Weds. night I did a show at a room in Essex Co. NJ. It was my kind of room. It was a bunch of good hard working middle class rowdy rude New Jerseyains. I had gotten the gig from a strong recommendation from a fellow comedian who has played the room before. I love NJ rooms I did my first paid gig at Porkeys in Byram and worked my favorite NJ room for J&J comedy at the Woodbridge Sheraton...on Sat nights. There is an ease to these rooms for me. First off it is a paying audience that knows its not in NY...they aren't expecting to see Jerry Seinfeld or Jim Norton....depending on their tastes. They are open to the funny.
The show has a wild format...2 brand new comics go on right after the MC.. In a portion they call Digging for gold. These are raw and freshly hatched kids. One comic really showed the crowd a decent set...he opened with a call back to the MC's biggest joke and they loved him for it. It showed he could think on his feet and be funny . The second comic is a kid you have to love for his heart and determination alone. He struggled a bit but I think he can if he sticks with this find his voice and potential. Then there was a 10 minute break and the show began. During the break the two seasoned comics were to give our thoughts to the 2 newbies one at a time. That I was considered by the fact that I was a feature for the night a seasoned comic was unreal to me. I gave the fist comic some advice about finding stage time and asked him how long he had been at this. I repeated all the good advice I was given at the start. The second comic I did the same and also told him that he needed to be more personal in his material. He was hitting on some topics that are tread worn and I think he needed to impart a bit more of his own point of view into his set. Everything I said I also needed to hear myself. The fundamentals of this thing we do are pretty basic. Stage time, Stage time and more Stage time. Keeping it more personal helps you to develop your own voice and saves you the time of rewriting constantly a new set when your mostly topical. I was truly impressed at the spark in both their eyes. Those early days are so nerve wracking. A kind word goes a long way.
Then the break was over an it was my turn to take the stage. I was feeling off the entire day. My thoughts had been jangled and I cried for no reason during a commercial on TV that afternoon. It wasn't a Hallmark ad either. It was a diaper add Luvs. My daughter is in her freshman year at NYU and even though I see her once a week at least I miss her terribly. Uh Ho Hormones....what's the date.....I got big time PMS. So I get on stage and I'm holding a soda and a cigarette. I make an off the cuff remark about how nice it is to smoke indoors. I mention that I quit for 17 years and now that I'm back it has become an outdoor activity.... (like soccer) F. U. Mayor Blumberg. I have them. I do my standard opener and get an applause break. Oh shit I have them. I still feel off. This is where the 100's of shows and mic's pay off the set was on my hard drive of my brain. I try to stay tight and keep it slow and smooth. I do my 20 and I have KILLED. I'm thinking shit this was my "C" game. You should see me when I'm on my "A" game. The rest of the show was a blur. The headliner had a fantastic set and the booker and producers both were really happy and told me I would be booked again ASAP.....and I got paid. Lovely and it was only a half an hour away from my home. I love NJ.
The next night I was booked in the small room at NYCC. I didn't feel like making the long drive in but off I went. I went on just about 15 minutes after I got there. I followed my friend from Sal's Ryan Reese....and they loved him he had a very strong set from a very tied and worn out audience. I love seeing comics turn a room around...if only to prove that it can be done. I take to the stage and do almost the same set I did in NJ the night before .....shortened for NY stage time. I feel like I am on my "A" game. I deliver a decent set nothing more.....job done....no applause breaks I give myself a C. I feel shitty. Hey this isn't NJ the bar is higher. I worry that I will ever be good enough to turn a room around. Not yet it seems. I am no Ryan yet.
As much as I love NYCC I am not part of any inner circle and this night I know no one Ryan has left and so do I. I head for the village to see if anyone is hanging out. I go back to the womb to Sal's club. The feeling I get when I see Sal is like seeing family. He gives me a million dollar smile and we catch up. Paul Verdi is outside he comes over and he and I talk for a while. Sal has some great news and the three of us and Raymo too all go to a bar and celebrate. Paul is at this about 6 or 7 years I tell him about my last 2 shows. He suggests I don't over analyze what happens...just to concentrate on the next set and have a plan. We riff a few new jokes and Sal always has a great story.....Paul and I stop for a slice of pizza.....and we talk some more. I had been told by the pro headliner the night before that he liked my stuff and if I want more paid work I should really get more clean material. Who knew that a suburban mom could be such a gutter mouth but I am. I explain that my problem is I find the topics that I write that are clean are lame. I cant find my true voice in them. His answer is to keep writing and trying. Once again there are no short cuts. I get home at 4 am....I had a 9 am teeth cleaning and wake up to an hour of torture. I go home and sleep till 1pm. This leaves me 5 hours to get a days work in around my home and cook dinner.
I leave for the city at 10 for the Urban Late show at NYCC. I don't think that is the name of the show Seymour runs it and has offered me a spot a week before. It takes me no time to get in but an hour to find parking. I am a mile away and get to the club only to find out I'm right on time the show started at midnight. The room is full and the comics are not good but EXCELLENT. I am the only white comic on the show. I have gone to many of these shows and seen good comics go under. The energy is different. The comics hold nothing back. The humor is dead on and rough and hysterical. These are not light weights. Marc Theibold destroys, Yamaneika Saunders is killer good, Dean Edwards and Seymore are pros to the 10th degree. I am getting scared...no terrified. If you have seen me perform I am a slow moving vehicle..... I look like getting up on the stage is a chore. I lean.....I sit.... I am sarcastic and at liveliest just pissed off. Will this fly?? More to the point am I good enough to be here?? I want to run.... I don't want to go up. Sorry but we made a mistake here...... I talk to Seymour and ask him for some advice................."JUST HAVE FUN" really how?? Fun is doing well.. sucking ass is HELL. I feel like I will be going to hell. Calise Hawkins tells me to be positive and beleive I can do well. I feel as the only white person on stage I need to address it in a fun way. Michelle Bateau is in the club and she suggest a great line. I'm black from the back....and show my ass. I get onstage and say her line and I add "this baby's go back side and front. I begin my suburban saga to an urban room......aren't I suppose to have a plan???? My KY joke hits the rest kinda just sails along on the good energy in the room. My jokes about Costco are wrong...... is it the setting. I don't think so. I know its suburban....but the real truth is I am not a great comic. It is not a racial issue at all the plain truth as harsh as it is.......is .......... I am out of my league and the boat is taking on water. I get the light and I get off stage. The applause didn't last till I hit the door. Fuck. "all we can do is try to get funnier" I am not all that and some. I give myself a C maybe a C plus. I say this because I didn't bomb and many jokes hit.....plus I was scared going in and did it anyway. It felt like I was on stage for the very first time. I felt like the boys back on Weds night.... On stage I had dry mouth which I hardly get anymore. My jaw felt like someone hit me up there...it ached. I was getting a headache. I wanted a big sandwich...and felt nauseous all at the same time. Out in the hall all the comics were riffing on each other and giving Yamaneika a hard time about her hair. I threw in a comment and even there I was lame. They were all very nice to me anyway. Yamaneka was really nice and told me that It was just good to get up there and do it....and to be myself with full confidence. I tucked my tail between my legs and went home. Its almost 5 am and my head is still racing. It was like I never did comedy before. I have a lot to learn.....and a long long way to go....
Comments are below
Stop that!
Posted on 10/29/2005 at 02:09 PM by H. P.
It's bad enough to have critiques, but to place them yourself is self defeatist. Concentrate AWAYS on the positive.
"I tucked my tail between my legs and went home"
That should be out of your mind and more how you got the chance to work it all out. No more self defeatist. Hope to see ya soon.
Peace
You are right HP but ...
Posted on 10/29/2005 at 02:42 PM by Robin Fox
I think there are many comics who dont have a clear vision of themselves. I am far from a defeatist....but I fairly can asses my limitations and see that I need work. I want alot and it will take alot.
I think we all are like that..
Posted on 10/30/2005 at 02:23 PM by April Brucker
In a way. We are very harsh with ourselves. When most of my jokes hit and that one does not hit I only focus on that one that did not hit. I could have a fab set otherwise and have a slow beginning or weak ending though it is a fab set and everyone is telling me I did well I only focus on where I screwed up. And you should see me when I bomb. Man, I pity the fool who has to comfort me after a bad set. But a mentor once told me, "It is a process. It does not come over night." And an older comedian told me, "If you are getting up as much as you are (3 times a night every night when I can. Sounds like you are on the same schedule) God bless you." You'll be alright, no worries
my show
Posted on 11/04/2005 at 12:02 PM by
Robin I've been trygn to get in touch with you to invite you to my one woman show the evolution of a sexy mutha fuckak all the info is at suecostello.com I hope you can come:):)
No comments:
Post a Comment