Managing Expectations
Tags: The Stand-Up DiariesI’m gonna be completely honest here. I won’t use names so that won’t piss anybody off. Everything that I write in this entry is true, at least to the people who have been to a show before at Beily’s, so it’s not like I am giving you Col. Sanders secret recipe here. It’s the truth, so accept it for what it is.
I believe I was chosen for this competition because of one of two factors, neither or which I am sure Dez would admit to, and that’s fine. I was told a few weeks back that the 6 comics would be chosen based on their ability to win the competition. By having me in the mix, I believe I’m here because other new comics are unavailable for the whole week, or it’s because being in this competition will raise my performance level and justify the faith he’s shown in me. Personally, I believe it’s the latter. Actually, it’s more than likely both. It’s somewhat like their being an Alice Cooper tribute band at the bar I’m in, the lead singer can’t go on, and the guy who runs the bar heard I sang one Alice Cooper song once, so he wants me to sing.
I’m not putting myself down, or saying anything negative about Cam (lead singer for Alice Cooper tribute band called Caught In A Dream). I am simply stating the facts.
So now I have a little over a week to get my proverbial shit together.
A part of me doesn’t believe I belong in the competition, but when it’s seven straight days of stage time at 10 minutes a pop, who am I to refuse it? Next Thursday at Crackers will be the debut of my newer routine, where I try to be a bit more passionate and animated. Now, I know some people may think I am making a bigger deal out of this than it should be, that I am going over the top with my thoughts on this.
Oh yeah? WELL FUCK YOU
Let’s see you get up onstage and TRY to do what I have been doing for the last four months. You think it’s easy? There are studies that show people have more of a fear of public speaking than they do of death. Now don’t misunderstand me; I am not saying I’m something special where the world has to kiss my ass just because I am trying stand-up comedy. That isn’t it at all. What I am saying however, is that it isn’t as simple as going onstage and telling jokes you think are funny. This competition will be in a few different venues. Beily’s I have a good idea of the type of crowd that will be there (younger) and the type of performance they will appreciate. Then there is Specklebelly’s Brew Pub. I have no fucking clue what to expect there, probably the same crowd as Beily’s but maybe a bit more mature? Tusq Piano Bar. OMFG I’ll shit my pants over this one. Now I have to figure out the type of people who go there and root through my material to find applicable bits.
Then there is the Adobe Inn in Martensville. I have absolutely no clue about that one either. So, as you can see, I’m not that confident in my ability as of right now to go into these different places and just tear it up.
But I think it’s like karaoke league…..oh….I should say that my blog is a boring read. Over the next couple weeks I will revamp this to make it more appealing to read, different fonts, etc. I gotta seriously jazz this shit up!
But yeah, back to the league thing…..with the league, the more I did it, the more I felt confident in my ability to perform. I’m sure that with each performance I will believe I have the right to be in the mix and that I can make a good showing. I don’t really care how the judging goes. Obviously it would be nice to win $1000 (again), but it’s about using this as a measuring stick. The other guys who will probably win this thing have been at comedy for 1.5 years, and the other two years I believe. I am capable of getting the same laughs from my set as they do from theirs. The laughter may not be consistent, but I believe with this new material I can get those same kind of laughs. Even if those guys double me in the laughs department, the fact I can get a singular reaction like they get to one of their jokes is all I’m after. That’s easy to build from.
This Thursday at Crackers will sort of be a prelude to this competition. It will be the last time for myself and the other comic to try out material before the competition. I need to incorporate more of who I am in the shows. In person, I can be a passionate and dynamic speaker who is funny. It’s taken a very slow road to arrive at this point, so I think the performance at Crackers is coming at just the right time. But most of the people there are there for the music, okay….maybe half will be there for the music who are already in the karaoke crowd, and the other half will be there for the comedy which they have never heard before.
So the question is, how do I manage the expectations?
I am not sure that I have any? The top two guys, and then myself are all three different types of personalities, different styles, yet we have the ability to all get the same types of responses from audiences. All I know is, this isn’t as easy as it looks and will take a lot of planning.