A Little Potpourri With Your Easter Eggs

Tags: amateur comedians, Easter, redemption, Saskatoon, stand up comedy, stand-up comedy, The Stand-Up Diaries, trevor dean, Trevor Dean comedian

I know it’s been a while since I’ve written last.  There were a couple different things I wanted to touch on today.

The one thing that sticks out first is a comment I received on the material I wanted to do that related to Cancer for the recently completed fundraiser in Regina.  One guy decided that his opinion needed to be heard and he mentioned “what have you done in two years?  nothing!”  This guy called me a name or two and said that it isn’t possible to make Cancer funny.  I mention this not because I am going to revisit the subject because I wanted to define this losers comments within the scope of the day we are celebrating today.

I sincerely hope that the chocolates and easter eggs don’t become a substitute for what Easter really is meant to be known for.  I think if I had kids it would be a good time not to necessarily beat them over the head with a bible, per se, but to tell them about redemption and how Jesus came into the world to pave a path for all mankind where we don’t need to feel condemned about who we are.  Someone once said it’s not about where you start, but where you finish that counts.

It’s really easy for people on the outside to espouse their opinions.  Some of them are worth listening to because they are constructive and need to be taken into consideration.  Then there are others like dipshit who are just blowing hot air.  I know who this guy is by name, never met the guy.  Though I can tell you that the way he worded his comments, it tells you a lot about a person and who they are on the inside.  I’m sure he’s a class act in real life…..

 

I also love to watch interviews with other comedians, and thanks to YouTube they are readily available.  But I don’t watch the interviews of todays comics.  I watch interviews of the ones who came before me, the ones that I watched and was a fan of growing up.  I keep going back to a Jerry Lewis interview he did with Dick Cavett back in the early 70s.  Among the things Jerry pointed out he said that for him it’s still easy to bomb, but that the audiences are much smarter today so you can’t go on stage and dick around.  If you do try something new you need to have the good, tried and tested material in your back pocket that you can pull out at any time to bring the audience back around to get the laughs.  He also mentioned that critics are critics because they care, not because they want to make a living out of trashing people.  He said a film critic may tear him apart because they care about the art of film making that much to see it done right through their eyes.  In some cases he’s sent thank-you notes to critics who gave him bad reviews, saying he would take their opinions into consideration the next time he does a project.

I’ve had critics in my short time in comedy, and for the most part they have been very helpful.  The audience cares enough to give you an opinion whether they like it or not, because if they didn’t care they wouldn’t have wasted their time to show up, right?  For example, some of the earliest comments critical of my comedy were based on the opinion that when I told jokes about me having sex with women, it wasn’t funny because I wasn’t able to sell it properly.  When the audience looked at me on stage they didn’t see a guy that should, could, or would have sex with a woman.  It wasn’t until I met up with my comedy coach that I realized I can still make the jokes about having sex with women, it’s just that I need to play it from the angle that I don’t quite get it right at the end.  In some way, regardless of how well things go right up until that moment of truth, it somehow goes all sideways.  Now THAT’S funny!

I love watching the old school interviews of comedians because they are the ones who were naturally funny and figured it out for themselves.  It’s great to sit and watch an interview and be able to pick up on what they are talking about that the comedian can relate to while the average audience member may not be able to piece the answer together to have it make sense to them.

 

The last thing I wanted to talk about sort of ties in with my first point about Easter and redemption.

I am going to be turning 41 at the end of next month.  It’s hard to believe.  I remember first walking into Crackers and a couple of the other karaoke joints in the city when I was in my early 20s, where I met and formed many close friendships.  Over the years I’ve seen friends or acquaintances come and go, while some left this world far too soon.  Now when I look at my friends having known them over the last 10 to 20 years, visible signs start to show that they are growing older.  It’s a part of life that happens to all of us, and sometimes it’s hard to accept because you wish that we all could stay young and live forever, but that isn’t the case.  So, you need to make good and do good with your time while you are in the world.  What the hell is the sense of you having a toxic attitude and having your past allow you to put up walls around you that really prevent you from the wonderful future that awaits you?

Now that I am over 40 with each passing year I find myself in a moment of retrospect much more frequently.  I sometimes wonder if I should have done things differently and maybe started my comedy career earlier.  Maybe I could have had more success by now and have a bit to add to a comedy resume compared to where I am at now.

Don’t get me wrong though, having a few extra years on the comedy stage by now may not make you a better comic.  I am lucky for my comedy coach to be around to help me though.  I guess at the end of the day, I am happy with where I’m at now.  If I started comedy much sooner I wouldn’t have met the people who are in my corner today, nor would I have met my comedy coach.

Just remember that when Jesus laid his life down for us, he did so to redeem mankind, to give us a new start each and every day. We here on Earth can accomplish ALL things through Christ which strengthens us.  When you get a hold of the true meaning of Easter and apply that truth to your life on a daily basis, it’s a powerful tool that you can use every day.  There are people right now, that you don’t even know who are ready, willing and able to help you achieve the desires of your heart.  It’s all a matter of timing.  Anything is possible to those who believe.  Your past does not equal your future.

Besides, if it took me just about two years to be funny as a comedian, anything is possible.  Am I right?

 

Be blessed!