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So did an open mic and I am definitely out of shape. I already know my material isn't the best, but I don't care. I just want to get my legs under me. When the guy flashed that I had 30 seconds left, I thought he was signaling for me to wrap it up, so I ended mid setup and on the most depressing moment in my set. Always leave them wanting more, that's my motto. Can't wait to go back, but the commute downtown was brutal. It was an hour and a half both ways, so I'll need to plan my trips out better, so I'm hitting multiple showcases in a night. Luckily, there is a ton of stuff in the city.
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Sep 26, 2014 14:28
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Sataere posted:So did an open mic and I am definitely out of shape. I already know my material isn't the best, but I don't care. I just want to get my legs under me. When the guy flashed that I had 30 seconds left, I thought he was signaling for me to wrap it up, so I ended mid setup and on the most depressing moment in my set. Always leave them wanting more, that's my motto. Can't wait to go back, but the commute downtown was brutal. It was an hour and a half both ways, so I'll need to plan my trips out better, so I'm hitting multiple showcases in a night. Luckily, there is a ton of stuff in the city. What city are you in? Also: other comics are allies- see if you can't get someone to drive you to mics. This will help both of your motivations.
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Sep 29, 2014 18:13
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Serious Cephalopod posted:What city are you in? Also: other comics are allies- see if you can't get someone to drive you to mics. This will help both of your motivations. I am in Chicago. It isn't a question of motivation, but the trip costs $15 each time. (Not including drinks) That is a lot with a mortgage, car payments and kids. It also seems like most of the people there live in the city. Driving would be more expensive. I'll suck it up once a week, but I'm gonna try finding stuff in the suburbs to make it easier. I think I have to make a point of being in the city a bit, as that is where the action is. If I can get my friends to put together sets, it'll be a lot easier. I have three different friends somewhat interested, and I think if I do this for a month, they'll me more likely to follow my lead and come with.
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Sep 29, 2014 19:52
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Karl Ontario posted:Absolutely, I'd love to hear some feedback: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jSN9d68iAI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsHRAdizRQM
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Sep 29, 2014 20:51
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BulletRiddled posted:Getting back in to stand-up after a 10 year hiatus, this is my second show after getting back in. Tried doing an entire routine based around one theme, which I've never done before. I'm not terribly happy with the middle bit, but I think the beginning and end are pretty good. I have a decent idea of what I need to work on, but feedback/criticism is always welcome. Getting in a little late on this, but I enjoyed this. Just coming back from my open mic, I loved that your set wasn't just a bunch of dick jokes, which would probably set you apart for 95% of the amateurs I saw. The biggest tip I'd have for you is don't spend too much time on your setups. You want to be succinct. Don't take twelve words to say something that can be said in seven. This is a huge struggle for me, but it is such a huge element. One moment where this really stood out to me was when you talked about being an activist and then giving up because it was pointless. It felt like you were taking a long time to tell us you don't care because it is hopeless, when just saying "because are things really gonna change?" gets to that point. The biggest thing about an open mic is you have five minutes at most to get your point across. Not nearly enough time for the audience to get to really know you. If you are doing a half hour, you can spend time developing a story. In five minutes, you have very little time to build an audience and you can't count on the people before you to have truly warmed up a crowd. In regards to your energy, you can have the laid back approach, but be careful of the energy you are putting in it. You can be dry and monotone, but that means you need to be more nuanced, because it is much harder to be successful that way. I think the material was solid. I agree with you in that the middle bit was the weakest, and I think my first point is a big reason why. It isn't like the material was any weaker there, but you got to the point quicker at the beginning and end of your set. I think you have interesting perspective and good ideas. Work on your presence and getting to the point and you could be really funny. FAKE EDIT: How many civil war jokes have you heard in your life?
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Oct 1, 2014 06:55
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I've decided I am going to use this thread to document starting off at an open mic because why not. I've done about six open mics in the last two weeks and was pretty bad at every one. I don't think the material is as much the problem as my delivery. I've noticed a tendency when I try bringing energy that it is too uncontrolled and frantic, which comes off terribly, so I've been compensating by bringing my energy levels back, just deadening the room. I suspect finding my voice on stage is going to be a struggle, but it is something I will have to fight through. I mentioned doing some stuff on Ray Rice and the NFL, and I think Sunday was my last time doing it. While I like the material, everyone has heard enough about it and making that set works seems like too much effort for something where I won't be able to use 60% of the material again in a month, so I'm working a new set for this week. Sadly enough, it is another topical set, but I've made a point of writing a non-topical set for every topical set I write. That way, if something in the news doesn't strike my fancy, I'll have something else to move with.
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Oct 6, 2014 15:23
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Sataere posted:I've decided I am going to use this thread to document starting off at an open mic because why not. Have you been recording your stuff? Since you said it's your delivery, have you tried writing your stuff down in a notebook and skipping maybe 3 lines (so like triple or quadruple spaced)? Because it's a really easy way for you to really cut down on your choice of words, which can help your delivery a lot.
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Oct 6, 2014 16:00
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Love Stole the Day posted:Have you been recording your stuff? Since you said it's your delivery, have you tried writing your stuff down in a notebook and skipping maybe 3 lines (so like triple or quadruple spaced)? Because it's a really easy way for you to really cut down on your choice of words, which can help your delivery a lot. I record myself to help me get memorized, but haven't gotten myself on film while performing to look at myself. My next chance to do that will be in a couple of weeks if I can get a friend to come to a suburb open mic. Nobody wants to do the 1.5 hour commute into the city during the week to watch bad comedy. (Not that I blame them at all) I don't think I'm following what you are suggesting Just really big margins but the same set? Could you give an example, because I am just not getting it.
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Oct 6, 2014 20:50
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Sataere posted:I record myself to help me get memorized, but haven't gotten myself on film while performing to look at myself. My next chance to do that will be in a couple of weeks if I can get a friend to come to a suburb open mic. Nobody wants to do the 1.5 hour commute into the city during the week to watch bad comedy. (Not that I blame them at all) The Ralphie May video on the first page of the thread is where I learned it from. He explains it well -- just watch the video, it has a lot of great advice. The idea of the notebook thing is to write out every word that you say, almost like a script, so that you can look at it again maybe a day or two later and just erase all the unnecessary words so that you are more concise and have less opportunity to trip up in your delivery. It also gives you a reason to use silence in your joke in order to fill in the time you're cutting out with words, whether by making pauses here and there... or just by slowing down because most people talk too fast.
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Oct 6, 2014 20:54
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Love Stole the Day posted:The Ralphie May video on the first page of the thread is where I learned it from. He explains it well -- just watch the video, it has a lot of great advice. Oh, I get what you are saying now. Yeah, I definitely go through a big purge of words. I especially try to cut out as much setup as possible, or to at least make the setup as much of a joke in itself is possible. The big thing I've noticed with good comedians is that their setups are almost as funny as their punchlines. It is just a constant build. I'd done a ton of performing in the past, so I have a feel for what I'm doing wrong. I think it is just about shaking the rust off. I'll end up posting a video once I can kidnap a friend to record me.
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Oct 6, 2014 21:39
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Sataere posted:Oh, I get what you are saying now. Yeah, I definitely go through a big purge of words. I especially try to cut out as much setup as possible, or to at least make the setup as much of a joke in itself is possible. The big thing I've noticed with good comedians is that their setups are almost as funny as their punchlines. It is just a constant build. one thing that's helped me with this is tweeting anything funny that goes through my mind and then reading through my twitter as i'm writing in my notebook. that way if you're working on a joke about Subject A, you have a bunch of sub-140-character thoughts about Subject A which can add beats to your set-up.
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Oct 7, 2014 06:02
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So with my next set, I was thinking of just going up there with some ideas and spitballing, seeing what gets a reaction. Is that something you guys do? I mean, I'm writing it out, but I have some ideas that seem very fluid and could go in different directions if I get some audience interaction. Is this something that is a bad idea when starting out? I'm not fully comfortable on stage yet, but part of me just thinks "gently caress it."
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Oct 7, 2014 15:41
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Hey quick question, if this thread is active: Does anyone know some good open mics in NYC? I've been to a few at some of the bigger name clubs and they felt pretty dire to me. I need to become a working comic asap. Thank you for your assistance.
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Oct 7, 2014 17:35
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Sataere posted:So with my next set, I was thinking of just going up there with some ideas and spitballing, seeing what gets a reaction. Is that something you guys do? I mean, I'm writing it out, but I have some ideas that seem very fluid and could go in different directions if I get some audience interaction. Is this something that is a bad idea when starting out? I'm not fully comfortable on stage yet, but part of me just thinks "gently caress it." It depends on your personal style. I've had pretty good success doing this, but I've failed hard, too. Just have a couple of your best back ups in your back pocket.
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Oct 7, 2014 19:15
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Serious Cephalopod posted:It depends on your personal style. I've had pretty good success doing this, but I've failed hard, too. Just have a couple of your best back ups in your back pocket. LOL, I've been doing this actively for two weeks. I have no backups. I'm gonna spend the next week writing like four sets, just so I have stuff to throw out there if necessary, but if I take that jump, it'll be without a parachute.  EDIT: Keven. Just. Keven posted:Hey quick question, if this thread is active: Does anyone know some good open mics in NYC? I've been to a few at some of the bigger name clubs and they felt pretty dire to me. I need to become a working comic asap. Thank you for your assistance. I know nothing of New York, but you should just google New York Stand Up Open Mics and see what pops up. There will be someone out there keeping a page devoted to it. Then just try out some open mics and see what works for you. Sataere fucked around with this message at 19:23 on Oct 7, 2014 |
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Oct 7, 2014 19:20
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!!! Good luck!
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Oct 7, 2014 19:22
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Keven. Just. Keven posted:Hey quick question, if this thread is active: Does anyone know some good open mics in NYC?
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Oct 8, 2014 02:43
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Keven. Just. Keven posted:Hey quick question, if this thread is active: Does anyone know some good open mics in NYC? I've been to a few at some of the bigger name clubs and they felt pretty dire to me. I need to become a working comic asap. Thank you for your assistance. I've done some mics up in NYC as well as a bullshit showcase because I've got a friend up there who's been in the scene for about two years. NYC mics are structured much like Dante's Inferno: there are 9 entire circles and 8 of them are horrible and one of them is sort of ok. You will start out at the very bottom of the 9th circle and it will take months and months of solid performances before the first non-90% other comics audience will see your act. Hanging out and making connections with other comics is more important than getting "maximum stage time" because most of the stage time is pretty much worthless. Seriously, don't try to "hit 5 mics in one night" because all you're going to get for racing across the city is five garbage spots in five empty rooms. Check out badslava and pick out a random half-dozen mics based on what's most convenient for you, then ask the comics there what the best rooms (that you can actually go up in) are. The good and the bad rooms change so often that any recommendations that are more than a few months old aren't likely to be of much use. You will get better stage time by having a decent act and being cool with other comics. Of the two, being cool with other comics is way more important. There's no reliable way to know who is going to finally get their poo poo together and start a really good room, who will get passed by a comedy club to MC and be able to sneak you on a showcase you have no business being on, or who will land a sitcom role and be able to get you a paid-extra role. If you're starting now, you will not be a working comic in the next 12-24 months. It has never happened. The only possible exception is Pauly Shore, and his mother owned The Comedy Store.
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Oct 8, 2014 03:56
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drat I'm a regular flying-squid...
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Oct 10, 2014 00:24
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So I had my first successful set, added some parts to the set the next day and completely bombed. Man, is this a roller-coaster.
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Oct 22, 2014 17:33
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Sataere posted:So I had my first successful set, added some parts to the set the next day and completely bombed. Man, is this a roller-coaster. Did you record yourself?
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Oct 22, 2014 17:43
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I recorded the set where I bombed.  Honestly, I keep forgetting because I am so focused on what I am going to do. Today I am hitting three open mics and plan on recording all of them.
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Oct 23, 2014 16:53
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Ended up only hitting two open mics last night and still forgot to record myself. Not that it would matter too much. Not a lot of success and I know why. Learning how to talk like I'm having a normal conversation in front of an audience is a lot harder than it seems. It is depressing to know that I probably have another six months of growing pains for stage presence at a minimum.
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Oct 24, 2014 16:03
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Sataere posted:Ended up only hitting two open mics last night and still forgot to record myself. Not that it would matter too much. Not a lot of success and I know why. Learning how to talk like I'm having a normal conversation in front of an audience is a lot harder than it seems. It is depressing to know that I probably have another six months of growing pains for stage presence at a minimum. And in another 2 years someone might throw you $20 to do 15 minutes in front of drunks who don't care about you or what you have to say. Welcome to the soul crushing world of comedy.
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Oct 24, 2014 16:07
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thunderspanks posted:And in another 2 years someone might throw you $20 to do 15 minutes in front of drunks who don't care about you or what you have to say. Welcome to the soul crushing world of comedy. I've decided to start chronicling my experiences when I get home. I feel like I am fueled by a weird combination of anger and desperation. When jokes don't work, it seriously pisses me off. Mostly, because I know it is my fault.
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Oct 24, 2014 19:45
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Well, I've finally gotten of my rear end and started hitting open mics. Did one set Wednesday (to 10 comics) and two Thursday (to 6 comics and 5 audience members). Feels good to be doing it again. Can't say they've gone particularly well because I'm just trying to get back on my feet (and no other comics give a hot poo poo about anything but their own sets and getting to the next mic of the night), but they haven't gone badly either. Last night's sets went better because the room is run by some friends who also just moved out here, so the atmosphere was a lot more laid back (plus having a few people actually listening goes a long way). The "audience" was made up of one table and the girlfriend of one of the open mic'ers (going up for his first time), but they were totally down to just let people try things and not feel awkward about being the sole people in the room.
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Oct 24, 2014 21:51
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Sataere posted:When jokes don't work, it seriously pisses me off. Mostly, because I know it is my fault.
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Oct 24, 2014 22:04
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thunderspanks posted:Yes and no. Obviously there's an element of control in the comic's hands to bring what they know will work in a certain room, and to that end being able to read a room like that is a skill you will likely only achieve with lots of stage time- but I have with my own two eyes watched signed, pro-tier comics slay one night and get crickets the next at a different venue with the same set. It's a fickle beast and sometimes you just have to accept that nothing you do will make the room hot. The first one was definitely my fault. Plenty of people killed in there and there were some well established comics on the scene there. You could see how the guys with polish were able to control the room and get responses. I got no response except when I blanked on what I was doing and started riffing with the audience for a bit. One of my buddies was there and commented on how I didn't sound the same when I was on stage. Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like stand up comedy is just like being able to tell a good story to friends. And I know I can tell a good story. Once I was up there, I just tried being someone else. I think the reason I got laughter when I went off on a tangent is because it was the only time I was me. The second room was definitely cold as gently caress. It was of the end of the night for everyone, all people who were hitting multiple rooms and I actually got responses to what I was doing, which is more than a lot of people could say. But I know I was still bad. And to top it off, I had a homeless guy fall asleep on me on the train ride back to the 'burbs! XIII posted:Well, I've finally gotten of my rear end and started hitting open mics. Did one set Wednesday (to 10 comics) and two Thursday (to 6 comics and 5 audience members). Feels good to be doing it again. Can't say they've gone particularly well because I'm just trying to get back on my feet (and no other comics give a hot poo poo about anything but their own sets and getting to the next mic of the night), but they haven't gone badly either. Last night's sets went better because the room is run by some friends who also just moved out here, so the atmosphere was a lot more laid back (plus having a few people actually listening goes a long way). The "audience" was made up of one table and the girlfriend of one of the open mic'ers (going up for his first time), but they were totally down to just let people try things and not feel awkward about being the sole people in the room. Good for you!
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Oct 25, 2014 01:04
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Sataere posted:Good for you! Thanks! Now if I could just get over this hatred for all my material and my seeming inability to write anything new.
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Oct 25, 2014 01:07
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XIII posted:Thanks! Now if I could just get over this hatred for all my material and my seeming inability to write anything new. Ha, I have the opposite problem. I think my material is fantastic, I have too many ideas and everything I try results in abject failure. 
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Oct 25, 2014 01:20
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Sataere posted:Ha, I have the opposite problem. I think my material is fantastic, I have too many ideas and everything I try results in abject failure. A friend of mine gave me good advice once: he said "Don't try to be the Louie CK of open micers." It's good to always be writing and most old material just sounds stale after a few years, but don't skip the polishing step. If there's no one but comics in the room and they've all seen your act a dozen times, do some new stuff, try some riffs, whatever. But if there's any non-comic crowd at all, practice your best material. I used to not do my best stuff because I wouldn't want to risk my ego or second guess my showcase material. That's stupid though, because even the best bit falls flat sometimes for reasons you can't control, and the more polished it is the more likely you can kill hard with it in good rooms and not totally bomb in bad rooms. This thread is always gonna be kind of low-key, but it's cool that you're going up a lot and I'd encourage you to keep posting in this thead, it's not that active otherwise. I'm very rusty and haven't had time to go up in awhile, but I'm going to try to hit a few mics next week and I'll post the audio.
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Oct 25, 2014 09:47
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Smerdyakov posted:A friend of mine gave me good advice once: he said "Don't try to be the Louie CK of open micers." It's good to always be writing and most old material just sounds stale after a few years, but don't skip the polishing step. If there's no one but comics in the room and they've all seen your act a dozen times, do some new stuff, try some riffs, whatever. But if there's any non-comic crowd at all, practice your best material. I used to not do my best stuff because I wouldn't want to risk my ego or second guess my showcase material. That's stupid though, because even the best bit falls flat sometimes for reasons you can't control, and the more polished it is the more likely you can kill hard with it in good rooms and not totally bomb in bad rooms. this is really good advice. i put more priority in being able to deliver a bulletproof guest spot than having tons of time. show the guys booking shows in your scene that you can deliver a consistent 5 and you'll get tons of guest spots to keep polishing that five, then you can use mics to build other material around that five and start moving up the ranks.
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Oct 25, 2014 13:40
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My plans are to go out 2-3 times a week. Hopefully hitting multiple places in a night. The set I'm working on now it good. I know it is. The problem is I've had it for a week and I know the material itself is fine and my presentation sucks. I'll work it for another two weeks and then move onto my next set. I'm trying to treat this like a job, if that makes any sense. The crazy thing is And I don't get why anyone would want to be the next Louis C.K. There is a certain implication that you would just try being an imitation. (Not that I think you are accusing me of that) My goal is to just be myself. I wouldn't be surprised if I have Louis C.K. influences, but I also probably have influences from George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby and a billion other comedians. The common denominator is just being honest onstage. The funny thing is it feels like I've been doing my current set forever. I'm already bored of it, writing new stuff, but I've only been bringing it out less than a week. So any advice on how to just practice riffing? I feel like my next time out, I'd like to spend time just trying to get audience reaction and talking. It seems like a good way of practicing being myself on stage.
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Oct 25, 2014 17:37
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Sataere posted:And I don't get why anyone would want to be the next Louis C.K. I think the comment is just in reference to how he is writing new material all the time, not necessarily his style or content.
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Oct 25, 2014 18:37
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Oh, in that case I am probably exactly like him. I jot down ideas all the time. It is a non-stop stream and I suspect most of it is stuff I will never actually touch. I do try to write out a couple sets a week though. Just to do it. Why is that a bad thing?
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Oct 25, 2014 19:16
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Sataere posted:I know the material itself is fine and my presentation sucks. I'm the opposite. I feel my writing is weak, but my performance is strong. I'd much rather be a good writer (I've always looked up to writers). I feel like I'm all style and no substance.
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Oct 25, 2014 19:42
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Sataere posted:Oh, in that case I am probably exactly like him. I jot down ideas all the time. It is a non-stop stream and I suspect most of it is stuff I will never actually touch. I do try to write out a couple sets a week though. Just to do it. Why is that a bad thing? Sataere posted:Ha, I have the opposite problem. I think my material is fantastic, I have too many ideas and everything I try results in abject failure. This is why. The point isn't to write less, but to put more time into practicing with the same material so you learn how to improve your performance, work on tags, callbacks, etc. and generally figure out what works for you.
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Oct 25, 2014 21:19
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Sataere posted:So any advice on how to just practice riffing? I feel like my next time out, I'd like to spend time just trying to get audience reaction and talking. It seems like a good way of practicing being myself on stage. my advice is to not even think about riffing. just keep hammering out that same five over and over again, and once it's polished up and second nature you'll develop riffing skills during your recoveries when your nice, practiced, strong jokes don't work. (which might be like 20-40 percent of the time, depending on how many poo poo shows you're able to get yourself onto.)
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Oct 26, 2014 19:10
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Pinky Artichoke posted:This is why. The point isn't to write less, but to put more time into practicing with the same material so you learn how to improve your performance, work on tags, callbacks, etc. and generally figure out what works for you. I'm not performing what I write. I'm just writing sets. I have my one set and I'll be hammering it until it is good. Then I plan on picking from something I've already written. freud mayweather posted:my advice is to not even think about riffing. just keep hammering out that same five over and over again, and once it's polished up and second nature you'll develop riffing skills during your recoveries when your nice, practiced, strong jokes don't work. (which might be like 20-40 percent of the time, depending on how many poo poo shows you're able to get yourself onto.) Makes sense. I won't even worry about it unless I am failing onstage and just feel like talking.
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Oct 26, 2014 20:13
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Sataere posted:Makes sense. I won't even worry about it unless I am failing onstage and just feel like talking. Quoting this because I ignored the advice in here and talked to the audience a bit in my set. It felt natural so I just did it, and it worked. So Monday was definitely a success. I got through the entire set and I think I did a better job of sounding natural. The first half was definitely stronger than the second half, but that is because I know it better. I even remembered to record myself, which was nice. I could hear where I got uncomfortable with what I was saying. There is a definite change in tone as the piece progresses and not for the better.
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Oct 28, 2014 14:22
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