Open mic experiences

[Siggers]

I don't drink. smoke do drugs none of it. I try to keep the last bits of my mind pure. even though i am insane.

[Fentmore]

Good on ya, most people don't find out they're insane until after binge drinking or doing copious amounts of drugs.

[Gene George]

So 9 hours away and I'm freaking the fuck out. Any tips for calming nerves?

Alcohol. You'll still be nervous, but you won't care so much.

Drink a beer or two. You'll be fine man.

Allow me to dissent. Drinking might help, but it might not. Have a limit if you do and stick to it. I did my first bunch of open mics cold sober. Matter of fact Drieux was there at Annie's Social Club in SF the first night I ever went up buzzed. Save the booze for the celebration after.

It's OK to be nervous, even old timers still get butterflies, it's the payoff that's the thing. Once you've gone up you'll know whether you want more. Trust me.

I liken your first time on stage to the first time you kissed someone or asked someone out, sure, you can build it up in your head 'til you want to die, but in the end it's the only way to find out what it's like and what happens next. IT WILL BE OK.

Depending on where you go the rituals of stand-up are there to comfort you as well. The MC announces you, gives you the handshake and you're up and running. Seriously, that focuses me, it's something I've seen for years, that bit, and to participate in it makes me feel calm. When the host is calling you and shaking your hand and you're the one adjusting the mic and getting ready to talk to people - that is the best moment in the world - you've done it, you're up on stage, the rest is prep and learning.

My advice in a nutshell from my tiny amount of experience:

Commit. If you are going to a place that does open mic by lottery and you might not get on stage - commit. I didn't get to go up my first time and if I wasn't committed I might have given up. KNOW you're going to go through with it.

Prepare. Go over your jokes and set list. Keep it handy. It's not a sucker move to refer to your notes when doing new material, a lot of your comic heroes do it.

Record. Get a pocket recorder, have a friend video (if allowed) or use a smartphone/iPhone/Mp3 player to record your set. Joe Wagner gave me this advice, if you don't trust me, you can trust him. You will not be a good gauge of how you did the first time up. Or maybe the second time or the fifth. Also if you ad-lib something that gets a big laugh it's ther for posterity.

Enjoy. This is something you WANT to do, assuming you're not being held captive in some sort of comedy slavery scheme, so enjoy it. You're going to get to do what you have only sat in audiences for and watched on TV. Every one of your heroes was right where you are now. Carlin, Pryor, Bruce, Martin, Oswalt - all of them. That is badass. Kill or bomb you're going to learn and that is fuckin' fun.

You'll do fine. Break a leg.

[KevinLee]

This is a short film I made about doing openmics:
[youtube]EvHOHouTjM0[/youtube]

[forgetiheardthat]

hoooly shit. I did it. I got picked, went 5th (about where I hoped to go), and DIDN'T BOMB. Had a decent set, I thought. Everyone I talked to after seemed to enjoy it. Oh, and I guess someone told the host while I was on that it was my first time, and he said it after I finished, and I got fucking cheers. Without question the greatest moment of my life. Thanks so much to all of you guys, especially Gene. I wouldve wimped out without the pep talk. I'm hooked now...this will not be my last set.

[Siggers]

Congratulations.

[pg13]

Thanks so much to all of you guys, especially Gene. I wouldve wimped out without the pep talk. I'm hooked now...this will not be my last set.

FUCK!!!

Come on, Gene... Isn't the comedy field crowded enough already? Why save the ones who are willing to fuck off on their own?

Seriously...forgetiheardthat wanted to get out, AND YOU, GENE, YOU PULLED FORGETIHEARDTHAT back in...

...and now, as you can clearly read, WE'LL NEVER BE RID OF FORGETIHEARDTHAT!!!

Which only makes it harder for the rest of us to hog all of the available stage time for ourselves and our endless variations of how men are different from women and the struggles to attain fullness from the small bag of snacks found on airplanes...

DIDN'T YOU GET THE MEMO, GENE? SERIOUSLY!

pg--Congrats to you, forgetiheardthat. You did it. Now comes the hard part. You thought getting up the first time was the hard part? Hell, that's as easy as a bungee jump...it's just one fearful decision and then gravity does the rest. Nope. The real hard part? Doing it again. Doing it again and again and again and again and again...even when you're not doing well and you don't feel like you're improving...and again and again and again and again...even when you're not feeling well and can't think of anything new and you hate your jokes and you hate everyone else's jokes...and again and again and again and again and again and again...even when people you think suck get opportunities and you never get them...and again and again and again and again and again...even when somebody more famous than you just used your best joke on television...and again and again and again and again and again and again...even when somebody was supposed to pay you but didn't or was supposed to book you again but won't or was supposed to share expenses on your road trip but never seemed to have the cash on them when you're filling up the car for the fourth time in a row...and again and again and again and again and again...even when your non-comedy friends hate the fact that you're not always around to hang out with them like you used to and they stop coming to see you do the same open mic set...and again and again and again...etc, repeat ad infinitum. In the ironic words of John McClane, "Welcome to the party, Pal!"--seattle

[KevinLee]

You're famous?

[Gene George]

Fresh blood makes hack motherfuckers like me look pretty good.

Women be different from men, am I right fellas? Say what you want about that Sarah Palin but I'd bone her, guys you with me? Hoo-ah! Anyone here having a birthday? Heeeeyyyyoooooo!

Mazel Tov. Now write and write and perform.

[KevinLee]

Pg- What was the joke and who was the more famous comic?

[drieux]

Gene, I would appreciate it if you would credit me for all my material.

I totally dig the ladies, but ladies - y'all be doin' CRAZY shit! Make some noise, fellas! Oh, and make sure to tip the waitstaff and try our new Jalepeno Cheese Poppers!

[Siggers]

Zing!

[Gene George]

Gene, I would appreciate it if you would credit me for all my material.

I totally dig the ladies, but ladies - y'all be doin' CRAZY shit! Make some noise, fellas! Oh, and make sure to tip the waitstaff and try our new Jalepeno Cheese Poppers!

You are the Joe Rogan to my Carlos Mencia. I have truly arrived.

[Phil]

"White guys have names like Lenny, whereas black guys have names like Carl."

[CaptainBreakfast]

[Adult Ed]

So 9 hours away and I'm freaking the fuck out. Any tips for calming nerves?

If I had known that you were going to Gut Bucket I'd have said "don't worry; there are limited spots and you won't get picked." How unhelpful that would have been! I would have said it to Mez last year, too.

Good thing I didn't say anything either time. I'm glad to hear it went well.

[KevinLee]

In Indianapolis. The coldest Tuesday in November. <embed src='http://www.rooftopcomedy.com/flash/fmpv3/RooftopPlayerEmbedded.swf' bgcolor='#161513' flashVars='baseURL=http://www.rooftopcomedy.com&clipCode=KevinLeeNov112008' width='448' height='292' allowFullScreen='true' allowScriptAccess='always' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash'></embed>

If you're wondering why people aren't laughing(as I'm sure you are) it's because I suck.

[Alex Mac]

We had a fued with the Slam Poets in the bar next door when they were doing the regional Slam finals. We took the cordless mic next door, not knowing it was a competition that night. Quick peek in.

My friend, who was emcee that night: "No one cutting themselves in here, are they?"

Suddenly realizes that it is a competition and quickly ducks out. Introduced the next act. Is interrupted by a very irate slam poet known only as "Unseen the Poet." Unseen exchanges a few hostile words and is taken outside where he speaks to the cafe's owner and one of the comics who organized the open mic.

Was fun. Ongoing fued for a while. Was like the Sharks and the Jets but alot less tough. We eventually left that place because management wanted us to start having the comics pay a cover charge (It was $3 at the door, Comics get in for free). We promptly told them to screw off and we never did shows there again.

There was also another time at the same place where the guy after me went on up and in the background (the stage faced a window), an old lady got hit by a car.

Not too many horror stories for myself but I once played a crappy bar show run by a guy who did not know how to promote. The crowd was him, me, and two other comics. The rest of the bar patrons just yelled at us. Good times.

[Cameron]

This doesn't really have anything to do with an open mic, but I'm sure where else to put it.

Has anyone ever done like an unannounced performance, perhaps like on busy sidewalk?

Me and a few other comics are going to be setting up a microphone in the middle of the University of Oklahoma campus next week and will try to do some comedy. It will probably just wind up being us talking to those passing by and I expect the heckling to be brutal, but I still think it should be fun. We'll be doing it during finals week, which should make things even more interesting.

[CaptainBreakfast]

This doesn't really have anything to do with an open mic, but I'm sure where else to put it.

Has anyone ever done like an unannounced performance, perhaps like on busy sidewalk?

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...deoid=47394861