The Crickets Keep Me Company

Tags: amateur comedians, entertainment, failure, stand-up comedy, The Stand-Up Diaries, trevor dean, Trevor Dean comedian, trevor dean saskatoon

For a few of the comics in the city they are consistent, the heavy hitters.  They are the ones that will get laughs in front of any type of crowd.  They do corporate gigs, they get television appearances, and they get the women coming up to them after the show to talk.  There is also one more big distinction between them and myself.

They aren’t reliant on people they know coming to see them, and it doesn’t affect the quality of their performance either way.

In the last several months, close to the last year I suppose nobody has really come out to a show that I know.  I can maybe count a couple of times but none more than that.

The one thing I can say with certainty is that my friends who have come out in the past won’t necessarily laugh at me just because it’s me on stage.  They will only laugh if the jokes are structured, if the flow seems natural and organic and if it sounds like it’s really coming from “my voice”.

I’ve become used to having nobody there for me, which is good because you don’t know what the audience will be like, so you have to really focus on your timing and delivery.  But then that doesn’t always translate into success either.  I mean, it gets laughs but the quality of those laughs seems to differ from night tonight, from venue to venue if you are performing the exact same material.

Now, does it necessarily mean that I’m shitty?  I don’t think so.  In my opinion it depends a lot on the crowd because I am finding that bar crowds are a different type of animal.  The material I did at the Laugh Shop for my best set ever in Saskatoon got a very positive response, with every joke getting a reaction.  Just a couple of nights earlier at the open mic it was hit and miss. It seems like the comedy club audiences seem to be a bit more tuned in to the comedian making it easier to follow along the line of the joke.

Not having anyone to watch you that you know makes me buy in to that “me vs. the world” mentality a bit more.  Sometimes the material is delivered with a bit of an edge, it’s easier to get nervous or annoyed on stage when things don’t work.  Sometimes some unclean words come out of my mouth that don’t really fit the joke either.  Then again sometimes when people are in the audience that you know, it’s tougher to do your set when a particular joke doesn’t work as well.

There have only a couple of times that someone I know has come out to watch a show, not necessarily for me but to see the talent that’s on display in this city.  Many of you have seen the videos I have posted and can see the improvement and the polish that’s starting to come around.  But it’s another thing entirely to see it live where you get a better sense of appreciation.

I can’t remember what it’s like to have people in your corner at a show, at least more than a couple anyways.  My birthday in May is on the open mic night.  I remember the last time I was on stage at an open mic night on my birthday.  Not only did the set not go well, but a friend of mine made quite the dramatic scene too.

The comics toughest job at times is to get people out to a show.  It’s a fact that is understandable and accepted.  But for those big moments at times you hope to get a few people out for a night.  Think about it, no cover charge, $5 wings and a great band after the show, and everything is done by 10:00 p.m. on a Wednesday night.

On my birthday, if you have no plans, come on down for a show.  Sure, it might be the only one you get to this year but once is better than not being able to make it at all.  To those of you who haven’t seen me either in a couple of years or never before, you don’t know what you are missing.  That night will be all brand new material yet again delivered with confidence, polish and timing……at least that’s what I am hoping for.

Some of the material will shock you, some of it will surprise you, but all of it will be funny.  If there is one time this year that you see comedy live, make it on that Wednesday night in May.  I promise you will be glad that you did.  Don’t just come for me, come to watch some very talented people in this city apply their craft.

In case you are wondering what to expect from me, do a search under my comedy name on YouTube for my videos.