I am a Mom. Hurt me I will bleed .....hurt my child I will want to make you bleed. In my personal life I often joke about needing a mommy mafia to hand out justice to nasty adults and school bullies alike. Nothing brings out the lioness in a mother than the primal need to protect her children.
I did an open mic the other night and one of the bookers, who is a fantastic great guy came up to me after my set and told me how much he liked what I did. BUT.... He went on to say, that my set was disjointed. (It was an open mic with 6 other comics in the room) He also didn't get one of my jokes at all. It got a strong response in the open mic and it does in rooms with a paying audience. It is a clever joke with a sly punch and I often make fun of the one or two who don't laugh by saying....I guess you don't read. He turned out to be one of the people I would have had to make fun of for not getting it. I swear without revealing the joke it is obvious. I felt very defensive. The joke is about going on a whale watch.. He asked me if this had really happened to me. I said no.... I get sick too easily to go on a boat. He suggested in a very nice way that I shouldn't do the joke if it isn't real. I love this joke. I love it as much as you can love a joke like a child....there might lay the problem. Really though .... the joke was born by me and my life leading up till that moment of its conception.. I didn't just fall on the joke and take it home with me....that would be an adoption....or worse if I heard someone else do it and abduction. Maybe I need to be more objective of my material????? This gentleman is very supportive of me and I don't think he was coming from a mean place. However. He runs a room that I ache to be passed in. I disagree with the concept that unless it happened to me I cant use it in a performance and have it be funny. I gleaned this joke out of my own life experiences and what I might have said if I was in that situation. My being and life gave me a slant on the subject and my creativity gave me the joke. It is mine and real and even though I didn't go on the boat.....it is Real and reflects me and my sensibilities and comedic character. Now what do I do?? Where and what is artistic integrity here??? He wanted to know what happened after I got off the boat. I explained that it was a 3rd piece of a longer set about my gay friend Barbara. Don't tell him................but I don't have a real gay friend name Barbara. I once knew a girl who although she was married and had 3 children was very butch. Barb was created out of that soil. I breathed life into her. I'm not killing Barb I love her............not in a gay way ... she's my baby too.
Another time When I auditioned for a major club in NYC, afterworlds I was told that a punch line I had should be changed. She suggested a new punch line. It sucked. No really it did. I just stood there and listened. ( thinking are you nuts.....that isn't remotely funny) She had all the power..... I wasn't going to say " are you nuts??" " That joke kills and establishes myself with the audience." What I did was nod my head and act like....hummmmmmmmmmmm..... that's interesting. I had shelpped that joke around for 6 months and honed it and polished it, I did everything but breast feed it.... and in less than 10 minutes she knew what would turn the whole thing around!!!!!!! Where is her HBO special. What I did figure out,eventually, was the joke was the wrong one to open with in that room on that night. Afterworlds for the next 3 months was to tell my joke and then mention her Idea for the punch line.......and say hers is funnier if It will get me booked there.
You know what??? I appreciate all your feed back and support. I appreciate you wanting to help me. I listen and I do incorporate Ideas many times when other comics give me their feedback. What kills me is when a joke that you are so happy with ....that hits 99% of the time is examined..... Especially by by someone who could help me. I really respect the booker at the open mic. I think he really wants to make me a better comic. I think he takes the extra time to listen to my sets and wants to help. I am so defensive. I need to be open to criticism..... it might make me a better comic. I also do not want to look belligerent and un-teachable. I thanked him. I then spent the next 12 hours trying to figure out who is in a better place to judge the joke. Is its me who have dragged the joke from club to club....open mic to open mic ?????????or the Booker who has done comedy for almost a decade, who saw the joke at an open mic and saw it disjointed from its set placement, and not in a polished set. Note to self......... Be more like Ophira Eisenberg or Will McKinley. Every time they do an open mic it is a set good enough to audition for Letterman. It is honed and camera ready. I often use these rooms as JOKE AUDITIONS.... I make the joke go out and do its stuff and see if it can fly. Maybe this is wrong??
Back to the booker..... His last bit of advice was that I should be going to see some A list comics at work and see the masters at work. That perhaps I haven't been exposing myself to really good comedy, and picking up some bad habits. I haven't gone to many clubs to see top talent lately. I worked with Jessica Kirson and learned so much about characters and fleshing them out on stage. I watched Ted Alexandro and saw how being clever and body movement could come together. I saw Jim Brewer and learned that if you have an hour you can really let loose and that improv skills can shine. Lewis Black showed me intensity and controlled rage.....to talk about what infuriates me. I shy away from going to the city clubs because of a few reasons. Firstly if I am going to go to the city I want to perform. Secondly cost.
Just about at the end of my first year doing stand up I asked a A list comedian if she could coach me. She said that she didn't as a rule but she would look at a tape and decide if I was worth working with. I was looking for my Simon Cowle. This is a huge commitment of time away from my family and I didn't wish to waste my time or anyone else's if this was a delusional pipe dream. I waited the year because some people suck cause there new and some just suck cause there not funny. I needed some truth and told her I was willing to hear it....save me and everyone else from my own delusion. I mailed her my best 5 minutes and waited for her call. We arranged to meet in the city the next week. I asked her what she thought of the tape and she said, "we will talk when I see you". I didn't breathe for a week. She and I met in the city. As soon as we began she said.... " I watched your tape and I have to say I loved it. I took a deep breath of relief. She also went on to say..... That I would have to work hard and it wouldn't be easy. She has watched me progress as time has gone one.. and when our paths have crossed and I do a set She will make suggestions and tweaks. What feels different in this situation is perhaps, she doesn't hold the keys to the kingdom.....passing me at a club. She also comes from a place that says......I think your good and this might help. She is never...................Why this??? Why that??? She never makes me feel like I need to defend myself or a joke. That must be it. Like someone who criticizes my child rearing...............I want to run hide or rip your heart out. Yet if you suggest this might be great for your kid and I know how much your dedicated to them so here's something you might like to know about. or Fuck it................. Maybe I just like my medicine sugar coated.
I will say that there are many gauges of how well you are doing at this thing. Do you get booked? Do your make money? Do audiences like you consistently? Are you asked to do shows??? etc there are lots more. In the end though..... comedy is like music. I love one group you might loathe. I heard someone say they hated Lewis Black......it was unfathomable to me. But then some people like the music of Creed. Go know??
Comments are below
everyone loves giving advice
Posted on 06/08/2005 at 02:19 PM by Mark Anundson
listen to it all and take hardly any.
someone once told me.....
Posted on 06/08/2005 at 04:47 PM by April Brucker
advice is like candy. pick the pieces you like and don't eat the rest. (kinda makes sense but dosn't I know. Quote from an elderly relative).
I think Mark is right..
Posted on 06/08/2005 at 04:53 PM by Larry Bailey
Listen to everything, but trust your insticts. I did hear a story about Dave Chappelle about when he first came to NY. Neil, who's his writing partner suggested a different tag to a joke Dave was doing. Dave was very reluctant to listen to his advice, but he did and the joke killed. So I guess you never know.
Hey April...
Posted on 06/08/2005 at 05:43 PM by Michael Hayne
would that someone happen to be 'Forest Gump's' Mother?
My thoughts
Posted on 06/08/2005 at 06:45 PM by Shaun Eli
1. I was taught (and agree) that a joke in general works better if it COULD be realistic. I don't know your whale joke but if it could happen to you it probably works better than a joke that relies on an implausible premise.
2. I was there when Robin was told a different punchline to her joke. I thought I liked the suggestion (and didn't hesitate to tell Robin). BUT-- the beauty of stand-up comedy is... you can try each version a half-dozen times and see what works better. I like that better than simply asking people which version they like. Comedy relies on surprise. Surprise audiences with each version and see which gets better laughs. I know it's hard sometimes when someone tags a joke you've worked on for a year. I've done that for people too-- even comics way above my level (in my defense, I've been writing longer than they have). Sometimes they're receptive, sometimes they resent some 2 year comic giving them, a 6 year comic, a better tag. I hope that when I reach the 6 year mark and some new guy says "Try this..." that I'm receptive. Or at least that I say "Thanks!"
3. I would love for every set I do at an open-mike to kill. Some do, some don't. But I use open-mikes to try out new material, to experiment with ways to present old material, and in general to learn. Sure, I want to make people laugh, but my main goal at an open-mike is to LEARN HOW TO BE A BETTER COMIC.
michael
Posted on 06/08/2005 at 11:10 PM by April Brucker
No, actually. This was before the movie Forrest Gump even came out. She was soem older lady that used to go to my church. I was fairly young when I knew her and she died when I was nine. I was nine when Forest Gump came out. Anyho, she told me this once when I was even or eight and rady to make my communion and people were confusing me. She had an obedient hat too I remember. Wore it all the time. I think Hollywood stole from this lady because Forrest Gumps mama sounds a lot like her. She was an alter server too. Died suddenly. Nice lady. Really like her....
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