Short & Sweet
Tags: The Stand-Up DiariesI had several comments submitted from various blog posts that I have written recently. Some are constructive criticism and the writer raises some very good points.
It was mentioned in these comments that I am somewhat out of line in writing critical posts about others when I am not at the talent level that some comedians are. While that is a valid point, you must also keep in mind why I started comedy, and why I started to write this blog.
First, I went to a comedy festival on the last night and saw a guy on stage that wasn’t very funny, he was on last and got zero laughs. I came away from that thinking that I had the basic skill set to be able to get on stage and perform. I have a quick wit, a good writer, can tell a story, have performed in public before and am naturally funny.
I started this blog a couple months after I started comedy because within my social circle, I knew that there would be initial curiosity and support of me into this latest endeavor. The reason it’s still going after three years and having reached over 80 countries around the world is because I still have that base of support which if anything, has grown stronger.
My friends, and I’m sure others too, get insights to the comedy world that the average audience member doesn’t have access to, like what the moments before you go on stage are like, or about the different laugh triggers and how to structure your jokes to get the best bang for the buck. When I get feedback from people that they enjoy reading the blog or that they’ve gained insight into comedy they otherwise wouldn’t have, it makes the efforts seem worth it.
I didn’t set out to write The Stand-Up Diaries to bash others. That’s not my style nor is it the way that I treat others. I never set out to intentionally bully others to prop myself up at all.
However, once my critics started to line up and I became a target for bullying and threats I dug my heels in and was determined that this was one fight I would not lose. To my credit I haven’t given up and am in the process of turning things around.
Now all of a sudden the story becomes more interesting and in engages more people to follow it. My friends and those close to me wouldn’t have given a shit if I decided to quit comedy. I don’t think any of them would have been beating down my door trying to talk me out of that decision. The one person I couldn’t let down is myself.
I could not let myself down because I knew how I was being treated behind the scenes and of all the shit I went through that I never told anyone. There have been many times in life that I was talked out of doing things because somebody thought I might fail or not be very good or that it was just a waste of my time. Well, after I got arrested, became unemployed and broke, my name was worse than shit. I couldn’t get a job for months. It was at that point when I vowed that no longer would I be subjected to other people’s opinions. I would make a difference to the world, and like Sinatra said, I’d do it my way.
At the end of the day, those who know me best know that I will be honest in my portrayal of how things go down. I simply present the facts and offer my opinion. People are smart enough I think to be able to read between the lines and draw their own conclusions based on what they have read. Differing opinions are good, it’s part of living in a democracy where we practice the freedom of expression.
I would say for the most part that The Stand-Up Diaries hasn’t really affected my ability to perform comedy. At the end of the day I’m just an average guy who likes to write and is doing comedy. Regardless of whether or not you agree with some of my posts and the way I write, you have to admit that it’s a pretty good read after three years.
The days where I struggled with zero laughs are over. A level of consistency is starting to come around and I am getting the type of laughs that I knew I’d be capable of getting.
Now, if you don’t mind me, I need to sign off and start working on my material for my shows in L.A. next year.