Sean Gardner at the open mic last night had a great bit. He explains that he is an alcoholic, because he hangs out in a lot of bars, and thus, his comedy is inspired by alcohol. So he brings up a tall boy of Miller High Life and places it on a chair in front of him, and does a ventriloquist act with it. In all, it was hilarious. It also brings up a good point. Last night, during the open mic and the Ultimate Experts meeting, I drank quite a bit. In total, three Pabst Blue Ribbons and three Miller High Life tall boys. Does alcohol affect my comedy? I usually have a beer before I go on stage. Sort of relaxes me, and allows me to remove the guards that I have placed around me. The last thing you want to be when on stage is guarded. The next to last thing you want to be on stage is drunk, so I keep it to just one beer before a set. I've seen comics collapsing on stage or just yelling at the audience. I don't want to be in a position where I get belligerent, though in my life, I have never gotten belligerent while I was drunk. I'm quite friendly when drunk, but I also believe I'm wittier than I am. These two things lead to some really annoying conversations where I'm the obnoxious one. But I'm never mean.
Well, the meeting last night was a success. Our skits are really forming into something funny. And, as always, it's fun just to hang out with the gang and catch up on each others lives and careers. Tonight, we see Joe, and hopefully will get some more practice on the trains.
I wrote a new joke on the way to the mic after I saw a sign advertising Puerto Rican Day. It went over well, so I just need to develop it a bit more. Of course, this joke will only work in New York right now, so I need to play around and rewrite so that it can become more universal. Also, did my "dream that makes your therapist quit the profession" bit that fell apart when the speaker starting hissing. It was the first time I'd even been heckled by a speaker and for some reason, it threw me off. Finished with a newly rewritten old bit about porn and its lack of production values. I like the premise, I'm just having trouble with keeping it from become hacky. But I want to throw a new spin on an old concept. It stays within my character who is someone who lets movies dictate his life. Some of it is sublime, but other elements of it definitely swim in the waters of the hack shark. But I'm still developing.
Called head shot guy, didn't get a response yet. Also started working on my business cards. I have some graphic designer friends who I hope will give me valuable advice. I will get these cards made after I get my head shots so I can put my fascinating mug on the back. I hope my mug is fascinating.
Today, I will go through and call other head shot people on the list of numbers I've acquired from others. I'd rather do this main one since it is trade and doesn't require money for someone who is a professional in the business for 20 years. But I can't put all my eggs in one basket so the smart thing to do is move forward. Stay tuned.
P.S. June 14 is Puerto Rican Day or as I like to call it, Arthur Will Be in Long Island Day. I'm all for cultural heritage celebration but I don't think it has to be so loud. Nothing should be loud on a Sunday. The best cultural heritage celebration should be, "Hey, nice flag." "Oh, thanks." and we're done.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
A change.
A slight snag in the plans already. It's amazing that it didn't take long before I already had to make a few changes in my plans. The important thing is to not lose focus, no matter what.
I was not able to get a hold of the head shot guy. The plan is to help him edit a project and in return, I get his photographic services. Jill, the woman whose documentary I'm currently editing, will apply my makeup on the day I choose to go forward with the shoot. But first, I have to contact him. Unfortunately, by the time I got his number, Jill told me that he tends to go to bed early. Thus, the call will wait until tomorrow. I'll let you know how that goes when it goes.
Tonight is devoted to learning my lines for the show on Saturday. This week, I will play a boyfriend, a voiceover, a woman, and a filmmaker. So, I need to get these lines memorized. Also worked on rewriting new lines to the skit that I wrote. I love doing the sketch stuff. I have a terrific troupe filled with three close friends. We get the chance to play around, try to make each other laugh, and have our own mini-party, right on stage. And people come and watch.
I'm not what you would call someone who needs to be the center of attention. At a party, I'm okay not being in the middle, sort of lurking on the outskirts. I like to blend in within a crowd, become a chameleon within a party. It's strange that I love being on stage. I crave to hear the sound of laughter, or even the sound of crying, or even the sound of boos. I love to get a reaction, to know that something I did would stick in someone else's mind. And I like to blend in within my troupe, because when one of us makes the audience laugh, we've all succeeded. I need that reaction.
I want to develop my character using this blog. I'll get into that more in the future. This week, I think is going to be a lot of stuff with the Experts. On Wednesday, instead of doing a mic, I am going to visit fellow Expert, Joe Powers. It will be the first time the entire troupe went to see him at the rehabilitation facility. Back in August of 2008, Joe fell two and a half stories and has been working to get through his rehab since then. On the trip, we plan to rehearse our lines on the train. That's something I've done with Sue before, and again, it was great seeing the response from the passengers. Wednesday is going to be an awesome chance to do that, especially since the train ride is over an hour long and our scripts are not what you would call "suitable for all audiences."
Tomorrow, I have to call the head shot guy, contact a friend about possible open mic opportunities, and research and design some business cards for comedy. Stay tuned.
P.S. Writing this while Andrea watches The Bachelorette in the background. Nobody told me that living with a woman meant I had to watch a lot of reality shows. Can't wait for Top Chef Masters. Thanks, Andrea.
I was not able to get a hold of the head shot guy. The plan is to help him edit a project and in return, I get his photographic services. Jill, the woman whose documentary I'm currently editing, will apply my makeup on the day I choose to go forward with the shoot. But first, I have to contact him. Unfortunately, by the time I got his number, Jill told me that he tends to go to bed early. Thus, the call will wait until tomorrow. I'll let you know how that goes when it goes.
Tonight is devoted to learning my lines for the show on Saturday. This week, I will play a boyfriend, a voiceover, a woman, and a filmmaker. So, I need to get these lines memorized. Also worked on rewriting new lines to the skit that I wrote. I love doing the sketch stuff. I have a terrific troupe filled with three close friends. We get the chance to play around, try to make each other laugh, and have our own mini-party, right on stage. And people come and watch.
I'm not what you would call someone who needs to be the center of attention. At a party, I'm okay not being in the middle, sort of lurking on the outskirts. I like to blend in within a crowd, become a chameleon within a party. It's strange that I love being on stage. I crave to hear the sound of laughter, or even the sound of crying, or even the sound of boos. I love to get a reaction, to know that something I did would stick in someone else's mind. And I like to blend in within my troupe, because when one of us makes the audience laugh, we've all succeeded. I need that reaction.
I want to develop my character using this blog. I'll get into that more in the future. This week, I think is going to be a lot of stuff with the Experts. On Wednesday, instead of doing a mic, I am going to visit fellow Expert, Joe Powers. It will be the first time the entire troupe went to see him at the rehabilitation facility. Back in August of 2008, Joe fell two and a half stories and has been working to get through his rehab since then. On the trip, we plan to rehearse our lines on the train. That's something I've done with Sue before, and again, it was great seeing the response from the passengers. Wednesday is going to be an awesome chance to do that, especially since the train ride is over an hour long and our scripts are not what you would call "suitable for all audiences."
Tomorrow, I have to call the head shot guy, contact a friend about possible open mic opportunities, and research and design some business cards for comedy. Stay tuned.
P.S. Writing this while Andrea watches The Bachelorette in the background. Nobody told me that living with a woman meant I had to watch a lot of reality shows. Can't wait for Top Chef Masters. Thanks, Andrea.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
What is This All About?
That's a good question, title.
After sitting around and making promises to myself - the ones that say I'm going to follow my dreams, I've decided to, well, follow my dreams. I'm not setting out to be famous. That's not the essence of what I want out of life. What I want to do is have a sustainable career as a comic. Currently, I have a solid day job, working as a video editor. I have a job working within a creative field that allows me to stretch my creative muscles. But I want more than just sitting behind a computer and piecing together other people's visions. I have my own, and I want to express that. I love comedy, and appreciate stand up as an incredible art form - one that I want to pursue seriously as a career.
The thing is I'm getting old. The older you get, the more you start to think about giving up on your dreams. I'm certainly not new to comedy. I did my first open mic way back in 2001, but I wasn't serious about it. It was more of a hobby. Even when I moved to New York, I focused more on working in production, keeping the comedy as a side project that I'd do for fun. But then, things changed. Suddenly, I saw comedy as the field I wanted to be a part of. And over the last three years, it wasn't a hobby anymore, but something to pursue, to develop, to excel. Yet mostly, I have sat on my hands and watched others succeed. No more. I need to get away from the hand sitting (makes your hands fall asleep).
I'm a decent comic. I get the laughs I want while up on stage. That's the great thing about this business - instant gratification. As an editor, I can wait a long time before I get any feedback on my work. During a set, I know as soon as I have finished a joke or a set if it will work. It's alive, always changing. It creates an energy inside me that can no longer be relegated to a hobby, but rather a need. Not to sound cliche (though I am certainly about to with a lead in like that), but it is my life, my calling. I know that I can be more than a "decent comic." Without a doubt, I can get better by having more stage time, getting out there . I want what many want: to be a successful comic.
So, what is this all about? Well, title of this blog entry, I am going to document my next year as I move to seriously pursue comedy. I'm setting mini goals for myself and plan to document my progress. It doesn't matter if anyone reads this. I discovered I lost a lot of weight doing weight watchers because it forces you to log and keep track of progress. Thus, this blog will help me keep a record of my goals, and also, keep me diligent about accomplishing those goals.
As of now, I have an audition at Comic Strip Live on August 11. I need to develop my set, create a tight five minutes, and introduce an audience to my character. I need stage time to get out there and wrestle my living creation and hone it into something memorable.
My goal this week is to get me some head shots. I have a great opportunity to get them made by a guy who does head shots of some big name actors. I don't drop names, so I won't here. Also, I plan on seeing as many shows as I can over the week, as well as find a couple of open mics to perform. I want to do a minimum of 3 open mics a week. Anything less is unacceptable. And I will keep a tab on where I go, and what I see.
Also, this week I have a show at the Producers Club with the sketch group I'm a member of: The Ultimate Experts. So, I have a lot of rehearsing (and a lot of line memorization) to deal with this week. I love the group, especially as we are consistently great support for each other. All four of us, with our own career paths, are stand up comics. The show is an awesome way to be creative and play with the art of comedy.
Okay, this is what I've set down for myself. And I've given myself a year to complete all my goals. Plans will change, but I will stay focused on that goal. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm hoping it's not the L train. I'm going for broke, or will be broke for going. Or in Brooklyn.
Stay tuned.
My cat and I making plans for the future.
After sitting around and making promises to myself - the ones that say I'm going to follow my dreams, I've decided to, well, follow my dreams. I'm not setting out to be famous. That's not the essence of what I want out of life. What I want to do is have a sustainable career as a comic. Currently, I have a solid day job, working as a video editor. I have a job working within a creative field that allows me to stretch my creative muscles. But I want more than just sitting behind a computer and piecing together other people's visions. I have my own, and I want to express that. I love comedy, and appreciate stand up as an incredible art form - one that I want to pursue seriously as a career.
The thing is I'm getting old. The older you get, the more you start to think about giving up on your dreams. I'm certainly not new to comedy. I did my first open mic way back in 2001, but I wasn't serious about it. It was more of a hobby. Even when I moved to New York, I focused more on working in production, keeping the comedy as a side project that I'd do for fun. But then, things changed. Suddenly, I saw comedy as the field I wanted to be a part of. And over the last three years, it wasn't a hobby anymore, but something to pursue, to develop, to excel. Yet mostly, I have sat on my hands and watched others succeed. No more. I need to get away from the hand sitting (makes your hands fall asleep).
I'm a decent comic. I get the laughs I want while up on stage. That's the great thing about this business - instant gratification. As an editor, I can wait a long time before I get any feedback on my work. During a set, I know as soon as I have finished a joke or a set if it will work. It's alive, always changing. It creates an energy inside me that can no longer be relegated to a hobby, but rather a need. Not to sound cliche (though I am certainly about to with a lead in like that), but it is my life, my calling. I know that I can be more than a "decent comic." Without a doubt, I can get better by having more stage time, getting out there . I want what many want: to be a successful comic.
So, what is this all about? Well, title of this blog entry, I am going to document my next year as I move to seriously pursue comedy. I'm setting mini goals for myself and plan to document my progress. It doesn't matter if anyone reads this. I discovered I lost a lot of weight doing weight watchers because it forces you to log and keep track of progress. Thus, this blog will help me keep a record of my goals, and also, keep me diligent about accomplishing those goals.
As of now, I have an audition at Comic Strip Live on August 11. I need to develop my set, create a tight five minutes, and introduce an audience to my character. I need stage time to get out there and wrestle my living creation and hone it into something memorable.
My goal this week is to get me some head shots. I have a great opportunity to get them made by a guy who does head shots of some big name actors. I don't drop names, so I won't here. Also, I plan on seeing as many shows as I can over the week, as well as find a couple of open mics to perform. I want to do a minimum of 3 open mics a week. Anything less is unacceptable. And I will keep a tab on where I go, and what I see.
Also, this week I have a show at the Producers Club with the sketch group I'm a member of: The Ultimate Experts. So, I have a lot of rehearsing (and a lot of line memorization) to deal with this week. I love the group, especially as we are consistently great support for each other. All four of us, with our own career paths, are stand up comics. The show is an awesome way to be creative and play with the art of comedy.
Okay, this is what I've set down for myself. And I've given myself a year to complete all my goals. Plans will change, but I will stay focused on that goal. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm hoping it's not the L train. I'm going for broke, or will be broke for going. Or in Brooklyn.
Stay tuned.
My cat and I making plans for the future.
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