This was an open mic that had about 15 audience members. Coming off the stage I felt this was the worst set I had in a really long time, but let’s go to the video tape:
0m21s I should smile when I get up there. Don’t rush into the jokes so much.
0m34s Pause if they applaud so nobody misses the punchline.
0m44s This delivery needs to be “angrier”.
1m18s If I’m gonna say someone hates their dog, I should repeat what they say first, just so everyone hears it.
1m42s It’s much funnier when I have one hand cupped out in front of me like I’m holding the balls.
3m44s I should give a 5 word synopsis of the saw movies before doing this joke
4m21s Pause after “I believe in women’s rights.”
4m32s Change “you gotta see how long you can stay in” to “you gotta see how long you can hold on”
Overall: The video doesn’t make it seem as bad as it felt up there. I feel I could’ve gotten much bigger laughs from this crowd and as soon as I got off stage, I was wishing I could get up again.
I hosted an open mic. There were 5 audience members 3 of which sat 30 feet away from me all the way to the left, and the other 2 set 30 feet away all the way to the right. The audience was really good and attentive though.
0m27s When things are malfunctioning, just play along and don’t make a huge deal of it.
1m37s Crowd work can be hit or miss, I try to trust my instincts, but I’m still new, so it’s not always hits.
1m40s Proof that if you keep talking, something funny will eventually come out. This isn’t always true though.
3m50s Even with video, I’m not sure if I’m giving the same look every time. If I’m not, then it’s easy to figure out why it doesn’t always get laughs. If I do the same look every time, and it doesn’t always get laughs, something else is up, but I’m not sure what. I think I have the same tone on this joke every time.
4m42s I didn’t say “since my comedy career is going places” sarcastically enough. I should also change the sentence structure to: “I’ve been trying to come up with a good website name, because my comedy career is going places.”
6m10s Take a longer pause between “that takes” and “tubes”
6m54s Proof that if you keep talking, you’ll eventually remember what joke you wanted to do next.
7m45s Do more of an “act out” for the “that was my twin” line
8m10s Everything after the twin line needs to get cut.
8m13s This is an example of what to do when nobody laughs.
9m22s Hold that look for two more seconds, trust that the audience will laugh
I decided to do two more quick joke between comics.
0m39s Shouldn’t have my hand tucked in. I need to act this bit out stronger and a little over the top.
Overall: I thought I did pretty well with my crowd work and I trust this crowd to know what to remove the unneccessary bits from my facial recognition joke.
This was an open mic with 6 to 8 people in the audience.
0m53s I pointed to a specific couple when I said “whipped”. Not sure if that’s a good idea to do, but it seemed to get a laugh here.
1m55s I’m a fan of saying “I’ll pander to the crowd, I don’t give a shit.”
3m02s I thought I had five minutes, but got the light after three. At open mics, I’m not great with reacting when I don’t think I’m getting the amount of time I should be. It later turned out that this guy gives two minute warnings (for reasons unknown).
Overall: I enjoyed telling my pot joke. And I need to learn to not react when I get the light earlier (or later) than I’m expecting.
I had a guest spot in Washington, DC on a sold out pro show that featured Robin Montague and Kevin Lee. This was a Valentine’s Weekend special show. I went up between two comedians who’d done multiple television appearance. I loved it.
(The person who taped it didn’t realize he was taping sideways, and my video editing skills (or software) are lacking. If anyone can guide me through how to rotate the clip, I’d appreciate it — I have Windows Movie Maker 5.1 and Canon ImageMixer 3.)
0m38s I need to look at a specific person when I ask “Do you know why that is?”
1m25s I’m still trying to figure out why some audiences die at “some people don’t realize there’s some photos you don’t put there” and others are completely silent. It has to mean something in terms of what jokes that follow will or won’t work.
1m58s That was a great tone for “you hate your dog”.
2m48s This is one of the best reactions I’ve ever gotten at this part.
2m53s I love how the guy taping me starts to comment on it.
4m19s I didn’t have a good follow up yet, so I did a little dance. Better than a dear in headlights look.
4m40s Video evidence that if I pause long enough for this joke, they will laugh.
5m16s I didn’t say “actually” the best way that I could.
6m53s Good recovery after two straight jokes bombed.
6m58s But I don’t adjust and go into my third economy joke. I should’ve known better and moved into different material.
7m40s In addition to my earlier note about doing the pole grind for longer, I should just do it instead of describing it. And try to combine it with the crazy sounds, all without words.
8m03s I was supposed to do a “tight five minute set” but I didn’t get the light until 7 minutes, so I didn’t close on my regular closer, but I’m not complaining about the extra time.
Overall: I think my first 5 minutes were solid, but I lost the audience somewhere after that. Most likely at the “still won’t blow you” punch line. This is obvious, but doing sold out or packed shows is so much better than doing 5 or 10 person rooms. I also need to keep working on my subway joke. I may even want to consider turning it into a bus joke, since most of the country doesn’t have subways.
This is the second straight sold out show I did on valentine’s day. I went first this time, right after the host.
1m07s Put my hand to my eyes before I start asking “who is that…”
2m31s I keep forgetting to do this. If I get off track talking to an audience member, I need to go back a line and repeat it, or else my punch line falls flat.
3m03s I love it when that line kills so much that I have to start walking around to let everyone laugh comfortably.
4m27s Just like in my previous critique, I need to have a good response ready.
4m41s I didn’t have enough time to do the full dating personalities bit, so I cut out some parts. Knowing thatI was cutting “the dinner girl”, I should’ve just went from “She’s homeless now” to “I met a new dating personality, the snuggle slut” without all the words in between.
5m19s I need to say “everyone in New York” in a more surprised manner.
Overall: When you go first, it’s harder to expect to kill the whole set as people are still ordering drinks, etc. (Although Seinfeld would still kill.) As long as you get some laughs on every joke, and a big laugh in one or two places, you’re doing pretty well. I really need to remember to rewind to my setups if I start talking to audience members, so that my punch lines don’t lose their punch when the audience forgets what I was talking about.
