I've been kinda slacking in the writing department, and kinda not...  It's been forcing me to go up there and develop my confidence. There are so many different things to develop in live comedy.  You'd think it's all about having good jokes up there, but it's so much more than that.

Confidence and having a natural comfort up there is just as important.

I compare it to baseball, again.  Derek Jeter is Derek Jeter because he can field well and hit well.  If he could only hit, and was a crappy fielder or a crappy base runner, he wouldn't be a great baseball player. 

Most audiences can't tell when you're working on your fielding, because it's something they expect. They don't see it. They only see the hitting, "Man, that guy's in a slump, he's not hitting worth shit."

Congruously, I think if you had the best jokes in the world, but you looked nervous delivering them and weren't sure of yourself, you would not be a great comic, either.  Great comic writer? Yes. Great comic? No.

That being said, I'm done with my fielding practice for a while, I'm gonna go back into the batting cages this month.

I realized I haven't written one of these in a while. Not much happening, really. Just working out my material, and trying to get stage time anywhere I can.

I've done The Improv twice since my last post, both Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. Both sets went O.K. I guess. Wasn't exactly thrilled with my delivery. I need to edit more, and filter out some ideas.

I realized that I can't JUST do the bars and coffee houses, I need to bounce stuff off a "real" comedy audience. I also noticed that I'm not doing some of my older jokes. I'm too excited about new concepts that I neglect some of the older ones. I need to freshen up. I tried doing the Honda Robot bit the other day and I fumbled it!

In a way, I'm working more on eliminating the fear, or the nervousness. You really have to be bulletproof. But I also feel that I'm not growing if I don't feel a certain level of uncomfortableness.

I may be wrong. Balance!

This blog entry kinda goes hand in hand with the last one, "Have Fun Up There..."

Sometimes we just try too hard.  We feel TOO much confidence. We get TOO comfortable. We THINK we're gonna kill, and then it happens.  Bomb.

So far the best sets I've had have come when I least expected them.  I guess it's kind of like the advice they give baseball players.  They tell them, "Don't go up there and try to hit a homerun every time.  Focus on mechanics, and making contact, and the homerun will come."

With all the repetition comedians go through working out their bits, the real challenge is to train yourself to say the things you've said countless times sound like you're saying them for the first time. Every time.

It's this weird little state of mind which you need to bring the good energy (have fun up there), but at the same time don't make it seem like you're TRYING TOO HARD.

Miyagi's lesson of balance!

"Lesson not just karate only. Lesson for whole life."

Uhhh. Comedy.

Yup.  Just have fun.  That to me is the best advice any comic with more experience has ever told me.  It really is. And many of them have. Because when you do enough sets (at enough different places) you realize it, after a while.. Or, you SHOULD realize it.

That's why every single literary work about "Comedy" feels so forced, so pretentious. It always sounds obvious. After you study all the bullshit, and practice all there is to be practiced, it really is just about having fun. And some people don't know how to do that. If the performer thinks about the craft too much, he/she ends up disappointed in their own work.

I feel guilty of that all the time. I analyze way too much. I had a regular set tonight and I did alright, I guess. But not as good as I know I'm capable of.

And when you're the only one who thinks they've had a bad set, you're right.

It's like that old Henry Ford quote, "whelther you think you can, or you can't, you're right."

Smart man, that Henry Ford.

The other day my girlfriend April and I were stuck in traffic next to a slightly busy restaurant on A1A. I turned to her and said, "Baby, if someone told me I could get out of this car right now, and go do a 10 minute set inside that place, I'd do it. Right now. Without even thinking. And even if some invisible all knowing man came up to me and said, 'I know the future, If you do this, you WILL bomb, there will be NO laughter, and at the end, you're going to fall off stage.'

"I'd STILL do it. I don't give a fuck."

I wasn't always like this, but this is the state I'm in right now. It's a fairly new state for me as a comic, too.

Confidence is definitely key in stand up comedy. I know that seems like common sense, but it's really a difficult thing to develop. It's a state of mind. A free state. It's having alligator skin. When I first started doing comedy, I was not in this state. I was in a weird place, where I felt suppressed, limited, and almost silenced. I was angry about it at first. Because that WAS NOT the way I've always been (even as a kid). And I blamed other people for keeping me down.

It wasn't until the first time I got up on stage that I really broke free and started changing my way of thinking. I now have an outlet. I realized I needed to focus on getting good on that stage, and everything else didn't matter. I no longer blame other people for the way I feel. And I laugh at the thought that I gave so much credence to random people for having any kind of say in my life.

My ideas are my own. My feelings are my own. And no one is going to dampen that for me.

I'm now just starting to get comfortable in my own skin up on that stage. Doesn't matter if there are 300 people out there, 30, or 3, it's hard to keep sharp up there. Mentally.

My first several times up, I needed a memorized script. I couldn't wing it. Today, I still like to have all my bits essentially memorized, but I can go another way if need be. I can sort of adapt. I'm just now discovering that power. And, I'm really anxious for that muscle to get stronger (on stage) as I get more experience.

These comedy nights I'm doing are really fun, and I'm getting great feedback from them. I like it when people tell me what they think I can work on, or what they didn't like. Please, I welcome your input.

So, come out tomorrow night (Thursday) and rip me a new asshole:

After the great support, great venue, great crowd, and the adulation that followed the Nerd Show, I'm now back to work. As my favorite recording artist Todd Rundgren's live album is called, I'm "Back to the Bars."

I'm happy that people were pleased with my 10 minute set at The Improv, and at the same time unsatisfied. Sometimes it's frustrating when you know people don't get it. Not my jokes, but the work. They just don't know how hard it is to get to the point where you can feel confident on that stage with your material. For just 10 minutes.

Comedy right now is something that is really hard for me to do. I have problems memorizing my own writing. I get angry at work, and my mood muddles my ability to think. I'm constantly stressed out because I can't get the stage time I know I need to be getting. All these little factors.

On Thursday I'm glad to do the A1A Dive Bar again. Absolutely my favorite place right now to do comedy. Yes, even if I include the great Ft. Lauderdale Improv stage. At the Dive Bar I can be loose, I can test out new things. I can have that bar atmosphere, but at the same time I can still be theatrical, since the stage is well lit, and nicely elevated. It's just the best stage for me, right now.

I'm stoked Stevie D put me up there again. And I already can't wait for the next time.

Here are 2 clips from my set at the Nerd Show last week. I usually don't like posting whole sets on youtube, just individual bits. I find it works better that way, and It helps me edit my own work.

HONDA robots:


The Mailer Daemon:


If you want to see my whole set, i can send you a "Secret Link" where it's in Quicktime format.

Tomorrow will be my first show at an Improv Comedy Club that is NOT an open mic. I was invited to be part of the Nerd Show by the always awesome Lisa Corrao, who I guess saw something strange in my weird little rant at one of Stevie D's Comedy Nights. And Stevie, I guess saw something strange in me before that at one of the open mics!

Since being a part of this weird world of comedy, I've felt very lucky to have gotten this kind of support from Lisa, Stevie D, and a bunch of other comics.

I've taken it more seriously since. I've stopped doing shots before my sets. I've asked advice from the more experienced comics around me. And I've tried to build some backbone by practicing my sets in small cafes, and bars where no one was paying attention.

I'm thankful, relaxed, and excited to be in this show tomorrow, and I will try to bring this audience my best.

M

I have finally typed out what (hopefully) is going to be word for word what is going to come out of my mouth on July 2nd. I say hopefully, because there are always distractions, segues, and nervousness that are beyond my control. But hopefully, learning this script will help me to get back on track, and within my alloted time.

I can't wait! I'm excited, and I'm thankful to Lisa for putting me up there as the newbie.

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