Category: Performance Critiques

Another NYC show

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR7qiKcxAa0

0m34s It’d be funny if she felt bad that the blind people got tricked

1m29s Never good to have an “uhhh” in the middle of a punch line

2m15s That is real Russian

2m28s First time the thesaurus joke got any laughs

3m03s Introduce mom’s accent in the setup

3m53s No need to interrupt the flow of my jokes to do these past twenty seconds of crowd work

5m07s The “toy boy” joke doesn’t need the “and he’s forty five” part

6m24s Good observation of what the audience was doing

Overall: As a set this wasn’t great but the new stuff about Russia is getting laughs, so that’s encouraging. I also should be careful about when I interrupt the flow of jokes to talk to the audience, it’s best to do it after a topic is over, not in the middle of it.

I had people I knew coming to the show but they were late and I was up first, so I decided to do a different set to start the show and to save my “better” jokes for when my people showed up (the producer said I could go twice).

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

1m22s This is why you don’t start with risqué material right away: the audience has to trust you first

3m43s Never a good set when the “you must love sweaters” line doesn’t get a single laugh

5m10s I love crickets

5m20s They thought I was kidding about coming back

5m53s I love how the host is the only one laughing at “I should go kill myself, but I won’t”

6m26s Drag out “food” a little longer

First Part Overall: This was bombing. It is a great demonstration of why you shouldn’t start with dirtier stuff.

This is the end of the show when my friends showed up and I did different material

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtzOal323xs

1m43s I guess it took the crowd a little bit to accept the fact that they’d have to listen to me twice and they might as well laugh a little (or this is the only funny joke I have)

2m35s I shouldn’t say “you’re in shock, you’re like why haven’t we tried this yet?” instead I should have the “she’s in shock” and “he’s like, why haven’t we tried this yet”

3m52s Instead of “buying my first morning after pill” it should be “I bought my first…”

4m08s I should say “you look like you might know” instead of just “you might know”

5m19s The line should be “buy plan B in bulk”

6m36s While it’s the right thing to take a nice long pause after “huge tubes” before saying “thanks” and getting off stage, that doesn’t mean it will get a laugh

Second Part Overall: Compared to the first time on stage in front of this crowd, I did amazing. Compared to a regular good set, I did terrible.

A longer than usual set:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb1k0uOdYY0

1m27s Interesting that my third “tubes” line didn’t get any laughs but then my improv-ed line got a laugh, and the “looking at her” got a big laugh

3m21s I love “cause I can take you both”

3m37s And I managed to kill momentum

4m32s At least I got the crowd back

4m41s A good reason to review videos faster than a month later: To know when to kill a punch line quicker

5m57s And I lost the crowd again

6m52s The line is in the wrong order “next time at the bar” should come before “instead of offering a girl a drink”

7m12s It’s always a good set when I let everyone know I don’t pull out

8m19s Commit to the growl for an extra two seconds

8m30s Say “buy plan b in bulk” not “buy it in bulk”

9m39s Pause and smile for two seconds after “you must have some huge tubes” instead of saying thanks and ending it right away

Overall: This was an interesting set as the audience kept going back and forth from laughing to lost. I may have talked to them a little too often in the middle of a joke instead of just finishing the joke and then addressing something I notice.

The midnight show, I got the check spot halfway through my set

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywaYbFdF8AM

2m24s Get something better than “Jenny likes this” or just stick with two “likes this” references

3m05s I love that someone from the crowd said how much it costs, with his date there

5m58s No need for the “good, no one “ohhed”” line

6m27s Pretty funny that I’ve said “oh, that was too far?” three or four times in the set

6m33s This is where the waitress started dropping checks

7m34s No need to apologize

7m51s We did hang out after the show

Overall: I had a pretty good first six minutes before the checks dropped, then I did some decent crowd work without wasting material while people weren’t listening. The morning after pill joke is coming along nicely. Talking “check spot strategy” with other comics, I learned to focus on the few people who are listening when the checks are dropped (usually females on a date because the guy is paying). I now just talk to them until I notice other people have started paying attention again, at which point I go back to actual jokes.

The 10:30 show

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

1m56s Just noticed that line gets a laugh when I put a big emphasis on the word “Facebook” (which makes sense)

2m16s Get rid of “Jenny likes this” or think of a stronger third punch line

3m02s The “by the way” messed up that punch line

3m44s I need to be more clear that I’m offering alternate suggestions

4m05s Instead of “I’m doing this” make the growling sound

4m20s Get rid of the New Jersey thing

4m59s Good job telling him how my mom is cooler than his date

5m49s Say “I don’t mean to give the game away” more slyly, like I did it by accident

6m37s It’s almost worse when my second to last punch line (“fanbase”) getting a great laugh and then my last line (“huge tubes”) gets nothing than when they both get no laughs

Overall: I worked out brand new stuff in front of a Friday night crowd, which I hadn’t had the balls to do before. The new joke isn’t as tight as it needs to be but it’s always good when a new joke at least partially works.