Death calling!Rick is busy trying to qualify for the bar exam. It is a three day affair and I assume it is grueling. And I still think that my six minutes on stage yesterday was more painful.
I was at the Underground Lounge for the weekly open mic. Once again I didn’t get there by 8:30, so when I arrived over 20 people had already signed up. I had contacted the producer in advance, so I wasn’t going to have to go last, but I was going to have to wait until 12 people had already gone.
Needless to say, my set didn’t go well. I didn’t do any new material, so I was going with reliable stuff, and I couldn’t have dragged a laugh out of this crowd with pliers. Its a pity, because early in the night, the crowd was really responsive. Two comics in particular, Vito Lantz and Pete Holmes, both had great sets. The crowd responded enthusiastically to their material and I was hoping that energy would carry. Alas, there was over 30 minutes between their set and mine. The music in the interim wasn’t as good this week as last and as the crowd dwindled the energy disappeared. By the time I took the stage, the crowd remaining was drained, most of the people that had already performed had taken off and I’ve seen better moods at a funeral.
I didn’t help matters by tripping over the table (and dumping my fresh drink on the floor) as I got up to perform. My delivery was flat, but I can’t help but think that I was reflecting the flat looks that I was getting back. I did get a (barely detectable) laugh out of the new end of the Orbitz joke that bombed so dramatically on Saturday, so that was nice, I guess.
Lemons can be made from this lemonade, however. I am planning on producing my own open mic here in Brooklyn in the next few months. There are a few bars that I think would be receptive to it, and there are plenty of comics that live in Brooklyn - I think they would be excited to be able to perform without having to haul themselves into Manhattan. Pete Holmes, for one, lives in Park Slope and seemed excited about the prospect when I mentioned it to him. If my bad performance last night was the price I pay to get a show I run off the ground, that was a small price.
I left the club and headed down to the Blue Parrot, but that is another post entirely.
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