I've been doing the comedy circuit for about 3 months, that's rounding up. What I mean by comedy circuit is that I'm going up on stage every night I don't have work. And each time I go on stage I like to try at least one new joke. Some nights I've gone up multiple times and done very well, some nights I was just happy with an opportunity to tell jokes. Crowds vary, but what I've learned over the past few months is that to get the crowd to like you you have to be loose and look like you're having fun. It took a while for me to understand that. I have my jokes and very few times will I go outside of my set, but what I've learned now is a good comic will adapt to his/her own environment.
Now That I've been doing comedy consistently I've gained a lot of confidence in my material and my presentation telling my jokes. Sometimes I'll think of a joke, throw it around here and there to the people that are around me and don't get much of a response. There's been times when I tell a joke my friends, my coworkers, people I meet give me feedback like,"that isn't that funny," "I wouldn't say that," or my favorite, "Huh?" But when I am convinced the joke is there and I know it is funny I tell it. It doesn't need to be clever, it doesn't need to get people rolling with laughter, but it needs to be something my grandma would laugh at and approve.
This joke I came up with this past weekend maybe my favorite one to tell now. I think it's great. I came up with it hanging with my family listening to music. I told this joke not as a joke at first, kinda just something to make myself laugh, because nobody else got it, and I kept doing it. I thought about it and was convinced what I was doing was genius. I can't believe nobody thought of it before. When I say genius I don't mean e=mc^2, but genius as it is so simple and effective that it has the highest sense of originality. That's important to me, as a comedian I want to be my own comedian, I listen to comedians talk and tell jokes, I develop ideas on what I like and see in a comedian, but I'm my own persona. The only other joke I tell is my grandfathers and I don't tell it on stage; I won't, it's not my joke.
So this new joke I thought of this past weekend I love and I knew it was funny. After work on Monday I was going to go to Spiderhouse late night open mic and tell it. So to get it down I tell my friends, my coworkers, anybody that will listen before Monday night. And every person I told except one didn't get it. People didn't know what to laugh at. But when you tell a joke and you're convinced it's funny it comes through when you tell it. Leading up to Monday night nobody got it, they said,"What? I don't get it." and I laughed cause I know if somebody gets it they will find it hilarious. My coworker Cole said, "I don't get it." I say,"well it's like this and like that." He says,"oh, ha ha, people aren't going to get it." I say,"but the ones that do are going to love it."
So after work I drive to Spiderhouse, make the cutoff to the list by the skin of my teeth. There are so many comics wanting to preform they need to pull names out of a hat to create a list of performers. I made the list. I'm watching the open mic'ers tell stories, jokes with no point some of them no punchline, and I tell myself I'm going to kill it. As the list gets closer to my name I get excited telling this new joke, I think to myself how it goes and I start laughing! It's a cool feeling to be able to try out new material in a packed room. I love my new joke. Everybody tells me they don't get it, well I know it's funny cause if I saw that preformed on stage I'd think,"genius." So with all the excitement I have for my new jokes I'm going to tell I'm feeling good/ready to have fun. From the minute my name was called to get on stage I portrayed that. I went straight into my set and had people recognize my sense of humor. I got laughs from the minute I stepped on stage. I start going through my material that is familiar to me and I've got it down, I try two new jokes, then I finally get to the joke I've been waiting to tell all night. I set it up very well, I say it slow, so I don't caught up in the excitement in executing it too soon. The crowds attention is all on me and I tell the joke. People got it, I don't know who these people were, but they got it. During the joke I say the same thing three times, and each time I saw more and more people laugh. I saw people who did get it and explain to people who didn't get it why my new joke is funny. I heard people say, "Wow! That is funny!" Exactly the way I would react if I saw something I marveled.
I finished my set, the host took the mic from me and says,"Now that's how you do an open mic! Give it up for Jacob Perkins! Great talent! I hope to see you again next week!" I shake hands with my friends, strangers approach me to say good job. I'm convinced that my new joke, the joke people didn't get, the joke I knew was funny, set me apart from the dogs. I'm a wolf, I lead the pack, I don't need someones reassurance on things I should do.
The point I want to make in this blog post is that if you've got an idea that you believe in do not lot someone convince you otherwise. You're your own worst critic if you like your idea go for it.
Now That I've been doing comedy consistently I've gained a lot of confidence in my material and my presentation telling my jokes. Sometimes I'll think of a joke, throw it around here and there to the people that are around me and don't get much of a response. There's been times when I tell a joke my friends, my coworkers, people I meet give me feedback like,"that isn't that funny," "I wouldn't say that," or my favorite, "Huh?" But when I am convinced the joke is there and I know it is funny I tell it. It doesn't need to be clever, it doesn't need to get people rolling with laughter, but it needs to be something my grandma would laugh at and approve.
This joke I came up with this past weekend maybe my favorite one to tell now. I think it's great. I came up with it hanging with my family listening to music. I told this joke not as a joke at first, kinda just something to make myself laugh, because nobody else got it, and I kept doing it. I thought about it and was convinced what I was doing was genius. I can't believe nobody thought of it before. When I say genius I don't mean e=mc^2, but genius as it is so simple and effective that it has the highest sense of originality. That's important to me, as a comedian I want to be my own comedian, I listen to comedians talk and tell jokes, I develop ideas on what I like and see in a comedian, but I'm my own persona. The only other joke I tell is my grandfathers and I don't tell it on stage; I won't, it's not my joke.
So this new joke I thought of this past weekend I love and I knew it was funny. After work on Monday I was going to go to Spiderhouse late night open mic and tell it. So to get it down I tell my friends, my coworkers, anybody that will listen before Monday night. And every person I told except one didn't get it. People didn't know what to laugh at. But when you tell a joke and you're convinced it's funny it comes through when you tell it. Leading up to Monday night nobody got it, they said,"What? I don't get it." and I laughed cause I know if somebody gets it they will find it hilarious. My coworker Cole said, "I don't get it." I say,"well it's like this and like that." He says,"oh, ha ha, people aren't going to get it." I say,"but the ones that do are going to love it."
So after work I drive to Spiderhouse, make the cutoff to the list by the skin of my teeth. There are so many comics wanting to preform they need to pull names out of a hat to create a list of performers. I made the list. I'm watching the open mic'ers tell stories, jokes with no point some of them no punchline, and I tell myself I'm going to kill it. As the list gets closer to my name I get excited telling this new joke, I think to myself how it goes and I start laughing! It's a cool feeling to be able to try out new material in a packed room. I love my new joke. Everybody tells me they don't get it, well I know it's funny cause if I saw that preformed on stage I'd think,"genius." So with all the excitement I have for my new jokes I'm going to tell I'm feeling good/ready to have fun. From the minute my name was called to get on stage I portrayed that. I went straight into my set and had people recognize my sense of humor. I got laughs from the minute I stepped on stage. I start going through my material that is familiar to me and I've got it down, I try two new jokes, then I finally get to the joke I've been waiting to tell all night. I set it up very well, I say it slow, so I don't caught up in the excitement in executing it too soon. The crowds attention is all on me and I tell the joke. People got it, I don't know who these people were, but they got it. During the joke I say the same thing three times, and each time I saw more and more people laugh. I saw people who did get it and explain to people who didn't get it why my new joke is funny. I heard people say, "Wow! That is funny!" Exactly the way I would react if I saw something I marveled.
I finished my set, the host took the mic from me and says,"Now that's how you do an open mic! Give it up for Jacob Perkins! Great talent! I hope to see you again next week!" I shake hands with my friends, strangers approach me to say good job. I'm convinced that my new joke, the joke people didn't get, the joke I knew was funny, set me apart from the dogs. I'm a wolf, I lead the pack, I don't need someones reassurance on things I should do.
The point I want to make in this blog post is that if you've got an idea that you believe in do not lot someone convince you otherwise. You're your own worst critic if you like your idea go for it.
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