Filed under: financial progress, stand-up journal | Tags: Amy Poehler, ASSSSCAT, Cloverfield, Gutbucket, Ken Jeong, Knocked Up, Pete Holmes, Rachel Dratch, Sam Brown, stand-up, The Whitest Kids U'Know, TJ Miller, UCB, Upright Citizen's Brigade, Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre
Yes. She does. And my weekend ended with me sitting five rows away from it. It plus a just-was-pregnant Amy Poehler. But let’s start from the beginning. The ghost of the-weekend-of-December-19 beckons…
Friday: Was at office. Long story short, Gutbucket was taking place, picked up my shit, and left. Met Pete Holmes and TJ Miller (claim to fame? He played Hud, the guy who held the camera in Cloverfield) on my first trip to the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre. Spelled theatre, not theater, by the way. If you spell it theater, they’ll stab you. By “they” I mean the ghosts of 26th Street and 8th Avenue, and by “stab you” I mean they won’t. And with the last two sentences, I just made “long story short” into “long story short completely irrelevant.” I’m not sure why I was surprised they were funny, but I was. Best open mic I ever attended. Good karma, by the way, as I brought the good comedic energy over to my performance Saturday night.
Saturday: Wrote a completely new set…that worked. If I can extract the audio, I will for y’all, since the producer’s camcorder broke again. Thanks Jym, Max, and Lara for coming out.
Sunday: I love Ken Jeong. I love Knocked Up. I love Ken Jeong in Knocked Up. I love Knocking Up Ken Jeong. I Ken Jeong Up Knocked (what the hell just happened)? Until 7:30 PM (what the hell just happened?), when I skipped off to watch ASSSSCAT. Bitches.
Strangely enough, Sam Brown from the Whitest Kids U’ Know was there. Almost as interesting as the time I pissed next to Rudy Gay.
Okay, I’m going to stop posting recaps like this. Not only do I hate these, I’m sure you do too. I almost just do it so I don’t forget what happens. In ten years, I want to look back at this crap and say, “Wow, I did that crap on that crap day.” I’m sure it will be very satisfying. If not, at least I can then force my future children to read it to learn that their father is a horrible writer. It will be a good punishment. “You’re not scared of a time-out? Huh? You wanna read daddy’s blog? Yeah, that’s what I thought. So quit crying. Jerk.”
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Update on financial progress:
Total support to date: 23 people
Previous dollar TOTAL: $8.05
How much I made from 6th Bringer Show: $15
Cost of DVD from 6th Bringer Show: $0
TOTAL: $23.05
Filed under: financial progress, great finds, stand-up journal | Tags: bills, challenge, clutch, hardschool, laughs, opening, punches, set
Everyone always has their eyes on the closer. In a relay. In basketball. In the courtroom.
Clutch.
However, I recently got slapped in the face with the realization that being the opener at a stand-up show is one of the most difficult challenges. I think the only slot that could possibly be worse is the check slot1.
During an opener slot, people are ordering their drinks and figuring out where to sit. They’re catching up with their friends who they haven’t seen. No one is listening. Unless you kick their asses hardschool.
Which is exactly what I didn’t do. In fact, the single big laugh I got that night was my closing statement:
“Well. I prepared a 10 minute set for you guys tonight…but I guess all I really learned is maybe I’m not that funny.”
Nice. There was a crowd of probably a good 100 people, my biggest ever. It’s a shame that it went the way it did, but better sooner than later. I suddenly felt for all the hosts I ever thought weren’t that funny. Well, a lot of them still aren’t, but at least I know it’s not as easy as a normal set. If I ever open again, I’ll know to keep my punches hard and quick to the front. And maybe even throw in a couple of roundhouse kicks. Dangerfield style.
If only I could show this picture at a stand-up performance:
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1 The slot when the waitress comes to settle everyone’s bills.
Thanks Ashwin, Jeremy, and Yooni for coming out and sticking through one of my less glorious moments. At least the rest of the comics had swell receptions that night.
Update on financial progress:
Total support to date: 21 people
Previous dollar TOTAL: $6.95
How much I made from 5th Bringer Show: $15
Cost of DVD from 5th Bringer Show: $0
TOTAL: $8.05
Filed under: audio, great finds, recommendations | Tags: babies, Irked Minions, music, Ratatat, Rick Lucy, White Town, Your Woman
You trust me to send you the best musical discoveries.
You trust me to hold your babies.
You trust me to give you Rick Lucy – Irked Minions.
Think White Town’s Your Woman laid on a hot Ratatat track.
Filed under: financial progress, stand-up journal, video | Tags: audience, cold, crowd, warming up
Cold.
The weather. The comics. The audience.
Last weekend’s November 22nd show had probably one of the slowest starts I’ve seen in a while. After the host and two comics, the audience was flatlining. Then, it was my turn.
I have had this type of crowd before, about two months ago. I chronicled it in Sophomore Dip – an experience that made me realize I always have to be the one in control of the crowd’s energy. So I went out there and got the crowd riled up. New Halloween joke? Make an excuse to have the crowd cheer for Halloween. I’m Asian? Make them pointlessly cheer for being Asian. Yes, it makes no sense, but it’s fun, and it gets the show going. People paid $15 to see a show. Make it worth it.
The show wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but at least I brought the defibrillators. It was decent enough that I think all comedy clubs should have soundtracks after each performance. I would have loved to dance offstage to “Heat it up.”
Thanks to Mikel, Laura, Jeff, and Andrew who came out to support. I’m glad you guys got to see a decent set. Thanks to two great audience members, Jessie and Kenna (? – Sorry, I might have forgotten your name), who told me, “you were the best comic tonight.”
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Update on financial progress:
Total support to date: 18 people
Total number of people who gave me a high-five after my performance: 1 person
Total number of people who are said, “you were the best one tonight”: 2 people
Previous dollar TOTAL: $26.95
How much I made from 4th Bringer Show: $20
Cost of DVD from 4th Bringer Show: $0
TOTAL: $6.95
