Hi.
It's been awhile. I was going to use this blog to keep up to date with how I grew in stand up comedy; chronicling what a person might encounter if they gave it a try.
I was going to do it because I hated reading famous comedians' biographies and the section where they got their feet wet and learned the ropes was glossed over. It's always, I was a funny kid and I tried it and hey I ran into these other famous people that weren't famous at the time and we all made it and then I got my first show..
Meh.
People want the nitty gritty. Maybe. I think.
Ok, I wanted the nitty gritty. And then I never updated.
Let's do what the famous people did and gloss over what happened in the last year: I did some open mics. I wouldn't practice, I'd go up and wing it and fail. Get frustrated. Not go out again for a month and then just repeat the process.
What did I learn in that year?
1) Go out as much as you can. I think this is the cardinal rule, It's the one that can't be glossed over by talent or having a connection. Every time you go up, you get more comfortable. You get more used to the words you want to say, less likely to flub or forget. People get to know you, your name gets out there. You make connections or fans. Sitting on your couch and thinking jokes in your head cannot accomplish these things.
2) Record your set and review it. This is really hard for me. I'm pretty good about recording myself but I hate hate HATE listening to myself afterwards. After I get off stage I'll name the file how I felt about the set and even if I think I had a good one, I will be annoyed and frustrated at myself.
But you have to do it.
Not everyone is going to get better at the same speed as someone else. All you can do is try to be better than the last time you went up. Have a little goal such as not get mad at the crowd if you don't do well, or break a string of words you keep using out of habit. Sometimes, you'll ad-lib something that becomes a killer tag on a joke you're working on. Reviewing the tape makes you better.
3) Don't judge other comics. Be nice to everyone you meet. They're going through the same stuff you are, trying to get better, find some stage time. You never know who's about to hit their stride and move up the food chain. And it's better to have another person you can talk to get leads and opportunities than have burned a bunch of bridges.
This stuff you can find out in any "How to Comedy" book. But that's because it's true. I decided to be hardheaded and had to learn it the hard way.
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So let's get to it. I want to do with this blog like Mike Finazzo did with his; write about a set afterwards, how I felt about it and what I learned.
The last set I did was at Sean Bolan's in Bel Air. It was the last night that Color Me Funny would be hosting a show there. They've outgrown the room and wanted to focus their time on continuing to improve.
Even though I work Tuesdays and open on Wednesdays, I really wanted to go. I've done a couple of sets there before and have always bombed. This time, I had bits I believed in and that had done well in other shows.
I will now listen to my set and pass judgement.
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Ugh. Wow. It's a set I've been working on for the last month, cherry picking some of my best bits and cobbling them together so they flow into each other. The last 3 times I've done this set, I've gotten a lot of laughs.
Last night? Ugh. I remember one girl in the front who looked so bored that I had to force myself to not look at her or I'd lose focus.
I talked too fast from lack of reaction, my bumper sticker bit died in all but one spot (the reveal of the job) and there is much pruning I need to do to get the overall set under 5 minutes. There's a bit I have where I talk about my mistake in career selections that I think goes better with another joke, so I need to stop telling it with this bit.
And once again, I shouldn't be upset with the audience if I don't do well. My sign off was "Well, you've been a barely conscious audience.."
Oh well, live and learn.
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