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thunderspanks posted:Sorry, I should have specified. I'm talking exclusively about open mic'ers that are by no means ready to be doing the exact same bits over and over identically each time hoping that maybe this time people will laugh. Yes if you have an actually polished and funny joke you're going to be repeating it more or less verbatim, that is a given. Oh, that makes perfect sense. The minute I know a joke is going to work, I plan on running that poo poo into the ground. I see tons of people doing the same set and it never gets a response. I feel like it got a laugh the first time they did it, and they are just trying to recapture that magic. After a couple of times of no laughter, I change it, even if I find it hilarious.
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Nov 15, 2014 03:24
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Pinky Artichoke posted:Oh, I'm not saying it would be a better audience AT ALL. I just need to work on poo poo like speaking naturally and not flailing with my extra hand, and I don't feel like I need to wait for rare and valuable club time to do that. First off, congrats for getting out there. If you think you have a good call back, always go for it. I've found callbacks will always do well, no matter how lame. It gives the illusion that you are quick on your feet. Don't worry about what type of audience you have. Just try finding any audience you can to perform in front of and do it ad nauseum. You will only get better through repetition. I like bars, but clubs where people are actually there to see you are invaluable. You need your audience to listen to you in order to gauge if your material is any good. With bars, my goal has been to be so compelling that people can't help but shut up and listen to me. (This won't work, but you gotta be positive) Keep at it and keep us posted.
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Dec 5, 2014 20:39
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freud mayweather posted:do you guys have any lines or jokes that you hold onto for your own sake, despite nearly no one getting/liking them? i have a line in the middle of a joke where i say the most regrettable pick-up line i've ever used was "my dick is like hagler/hearns. it's short, but it's action-packed." usually 1-3 people remember the fight and laugh, but i can't stop myself from doing it every single time. I will angrily keep in jokes that I think are amazing that nobody else finds funny. I try to limit it, because if I did a set of things only I found funny, my sets would be horrible. Went back out for the first time in a month. The holidays are brutal for finding time to get away from the family. The nice thing was I didn't even miss a beat. A lot of people told me that was the best I'd performed that set. EDIT: And just to add to the joke thing, there is no better feeling when you talk to a couple friends about a joke and they think it's terrible, but you do it anyway and it kills! Sataere fucked around with this message at 21:39 on Dec 17, 2014 |
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Dec 16, 2014 15:50
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Dick Holden posted:So tonight I went to an open mic for the first time in over a year, to a crowd much bigger than I had anticipated. It went so-so. I was much more nervous than I thought I would be, and forgot the end chunk of material I had prepared. A lot of what I thought would work well fell flat, and a lot of what I thought wouldn't hold peoples attention got the best reaction. I'm looking forward to getting back up, working on material and just plain being on stage. I am suddenly reminded of all the reasons why I took a break, however I am excited to improve. I was invited back so that's good. This happens all the time to me. I feel like I should only bring out what I consider to be mediocre material and watch myself destroy on a nightly basis. 
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Dec 21, 2014 18:23
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So I did a set on Saturday and I walked away from it feeling confused. I was bringing out a new set, went up and I felt like I absolutely crushed it. My last couple of trips onstage, I've felt like I'm doing a much better job of sounding like me onstage. I've had this confirmed by some friends, so I think that is definitely a positive. The issue I have is I walked away feeling like I did great, but when i listened to it, I didn't hear a lot of laughter. I will point out that nobody was laughing the entire night for anyone else, but I had felt I had the audience engaged when I was talking. (This is a bar open mic, so if 25% of the people are listening to me, i consider that engaged.) Am I over thinking this? I had people telling me my set was good, but I tend not to trust my friends to be unbiased. Can you give a good set without having positive feedback from the audience? It's just a weird feeling.
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Dec 23, 2014 05:50
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Serious Cephalopod posted:What did you record on? Stage/recording services can change the amount of audience feed back. I'm pretty obsessive in general. And I just use my ipod to record all my sets. I feel it is the best way to learn. Smerdyakov posted:There are two things to watch out for. The first mistake is made by comics who almost always think they "killed" even when the recordings reveals crickets throughout. The second mistake is to compare yourself in absolute rather than relative terms, ie, comparing your reaction at an open-mic hellroom to Louie CK's last special. It's good that you're using the recordings to be more objective, but don't beat yourself up with them or second guess yourself too hard, trust your initial feeling. I don't think I'm the type to lie to myself. I tend to be overly critical about myself, hence this post and not believing I did as well as I initially thought. The general feedback from strangers and friends alike was that I was the strongest, so in that regard, I did well when compared to the room. Relatively speaking, it was a terrible room, but to me that seems like an excuse. I like that idea of recording the set before and after me. I will have to try that eventually. Mainly, I posted this because I thought it was a new and interesting experience for me and wanted to see what the reactions were. There is a certain feeling I associate with a good performance. I don't know how to quantify it, other than to say that it feels right when I am doing it right. I had that feeling doing that set. It is honestly the first time since I've started that I felt right in a performance. But the audience reaction did not measure up with what I thought about the performance. So the analytic part of my brain now goes into OCD overdrive trying to make these two seemingly irreconcilable facts make sense. I'm also curious if it is something other people have felt.
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Dec 26, 2014 18:37
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Stealth Tiger posted:Just got on stage for the first time tonight and I want to hear from some people more experienced. I guess I bombed, not too much laughter. I didn't get a feel like the crowd was really getting hooked by anything I was talking about, so I cut off a couple of my stories short and tried a few different things. I started two stories I wasn't planning on telling. My buddy I dragged there to watch me said one of those stood out as pretty good. Actually, the more I think about it, and reading the discussion on this page, I'm thinking maybe I'm just being hard on myself because there definitely wasn't absolute dead silence at any point. I will say that stage lights suck- I was expecting to be able to see the audience a little more and it definitely would have helped to see people paying attention, even if they weren't laughing out loud. First of, congrats on getting out there. Just getting on stage is an accomplishment in itself. Second, as has been said before, record yourself every time. I've found that it is hard to tell in the moment how you've done. Well, unless you bomb. Then it is pretty apparent. Sometimes, you get chuckles you don't notice because you are focused on talking. Other times, you feel like you are crushing it, but upon further review, there wasn't a lot of laughter. It is a good way of gauging what works and where. Finally, don't give up on stories that aren't working, if you think they are good. Try them a few more times to see if it was just the audience that wasn't into it. Tinker with it. Figure out how to make it work a few times before giving up on it. Good luck and post in this thread with updates when you have them. FAKE EDIT: What city are you in?
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Jan 15, 2015 20:15
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buffto posted:I live near Columbia, MO. There is a local bar that does a comedy show every Tuesday night. I work Mon-Fri at 6am, so I can rarely make it, but I have been able to perform twice so far. It actually went much better than anticipated. People laughed a the correct times and I got numerous compliments on both of my sets (like 5 minutes each). One thing I know I need to work on is that I speak way too fast at times. Occasionally the rapid fire delivery works, but generally I need to slow down. It's really just nerves I think, since I will record myself at home and I will be speaking slow and deliberately, but then I get on stage and I just blow through it. I just need to get myself up there more to get used to it I suppose. I've always felt that you never feel like you are going as slow as you are on stage. If you feel like you are going at a normal pace on stage, you are probably racing a bit. In other news, I think I finally have a pretty solid five minute set down. I hadn't done it in a couple months, but the last three times I've brought it out, it has killed. I'm annoyed I forgot to record it today, because there was a good size audience and most of my jokes went over well. The only joke that doesn't hit as well as I'd like is my favorite joke. I'm gonna be sad when I have to edit and cut it. 
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Jan 19, 2015 08:49
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Has anyone here ever hosted an open mic? There is a bar near me that is looking to try starting one and is looking for someone to help run it. I've only been doing this a few months, and while interested, am not really sure what type of commitment it entails.
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Jan 21, 2015 17:00
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Haven't been home enough to check out these videos, but once I am, I will be sure to let you know what I think.  In another note, I've been ignoring the advice of this thread and creating new sets before I'm done with the old ones. I still work out with the old sets to tweek them, but after about two weeks, I get bored. I do have two very strong sets and another one that just needs tweeking, but is getting good responses. More importantly, my last few trips on stage, I finally sound like myself. It feels good to be able to do a set while seemingly having a conversation with people. My last set, even though it was its second time out, got really great audience reaction. I think the main reason was I was just talking and being casual with the audience. I'm thinking of putting in a submission to Limestone Fest. Anyone ever do this? Should I be worried. I figure if they don't like my submission, no big deal. I can always try again later. Any pitfalls I should be aware of? Also, how much material should I have prepared before feeling comfortable with doing something like this?
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Jan 27, 2015 19:05
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XIII posted:^in the past few months, your posts have shifted quickly from "that didn't go well" to "I'm killing it". I'm not saying I don't believe it, because I've had snaps where sets start to go really well for a few weeks, but I would caution you not to mistake "doing better" for "crushing". I've had friends do this and they think they're about to get their big break, only to have a string of sets eat plates full of hot poo poo and bring their confidence crashing down. A quick look at your post history makes me think your still relatively new, so, from one newbie to another, I would suggest not submitting to festivals or the like because the last thing you want to to get a bunch of exposure and not be absolutely ready to blow the roof off the place. I try to remind myself that my year 2 material might be the best drat material it could be at this level, but it's still year 2 quality. I hope I'm not giving the impression that I think I've made it. I think I have a very long way to go. My question is more along the lines of what is the downside of trying for one of these things. They either accept me or they don't. I have one set that feels like it works every time with an audience, and I figure I'd use that with my audition. I figure if I work my other sets hard enough until then and develop some ideas, I could have a few more. Or is there a pitfall I'm not realizing? EDIT: To clarify further, this question is more along the lines of is there some hidden consequence for trying something that I am not aware of. I'm not submitting thinking that I'm finally going to have a sitcom. I just think it could be fun if I get in and it won't matter if I don't. Sataere fucked around with this message at 20:52 on Jan 27, 2015 |
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Jan 27, 2015 20:11
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XIII posted:You're not giving that impression. I just meant I've seen people get ahead of themselves. Some people would disagree with me (and it be perfectly valid), but I'm of the belief that you don't want to overexpose yourself before you're really ready. Some, like me, would say keep your head down and develop. This is why I chose Denver over NY or LA. Others say fling yourself into the deep end and work your way up. I don't think either approach is better or worse and I'm just telling you what I would do. I get it. I am trying to be very grounded about it. My approach has been to listen to my recordings the day after, and base how my set progresses with how the audience reacts. When I say I had a good outing, that generally means that there is audible laughter at all the jokes I hoped for. Even jokes I didn't realize are jokes. (side note, do you ever realize you wrote something that is funny and you just thought it was a segway) I'm excited because my goal was to sound like I do in everyday conversation in my own voice within six months and I feel I'm ahead of schedule. New goal is to get the three sets on working on perfect without going all ADD and adding 12 more. Or at least not trying to perform them, even if I write them out. Thanks for the advice. Upon reflection, I probably do feel like I'm killing it lately, but I think I have a realistic idea of what I can do. Yesterday, there was a heckler where I was performing and one of the more veteran comics just eviscerated him on stage. It was a joy to behold. I also realized that I couldn't do what he did and that I need to learn how. There is a rigidity to what I am doing and really outstanding comics have a fluidity about what they are doing that I just don't have. Maybe that should be my next working goal. EDIT: RandomPauI posted:Speaking of first times I did something stupid and accepted an invite to do an Amature/Pro showcase thing at Flappers on February 17th. This wasn't from them seeing me do open mics, this was from me filling out a survey and checking a box saying I was interested in doing stand up sometime. Sometimes it is fun to just dive in. I'd probably try out the material first, just to be safe.
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Jan 27, 2015 21:44
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Absolutely try to have fun. I've noticed when I have new material, I spend my time just freaking out and getting in my own head, which just creates this perpetual cycle of anxiety. Odds are, you know the stuff. After all, you wrote it. When you relax and just go up and have fun, it really makes all the difference in the world. Basically, do as I say, not as I do.
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Jan 28, 2015 15:50
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Around here, I haven't noticed people being too worried about time unless you are going over by a crazy amount. I don't even notice the light flashing, but that might be because most of my sets don't go anywhere near the time allotted. One of my buddies was commenting when he saw me that I always seem to make the audience clap for the host and he found it weird. I told him it is the simplest way I know to get people to clap. Does anyone have any tricks on adding lines that indicate I'm about to wrap up? I generally just say thank you and end. I haven't figured out a way to add things into my sets that would let people know I am near the end.
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Jan 28, 2015 19:11
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I do say "Well, that's my set. " My sets are all 3-5 minute monstrosities that build on themselves, so it doesn't feel like I can just add a "One last thing" in there. Is thanking the audience kosher? It occurs to me that when people laugh at me, I should probably thank them. I haven't though, probably because I'm an inconsiderate dick.
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Jan 28, 2015 19:55
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I get that, but I don't really have anything better. When I'm done, I'm done. I think my sets have a feel when they are wrapping up, but I could very well be wrong.
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Jan 28, 2015 20:20
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XIII posted:ugh, I once got paid to do 20min + host for a show and bombed the whole way through (so did everyone else. It was a hell gig), but, dammit, I did my time. Everyone else, minus one guy, went waaaaay short because of how bad the thing was, so I kept having to stretch for time between people. It was a nightmare, but was hilarious in its own way. You underestimate the sheer genius of what I am doing. If I am going to keep them entranced with my philosophical sophistry, I shall not allow a single moment to be wasted. But yeah, I probably could work it in. I just haven't figured out a way to do it. Honestly, I've been mostly going to the same places, so the guys know when I'm about to wrap up anyway, so it probably makes no difference. I'll put more thought into it later. As for paid gigs, I'm nowhere near that point, but if someone were paying me to do a set amount of time, I'd do the whole drat thing and eat it. If I know something isn't working at an open mic though, I will just walk off the stage early. I see no gain in floundering for an audience that doesn't want me there, and might as well bring on someone else they may enjoy.
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Jan 28, 2015 20:57
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Shovelbearer posted:If my set ends on something where I can't very smoothly throw in a "One last thing..." type of deal, I just move the mic stand back in front of me during the last couple of sentences for a visual cue. Of course I'm still a semi-noob so sometimes I end up stage-blind and having to search for the mic stand. I've gotten that pretty under control recently but I actually got an accidental laugh by grabbing the wrong mic stand one time. See, this is fantastic. I don't like talking into a mic stand, so I always take the mic out so I can use the entire stage comfortably. This would be perfect and easy to implement.
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Jan 28, 2015 21:45
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freud mayweather posted:I like the fact that everyone here is a stickler for resetting the mic stand. I hate when I'm hosting and someone hands me the mic when they're done. Or when an "Urban Act" drops the mic. Reset the stage, you diva! I'll own up to handing the mic to the host most of the time. Mostly because I always feel like a goof putting it back on the stand. I always gently caress it up, because I lack coordination. As for the conversational enough comment, it is spot on for me. My last set on Monday was the first time I felt I had that vibe going. I'll get there eventually.
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Jan 28, 2015 22:36
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Catman Begins posted:The MC handed me the mic as I walked on, so luckily I didn't even have to think about that. I honestly enjoy listening to what I do afterwards as much as the performance. I love breaking down jokes and trying to figure out how they work. Look at it from that point of view. The best piece of advice I think I can give as a fellow newbie, is focus on correcting one thing at a time in regards to your performance.
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Jan 30, 2015 00:34
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A little late, but this is the first chance I got to sit down and watch these.buffto posted:All right, here we go, rip me apart. I've only shown these videos to friends of mine so far, so I'm lacking an objective point of view. I've had plenty of compliments after my sets at the bar, but that could just be people being polite. So let me know what you think. Both of these sets were just under 5 minutes. For the first video.. I like the idea of booing people their first time. You should've acknowledged that. White Martin Luther King day is a solid joke. The we're not gay bit was pretty good. I like the idea behind the depression diet bit, but I'm not sure it translated in the execution. For the second video.. I love the facebook kid dying joke. That is well-set up. I like the idea you were going for with being bad with women when they actually come onto you. That is an idea worth expanding on. You mumble a lot. If we can't hear the joke, we can't laugh. You spend a lot of time rocking back and forth. Own your space. Good job. Work on those sets if you can. Get them tighter. Be careful of doing new jokes each time, because it makes it harder to improve. CaptainHollywood posted:Well guys I did it. It went about as well I could have hoped. I like the premise of not thinking friends are fat anymore, making you fatter. I kind of wanted you to expand on that bit. One of the biggest things I struggle with is saying something in the least amount of words possible. Don't spend seven words when you can say it in three. Also, try not to spell out things for your audience. For the most part, they will follow along with you. You do this rocking, swaying thing on stage. Work on owning your space. When you move, move confidently. There was some solid stuff there. I think you sounded a bit nervous at times, but for the most part, there was a level of confidence to what you were doing. Good job. Also, were they giving away pot there? Because drat, I want to do open mics at that place!
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Feb 2, 2015 17:43
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I didn't think it was that bad)
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buffto posted:I just record myself until I feel like I am getting through the jokes from memory without bumbling. Then I tell the jokes aloud when I'm by myself. I also occasionally test material on friends. This is pretty much what I do. Honestly, I've found that no matter how many times I listen or say a joke, until I've done it on stage, it isn't the same. Of course, I'm still relatively new. CaptainHollywood posted:Thanks for the feedback. The next time I'm going to shorten my set up a bit. I'll work on the rocking as well. And yes, they were giving away pot. It's a 'vapor' lounge where everyone brings their own stash and uses vaporizers/volcanoes. All completely illegal, but because it's Toronto and as long as there's no gang related violence outside- no one cares. So it's an elaborate sting? They give you the free pot and then bust you for possession?
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Feb 4, 2015 17:17
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RandomPauI posted:My first open mic went well. I wasn't able to record myself but everyone was warm and appreciative. My personal stories/confessions worked the best but then again that's all I did. I'd like to do something with the webcomic phenomenon of white people staring in quasi-racist stories about racism being bad but the only way to make that personal is to say how much that just...sort of, well, breaks my mind. Like the authors don't realize subtext exists. Just keep trying stuff out. Anything can be made funny with the right perspective. I personally just analyze the poo poo on ideas like that and go off on ADD tangents until I find some connection that makes me laugh. So I had an interesting weekend. I have been getting a lot of positive feedback from other comics and audience members lately, but I have a hard time taking it when I feel I've done terrible. Last week, I was feeling like I finally had my stage legs, this week it just wasn't there. It's very frustrating. I was in a comedy contest Saturday and a lot of people told me how much they enjoyed me, but I know it was one of my worst performances this past month. I hated myself enough that I went through every recording of my first set and just marked off jokes based on laughter. I can't wait to bring the new version out tomorrow. If the new jokes and editing hit, it should be a very tight set. I've decided I am definitely going to try to audition for that comedy festival, if I can produce a clip of myself that I feel is strong. So far, I hate every video (only two) I've seen of myself. Gonna try another one on Thursday.
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Feb 4, 2015 18:53
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So I've been going into a bit of a comedy crisis over bombing on stage. I think I've expressed the opinion that when things go bad, it is the comedians fault. The last couple of weeks have led me to question if this is true, so I wanted some feedback. I was at two different venues working on material that I have established and that generally works. One was an open mic at a bar, with sports on. This place only has a mic once a month. It is small, but I go because it is run by a friend. Everyone had a pretty miserable performance and most of the bar didn't appear to be paying attention. The second one in the middle of a snowstorm that made the roads and performers miserable. This was also at a bar, although they turned off the televisions once the show started. One guy went first and had brought all his friends. He then left with them, leaving about two non-comics. I recorded myself both times. I delivered my set pretty well. It was weaker in the second half in both, but that is a result of getting no positive responses from the audience. (Which I realize shouldn't affect my performance.) At both of these places, there were local headliners that were having an equally miserable experience. The key difference between us was that I tried sticking to my set, and they just improvised a bit. I think they got better results because of it, but my goal at both of these was to work on that specific set, so I did it audience appreciation be damned. The problem is, I don't think doing this helped me get a better set. My question is, how do you try to work on a set and still get an audience on your side, when you have about 5 minutes of talking time? It just felt like I couldn't win regardless.
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Mar 2, 2015 22:13
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freud mayweather posted:Those shows are great opportunities to riff around and have fun. gently caress the set list. Challenge yourself to change the atmosphere of the room. That will serve you better as a comic than polishing up 5 minutes that you won't be using a year from now. Thanks for confirming what I was thinking. I spent my last set doing a lot more crowd work and not letting myself be bottled in by what I wanted to say. The times I'm talking to the audience seems to go over a lot better than when I am doing prepared material, even if what I'm saying isn't that funny. I think I'm going to spend the next week working on blending the two. On a positive note, outside of those two bombs, my sets have been going pretty well. I think I have definitely found my stage voice. When I go on stage now, I don't really feel any different in how I'm speaking than I do before I go on stage. I still use too many "You know's" and "um's," but I think that'll go away with time.
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Mar 4, 2015 16:57
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Yeah, my new short-term goal is just to start working on my crowd work. The only part I feel like I struggle with on that front is that initial conversation. I always want to say something interesting, but no level of small talk is ever interesting.
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Mar 5, 2015 17:14
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So interesting little anecdote I thought I would share. I was at an open mic at a bar this past Friday with the televisions on. In case you are unaware, it is March Madness, so the bar was packed full of people completely disinterested in hearing jokes. As you can imagine, it was a terrible night for everyone. One of the guys there, in anticipation of the lovely night, decided to just read excerpts from Mein Kamp from his iPhone, clearing out half the bar when it was his turn to be up. That is on the list of things I never thought I'd see at an open mic.
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Mar 24, 2015 06:12
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This mic is pretty terrible all around, and he told me afterwards that he honestly didn't think people would be paying attention. This mic probably will be cancelled in the next couple months regardless of facist manifesto's. Not that I'm defending him. I personally would never do that, because the best case scenario is that someone isn't alienated by it. No real reward for it.
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Mar 28, 2015 20:25
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Shovelbearer posted:Last night was my second appearance at Zanies, the biggest comedy club in Nashville. The first time I was there I did mostly "just ok" and had a brain-freeze moment where I forgot my next joke and made a not-so-great attempt at crowd work. It wasn't a disaster but kind of a disappointment, since this is the room all comics in the area set their sights on when they start. Last night was much better. It was just a three-minute spot but that made me perform with a bit more energy, waste zero time and just go opener, quick joke, quick joke, quick joke, so I was getting pretty solid laughs the whole way through, and I could tell I had a couple of moments where the punchline really caught the audience off guard, so, yeah, I was happy with it. That's awesome to here. I wish I could make it down for the festival next week. It looks like it's going to be incredible. Are you planning on doing the comedy festival down there?
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Apr 10, 2015 15:10
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Shovelbearer posted:Well, depends on what you mean by "doing the festival." I am nowhere near the level to be booked on one of the Wild West Comedy Fest shows although I may try to attend a couple of them as my schedule allows (I'm also in rehearsals for a play coming up in a couple of weeks so a lot of my nights are tied up). I am, however, taking part in the Broken Record Comedy Show (the official attempt to break the Guinness Book World Record for longest multi-comic stand-up comedy show.) So I'll be doing 15 minutes starting at 8 AM on Monday, before I go to work, which will be fun. Or at least weird, and therefore kinda fun. Ah, I had no idea what your experience level was. That Guinness Book World Record sounds awesome though. I know some Chicago guys are planning on heading down there to try being a part of that. If I didn't have a family, I'd make the trip down to try giving a terrible ten minute set.
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Apr 10, 2015 23:10
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Shovelbearer posted:I can now say: Once you start getting bumped, your career is done.
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Apr 17, 2015 19:22
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freud mayweather posted:Now you just gotta do it a hundred more times until you can have fun bombing and then you'll be bulletproof. I haven't bombed a lot, but I can't wait to get to this point. I haven't been out as much lately, because I want to be more prepared when I hit mics now. If I really know what I'm going to say, it is so much easier to react when people don't respond to me. As it is, bombing just destroys me now. I just feel like poo poo until the next time I can make it out.
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May 5, 2015 19:33
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So I just realized that I'm officially at my six month anniversary of doing this. It's been pretty interesting. A few weeks ago i noticed that I am a lot more comfortable on stage. More natural. For some reason, even if my material isn't hitting on point, it just feels like I'm doing better. I guess I'm just more in the moment. I'm finding it a lot easier to react to poo poo as it's happening too, which helps a ton. So have any of you ever guys done a set where it just feels like you crushed it, and people tell you that you crushed it, but when you go back and listen to it, all you hear are the jokes that didn't hit? That's not to say there isn't laughter or that it is bad. It just feels like all I notice are the things I'm doing wrong. Is that normal?
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May 18, 2015 21:33
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That is a pretty hosed up story. It would probably crush at an open mic full of comedians. On Sunday at this open mic I go to, this guy whose pretty big locally went on stage with a cowl, cape and these fake bracers and started delivering five minutes of stand up genius. It was an interesting dynamic, because the front rows were full of regular audience members, and the back was full of comics. He was basically doing Gilbert Gottfried, Rodney Dangerfield, Andrew Dice Clay and other jokes of that ilk, only as if he were from some mythical realm. The regular folks kept looking back, because they had no idea why we were all losing our poo poo in the back. It was really quite excellent. I can't imagine that set ever doing well for normal people, but for comedy junkies, it was just amazing.
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May 21, 2015 16:03
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So nice week of milestones for me. On Sunday, I will get to host my first ever open mic. And yesterday, I got invited to participate in a showcase. It is especially nice because I've been feeling blah and almost didn't make trips out this week. It just goes to show that you can't get opportunities if you aren't out there.
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Jun 10, 2015 19:21
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^^^^ I was just at a mic this Sunday where there was no stage and the mic stand was five feet to the left of the front door, in front of the bar. Just think about that for a second. Also, T.V.'s on and they were offering free pool in the back. I was at the back half of the list and had already been to two mics. It was my first time there, and about four comics in, I realized that I didn't want to be there, so I didn't bring out any new material at all and just phoned it in. I'm sort of angry at myself for doing that, but I wasn't gonna get any good feedback in a room where nobody was listening. I always go back and forth on how to handle bad bar room open mics. I generally avoid them if I can. So just got my first rejection from a comedy festival. (Not that I'm surprised, I should've been rejected.) Been marathoning mics all week, hitting new city mics. There really is a ton of stuff in Chicago. It still feels very underrated as a comedy town. Haven't gotten more than 4 hours of sleep this week, but it feels good. I've gotten a few comments from people this last month about how hard I work, which is weird because I feel like I could be working a lot harder. But it is probably a good thing.
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Jul 7, 2015 17:03
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So I finally got a couple of local showcases and the general reaction was that I crushed it. I personally think they could've gone a lot better, but I also didn't hate myself afterwards. It feels good to be making progress. The current five minutes that I'm working on is easily the best thing I've ever written and I finally feel like I found my comedy voice with it. Now I have to go back and rewrite some of my older stuff to make it sound right. Feeling really good about comedy at the moment, so this week will probably end up feeling like getting repeatedly kicked in the nuts.
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Aug 10, 2015 15:42
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Mortley posted:I got to talking with one of my friends about the venue that fills with the nicest crowds in town pretty much every time. My friend says (truthfully) that he kills there every time, and that he's almost starting to wonder if he ought to start skipping it and focus on the places that challenge him in order to improve. I think it is important to try a variety of mics. I'm lucky in that I'm in Chicago, so I have tons of mics to choose from. Just because it is a bunch of comics doesn't mean you can't make them laugh. It just makes it harder. It is very important to have material that can work in a variety of rooms if you want to have any level of success. But it is also important to get in rooms that have actual audience members, because making comics laugh isn't your goal. Making regular people laugh is what you are trying to accomplish. I'd also say any venue can be successful, as long as the person running it is putting in the work to make it a good room. If I see a TV on while people are performing, that is usually a room I will avoid unless there are no other rooms running. I'll still take a bad room over no room at all.
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Aug 14, 2015 18:11
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Mortley posted:Thanks for the replies. I've run into this conversation multiple times, and the comedians complaining about it tend to annoy the poo poo out of me. There is a willful ignorance regarding the business side of this. Colleges are the ones paying you, so they get to dictate what they want performed. If you don't like it, you don't have to perform there. It is your job to as a comedian to make the audience laugh, but also to make sure the guy you are working for is able to get return business. If he gets fired because that flaming midget douche joke didn't amaze a bunch of uptight college kids, that's on you and why should anyone ever want to bring you back? Your job as a comedian is to make people laugh and spend money at whatever establishment you are at. If there are things you aren't willing to compromise in your performance, that is admirable. But you don't get to complain when it closes doors for you. That is being just as entitled as the kids these guys are complaining about. For $1000 a show, I'd gladly wipe college kids asses and tell them their farts smell like the sweetest of perfumes. That is a lot of money for an hours worth of work. And all that is really being asked of you is to stay within a certain level of social guidelines with your jokes. I get why it would annoy guys like Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld, but they have the option of performing wherever they want. They also have the ability to dictate what and how they are performing. For us, you have to figure out where you want to perform and what it takes to get there. Sometimes it means not swearing or using sexual innuendo. In this case, it requires really stripping your comedy down to the bare bones. It is your choice. You are not obligated to do every show there is. I've already rambled on too long, but you have to cater the material to the venue, not the other way around. That is the most important part about being a comic. What is the point of upsetting someone, if it is going to make everyone uncomfortable.
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Aug 15, 2015 21:46
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KirbyKhan posted:^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Oh, don't get me wrong. I think college kids just have their heads so far up their own asses, they lack perspective. They also lack the ability to have someone have a differing opinion than them. It is quite annoying. People can have different points of view. It doesn't make them monsters. revolther posted:I did my first two open mics last week with a day in-between. "Get laughs, and off stage without dying" was my goal, and I succeeded in that. Congrats. Listening to yourself is important. Just make notes and keep working. Make a point of getting out as much as possible. You need stage time to get better. RandomPauI posted:I wound up skipping watching a comedy show and watching an improv show in favor of working on a page of stand-up. I regret not going. Would I have regretted not working on the bit though? Does this ever happen to anyone else? Both are important things to do. One thing that a lot of veteran comics tell me is that it is important to get out and see people who are better than you. (And when you are starting out, everyone is.) I try to watch a comedy showcase at least once every couple of weeks where I have no plans to perform. Watch with a critical eye. See how guys are working their jokes. It also shows that you are supporting your community. That can be important in the future. People like comics who support local shows. It also can lead to opportunities down the road. A producer who sees you at his show might be more likely to give you stage time later on. Having said that, it is always important to spend time working on your material. If you have something you want to work on, you absolutely have to spend time developing it. (Says the guy who has a bunch of notes he needs to flesh out, but hasn't bothered to find the time to do so. )
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Aug 17, 2015 23:27
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