My mom used to tell me to choose my profession carefully, as I’d spend a disproportionate amount of my waking hours with those people.
Engineering, law and finance tends to attract very different personalities than comedy. “Working professionals” aren’t trying to find their voice, they’re trying to make their voice shut up so they can get through the work day. Which is why, after a while, all those lawyers and consultants start to look and sound the same. Same questions, same responses, no depth, only surface. Every comedian I’ve ever come across has a different set of neuroses that they don’t try to hide. I love learning about these “ticks” off stage as much as on stage.
So yes, my favorite part of stand up is hanging out with other comics after the show… I’m not sure if this means anything. Maybe I should be on the producer/manager/agent side. Maybe I just need a more interesting day job…