Since I've decided to use my blog space as a platform to let you all in on how my standup career is going, I figure i'll let you know how I did this past wednesday. I bombed. It is the most dreaded, expected, feared, and welcomed experience in a comedian's career. It happens in comedy. You go on stage, you tell your funny jokes and stories, and all of a sudden the tumbleweeds start rolling. This finally happened to me. It is very humbling. I could analyse and overanalyse why I bombed until I get blue in the face but nothing changed the fact that I bombed. There are one of two things I could do as a result, one is to give up on my standup career and just say it was shitty, or go the second (and best) route which is pick myself up, go out there again, and make them laugh again. I am going to bomb again. When and where it happens, I do not know. But every comedian bombs. When you look at two of the best in the business, I'll use George Carlin (50+ years in the business) and Jerry Seinfeld (30+ years) they still bomb Even Robin Williams still bombs. Seinfeld actually has loads of material on bombing. Yet theses guys still go up there and make them laugh. I'm still very muh new in comedy. So, it is kind of expected that I bomb. I'm developing and testing my material and refining my routine(s) to where I am comfortable and going with what can give me the most consistent laughs. That is how a career is made
and it takes years to build a career.
Freddy Prinze (Freddie Prinze Jr.'s dad who was a comedian to those who are unfamiliar with the elder prinze) bombed horribly his first time out on stage. He went to an open mic night at catch a rising star in NYC. This venue has produced many of the seasoned vets and still churns out great comedians (alumni include Richard Belzer, Jerry Seinfeld, the late Dennis Wolfberg, among many). Anyhow, Freddie Prinze had bombed so badly afer his first gig that he attempted suicide. I it weren't for a friend catching him in the last second to stop him, the world and prinze would hve never realised how funny of a many he was. Sadly, he did succeed in committing suicide in 1977, but it was not because he bombed on stage.
So, I'm going to go on stage Tuesday night in Baton Rouge, use some new material and some "older" stuff and hope to make them laugh.
I've realised, that some of the funniest material comes from my environs. I'll let you all know how it went and I'll keep trying to bust a nut to bust some guts.
Remember ladies to get a breast exam is good, if you let me examine them it's even better.
Gator