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RandomPauI
Nov 24, 2006


Grimey Drawer
Thanks, I'll check it out.

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Sataere
Jul 20, 2005


Step 1: Start fight
Step 2: Attack straw man
Step 3: REPEAT

Do not engage with me



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.

Serious Cephalopod
Jul 1, 2007

This is a Serious post for a Serious thread.

Bloop Bloop Bloop
Pillbug

Sataere posted:

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.


What did you record on? Stage/recording services can change the amount of audience feed back.

And yes, you are likely over thinking it

Serious Cephalopod
Jul 1, 2007

This is a Serious post for a Serious thread.

Bloop Bloop Bloop
Pillbug
Also. This is one of my favorite ever sets: Girardi's Frozen Yogurt: http://youtu.be/4vB8qr1IrPg

Smerdyakov
Jul 8, 2008

Sataere posted:

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.

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.

If your set was a 4 and everyone else's set was a 2, that means you're improving and you did some things right, even if the recording doesn't sound like much. A useful thing to do is to record the set of the person who goes on before and after you to get a feel for the baseline crowd level, assuming they're not incredibly funny/unfunny.

Sataere
Jul 20, 2005


Step 1: Start fight
Step 2: Attack straw man
Step 3: REPEAT

Do not engage with me



Serious Cephalopod posted:

What did you record on? Stage/recording services can change the amount of audience feed back.

And yes, you are likely over thinking it

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.

If your set was a 4 and everyone else's set was a 2, that means you're improving and you did some things right, even if the recording doesn't sound like much. A useful thing to do is to record the set of the person who goes on before and after you to get a feel for the baseline crowd level, assuming they're not incredibly funny/unfunny.

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.

Stealth Tiger
Nov 14, 2009

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.

Man that paragraph sounds sad so I'll add in that I'm actually pretty happy with myself and I'll definitely go back soon- I was clear headed up there and wasn't nervous at all. I was afraid beforehand that I might poo poo my pants and forget everything as soon as I grabbed the mic. The only times I stuttered was when I was trying to think of plans B and C in response to the lackluster crowd reaction.

Also I didn't talk about genocide for five minutes straight so I wasn't the worst guy there.

XIII
Feb 11, 2009


Did you record yourself?

Stealth Tiger
Nov 14, 2009

XIII posted:

Did you record yourself?

Dear god no. I was expecting to barely be able to spit out words. Do pretty much all people who take it seriously record themselves every time? I only saw one guy out of about 20 record themselves, and that dude was a weirdo who did a ventriloquist act. Once I get comfortable I'll record something, maybe in 2 or 3 more times.

XIII
Feb 11, 2009


Record every set. Then listen to it repeatedly and take notes on what works, what doesn't, what you hosed up, what you improvised, etc. If I can't remember a joke idea five minutes after thinking of it, there's no way I'm going to be able to remember that great tag or riff from the night before.

Serious Cephalopod
Jul 1, 2007

This is a Serious post for a Serious thread.

Bloop Bloop Bloop
Pillbug

XIII posted:

Record every set. Then listen to it repeatedly and take notes on what works, what doesn't, what you hosed up, what you improvised, etc. If I can't remember a joke idea five minutes after thinking of it, there's no way I'm going to be able to remember that great tag or riff from the night before.

You can't tell you've improved if you have nothing to compare it to.

"Hey, your story about that thing was great!" - your friend, but without the recording, it'll take you 10x longer to figure out why

Keven. Just. Keven
May 25, 2010

MY GOD. THE WILL... THE FIGHTING SPIRIT... JUST WHEN YOU THINK IT'S OVER, TSM COMES BACK STRONGER THAN EVER.
Get one of those little iphone tripods and video tape yourself every time so the host makes fun of you. That will make you stick in his mind the way your flannel beard doesn't and then he'll remember your name and you're on your way to fame.

Sataere
Jul 20, 2005


Step 1: Start fight
Step 2: Attack straw man
Step 3: REPEAT

Do not engage with me



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.

Man that paragraph sounds sad so I'll add in that I'm actually pretty happy with myself and I'll definitely go back soon- I was clear headed up there and wasn't nervous at all. I was afraid beforehand that I might poo poo my pants and forget everything as soon as I grabbed the mic. The only times I stuttered was when I was trying to think of plans B and C in response to the lackluster crowd reaction.

Also I didn't talk about genocide for five minutes straight so I wasn't the worst guy there.

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?

buffto
Feb 11, 2005
ass assassin
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.

Stealth Tiger
Nov 14, 2009


Thanks for the kind words. This thread seems pretty positive, so I will definitely supply some video for goons' criticism/ entertainment. As for my location, I'm in suburban New Jersey. There's a few places around that do open mics, so for where I am at now I think I'll be fine for the time being.

Sataere
Jul 20, 2005


Step 1: Start fight
Step 2: Attack straw man
Step 3: REPEAT

Do not engage with me



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. :(

Sataere fucked around with this message at 16:50 on Jan 19, 2015

Shovelbearer
Oct 11, 2003
Paragon of Lexicon
In April, I'll be taking part in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for longest multi-comic stand-up comedy show. You can too if you feel like coming to Nashville in mid-april! http://nashvillestandup.com/WorldRecord/

buffto
Feb 11, 2005
ass assassin
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.

December 23rd (for some reason in this video there was a lot of ambient noise right next to the camera:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhWaemL0tJY

January 13:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtXU93d8yug

As stated in my previous post, I am aware that I go way too fast at times. Also, I noticed in the second video that I kept wrapping the mic cord around my hand as some sort of nervous twitch. So yeah, go nuts and show no mercy.

XIII
Feb 11, 2009


Okay, here are MY thoughts:

Don't ask how they are. I still do this sometimes, so I understand that it just happens sometimes as a way of getting started, but they've probably heard it 1,000 times before you.

I liked the opener on the second set a lot more, but I felt like you stretched it too far.

The cop joke got a chuckle out of me, but I would cut everything past the first joke.

Stop fidgeting with the mic cord. You're probably not aware of it until you watch back through, but little things like that tell the audience that you're nervous, which can make them nervous too. It can take years to find any real confidence on stage, so, until then, you're going to have to fake it.

buffto
Feb 11, 2005
ass assassin
Thanks for the response. Yeah, for whatever reason I was more nervous the second time up than I was the first. For the most part people were laughing at my jokes, so that's a good sign. And you're right, that whole asking how they're doing thing is a knee-jerk reaction and it's something that I see as very hacky when I see someone else do it.

freud mayweather
Jan 29, 2009

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

well, you've just called your jokes "stories," so you're well on your way to a successful career of seasonal organic open mics where everyone is super supportive, no one is ever forced to leave their comfort zone, and jockamo IPA's are only $4!

XIII posted:

Don't ask how they are.

counterpoint to clarify for buffto: you've gotta greet the crowd in some way, even if it's not asking how they are. just starting jokes cold can be off-putting and start you off in a small hole unnecessarily.

freud mayweather fucked around with this message at 03:35 on Jan 20, 2015

XIII
Feb 11, 2009


^agreed, you need to break the ice somehow, but "how's everybody doing" gets done to death. I think a simple hi is much better.

buffto
Feb 11, 2005
ass assassin
Hey now, at least I didn't declare that the crowd's first response was insufficient and requested a louder reply of how they were doing.

freud mayweather
Jan 29, 2009

buffto posted:

Hey now, at least I didn't declare that the crowd's first response was insufficient and requested a louder reply of how they were doing.

that's a great trick on a real show, especially if you're hosting the show. some things are hard to get used to because they're so obvious and played out, but they've been proven to work. there's a lot of horseshit fuckery you've gotta swallow your pride and do because of your responsibility to all the people who paid for babysitters, tickets and drink minimums to be entertained.

Sataere
Jul 20, 2005


Step 1: Start fight
Step 2: Attack straw man
Step 3: REPEAT

Do not engage with me



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.

XIII
Feb 11, 2009


Some of this will seem obvious and some might seem dick-ish, but I’ve helped run a few (one before I moved and one currently) and I really enjoy it. It’s a big commitment, if it’s something that you actually want to succeed. You want to get comics there so it will have content, but also audience members (this is the hard part) so that it’s worth going to. More audience means more comics. More audience also means it’s more likely to go well. Talk to the bar and try to get them to offer drink specials to people there for the mic. This will help draw a crowd. The old one I helped run gave a free beer to anyone who went on stage (we capped it at a certain number for the sake of time).
Enforce time. Mother of gently caress, enforce time. Five minutes at most. Give a light at four and have them acknowledge it (otherwise, shine it in their face). If they go over time, consider cutting the mic. Maybe give them a little extra if you can tell their wrapping a joke up, but don’t let people abuse the mic. This makes the other comics feel cheated.
Don’t act like it’s a big, important showcase. It’s not. No one wants to pay a cover to see your open mic. But, take it seriously and be professional about it. Start on time. Don’t show favoritism. Make people sign up in person 15min or so beforehand. Draw numbers for spots. Have a respectable sound system. Is there a stage? Not having a stage is a real hindrance to how well people will pay attention. If possible, face people toward the stage/performer.
Comedy isn’t like having a band, it requires people to pay attention. You can’t be as strict about people talking, because they probably didn’t come to see you, they came to drink (probably w/ friends) and you happened to be there.

(Sorry, this has gotten long and rambly. I could go on, but I’ll cut it off here)

CaptainHollywood
Feb 29, 2008


I am an awesome guy and I love to make out during shitty Hollywood horror movies. I am a trendwhore!

XIII posted:

Okay, here are MY thoughts:

Don't ask how they are. I still do this sometimes, so I understand that it just happens sometimes as a way of getting started, but they've probably heard it 1,000 times before you.

I liked the opener on the second set a lot more, but I felt like you stretched it too far.

The cop joke got a chuckle out of me, but I would cut everything past the first joke.

Stop fidgeting with the mic cord. You're probably not aware of it until you watch back through, but little things like that tell the audience that you're nervous, which can make them nervous too. It can take years to find any real confidence on stage, so, until then, you're going to have to fake it.

Pretty sound advice.

This Sunday I'm doing my first set ever. I've been "writing" for two years and I'm just finally putting it into action. I'm going to a notoriously tough place - basically a vapor lounge where the crowd is incredibly high. I was told if they're jolting their shoulders that means I'm doing well. I have a solid 10 minute piece. I really wanted and tried to cut it down- but I think it flows well together. I really need advice on where/what to cut. If I were to describe my humour I would say somewhere between Seinfeld and Bill Burr.

There are 3 things I really don't like in comedy:
1. Impressions/Props. These just feel a little cheap. It can't be more than a minute - and it has to be either incredible or done ironically.

2. Stories. Of course SOME comedians can pull it off - but not every one is going to. The longer they run, the more I zone out. For the most part, it just comes across as "unrealistic" and "ungrounded". Kevin Smith is a good example of a comedian when on stage he CAN tell a story.

3. Puns/Word humour. Again, very difficult to pull off, and they can be incredibly groan-worthy, especially if it's coming from a story.

I should have footage of my performance Monday or so. I'm genuinely excited.

bring back old gbs
Feb 28, 2007

by LITERALLY AN ADMIN

CaptainHollywood posted:

Pretty sound advice.

This Sunday I'm doing my first set ever. I've been "writing" for two years and I'm just finally putting it into action. I'm going to a notoriously tough place - basically a vapor lounge where the crowd is incredibly high. I was told if they're jolting their shoulders that means I'm doing well. I have a solid 10 minute piece. I really wanted and tried to cut it down- but I think it flows well together. I really need advice on where/what to cut. If I were to describe my humour I would say somewhere between Seinfeld and Bill Burr.

There are 3 things I really don't like in comedy:
1. Impressions/Props. These just feel a little cheap. It can't be more than a minute - and it has to be either incredible or done ironically.

2. Stories. Of course SOME comedians can pull it off - but not every one is going to. The longer they run, the more I zone out. For the most part, it just comes across as "unrealistic" and "ungrounded". Kevin Smith is a good example of a comedian when on stage he CAN tell a story.

3. Puns/Word humour. Again, very difficult to pull off, and they can be incredibly groan-worthy, especially if it's coming from a story.

I should have footage of my performance Monday or so. I'm genuinely excited.

Hah, I've seen you in the Toronto thread I think I know what place you're talking about. If it is they also live stream to their site. I've watched before but it felt weird and voueyeuristic

CaptainHollywood
Feb 29, 2008


I am an awesome guy and I love to make out during shitty Hollywood horror movies. I am a trendwhore!

32MB OF ESRAM posted:

Hah, I've seen you in the Toronto thread I think I know what place you're talking about. If it is they also live stream to their site. I've watched before but it felt weird and voueyeuristic

Yep, that's the one. Their stream is very "fly on the wall"/"security camera with a microphone".

CaptainHollywood
Feb 29, 2008


I am an awesome guy and I love to make out during shitty Hollywood horror movies. I am a trendwhore!
Well guys I did it. It went about as well I could have hoped.

(Stoner Sundays 200, I appear around 2:42:20 as Mark Stephens)

http://www.livestream.com/vaporcentral/video?clipId=pla_588a795a-0240-4aba-bdeb-ff10859405f8

Few notes:
1. This was my first time up ever
2. The host was a little upset because I went over my time (I was never given a set amount of time - so I thought I was just going to go the average of everyone else :sigh: I didn't think it was that bad)
3. The room is a very tough crowd and I got just as much laughter as every other comedian. I would definitely scroll through to the others for comparisons sake. A lot of the comedians that do this gig are fairly professional but use the venue as a way to try out new material - and even despite their being professional - they will stumble often on stage and go through notes - or say "I'm so high right now".
4. My friends thought I killed it for the most part.
5. Input would be nice :)

Edit: Talked to the MC later and he admitted he did a bad job of prepping me for my first time, so it was a bit of a fault on both our parts.

CaptainHollywood fucked around with this message at 04:38 on Jan 27, 2015

Sataere
Jul 20, 2005


Step 1: Start fight
Step 2: Attack straw man
Step 3: REPEAT

Do not engage with me



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. :D

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?

XIII
Feb 11, 2009


^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.

Sataere
Jul 20, 2005


Step 1: Start fight
Step 2: Attack straw man
Step 3: REPEAT

Do not engage with me



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

XIII
Feb 11, 2009


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.

RandomPauI
Nov 24, 2006


Grimey Drawer
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.

I was going to go with a story about one of moms suicide attempts and how keeping her from successfully killing herself was one of my jobs, but I decided to turn that into a throwaway line about my current job not having a lot of growth potential. Did I mention it's being held a day after my 33rd birthday, 10 pm on a weeknight?

I'm excited but this is just screaming "bad idea."

Sataere
Jul 20, 2005


Step 1: Start fight
Step 2: Attack straw man
Step 3: REPEAT

Do not engage with me



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.

I was going to go with a story about one of moms suicide attempts and how keeping her from successfully killing herself was one of my jobs, but I decided to turn that into a throwaway line about my current job not having a lot of growth potential. Did I mention it's being held a day after my 33rd birthday, 10 pm on a weeknight?

I'm excited but this is just screaming "bad idea."

Sometimes it is fun to just dive in. I'd probably try out the material first, just to be safe.

Convicted Bibliophile
Dec 2, 2004

I am the night.
I'm doing my second ever set tonight at Dirty Dicks in London. Did my first set at the tail end of last year at a smaller place in Kilburn where everyone was really nice, but I've heard that tonight's venue is tougher.

I'm absolutely bricking it because I don't know my material off by heart! I think the fact that I'm nervous is making it hard to remember my set - both the content and the order.

The first time I went up on stage I took a small notebook but really don't want to do that this time. Does anyone have any tips on remembering material bar writing it on your hand?

thunderspanks
Nov 5, 2003

crucify this


Catman Begins posted:

I'm doing my second ever set tonight at Dirty Dicks in London. Did my first set at the tail end of last year at a smaller place in Kilburn where everyone was really nice, but I've heard that tonight's venue is tougher.

I'm absolutely bricking it because I don't know my material off by heart! I think the fact that I'm nervous is making it hard to remember my set - both the content and the order.

The first time I went up on stage I took a small notebook but really don't want to do that this time. Does anyone have any tips on remembering material bar writing it on your hand?

If its an open mic style environment I'd say don't be worried about taking a crib sheet up with you, especially if you're new. In my experience most places that host a legit show have some sort of table or barstool near the mic for comics to put their drinks and stuff. I usually just toss a small piece of notated paper and my phone with a running stopwatch (I'm bad for not seeing being lit and I much prefer having an on hand indication of my time). If I'm in a 'no notes' environment the best recommendation I can give short of straight up memorization is to get and sort your jokes into a loosely tied order. Definitely easier for story based jokes. Monday for instance my order went-

joke about valentines day

Best valentines day poem I ever got (ends with a beer reference)

beer reference gives me a segue to jokes about quitting drinking but still doing drugs

drugs leads to saying the wrong thing while high around my girlfriend

which segues into jokes about the mentally challenged cat my girlfriend and I have

which leads to jokes about falling in love at first sight with him because he was such an ugly kitten.

Each of those lines comprises 45 seconds to a minute worth a jokes, so on paper my list looks like this:

-vday
-roses are red
-quit drinking
-doughy
-special needs cat
-hosed up kitten

You can still squeeze in a completely unrelated closer (close on a strong note) if you say something like "alright, I'll leave you guys with this.."

Good luck man!

XIII
Feb 11, 2009


^another good thing about a line like “I'll leave you guys with this" is it gives the host a cue to get ready.

Also, I've heard of Dirty Dicks from a podcast that I really like. It might be a tough room, but I've heard a lot of good things, so just relax and have fun.

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Sataere
Jul 20, 2005


Step 1: Start fight
Step 2: Attack straw man
Step 3: REPEAT

Do not engage with me



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. :v:

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