Putting the Open Mic Experience in Perspective
One of the major mental progressions I’ve been able to make thus far is the ability to put the open mic experience in perspective. Jean Paul said it best:
It’s an open mic. there are no [fuzzin'] bookers here, there are no festival producers here, it’s just an open mic. If you were a boxer, this would be a gym where you’re putting in work and taking shot after shot. Keep doing what you’re doing man.
Buoyed by my recent booking on a paid show, I went into tonight’s gig saying to myself, ‘I’m headlining this show.’
Focusing on Improvising
I really wanted to focus on strengthening my improvisation skills tonight. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: improvisation is the hallmark of any great comedian. With the ability to create jokes on the fly, it really opens up opportunities to host shows, which is another goal of mine in Q1 2012.
Video
Here’s a few notes that’ll help you make sense of the improv:
- There was a native indian comedian who went on stage for just the second time today. He made jokes about pornography. He also left early.
- There was an older lady (the, ‘$3 million dollar lady’) who made a lot of sexual jokes.
- I went on second to last, which meant much of the crowd had already left at that point.
And, as always, I wrote down the improv on my iPhone before I went up. In fact, I edited and re-edited the improv a few times before finally memorizing the opening lines of each joke.
 |
 |
Not Everyone Got It, And That’s OK
Tonight, I really enjoyed myself on stage. I completed my improvisation fluently (thanks be to Mel for that word) and was able to relish the experience on stage.
In addition, and this is a big one for me: I didn’t really care if the audience got all of the jokes. I know that my Native Indian stuff was funny for those with a minor background in Native American history, and I enjoyed telling it. I’m not saying that I’m a crazy Native American racist, just that I felt comfortable on stage.
Besides, South Park did it:
Michael Jagdeo
