I stopped by Farley’s one Saturday about a week ago and did a set at the open mic there. The audience seemed to be completely indifferent to the fact that comedy was going on (and not just me), but I thought it turned out well anyway.
Thanks to Sean Stryker for filming this.
I’ve been doing stand-up comedy for four and a half years now, and done over 400 shows. Recently, I taped a longer set I’ve done and posted it on my web site. I’m happy to see that I’m improving (I’m assuming. I haven’t actually watched it yet). I did 18 minutes, and while not 100% solid and consistent, it’s definitely tolerable, if not funny. I’m hopefully overcoming my biggest weakness of being too boring and monotone with some fake excitement, inflection and movement.
Audiences should realize, however that comedians get better. When you go see a comic live, you aren’t seeing a movie. You’re seeing a slice of a comic’s life. Their performance, although possibly rehearsed, is just another rehearsal, another practice for the shows that comes after. It’s not a final product. It’s another attempt, another try at improving, being funnier, becoming more compelling, getting more interesting. You’re just a guinea pig in this somewhat scientific experiment, and your reaction – laughter, groans, silence, obedience – is the feedback.
Just because a comic is not funny or has a bad show does not mean you will never like that comic. It’s pretty amazing how much I’ve learned and changed in just the last two years. Talent plays a role, but comedy, like pretty much anything else, is something you get better at with practice. When you go see a comedian, you’re watching him or her practice. Just by being there, you’re helping comedians get better.
Thanks, audience member. Here’s your gold star.
Here are highlights from the second of two episodes I filmed. Enjoy!
As I mentioned, in March, I filmed a couple episodes of “Paint with Lynn”. Here’s an edited version of the first episode.
When I was on Guy MacPhereson’s “What’s So Funny?” radio show, off air he mentioned to me that he had a short discussion with Irwin Barker about one of my jokes on air in a prior episode. Well, Guy emailed me last week to tell me that the episode was going to re-air, so I listened to it.
Here’s the excerpt (2 minutes, 32 seconds):
Here’s the joke he’s talking about, from the night he saw me (70 seconds):
I continue to maintain, the only thing worse than being talked about… is not being talked about.
I’ve had a video camera pointed at me a fair bit in the past week.
My comedy friends Chris Schiacappasse (she-ack-uh-PASS-ee) and Vahé Hovak have a recurring YouTube show called “Hanging Out” where they come over and for some unscripted hang out. A genuine reality show.
In our episode, after seeing a TV commercial for some 99¢ fast food hamburger, we decided we would hit a handful of fast food joints, buy one burger-thing that costs a dollar from each, then take them home to sample and compare them.
We hit McDonald’s, KFC/Taco Bell (two purchases from each substore there), Wendy’s, Jack-in-the-Box and Burger King. We also stopped at Arby’s and Carl’s Junior, but neither of those snooty establishments had any burgers that met our thrift constraints.
My surprise favourite was Jack-in-the-Box’s Junior Cheeseburger, which despite looking like it had been run over by a truck and not really tasting like actual food, had a wonderful salty delicious flavour of chemical that made me crave more.
Unfortunately, various technical problems (a low battery, then we ran out of tape) means that large portions of this part of the taste test were not taped, so this info probably doesn’t qualify as a spoiler.
This episode will be probably be available on YouTube eventually. In the future.
Then, last night I went to the monthly taping of “Paint with Lynn”, a show on public access cable TV channel 26 in Pacifica, California, where host Lynn Ruth Miller, a near-octogenarian comedian, painter and ne’er-do-well comes up with an art project.
I haven’t done an art project since elementary school. We worked on our projects separately while trading quips. It was a blast and I’m simultaneously curious about and dreading the final cut. If you have access to Pacifica cable, “check your local listings”. I’ll be getting a DVD (also in the future) which maybe I can post on the internet.
I’ve been trying very hard to produce tangible output on a regular basis for my blog. But it’s been challenging. I worry about being interesting, but only a bit, because the “interesting” angle is so much outweighed by my innate need to be original.
Ah, the curse of originality, or as comedians like to say, “not hack”. I strive to be a brilliant computer hacker while I strive to avoid being a comedy hack. Hack computers, not comedy.
Upon reflection, this desire – this need – to be original has been a constant driver in my life. I’ve always felt different, and always felt the need to be think about things differently. When everyone else zigs, I zag. I don’t know why. It’s in my nature. I can’t help it any more than the scorpion can help but sting the frog.
My blog and my comedy suffers because I so quickly and naturally filter out ideas that seem obvious and unoriginal automatically. They’re considered, but only considered as ideas that have been seen and noted, and never considered to be used on stage or in public. A lot of times, I’ll even dismiss as unoriginal ideas that I’ve come up with myself, but in the past, so they are unoriginal in that “I’ve thought of them before”.
I suppose this blog post is personal enough that it’s guaranteed to be original. Even if someone else has written these exact ideas, or even somehow these exact words, I’m still original because they (probably) weren’t writing about me. Maybe that’s the answer: write about myself.
SEEN IT
Huh. I guess that’s been done. To death.
From a MySpace bulletin, circa 2007. The author of the questions is unknown but all answers are by me.
1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
“WHERE DID I PUT MY LEFT EYE?” SOUND WEIRD BUT TO BE FAIR I WAS TOTALLY HIGH
2. How much cash do you have on you?
ALL OF IT
3. What’s a word that rhymes with “DOOR?”
“NATURES”
4. Favorite planet?
I WOULD SAY URANUS BUT IT’S TOO FILTHY SO I WILL GO WITH OMICRON 7 IN THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY. EVEN THOUGH IT’S GASEOUS, IT ROCKS!!!
5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
CREDITORS
6. What is your favorite ring on your phone?
RING AROUND THE COLLAR HA HA HA I KILL ME. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX PEOPLES!
7. What shirt are you wearing?
WHAT IS THIS, PHONE SEX?
8. Do you “label” yourself?
YES I DO. CONSTANTLY. LOOK I’M DOING IT NOW
9. Name the brand of your shoes you’re currently wearing?
I WILL NAME IT JEREMY AND THANK YOU FOR ASKING! YOU ARE A TRUE FRIEND
10. Bright or Dark Room?
IT DEPENDS ON IF I AM DEVELOPING PHOTOS
11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
I THINK ABOUT 145 POUNDS
13. What were you doing at midnight last night?
IT WAS NOT MIDNIGHT, IT WAS ABOUT 11:30 AND IT WAS NOTHING.
14. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?
SENDER UNKNOWN, REDO FROM START
15. Where is your nearest 7-11?
THE CORNER OF 7TH STREET AND 11TH AVENUE. I KNOW. WHO WOULDDA GUESS?!
16. What’s a word that you say a lot?
“I” BECAUSE I AM VERY IMPORTANT TO I. GET IT?
17.Who told you he/she loved you last?
HITLER LOVED ME LAST AND HE WAS VERY CLEAR ABOUT IT
18. Last furry thing you touched?
HA HA THIS ONE IS TOO PERSONAL TO ANSWER BUT I WILL GIVE YOU A HINT… IT HAD A PIT BUT WAS NOT A PEACH!!!!!
19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days?
JUST ONE WHEN YESTERDAY I INVENTED A MEDICATION TO LOWER BAD CHOLESTERAL BUT THE DAMN PATENT OFFICE REFUSED MY PATENT!!!! BASTARDS LOL
20. How many rolls of film do you need developed?
I WILL ANSWER THIS FOR EVERYONE SIMULTANEOUSLY: N WHERE N IS A NON-NEGATIVE INTEGER
21. Favorite age you have been so far?
ICE AGE WAS MY FAVOURITE BECAUSE THAT LITTLE SQUIRREL SO CUTE
22. Your worst enemy?
JEWS
23. What is your current desktop picture?
IT IS A PHOTO MY PREVIOUS DESKTOP. I KNOW, BLOWS THE MIND, EH?
24. What was the last thing you said to someone?
“IT IS A PHOTO MY PREVIOUS DESKTOP. I KNOW, BLOWS THE MIND, EH?”
25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be?
I WOULD CHOOSE DOOR #3 WITH THE GOAT IN IT AND THEN SLAUGHTER IT TO GAIN ITS COURAGE
26. Do you like someone?
YES BUT NOT A PEACH!!!! *WINK*
27. The last song you listened to?
MY OUTGOING VOICE MAIL MESSAGE WHICH IS SUPER CATCHY. CALL ME AND GET YOUR GROOVE BACK
Here’s the radio show I did on Sunday. It’s an hour long.
It starts with a three minute audio clip of a funny guy who isn’t me, so don’t be confused by that part.
I’m going to be the guest on Guy MacPherson’s radio show “What’s So Funny?” on Sunday, December 14th, 11 PM to midnight. Listen on CFRO 102.7 FM in Vancouver, or online here. You can call in while the show’s airing to talk to us at 604-684-7561.