So last week I did something I honestly thought I wouldnt do again. I went to an open mic...ok the open mic comedy for me. The Boiler Room. And I did a set of new material. Keep in mind it has been several years since I've been on stage. It has been even longer since I wrote new material. My plans for that night were rescheduled, and so deciding I should still go out, I did.
I bombed.
Hard.
And I loved it.
The hard thing about comedy is everything about comedy. You have to be energetic with out being distracting, confident without being blind to the audience before you. There is a need for timing and rythm to get the audience to take the ride with you. A very smart man once told me a good comedy set is about taking the audience from where they expect (from your look/sound) to where you want to take them. Very hard to do in 3 to 5 minutes.
I have often said its alot like flight hours. There are things you can only learn by getting on stage, holding the mic, being blinded by the spotlight, and doing your best. Then getting up and doing it again. If you take time off you get rusty, and it takes awhile to get it back.
The truly great comics need to be onstage. It's not a matter of "oh there's a open mic, I should go and hang out." The ones who are going to be good think "ok, I can hit the first one and be off of stage by 8:45 which leaves me enough time to catch the second one, if I hit tomorrows in Vancouver than I can hit both in Portland on Thursday." It's a need to be up every chance you get. And the NW scene has historically had a very friendly, welcoming comic community, with much available stage time.
I was never a "have to be onstage" guy, I was "its something to do, and I can hang out with the comics after" kinda guy. So I thought I was done many a year ago.
And yet, I am trying to write new material again, begining to map out the mics. Maybe I will be more passionate this time.
Or maybe i will just flake out like last time.
We will see.
