Comedy Update

Hey to everyone who gets bored and read this, it's been a while since I've blogged. I wanted to give everyone a quick update on what's happening with my comedy career. Absolutely nothing. No really I can't say that. Next week is my gig at the Irvine Improv. I'm really looking forward to it. I'll be opening up for Daniel Tosh, one of my favorite comics. It should be a fun time and defintely a learning experience.

Other than that, I really haven't been up to much the last couple of weeks. I haven't hit the open mics like I once did. Reason being is I've been busy working on the house. That's taken up a lot of my time. I've been doing a lot of painting, etc. Ah the joys of home ownership.

I was at the Westport Funny Bone for their last two open mics. Two weeks ago when I performed, my set was brutal. The audience hated me from the get go and it didn't stop until I was done. Normally I let that stuff bother me, but that night I chalked it up to the fact that it just wasn't my crowd. I did material I know works and they weren't buying it, so f___ them. Normally I don't like to blame the audience but sooner or later I need to start developing the confidence I'm good at this or I'll never get anywhere. Last Tuesday I didn't get on but stayed to watch the show. Tell you what, there are some really good young comics here in St. Louis, guys who have a really good chance of breaking through, like John Doelling, Andy Fassen and Mike Stranze. Lump them in with more established acts like Greg Warren, Tommy Johnagin, Andi Smith, Jeremy Essig, Arvin Mitchell, Jammer Bicks and Mark Morfey and St. Louis is truely a hot bed for comedy.

I'll post about my week in Irvine when I get back. Thanks for reading.

Palm Trees and Reflection (Yeah I know it sounds gay)

Well where do I start? It's been a while since I've blogged. During that time I've had several "comedy related" happenings.

First, as some of you might've figured out by now, I did not win the contest at the Forum. If I had, my insecure ego would've been bragging about it right after I won. Hell I'd probably bring my computer to the show and start blogging right after they called my name. Well it wasn't meant to be. It's ok, I'm over the hurt. Actually my set, though solid, wasn't as strong as it was in the semifinals. The three comics who placed all had strong sets and deserved to advance, so I wasn't too disappointed. Elsa came out with a bunch of our friends, so it was nice to have the support. It sounded like they all had a good time and that's what's important.

Last week I was in Tampa, hosting a week at the Improv. I had a great time. The headliner was John Heffron and the feature was Tracy Ashley. Both were very nice and they absolutely killed all week. While I was down there, I got to see my best friend Greg and his wife. They came out to a couple of my shows with some friends. I also got a chance to see a couple of friends of mine from Saint Louis who now live in Ft. Lauderdale. They came all the way out to see me perform which meant a lot.

I learned a lot last week. I felt I did a real nice job. I held my own and defintely came out of the week a stronger comic. When I asked Greg how he thought I did, he said "You honestly made me laugh, I didn't even have to fake it." Ladies and gentlemen, enough said. It's obvious based on that comment, I'm destined to get my own show. No really, I was very happy with the job I did. That's saying a lot because I'm never happy with the way I perform. I taped the last show and am hoping to get some clips out on my site real soon.

One thing I had to finally deal with, is my insane habit of comparing myself to comics who've been doing this a hell of a lot longer than I have. Case in point, if I'm on the bill with a 10-15 year headliner and a feature who's been doing comedy for 7-8 years, I still feel like I need to have the best set out of all of us. Which my friends is just plain nuts. I've only been doing this seriously for two and half years. I need to compare myself to comics who are on the same level and not ones who have three to five times more experience. It takes time to develop as a comic and while I'm doing it, I need to enjoy the ride. This past week I took a break from watching one of the comics, looked around the club, and soaked in the fact that I was actually getting paid to work the Improv. I dreamt about performing there and made it a reality. If I don't appreciate that, then why the hell am I doing this in the first place?

The reality is I've been very fortunate as a young comic. My first paying gig at a comedy club was at Gotham in NYC. My first week on the road was at the Tampa Improv. In less than a year after pursuing comedy seriously, I got in the "New Comics" competition at the NY Underground Comedy Festival. In all instances, I've had opportunities to perform at some of the best clubs in the country and share the same bill with some terrific comics who've been doing this a lot longer than I have. In return I've really gotten stronger as a comic. I need to appreciate how far I've come in such little time, rather than beat myself up because I'm not at the same level as a headliner who's been doing this for 10-15 years.

God I feel like Stuart Smalley right now. This is so f____n' pathetic.