A long week in the books

Well had one of the more hectic weeks in awhile. Had to work overnights at the station to start the week so that threw me off. Monday I was in the Madhouse competition. I went up second to last and basically shit on the whole idea of the contest. Crapped on the crowd, and made it known I would care less if I won. I ended up doing pretty well, without telling one planned joke. Had a few people come up after and said they enjoyed it. Also, had some comics say they laughed.

Tuesday I worked at the comedy store. it was a long show filled with amateurs, the show calls itself emerging comics. which translate to "i'm going to use new comics." the show basically paints the picture that it is a showcase for hollywood, and if you do well you'll start getting booked for bigger shows. this is certainly not the case. it's just a ploy for promoters to use the newbies and put money in their pockets. i can't hate on them, but i'm certainly glad i didn't start this way.

wednesday was the audition at the american comedy club. it was weird as expected. first off i was on 2 hours of sleep, always nice. so we get there and there are people huddled around, not really lined up. then they start checking people in, and basically not making it clear what order people will be going in. i at first think they will start from the back, stupid logic now that i look back it, but of course they start from the front. after i see they're starting from the front, i cut my way to around the middle of the pack. in the email they said we'd do 2-10 minutes. some people thought it was a scam, and i was hesitant at first, as i sent 4 or 5 emails, and didn't hear back. they made it seem like they'd respond somewhat quickly, no dice. anyways while were waiting in line they are working on installing the sign. so literally they are drilling into cement right above our heads, thanks for the asbestos. there was a good amount of comics there, i'd say 60 or so, 55 or more of which i knew who they were. some i have no clue why they are wasting there time doing comedy, esp. taking a day off from work. these comics hustle to get on big shows with easy crowds, get laughs, and have no clue how unfunny they are. it's almost pathetic. anyways when i finally get inside, there is 4 or 5 people sitting in the "audience." 3 business types, and one guy that likely answers phones. after lining up outside, we move inside only to line up in here. were about 5 feet from a comedian awkwardly struggling through 5 minutes of material to the occasional, chuckle or slight smile. i get up there, and by get up, i mean walk around the construction zone to stand in front of the 5 people. luckily when i went in the babies were either asleep or in the back being fed. the people before me claimed they were heckled by children, or at least interrupted by the occasional, "where's my dollies." i tried to just focus on pacing and delivery. i looked over the "crowd" and just delivered my jokes. I was told i got a few laughs, but to be honest I didn't notice nor care. i did the audition for the experience and didn't expect much to come out of it. of course i wouldn't turn down the work, but i don't have time to be putting my time in at another club. so far i've heard of two comics that have been booked. both have been doing comedy for over 6 years, and one is located in LA. not that that means anything really. some comics, my roommate included, was bummed they didn't hear back or didn't feel they performed as well as they could. really? what did you expect? there was 5 people there, 3 of which seem to hate comedy, and are likely just the owners or investors.

wednesday night after sleeping for a few hours was the winston's contest. it was dead, slowest it's ever been, the doorman didn't even charge a cover. why? i'm not sure, there was a few people that could have been charged. anyways i made it through, had some drinks, and headed home.

thursday i had a double header and basically is the apex of comedy, the highs and lows to be exact. first was the madhouse. i wasn't sure how it would end up as i having really had a good set at madhouse yet. well the place was pretty full. one of the bookers told me he was slightly let down, as he was expecting 100 more people, on top of the 50 that was already there. oh really? i wish i could get a crowd of 50 every night. esp. a crowd that was there. i saw the first two guys do pretty well, so i figured it must be an easy crowd. well turns out it was. i felt i had a pretty strong set. and then the drive i shouldn't have made. i get to the comedy store and there appears to be a pretty solid crowd. there was a few LA pop ins going up when i arrived. i opened up with a joke i sometimes open with at tougher shows, and it floundered pretty quickly. i realized it was too depressing, so i changed course. i got somewhat heckled and got taken off my game. also i could hear these people talking and tried to interact, but screwed up my words and just sounded like a jackass. it was one of the first times i can remember just being at a loss for words, and really frazzled. i got off stage and just sulked. it was rough.

friday was winston's. i wasn't expecting much of a crowd but when i arrived a few minutes late, i was pleasantly surprised with the turn out. about 50 or so paying customers which is awesome. i did a coheadlining gig. i wrote out a set of jokes i rarely do, but have faith in. most of them went pretty well. im going to start working them into other sets.

saturday i worked at the store. it goes by somewhat fast but my feet start to hurt by the second show of just standing there. both shows the comedians did basically the same jokes. the first comic did a couple different things, and the 2nd one mixed up the order and delivery of a couple, but it was basically the same. the headliner basically did the same jokes she's been doing for years. she is the definition of a road comic. she has a strong 40 minutes, and can travel the country doing it. i think what separates a headliner, and a mainstream headliner, is their ability to develop new material. bob marley who is huge in maine, but never really broke mainstream, did a lot of the same jokes every time i saw him. i actually heard a few of the crowd members complain about hearing a lot of the same jokes. one thing about watching the weekend shows is learning how much comics a. tell a lot of the same jokes and b. have long, drawn out stories. most of my jokes have one or two punches, but most are quick, mostly one minute jokes. i am going to try to stretch them out to longer bits. i've already started thinking of ways to add material. i think the problem is most of the time i'm doing 5-10 minutes, where there is no time to really set up, i want to try to get as many laughs as possibly. but i am going to make an effort to add. i think every week i will perform at winston's and only do 1 or 2 jokes, but stretch them for 6 minutes. it will get me writing again and put my brain to work.