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Karl Ontario
Jan 1, 2006

Maybe if I'm part of that mob, I can help steer it in wise directions.

Mescal posted:

I see your point, but I don't think it applies in every case. The bit in question is funny because it's long. I mean it's funny at the beginning too, but if I cut it down there would be no concept--it's a meditation on, and in-depth analysis of a silly subject that deserves no such attention. I like stuff like that, hence the mention of Stewart Lee.

I like to talk for five minutes from the perspective of a person who's either not sane or living in an alternate universe. And when I commit and the mood's right, people are more than happy to join me on the crazy train to anywhere.

I ended up doing one of these weird conceptual bits for the show in question. The mic was wireless so I walked around the whole place, even upstairs making a loop around the balcony, which was fun. I definitely got their attention for my set. I think it went pretty well.

I was a wreck beforehand though, I was sure everybody'd hate me, and I don't usually get nervous any more.

I think you're missing the point a little bit. You do stand up to find the bits that always work, not the ones that work if you commit and the mood's right.

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XIII
Feb 11, 2009


I've been slacking way too much for the last few months, so, to make myself get off my rear end, I issued myself a challenge. I have to do 100 mics by July 1st, or I owe a friend $1,000. I have to record each set and upload it to a shared Drive folder. I picked a friend I know doesn't want to see me fail, but will hold me to it if I do (he's also one of, maybe, two people I don't mind being able to listen to my open mic sets, should he choose to). I have the benefit of living in a place that I could hit 12 a week if I really wanted to, so averaging 4 a week isn't unheard of. I could double up Sunday and Monday and be done, but I've been spreading them out and hitting different mics. I'm a few behind, but I could hustle for a week and be back on track easily. It's not going to be easy, but it's definitely gotten me writing a lot more and, after shaking the dust off, I'm really enjoying performing again.

Edit: also had a twitter joke featured on College Humor today. Not really a big deal, but anything I can act like is an achievement is nice

XIII fucked around with this message at 04:18 on Feb 2, 2016

sockingtonsworth
Dec 17, 2013

I started doing stand up when I was 16, did it for 2.5 years, then went to college and stopped. Not a lot of mics around here and I'm super drat busy all the time. I'm in class right now actually but I have some stories to share

Mortley
Jan 18, 2005

aux tep unt rep uni ovi
What are y'all's expectations of open mic host's reactions when one comedian physically threatens another? It happened to me, and I didn't want to be the one to bring up the possibility of banning him, although someone else did first. He wasn't banned, though.

Hydrocodone
Sep 26, 2007

Mortley posted:

What are y'all's expectations of open mic host's reactions when one comedian physically threatens another? It happened to me, and I didn't want to be the one to bring up the possibility of banning him, although someone else did first. He wasn't banned, though.

Wow. I haven't seen it happen (I've seen a crazy person get thrown out but they weren't overtly threatening), but I would expect a ban to be the norm. The only mitigating circumstances that come to my mind would be if the host, the person threatening, and the person who's threatened know each other and know the outburst is out of character. Then they might work it out.

sockingtonsworth
Dec 17, 2013

Mortley posted:

What are y'all's expectations of open mic host's reactions when one comedian physically threatens another? It happened to me, and I didn't want to be the one to bring up the possibility of banning him, although someone else did first. He wasn't banned, though.

I had an open mic that I hosted for roughly two years. We had this one semi-regular, we'll call him Gary.
Gary was poo poo. Mega poo poo. He'd get super gully and occasionally freak out, but mind you this is like a pretty low par open mic. Nonetheless, whenever he would get like that I would just tell him to either gently caress off or be nice.
He's a heckler, and one time a brand new comic made a joke about the Boston marathon he somehow got offended by, and said he was gonna "knock his poo poo out." They argued back and forth but I didn't do anything yet (I'll get to why).
So after the new comic's 5 minutes was up I did the host thing and said give it up for "this dude." Immediately after I told Gary, "you have your time to talk, and you can't ruin this dudes time just because you have an opinion on something he had to say." Roughly said that anyway. I didn't return the salt and make jokes unless it was extreme, which I'll tell stories about later when I can. I think it's just important to let people know whenever they act out (get violent, heckle, etc) that it only just makes an open mic worse. No one likes open mics, it's where you work out your new poo poo. No reason to make the experience more draining.

Gary fuckin lost his mind after a while and I never saw him again tho.

Again, this is how I acted as a host for like a really low par open mic. Idk how a showcase host would handle it, firsthand at least.

sockingtonsworth
Dec 17, 2013

Story time!

When I was molested on stage

This new comic, first timer, came to my open mic one night when I was hosting. Let's call him Corey.
Corey had a few decent jokes and a few absolutely terrible ones. I riffed on him for them when I got back on stage to introduce the next comic, and Corey sprints up onto the stage and grabs my crotch for a solid three seconds. Balls and all. Then he whispers some poo poo in my ear, I don't remember cause this fuckin dude is grabbin my dick. I'm 17 and this 20 year old is grabbing my dick and whispering in my ear in front of 15 people.
Anyway, following that, Corey just loving books it and leaves.

Murder Confession
This one is about the heckler man I posted about previously, "Gary."
Gary was nuts. Not crazy like this guy J, who wore latex gloves, talked to himself constantly and put a paper towel on anything (including over the mic) he was gonna touch.
Gary had some problems, social ones, that much was clear. Constantly making casual conversations awkward, not too bad by itself of course cause he's only human. However, he always tried to be "on," at all times. Now I'm not sure how other comics view that, but I know me and my buddies hated when people did that. Due to his heckling, and making other comics and audience members uncomfortable, at times he was a pain to deal with.

One night when I wasn't hosting, Gary was gonna be the last one on stage.
He got on stage and sat on the stool, and after a moments hesitation, he began to tell us a pretty personal story. It was about how his girlfriend/fiancé was raped while he was away at war. He vowed to find the man who did it, and that night he said, "I completed my mission today."
Immediately following that he took off his jacket and shirt and started YELLING a bible verse or some poo poo.
Me and a few other comics who were still there made for the door and left because we all felt pretty drat afraid of this guy. Dick move as a cohost, I know :)

After that night, none of us saw Gary for a very long time.

I'll add some more stories later maybe thanks for reading

Serious Cephalopod
Jul 1, 2007

This is a Serious post for a Serious thread.

Bloop Bloop Bloop
Pillbug
I bombed hard tonight. Can't post it on fb because I bombed doing my boyfriend's favorite joke of mine. That joke is bad. It's more like a skit. :/

How many of you are dating other comics? How do you gebtly tell a friend or loved one they're wrong about a joke?

sockingtonsworth
Dec 17, 2013

Serious Cephalopod posted:

I bombed hard tonight. Can't post it on fb because I bombed doing my boyfriend's favorite joke of mine. That joke is bad. It's more like a skit. :/

How many of you are dating other comics? How do you gebtly tell a friend or loved one they're wrong about a joke?

Don't worry about bombing. One of the guys who was kinda like a mentor to me always told me "I've bombed more times than you've been on stage," after I shat the bed up there. these things happen.

I've had friends who dated other comics but never me personally sorry :(

Shovelbearer
Oct 11, 2003
Paragon of Lexicon
If it's their favorite of *your jokes*, you just say, "well I'm glad you like it but crowds don't so I'm gonna put that on the shelf a while." I haven't ever told someone else they're wrong about one of their own jokes, I've only pointed out once or twice where someone else's joke might fly a little close to someone else's (in all cases, ones they hadn't heard.)

Mescal
Jul 23, 2005

sockingtonsworth posted:

Don't worry about bombing. One of the guys who was kinda like a mentor to me always told me "I've bombed more times than you've been on stage," after I shat the bed up there. these things happen.


My defense mechanism was to develop a masochistic enjoyment of bombing. I recommend that.

freud mayweather
Jan 29, 2009

Mescal posted:

My defense mechanism was to develop a masochistic enjoyment of bombing. I recommend that.

It steels you. Once I started having fun bombing, I started bombing less because my fun time starts drawing people in and I began developing the ability to riff some good save lines.

Mescal
Jul 23, 2005

Just got back from a mic. Somebody's phone went off and I went off on him. Local comedian whose material I know well so I yelled at him and mocked etc for the second half of an eight minute set. I went from a really deadpan set to kind of freaking out. I wasn't actually upset, I was just kind of having fun and went with it. It's a lot of fun to go off script and just say poo poo! When I watch the video I'll know who actually looked like a jerk, me or him. Probably me.

Second time this happened--first time the dude (different dude) actually answered the phone.

XIII
Feb 11, 2009


Currently posted up at the bar, shame drinking a beer after bombing. Feels good to chase your dreams.

Mortley
Jan 18, 2005

aux tep unt rep uni ovi
Man, if I posted in this thread as often as I wanted to talk about standup, it would be at the top of CC constantly. Thanks for the stories, sockingtonsworth - in true standup style, they pertained to my theme but not my question. :)

The threat was not out of this guy's character. He is widely disliked. Instead of banning him, they gave him the slot right after me at the next mic we both attended, giving him a chance to "get back" at me. (The threat came after I ripped into him because I didn't like the politics in his set, I admit.) I basically view that as inciting violence, but that's just me. Most everyone in this scene grew up in different circumstances than me, and I don't share their "take your licks" attitude toward violence. I'm avoiding the mics that they host right now, although this prick's collaborator - they're not really friends, but they work together, mostly because nobody else is enough of an rear end in a top hat/misogynist to want to be around them - is banned from least one of them. He told some specific audience members he would "dick slap" them for talking during his set. I found out later that those audience members were talent scouts.

These assholes showed up to another mic, also hosted by the guy who banned him, the following night. Comedians love to talk about murdering, killing annihilating, or taking a local scene over by force. These guys seem to take that last metaphor very literally.

So, to get away from all that, at a mostly-music mic this week, I did 22 minutes - they give the musicians 2-3 songs or roughly ten minutes - without realizing or getting the light or whatever. For 2-4 minutes of it, some of the musicians who were sitting up front were literally crying with laughter. I was so glad I had happened to ask my girlfriend to video record that set, and that her phone battery lasted. It felt like a hand job with tear lube for my mind. Make that a mental job.

Unrelatedly, how do those of y'all who are also involved in improv balance the two interests? Right now, it hasn't been an issue - in fact, recently I was able to run across the street after rehearsal and get a set in with my standup buddies, which was beautiful. But it's complicated, no? I mean, if I had a real money-making career (I do contract work teaching English as a second language over Skype), I would de-prioritize both. On the one hand, improv here is way more professional (-ly dressed/acting at least, not in the sense of "paid well") and people don't say they'll kick my rear end there. On the other, there is probably an even-lower probability of making money from improv than from standup.

sockingtonsworth
Dec 17, 2013

I was just talking to a friend of mine from all the open mics I used to go to who "made it." Got some pretty good nostalgia going on right now and didn't have anywhere to say it really

Mescal
Jul 23, 2005

At about five months in, people are starting to ask me on showcases. I've got one this at a venue I haven't done before, I'm slightly nervous about it. I haven't been preparing for shows. I've been enjoying writing a lot and playing to my audience (ie lots regulars I don't want to bore) so I don't have a "here's my fifteen minute set for showcases" kind of set all worked out. There is one I'll probably do that I've got down fairly well--I did variations of it for a week (four open mics) but I came out of that not knowing really well which parts of it worked. So I didn't quite know what to cut.

Writing a lot and being different all the time is a lot of fun for me. For example, on Monday I just did a bunch of one-liners and Tuesday I did a kind of conversational, anecdotal, political set and both went great. But where's my goddamn set? I knew I was creating this problem for myself all along, but I'm always most excited to do the stuff I wrote most recently.

Anyway. I'm not too nervous about the show. I feel comfortable and agile enough to make it interactive (not crowd work really, but interactive) which always keeps people paying attention and having fun. At first I was just going up there and saying stuff, and it's like the audience feels like they might not as well be there if they're not involved when it's like that.

Serious Cephalopod
Jul 1, 2007

This is a Serious post for a Serious thread.

Bloop Bloop Bloop
Pillbug
A drunk booker promised me a showcase a while back and never followed up until yesterday! I go up tonight in 30 minutes for 10 minutes.


Please wish me luck. :(

The Berzerker
Feb 24, 2006

treat me like a dog


Thanks XIII for the heads-up on this thread, I never go in CC so I didn't know it existed.

I've been taking a joke writing/stand-up class/workshop for the last month and a half, working on material with a bunch of other people who are brand new like me. I've loved and wanted to try stand-up since I was a little kid so I collected the scattered premises I've emailed to myself over the last few years as I tried to get up the courage to do this, etc. and worked really hard on writing jokes, making them better as I went. Tonight our class had our 'graduation show', so 12 of us all doing stand-up for the first time. I'd say we were all nervous, but it went well - everyone got a lot of laughs, we managed to pack the house and sell out the venue (I assume full of friends and family) and it was so much fun. I was on last, and it felt pretty natural to be up there for my ~6 minutes. I am going to start going to open mics and keep at it, I'm really excited. Getting up there tonight was kind of a big deal for me.

Mescal
Jul 23, 2005

A class? Really? How does that work? Improv class I understand. But standup comedy class? Standup is where you go say ideas that you have. First I've ever heard of a class.

The Berzerker
Feb 24, 2006

treat me like a dog


It's basically a joke writing class. A bunch of people sit in a room and help each other tighten up set-ups, figure out stuff that doesn't work, that sort of thing. It's led by an actual comic who has done it for 20 years but everyone tries to help each other out. Lots of places have them from what I have seen. Hell there's a college in Toronto that has a diploma program in stand-up (which sounds insane to me and I just took a stand-up class).

Hydrocodone
Sep 26, 2007

It's pretty common in NYC, though people seem split on their value. Probably depends a lot on the person and a lot on the teacher.

And awesome, Berzerker!

DR FRASIER KRANG
Feb 4, 2005

"Are you forgetting that just this afternoon I was punched in the face by a turtle now dead?

Mescal posted:

A class? Really? How does that work? Improv class I understand. But standup comedy class? Standup is where you go say ideas that you have. First I've ever heard of a class.

Usually the classes offered bill themselves as a way to jumpstart being a mic'er. They teach you all the basic poo poo that might take you 10-12 attempts to even figure out or notice.

Things like:
-What to do with the mic, mic stand
-How to greet the host and thank them when you're done
-What it means to "punch up" (this is a big one because a lot of people think stand up means you make fun of everything you can and that isn't true and doesn't work)
-Rule of threes

A lot of it is obvious but not to everyone. Some people never think it's important to shake hands with the host but it's kind of an expected ritual/gesture.

The Berzerker
Feb 24, 2006

treat me like a dog


Yeah, I've wanted to do stand-up for a long time but could never work up the nerve. My fiancee signed me up for the class as a Christmas gift to give me the nudge. I don't think the classes are for everyone but it gave me the confidence to finally do it so I am glad I went through the process. I basically look at it like the kiddie pool version of stand-up. I had premises and anecdotes ready to go when I went to the class, but the stuff I learned helped me figure out how to better structure them, plus all of the logistical stuff in the post above. The idea of the class is basically "when you're done you should know the basics of joke writing and you will likely have 2-5 minutes of material you're happy with that you can bring to open mics" which is pretty much where I'm at. Now the training wheels come off but at least I can work a mic stand, know that if I take the mic out of the stand to move the stand away, etc. which is stuff I never even thought about, and I have 5-6 minutes of stuff that is 'finished' and I'm happy with.

And thanks, Hydrocodone!

Bread Set Jettison
Jan 8, 2009

Mescal posted:

A class? Really? How does that work? Improv class I understand. But standup comedy class? Standup is where you go say ideas that you have. First I've ever heard of a class.

Theres 1-2 worthwhile classes in the boston area. Its good in the very least to understand how to write a basic setup-punchline joke as well as speak in front of people if you're not comfortable with that starting out. I don't really do much stand up anymore but it did introduce me to a few other rookies I could carpool to open mics with.

Sataere
Jul 20, 2005


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

Do not engage with me



So I just realized it's been a while since I've posted in this thread and you all have said a lot that I want to comment on.

Mescal posted:

A class? Really? How does that work? Improv class I understand. But standup comedy class? Standup is where you go say ideas that you have. First I've ever heard of a class.

I actually took a class on the recommendation of a comedian friend, after I had been doing mics for about six months. I honestly didn't expect to get much out of it, but I figured it was worth the money because it had the potential of introducing me to people who could give me better opportunities down the road. And to be fair, the set I wrote in that class is currently my strongest five minutes and can pretty much murder everywhere and did alter the way I write my jokes. I am much more personal and personable on stage now. I'm not 100% convinced it was all the class, I think I would've gotten there eventually, but the fact is I got better immediately afterwards and I can't dismiss it out of hand.

freud mayweather posted:

4 months in, you probably shouldn't be doing 5 minute bits on anything. Try to make it short and to the point, and if it hits keep using mics to add little twists and beats to it.

I want to respectfully disagree with you on this. I know you have been doing this way longer than me and you are probably worlds better, but I think writing around a theme is very important. It is the only way to build a set. I've actually had a few local comments tell me that they respect that I tend to write in five minute sets. I think the key is to develop it bit by bit. Even within a longer set, there are smaller sets that help build the story. The key is to build your set in its simplest form and expand from there. (Something I still don't do write. I am wordy as gently caress, as evident by all my posts and I always have to go through and just trim the fat, and while trimming, add even more words, because I am a big dummy who doesn't practice what he preaches!)

Serious Cephalopod posted:

I bombed hard tonight. Can't post it on fb because I bombed doing my boyfriend's favorite joke of mine. That joke is bad. It's more like a skit. :/

How many of you are dating other comics? How do you gebtly tell a friend or loved one they're wrong about a joke?

What is the joke, if you don't mind my asking?

And if you don't enjoy the jokes you are telling, that poo poo will show on stage. I am a big believer in three things when I approach comedy

1) Try to be as inclusive in framing my jokes as possible. I see tons of people who want to show off how smart they are, but if your smart idea goes over your audiences head, then it's a dumb and bad idea.

2) Only do things you want to talk about and find amusing. Writing jokes that you think will do well, but you think suck, just end up with you writing broad, hacky jokes where you slowly start hating yourself.

3) Have fun on stage. I'm super obsessive about my comedy. I work really loving hard at it, and I annoy the gently caress out of my friends most likely with the way I analyze the poo poo out of everything I do. I was forced to take a break from comedy because of personal poo poo in October, and only started hitting multiple mics a week a week ago. About one and a half months back, I went to a mic to just hang out and the host made me go on stage, and I did a set that I always thought was brilliant, but never seemed to hit the way it should. I didn't overthink it, I was just myself, and I was having so much fun just being in front of a microphone that it destroyed. When you are having fun, that poo poo carries over to the audience. It is the hardest thing to do.

So if you don't like the joke, you gotta toss it. If you like the idea, but not the way it is framed, shelve it until you think of a better way to tell it.

RebBrownies posted:

Hey guys I did my first open mic awhile back and I was wondering if I could get some constructive criticism. If you have 6 minutes to kill I could send you the link with the password lol.

I didn't see anyone say anything, but I say just put that poo poo on youtube on a channel that you can only look at if you have the link and post it here. I'll try to look at it and give feedback. I'm sure others will too if they haven't already.

Mortley posted:

What are y'all's expectations of open mic host's reactions when one comedian physically threatens another? It happened to me, and I didn't want to be the one to bring up the possibility of banning him, although someone else did first. He wasn't banned, though.

I don't care if it is the worst open mic or a showcase, it is the hosts job to make sure everyone is having a good time. If someone is pulling that poo poo, they need to be kicked out of the room. If they are repeatedly doing it, they need to be banned.

I also think that it shouldn't be the comics job while onstage to call out audience members. Ignore it. If someone is repeatedly trying to have a conversation with someone on stage, get up and talk to that person. If another comic is doing it, you call them out on that bullshit, because they should know better. Your stage time at a mic is to develop material. I've never been shy about politely asking a person not to talk to a comic during their set. Most people just don't know any better. (And really, it should be the person running the room who does this.)

Mescal posted:

My defense mechanism was to develop a masochistic enjoyment of bombing. I recommend that.

When you learn to love failure, it really does wonder for your confidence. You are gonna fail a ton more than you succeed, but every failure eventually leads to success if you keep at it. I think I mentioned a few pages back.


drat, I had a lot to say. Nice to see a few new faces in here. Any of you Chicago stand up comedy goons?

Sataere
Jul 20, 2005


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

Do not engage with me



So I just have to follow up on the whole learning to love failure comment I just made, because I learned a very important comedy lesson this week. Not all bombs on stage are created equal. Because I just bombed in front of more people than I ever have before, and it turns out I do still need validation from complete strangers. :v:

Another lesson I had already learned, but promptly forgot was never to actually think I know what I'm doing just because I've had success for a few weeks in a row. That is when comedy kicks you right in the nuts. :D

The Berzerker
Feb 24, 2006

treat me like a dog


last night I stuck around to the very end of an open mic (I was on 3rd last because I showed up late) and I finally got to cross this one off my bingo card: a literal high school student who spent 5 minutes ranting about how girls don't like him and how it's unfair that he's not allowed to make rape jokes. :allears:

Anyway, still plugging away. Had a booked show a week and a half ago that went well in front of 40 or so people, then did an open mic for 5 people a day or two later.

Mescal
Jul 23, 2005

The Berzerker posted:

last night I stuck around to the very end of an open mic (I was on 3rd last because I showed up late) and I finally got to cross this one off my bingo card: a literal high school student who spent 5 minutes ranting about how girls don't like him and how it's unfair that he's not allowed to make rape jokes. :allears:


At the main mic in my town there was a high schooler who went up for his first time without a script and loving killed it off the cuff. Everybody hated him. He came back once and did okay.

Hey, did anybody else stop caring around the six month mark? I don't care any more and just kind of talk. Put a lot less effort into it and spend a lot less time in writing mode. Still do fairly well. Kill less and also bomb less. At least I've "found" my voice which was there all along. I have zero direction right now and of course that's when I start getting booked more :/

I hosted for my first time recently. I thought it would be a slog and take the fun out of comedy but it was perfect. It was the most fun I've ever had doing comedy and possibly the best I've done too. I may have found my thing.

Mortley
Jan 18, 2005

aux tep unt rep uni ovi
I learned a lesson in standup/performance from doing the lights and sound at a theatre show. The booker paid me just as well as the performers, who generally have several years more experience than me, so that was more money I had ever gotten from a show of my own. I had been trained on that theatre's light/sound for maybe 15 minutes and adjusted it just one other time for another standup show.

I threw a little extra effort in, I guess? I messed with one performer who was walking to the edge of the stage out of the lights by turning on another light that was for the play running on weekends. And I had to adjust the booker's iPod playlist once or twice because they started late, but I made sure the transitions were smooth.

For people who can, telling jokes is easy and fun. If you pair it with even the most trivial but uncommon other skill, your opportunities multiply. Volunteer at local theaters is my advice, I suppose.

The Sean
Apr 17, 2005

Am I handsome now?


Can anybody recommend any books or videos for getting started in this space, please?

To contribute: i watched a movie on netlfix that was really interesting. It focuses on Hannibal Buress as he goes on a month sprint of shows at a fringe festival in Scotland. It's interesting in its own right, but interesting, as well, as a behind the scenes look.

Serious Cephalopod
Jul 1, 2007

This is a Serious post for a Serious thread.

Bloop Bloop Bloop
Pillbug

The Sean posted:

Can anybody recommend any books or videos for getting started in this space, please?

To contribute: i watched a movie on netlfix that was really interesting. It focuses on Hannibal Buress as he goes on a month sprint of shows at a fringe festival in Scotland. It's interesting in its own right, but interesting, as well, as a behind the scenes look.

This one's good: http://johnroycomic.tumblr.com/post/54132250195/my-complete-entirely-free-on-line-comedy-class

Mescal
Jul 23, 2005

Did my first mic out of town (Portland) last night and it went pretty well. Because of the short time limit I just did one-liners. Everybody else was doing "I don't give a gently caress. here's some anecdotes" so it was nice to be different.

A local comedian who loving hates me booked me for a showcase/comedy contest.

the escape goat
Apr 16, 2008

Mescal posted:

Did my first mic out of town (Portland) last night and it went pretty well. Because of the short time limit I just did one-liners. Everybody else was doing "I don't give a gently caress. here's some anecdotes" so it was nice to be different.

A local comedian who loving hates me booked me for a showcase/comedy contest.

can you name the contest? I'm from Portland and am trying to check more stuff out.

Mescal
Jul 23, 2005

the escape goat posted:

can you name the contest? I'm from Portland and am trying to check more stuff out.

Sorry, my post was misleading I guess--the contest's not in Portland. PM me if you want the place/name.

yehdawg
Oct 2, 2013

Danger Extraordinaire
Hey fellow Goon comics! I'm moving to San Diego in a couple months and I was wondering if anybody is currently there and knows anything about the open mic scene. I'm currently doin mics in DC, but i know the comedy culture is pretty different from region to region. I also won't know a soul on the west coast, so knowing another comic in the area would be nice :D

Mortley
Jan 18, 2005

aux tep unt rep uni ovi
I've been thinking and discussing lately this idea that "stage time in front of non-comics is the only kind that counts." I feel like when you're super new, you don't necessarily realize that a given open mic - even everybody's (i.e. every comedian's) favorite in town! - is just a cast of all the same performers, sometimes their dates, and unintentional audience members (who often get walked).

Here I have the opportunity to do much longer sets at mostly-music mics, and I infinitely prefer that.

I feel like comedians also get confused about it being more "difficult" to make other comedians laugh. It does happen less frequently, so it's reasonable to think that's because it's harder to do, but what I notice is just that comedians laugh at things that are simply different from what real audiences laugh at.

What do y'all think?

Mescal
Jul 23, 2005

Mortley posted:

I've been thinking and discussing lately this idea that "stage time in front of non-comics is the only kind that counts." I feel like when you're super new, you don't necessarily realize that a given open mic - even everybody's (i.e. every comedian's) favorite in town! - is just a cast of all the same performers, sometimes their dates, and unintentional audience members (who often get walked).

Here I have the opportunity to do much longer sets at mostly-music mics, and I infinitely prefer that.

I feel like comedians also get confused about it being more "difficult" to make other comedians laugh. It does happen less frequently, so it's reasonable to think that's because it's harder to do, but what I notice is just that comedians laugh at things that are simply different from what real audiences laugh at.

What do y'all think?

As a newer comedian, it's more important to me to make the comedians laugh. If you're more seasoned and you can hold people's attention at a music mic, great. It's hard to keep an audience that's not there for comedy. Some of the open mic folks here do hacky nonsense that's totally inscrutable to me, and gets zero response at mics. Then I see them at a showcase in front of a real audience, and they get laughs. That's scary for me. If I had started out in front of non-comics I would have been telling some of my old stupid jokes for way too long. If you're practicing in front of other comedians, there's a lot more motivation to avoid well-trodden ground and have an original perspective. And you don't want to bore the same people every week: so, pressure to KEEP WRITING. (This is coming from the hobbyist's perspective. I want the comics to laugh because that's the community. I'm not trying to build an audience and make money.)

Did an open mic at the Green Room in Eugene, OR recently. If you're anywhere near Eugene, go there! Great room, great crowd, great host Alex Adney, he's relaxed on the time limit. Think I got almost ten minutes. The people seem much more relaxed and supportive than Portland, where everybody's so drat cool.

Sataere
Jul 20, 2005


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

Do not engage with me



My thoughts on the previous posts are as follows.

1) All stage time matters. Comics vs non-comics is irrelevant.

2) gently caress other comics. I am not performing for them or trying to impress them. My goal is to get paying gigs and comics don't pay to see comedy. My goal is to be a draw. Comics will always be around comedy shows, because that is where they're friends are. Only comic rooms don't have long term success. (Not a dig at other comics, because I love my peers and live in the best comedy city in the country. But you get respect by working hard and being good. And you should want everyone to respect what you do)

3) comics are harder to make laugh because most of the time they are not listening. They have their own jokes to worry about.

4) constantly changing your material makes for having a wide array of mediocre material. Sets only become good through constant refinement. (I also have a ton of mediocre material because I have no attention span when it comes to joke writing. the newer joke is always more fun to perform :v: )

5 ) who cares what other comics do that gets laughs. I could fart into a microphone for five minutes and get laughs, but I won't. I only care about how to make jokes that I want to perform with succeed. What other comics do to get laughs is their business.

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Serious Cephalopod
Jul 1, 2007

This is a Serious post for a Serious thread.

Bloop Bloop Bloop
Pillbug
Wtf do you mean, gently caress other comics? Who books you for shows in your town?

Maybe it's weird here, but in SF other comics book you, so comic only rooms have utility.

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