Category: Performance Critiques

Me MCing a 15-20 person Friday show

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiKGUEqpAKM

0m25s I should’ve had them clap it up for themselves again to show I’m in control of the room

0m49s I love the inept psychic bit

1m33s Awesome being surprised reaction and then claiming I’m not surprised

5m42s I like how I’m weaving between my family stuff and shorter jokes instead of doing all the Russian stuff at once

8m38s No need to keep going back to the negativity, because I’m not doing that badly

Doing time between comics

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyT8uLiQo0A

0m15s Try to say “that didn’t really happen” instead of “I’m kidding”

More time between comics

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX1J4fXNmW8

1m55s I’ve found this is a good technique, if you feel you’ve been a little mean with the crowd work, ask the person’s name and then have everyone clap for them so they know you’re kidding around

Doing a long check spot

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD24A4Ab4nc

0m15s I still don’t understand why everyone thinks the talk show thing is funny

0m44s I tried calling it back to the Catholic joke’s punch line, I can’t do it that far apart

2m29s It was nice to do a couple of minutes before the checks got dropped

2m52s This is where it’ll start to get loud

5m37s Add the word “only” into the sentence

7m33s I like the comment “you feel your soul’s been bared”

9m43s Be careful not to say “neuro” before the first time I say “prostitution”

Overall: I did a solid but not amazing job as the MC. I should’ve had the audience clap a couple times to start the show just to get the energy levels up. I did a good mix of talking to them and doing material, but I didn’t need to acknowledge it every time a joke didn’t hit perfectly. I do feel I got better and looser as the show went on. I did the check spot better than I did the opening spot. I should’ve had that level of relaxation and banter at the start of the show. Also changing the “online dating website for child molesters” punch line didn’t work.

Doing a weeknight spot about two hours into the show

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSNonFSqhyE

0m13s No need for “we don’t need to listen to me”

1m07s Someone in the audience said “show him”

1m18s I don’t know why I got so mean so quick

1m32s At least I realized it and got a little nicer

2m02s Got them laughing again even after the meanness

3m48s I keep losing the crowd and bringing them back, I should’ve gone into more one liner jokes as they have A.D.D

4m17s A comic walked in and started talking to her friends in the crowd, so I had to acknowledge it

4m52s No need to say “driving a van” I should say “I was in a van” to make it more of a surprise

7m43s Keep scrolling my phone while looking at the audience

8m15s Good ending

Overall: I started a lot meaner and more annoyed than I usually get. From watching the tape, there wasn’t a reason to be that annoyed but I think the audience was already getting drunk and unruly before I got up there. However, it might’ve just been me having waited around for two hours and just wanting to do my jokes. Either way, I shouldn’t have gotten that mean that quickly, even if it more or less worked.

This is a mixed music and comedy open mic in a bar in Queens, there’s around 12 people in the bar

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6l7BQfThy0

0m36s If you’re watching this video, skip to here. Editing critique: cut out pre intro stuff

1m10s There were some really talented kids who played music before me and I’m trying to open with some observational stuff whenever I can

3m57s When doing bar shows, I should do all my drinking jokes up front to get the audience listening

5m20s If “businessman” doesn’t get a laugh, I should do the hand wave again

8m45s I’m learning to acknowledge some comments while going straight back into my material, not everything someone says has to become a thirty second side path, but everything should be acknowledged one way or another

9m42s I really wish they hi fived me on the way out, I should’ve called for it before putting out my hand

Part 2

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kQie4gwTVE

0m42s The volume of laughter has decreased significantly after those four people had to leave

1m12s No need to acknowledge the “getting more of a laugh” thing

2m18s I love admitting I went too far and then going further

3m08s Try “I can barely spell it” instead of “don’t know how to spell it”

4m51s I now remember why I haven’t done this joke in a year

5m33s Begin belligerent Irish guy, it was my fault for starting to talk to him cause I wanted to flirt with the girl next to him

7m28s Won’t be doing this line again

8m39s I like my brain surgery retort, cause the guy clearly was not a doctor

8m49s I should have said “I’m gonna finish a joke” right away and not ask first

Overall: The set was going as well as a bar set could go until the four loudest laughers left the bar halfway through. (They were done with their meal, I didn’t walk them out.) I decided to give a little ground to the drunk who wanted to sing because he seemed just drunk enough to take a swing at me, and it’s hard to box with a mic in your hand. The profile photo joke probably needs to go back to the “do not perform pile” but most of my stuff, even the older stuff, was getting some laughs. It’s really nice to do longer sets.

The Sunday Writer’s Mic

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5Ekt7IrHXk

0m10s The previous comic made a racquetball joke, I tried to play off of it

0m29s I don’t usually do the jdate joke at open mics, but I’m trying to sprinkle some additional online dating one liners throughout the set

0m50s Kinda mean but nice

1m30s Try to end the joke with “see what you did there, you just shat on my idea of “it’s easy to shit””

3m05s This needs to be a lot shorter

3m15s The guy who commented is in his 50s and a big pothead

4m04s That joke isn’t a keeper

Overall: Decent for some new ideas. The “it’s easy to shit on things” joke has lots of potential, it just needs to be tightened. The traffic joke is mean but could definitely work. I need to try it some more. I should do online dating jokes in groups of two, not separate it even more and sprinkle a one liner between the rest of my jokes.

This is a bar show in Staten Island. There was a 10 person audience

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvYTwpJTvaw

0m23s I made a joke based on a host’s joke

1m42s Weird that 4 punch lines in a row missed after the “cancel relationship” got a big laugh, but good job pausing just the same

4m21s His parents were in the audience, so I acknowledged it

5m01s This is a good save line I’ve recently started using

5m44s Fun little rant

5m56s It’s okay to say that because he’s my friend

6m33s Awesome how rewinding time actually worked

7m33s Part of that joke is that we don’t get paid

8m05s No need to say “websites” and “online”, that’s redundant

Part 2

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUadSZ4_NhQ

1m32s I’ve brought this joke back but with a more surprising setup, and it seems to work better

3m12s This could be clearer

3m18s The sentence “while she’s taking the pill” should go before “don’t write this joke”

4m52s These fifteen minutes really did go by quickly

5m30s I don’t recommend playing “request a joke line” to close your set

6m54s High quality

6m58s The show was called “The Rodney Kings of Comedy”

Overall: This was the first time I tried to consciously not smile while delivering my jokes. I felt it worked and I was enjoying trying not to laugh. I couldn’t help laughing sometimes, but I’m really working on not doing a big smile after every joke. Considering there were only ten people in the audience, the show went pretty well.