Comedy Is Weird

Every time I go see stand up I always like the comics who tell jokes, but don't mind stopping their planned set to talk to people in the audience or acknowledge something else that is going on in the room. Last night I basically went into a 4 minute open mic with about 1-1.5 minutes of a very rough joke planned. I didn't bother to refine and edit this joke because I've told it about 100 times over the course of my life and people always laugh and so I was sure it'd work, get everybody in the crowd to like me and I'd be able t move on to use the last 3 minutes to get to know my new friends in the audience.

This joke, which kills in everyday laugh, hardly got smiles. I am not one of those comics who is so nervous on stage they stare at their feet and so while making eye contact with audience members its a strange feeling to have people look at you so blankly while telling a joke. Should I stop half way through? Should I press on and hope that it gets better? Should I cry? All of these options run through my head as people are not laughing.

Then, at a part of the joke that I don't find the least bit funny but simply links to another part, everybody in the crowd laughs. Really? I think to myself and also ask out loud. That's the part you guys thought were funny? And then they laugh at my surprised response to their laughter and they're back on my side. This awareness for what else is going on in the room is what I was hoping for out of last nights set. So, maybe my joke was stupid but maybe it worked out anyway?

But that's the weird thing about stand up. You can prepare and rehearse and start your set with material that you think is solid gold and sometimes it kills and sometimes it bombs. Sometimes the same jokes that got crickets on Wednesday gets laughs on Friday. It really makes no sense and is incredibly confusing for a comic. Especially a comic that over thinks everything like I do. The best you can do is try and write the best jokes you can and then hope for the best?

I gotta go move my car for street sweeping.