with a random nobody throwing a burning copy of Chris' book onstage and ended with another random nobody rushing the stage and drinking more of the Milkshake of Death than Chris himself did. But I digress (and also don't want to spend too much time thinking about that milkshake). Comedy is, by its nature, in-your-face and not afraid to go to uncomfortable places.

When I first started watching TCGS (aka: binge-watching the first 15 or so episodes in one day last witner), those uncomfortable places were what made me love the show. Sure, the Human Fish is hairy and hilarious; Bananaman is, well, a banana; Rob Malone is the world's best dancer and I love him for that. But those real moments, when people were allowed to be unhappy and talk about their problems? I'm an emotional person, so... I was hooked.

And THEN Chris' book, A Bad Idea I'm About to Do, came out. And he started writing long blog posts about depression and ambition and topics that make me want to hug him. Chris reveals so much of himself to anyone and everyone, and because of that, you just want to get to know him. And, when you're given the opportunity to actually hold a conversation with him, you realize that there is absolutely no facade or barrier. He's the same person, everywhere. He's got flaws and issues and he isn't afraid to let people know that.

It's inspiring.

It's also laced throughout every single person involved with the show -- and it's why I instantly had such great connections with them on Friday night. I've always been outgoing thanks to 15 years of theater. But, in most cases in my life, being that outgoing person has earned me many acquaintances. I might chat with someone at a bar about all sorts of things, but at the end of the night, my life isn't changed because of them. Of course, there are some perfect exceptions, like Evan, the topic of my train blog post. The people in the TCGS community? Every single one of them is the exception.

The person who runs TCGS tumblr actually just recently posted that if you want to become a "member," you just need to strike up a conversation with someone. Talk about the Human Fish. Talk about the issue that you've been struggling with. Whatever. I walked away from the Stepfathers with a handful of awesome new friends who I am currently missing like crazy because I'm not in New York with them right now. When you add up the amount of time we actually spent talking with each other, it's not much more than two hours, and I feel like I've known these people for much longer. Going into a friendship knowing that you have a niche interest in common is one of the most fantastic things -- it's why the friends I've made through Tumblr are so important to me. Knowing that everything I heard about TCGS community is true is what it must feel like when a little kid sees Disney World and they can actually touch Mickey Mouse's ears (is that a weird comparison? I feel like it is).

I would say that I feel lucky for the way things happened on Friday, but since it really is that easy to just put yourself in this amazing position... it's not quite luck. I WILL say, though, that all of us are so, so lucky that some misfit from New Jersey decided to make people laugh.

I got home from New York on Sunday night. On Monday morning, the news broke that IFC has adopted Chris for a year of promotions and they are going to help him develop a pilot script based off his book. Knowing that so many more people are going to be exposed to this man makes me feel like a proud parent. He's finally getting the attention that he deserves, and I hope that between this new deal and my post, maybe you'll check out his stuff, too. Every episode of his show is archived here, there's a blog here and the IFC site here.

This is the post he wrote on depression makes me cry every time I read it. I recommend it to anyone, even if you see the world through rose-tinted glasses.

I can't wait to get back to New York. I'm craving more conversations and laughter and ~moments~ and I want to meet EVERYONE.

PS. Coby... have you watched Donnie Darko yet? :)

PPS. Stepfathers was absolutely hilarious and the perfect first improv show for me.