Last night I was at The Other Bar for a show. I had rested the night before, drank an appropriate amount of liquids during the day, ate 3 meals, I basically did what I believe is necessary to perform a decent set. I was calm, I have no drama situations going on right now, and I was prepared. I told some newer jokes at the beginning and I ended with an old (yet kinda disparaging) joke. I got a fair amount of laughs and I was pleased with the tiny amount of crowd work that I did. I knew that there were a few people there who I respect and wanted to do good for them, but I wasn’t nearly as affected by their presence as I had been during previous sets. All in all, I didn’t hate it, but it was not my best set.
I get off stage, and a few people said I was funny, and one of my good buddies in the scene told me that I seemed low energy, and my set would have gone better if I was a little more lively. I walked over to the person who saw me bomb the hardest the time before, and he told me that he liked the other set when I bombed a lot more! I was so thrown off, I suddenly recognized that I’m oh-so-new and I have a long long road ahead of me. He wasn’t being mean, but he was being truthful, which I appreciate. As a new comic it’s really hard to tell when something goes well or not, without listening to recordings (I record my sets) and continuously trying out jokes on various crowds. It’s very difficult. Anyone who thinks comedy is easy is wrong.
I said my quick goodbyes and walked off with Duncan (I bring him to shows sometimes), and it was raining lightly and I had tears running down my face as I walked down Orange Ave on the way home. I felt defeated. Clueless. I felt like a terrible comic, a hack, the worst. I got home and read some of Eating The Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman, which was a decent relief in the moment. He has an interesting brain and I like this book so far.
Writing this out is helpful, it’s honest and I hope to soon get to the point where my joke delivery and stage energy is stronger.
On a more enthusiastic note, I added a new show date to my events, I’m excited to be on the New Faces competition at The Other Bar in a couple weeks. That news basically made my day!
Tonight I’ll be at the Public House Comedy Showcase near UCF, I”ve never been to that room, but I’ve heard good things.
Thanks for reading! I appreciate you!