I'm a little late this fortnight in reaching for my laptop (I can't afford an IPad I'm a comedian for gods sake I can barely afford food) but this is a good thing as I have once again forced myself to write and found I'm a little better at it when I'm both on a deadline and a touch angry.
My anger has come from a number of things that have left me wondering if I'm just wrong and should shut up or if I'm right and should scream louder.
Anger is a great source of entertainment in a kind of morbid curiosity way, you want to see what's gone wrong much like when there has been a car crash on the motorway you have to have a look and sit back thinking that would never happen to you, so I will write about my anger and as readers you can decide if I'm angry for nothing or if I'm right to feel a little annoyed at the world.
Let's start with the reason I am writing to a deadline , well I have a solo show that is an hour long and is going on a mini tour, it was not my idea to try this but now I'm doing it I'm going for it properly, so to hear people at a similar level to me in the comedy world scoff that I'm not ready for this and should not be doing it has not bothered me too much (yeah you thought that was the anger part coming up)
The reason it hasn't bothered me is because a number of acts deflect from their own insecurities by pulling apart other peoples attempts to achieve something. It's only a small number that do this but they stick out like a sore thumb and it's frustrating. To be fair though, comedy brings some very deluded people out and they can do things badly which can damage the scene slightly so the self policing has it's uses, I just wish people did not use the one upmanship that they do although it is not the source of my anger. No the part of this that angered me was that some acts feel it is ok to talk to someone like shit just because they disagree with them. It's a world of ego's and character traits that makes comedians believe that they are above everyone in some cases (again a small amount but it's those that stand out)
One thing I see is acts using social media to belittle things that other acts do, this is covering up insecurities and creating an appearance that the act does not care about how well they are doing when of course they do but they may fail and admitting they were trying in the 1at place when they have failed is defeat to them.... STOP IT! Please just stop it (I was one of the people doing this but I have altered my stance and yes I'm trying really hard and it will hurt if I fail but I'm human I might fail... In fact statistics don't look good for me but I'm still trying!
So the way some acts are with each other has angered me, another thing that has caused me some anger is the way people treat each other. It's nothing new it's just something I am allowing to effect (or affect my English skills are not what they should be) me more maybe as I'm older. I'll start with my own personality, I used to be homophobic, sexist, racist with an air of snobbery and those were just my good traits! In some ways I still am as I'm a white middle class straight male so when I meet gay people, black people, women and those deemed poorer than me (I'm pretty poor but I have so much that others don't) I still think of them for the labels that they have placed on them although only in small quantities.
Now the bigotry in my head at school age very quickly left me and I have learnt not to be a total prick, but I see it everywhere and becoming a comedian has made me view the world differently meaning I read more into it. I play football for a gay friendly team, I'm one of only 5 straight guys from around 30 in the team and I went to Edinburgh to play an away match with them last week, we stayed in Edinburgh overnight and went out but as I'm skint I went home at midnight earlier than almost everyone else. When I got back to the hotel I had to be allowed into my room by the concierge as the guy I was sharing with was still out, the co concierge asked me if I'd had a good night and wher I had been, I said Habanas, CC's a d players thinking nothing of it and his face dropped, he muttered oh right the gay bars then.... It's this reaction that happens to so many gay men and women meaning they can feel inferior and it's deeply upsetting, but who am I to be upset by it? I had one small taste of this and I am able to get on with my life not subjected to hatred or even a lack of understanding not born out of hate but equally difficult to experience , I see a woman and still think about her as an object of desire for just a second or 2, it's insane but I do it, I treat women with as much respect as I can and when we talk about women in comedy I just think of them as comedians, good or bad comedians are not determined by gender, I would not judge a woman on her gender without seeing her ability to do anything that she may be capable of, perhaps my wording there is not ideal but what I'm saying is I know I view women as equal, yet I still see an attractive girl and think about her looks 1st. Race is different, I see black or Asian people no differently to anyone yet a thought in my head always niggles at me that I should be careful not to say anything racist.... So in thinking that I'm not treating this human, this person who is before me the same way I would a white person.... Aaaaaghhhhh what's going on in my mind.
There is a comedian from London, he happens to be black and his stage name is simply Russ, his Facebook name is Russ Monkeywithagunn! I have no idea why because I was too mortified to ask him when upon meeting him I walked over and went "hey, you're that Monkeywithagunn aren't you?" ... 2 passers by turned gobsmacked to see how this blantant racial attack would wind up and only then did I realise what I'd said as he shook my hand and just said yeah that's me..... But in my head I was overplaying it and I had to get away quickly... I need to stop thinking like this. I'm angry because I can't stop seeing the injustice and I'm fucking part of it! I listened to comedians comedian podcast as I always do and I heard Susan Calman break down in tears at some of her experiences and it melted me, I wanted to just cuddle her and say it's ok (she asked Stu for hug in the end and it was oddly beautiful) I have it easy being a straight, white, middle class male.
It's easy yet I'm angry, channel 4 have angered me too, I need say little but benefit street is a show where they picked the worst examples of people on benefits, benefits that so many people need to get by, to eat, to cloth themselves. Viewers who may need benefits in the future now see it as shameful and call those who claim benefits scum, they judge everyone by the extreme example shown on TV, I'm angry because since starting comedy I notice this more and I want to change the world then I look at myself doing things that I deem will make people laugh, I hear the criticicsm from a small pool of my peers and I feel utterly worthless, and this angers me. I read that comedians are all
Broken, that the successful ones display psychotic behavior, it's nonesense, the world outside of comedy is broken we just don't always see it because deep down everyone wants a happy life even if they display signs of bigotry or intolerance, I'm angry because when someone is bigoted there is no way I can approach them and make them understand why it is not how they should live. Who am I to even begin to try explain anything to anyone, I'm guilty same as many other people sharing this planet with billions of other people who may be different but are essentially all the same, I'm angry because I started out the year feeling I should become a better comedian and 2 weeks in I feel like I need to become a better man 1st. I say all this and yet I'm not even sure what will change in me, I will still go out there and try make people laugh, taking advantage of being white, straight, middle class and male wether I mean to or not. I just hope I can make sense of life and maybe twist it into at the least a good funny 5 mins that maybe shows me in a good light and not this dark place I feel I'm in at the moment.
Oh, don't worry though. I realise that may have ended a bit deep, I'm ok though, I mean. I just burnt my hand on the George foreman while making a toastie, and the toastie has cheese in it so I may have nightmares.... But I'm ok, I'm just angry that my brain is full so of this need to not treat people badly that I'm treating people badly! I may try a lighter post next time! For now confused angry comedy writing... Let's see what I produce!
Saturday, 25 January 2014
Tuesday, 7 January 2014
A tight 10
I had wanted to talk about gong shows a little in this blog as I am back taking part in them to ease some new stuff into my set and also re introduce some older bits that work in a more low brow way.
There is no need for me to say much about gong shows really as one of my peers Jay Islaam has written a superb blog about the gong shows and I urge anyone who is reading this that has not read Jay's piece please do, it leaves me needing to say nothing about the gong show other than I will be taking part in a few this year as I work on little new elements to my set and try up my laughs per minute.
So what can I talk about?? well I will talk about being self aware is a subject I think that new comedians need to think about, what is being self aware? I often though that being aware of what I write was my strength but I'm not even sure I am clued up as to how poor my quality control may be?
I'm still a new act less than 2 years since I started performing, although thanks to a hugely busy August, September, October and November I shot past my gig target which I guess ages me as a comedian, that said, London acts scoff at my gig rate I'm sure.
I'm lucky to be in a position where I am able to gig a lot, but what is the point in gigging every other night if I can't look at myself and be critical. when I say critical I mean I mean in a constructive sense as its pointless just hating everything although characteristic of a lot of acts to be eternally self critical and not just in their work. I don't wish to dwell on the state of mind of acts as I could only really talk from my own personal experiences so to stay on topic I want to look at myself as an act. I have written hours of stuff, hours of awful stuff to get minutes of less awful stuff, I have such poor quality control but I spent 3 months watching new act nights before I 1st took to the stage back in March 2012, I saw what audiences seemed to like a tailored my writing to that, I totally forgot the 6 years of monthly pro nights I ran or the hundreds of pro nights I attended and all the brilliant acts I saw I just focused on what the audiences liked at these amateur nights and wrote to a style. This style works to a degree, I learnt how to be funny, how to use the mic and how to conduct myself on stage and off even. All this is well and good but to move through the ranks you have to identify what would work an a pro night to a more knowledgeable comedy crowd, I mean why don't open spots laugh at other open spots? because they are secretly hoping all other open spots are rubbish to clear the way for them to success? maybe but mainly because they can see the punchlines coming and the reason? because they themselves are connoisseurs and most open spots haven't yet identified the stuff that needs to be dumped and how to evolve. I haven't, i hate that but I'm trying so hard to move into the quality of stuff that makes me an in demand act. The fact I'm aware I need to work harder on material this year does not make me self aware, I have been asked to take my 1st attempt at a solo show on a mini tour. Now why would an act at my level even have a solo show? writing a quality routines is hard, writing a 20 min set very hard, so writing an hour? at my level? well be honest with yourself Jim it will not be very good, in fact I knew this so opted to only do 45 mins. This is a tall order for a new act yet I wanted to see if I could manage it.
As it happens when I watched the video back there was a very passable 25 mins. 25 mins that is passable is hardly Edinburgh worthy but at least I know and taking the show on this mini tour (small venues in Leeds Hudds Donny and Blackburn) is more a case of me trying to make it a solid enough show to go to Edinburgh.
So how much self awareness am I showing? i'm not sure but i'm at least trying to ensure some kind of quality, but another issue is the idea that I have 20 mins when the reality is that its heavily convoluted and actually only a 10 min set in reality, don't tell people you have 20 if you haven't identified that your set needs tightening.
I'm not saying this to be critical of open spots or newer acts, just that the idea they may not be aware of things that are in need of a touch up.
There are a few other things that could fall into self awareness category. A lot of acts think having 10 mins means they should prepare a 10 min set and finish the set even if audience interaction or something else means that 10 mins are up before they have finished all the prepared set. Just stick to your time even if you haven't got it all out going to 12 mins is not fair if acts later need to cut their set down. Oh and a tight 10 is not getting off stage at bang on 10 mins, its having a lot of jokes and quality stuff in your 10 mins.
Also new act who take on MC duties but make the night about themselves in many ways, they fail to spot when the audience are laughing and its prime to get an act on and feel the need to do 'stuff' between every act, don't get the acts on to a warm audience or just go on too long this another thing I feel a little self awareness would resolve. Especially as the MC is the most important act in many ways, a discussion for another post perhaps.
Acts who are edgy, dark or dirty don't have to shock people either, if that is the direction you want to go then fine, but you are not going to be Frankie Boyle, Anthony Jeselnik or Jim Jefffries straight away so maybe just reel it in a little 1st and learn the how to make people like you 1st so you have some control before going on the offensive!
I believe everyone, no matter what level you are at, how poor or great your writing and how poor or great your performing is, can make themselves a quality act if they just have a little self awareness, sadly not enough acts do and that may be all that is holding them back.
There is no need for me to say much about gong shows really as one of my peers Jay Islaam has written a superb blog about the gong shows and I urge anyone who is reading this that has not read Jay's piece please do, it leaves me needing to say nothing about the gong show other than I will be taking part in a few this year as I work on little new elements to my set and try up my laughs per minute.
So what can I talk about?? well I will talk about being self aware is a subject I think that new comedians need to think about, what is being self aware? I often though that being aware of what I write was my strength but I'm not even sure I am clued up as to how poor my quality control may be?
I'm still a new act less than 2 years since I started performing, although thanks to a hugely busy August, September, October and November I shot past my gig target which I guess ages me as a comedian, that said, London acts scoff at my gig rate I'm sure.
I'm lucky to be in a position where I am able to gig a lot, but what is the point in gigging every other night if I can't look at myself and be critical. when I say critical I mean I mean in a constructive sense as its pointless just hating everything although characteristic of a lot of acts to be eternally self critical and not just in their work. I don't wish to dwell on the state of mind of acts as I could only really talk from my own personal experiences so to stay on topic I want to look at myself as an act. I have written hours of stuff, hours of awful stuff to get minutes of less awful stuff, I have such poor quality control but I spent 3 months watching new act nights before I 1st took to the stage back in March 2012, I saw what audiences seemed to like a tailored my writing to that, I totally forgot the 6 years of monthly pro nights I ran or the hundreds of pro nights I attended and all the brilliant acts I saw I just focused on what the audiences liked at these amateur nights and wrote to a style. This style works to a degree, I learnt how to be funny, how to use the mic and how to conduct myself on stage and off even. All this is well and good but to move through the ranks you have to identify what would work an a pro night to a more knowledgeable comedy crowd, I mean why don't open spots laugh at other open spots? because they are secretly hoping all other open spots are rubbish to clear the way for them to success? maybe but mainly because they can see the punchlines coming and the reason? because they themselves are connoisseurs and most open spots haven't yet identified the stuff that needs to be dumped and how to evolve. I haven't, i hate that but I'm trying so hard to move into the quality of stuff that makes me an in demand act. The fact I'm aware I need to work harder on material this year does not make me self aware, I have been asked to take my 1st attempt at a solo show on a mini tour. Now why would an act at my level even have a solo show? writing a quality routines is hard, writing a 20 min set very hard, so writing an hour? at my level? well be honest with yourself Jim it will not be very good, in fact I knew this so opted to only do 45 mins. This is a tall order for a new act yet I wanted to see if I could manage it.
As it happens when I watched the video back there was a very passable 25 mins. 25 mins that is passable is hardly Edinburgh worthy but at least I know and taking the show on this mini tour (small venues in Leeds Hudds Donny and Blackburn) is more a case of me trying to make it a solid enough show to go to Edinburgh.
So how much self awareness am I showing? i'm not sure but i'm at least trying to ensure some kind of quality, but another issue is the idea that I have 20 mins when the reality is that its heavily convoluted and actually only a 10 min set in reality, don't tell people you have 20 if you haven't identified that your set needs tightening.
I'm not saying this to be critical of open spots or newer acts, just that the idea they may not be aware of things that are in need of a touch up.
There are a few other things that could fall into self awareness category. A lot of acts think having 10 mins means they should prepare a 10 min set and finish the set even if audience interaction or something else means that 10 mins are up before they have finished all the prepared set. Just stick to your time even if you haven't got it all out going to 12 mins is not fair if acts later need to cut their set down. Oh and a tight 10 is not getting off stage at bang on 10 mins, its having a lot of jokes and quality stuff in your 10 mins.
Also new act who take on MC duties but make the night about themselves in many ways, they fail to spot when the audience are laughing and its prime to get an act on and feel the need to do 'stuff' between every act, don't get the acts on to a warm audience or just go on too long this another thing I feel a little self awareness would resolve. Especially as the MC is the most important act in many ways, a discussion for another post perhaps.
Acts who are edgy, dark or dirty don't have to shock people either, if that is the direction you want to go then fine, but you are not going to be Frankie Boyle, Anthony Jeselnik or Jim Jefffries straight away so maybe just reel it in a little 1st and learn the how to make people like you 1st so you have some control before going on the offensive!
I believe everyone, no matter what level you are at, how poor or great your writing and how poor or great your performing is, can make themselves a quality act if they just have a little self awareness, sadly not enough acts do and that may be all that is holding them back.
Saturday, 28 December 2013
No Yogurts
The festive period is in the mid Christmas and New year lull and I have managed to remain busy although sadly not always gigging as gigs have been difficult to come by despite hundreds of emails. I put this down to the fact that there are more acts than spots, that I am not quite good enough for certain promoters liking yet and that promoters have their minimum standard which I understand, but it does read a bit like 'Act required who is good enough to pay, for unpaid spot'. That sounds bitter but I am not, I will keep plugging away and hopefully become bookable for all promoters. The paid work is coming in on a weekly basis now too so I really can't grumble.
The day after my last blog I took to the road to take part in the Kenilworth Gong show, an annual Christmas gong show where Hilarious comedy look at the newer acts out there. Kenilworth is near Coventry so the 2 and a half hour drive may not seem worth it for a gong show but my theory is I am still learning and any gig is a gig, I had actually given up doing gong shows but I need them (annoyingly) and can see the benefit to doing them where some comics do not, this is not to say they are wrong, just that they work for me occasionally.
Hilarious are a midlands based booker that run some pro and amateur nights around Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton Walsall and such areas. I have seen that there have been some disagreements between some of the acts in the Midlands and Hilarious, however, while I am aware of this, it does not concern me and i am not sure why this has happened.
Upon arriving at the gig I was greeted by a couple of other acts and we chatted about the prize at steak, a paid gig at one of Hilarious' pro nights, the reason why some 6 months ago now, I booked in for this.
Phillip who books for them arrived and immediately engaged in conversation with the acts present and was good enough to thank me for making the journey from Leeds. He also explained why this gong show exists, basically stating that we need not win, just impress and do our best. I felt this was a fair statement as they use this annual gong show to look at new acts they may not otherwise get to see.
I moved from my spot at the bar to the room where the gig was to take place and immediately saw my chances of winning take a hit (i had not assumed to win anyway) as stood at the bottom of the short stairway was Pat Draper, it is odd to see an act i like and really enjoy watching and yet think 'oh no'!
There were other great acts there too, Pat may be one of my favourites but quality like Jo D'Arcy and Mister Andy among many many others were also taking part. Mister Andy for anyone who does not know him is a blind comedian who has his guide dog with him, the relevance of this to me will be revealed later.
I also took part in another gong show recently, Worcester gong, one of Spiky Mike's gigs. Worcester a very long drive from Leeds, however, with Dave Marshall, Si Finnigan and Dave Rivers on board for the journey it was as much about car share conversation as it was the gig. As it happens the gig went well for me, my 5 mins interrupted 3 times with applause from a very receptive audience. The winner Jack Campbell we all identified as the best act long before the vote, but once again in a clap off with Spiky Mike I feel like I had been a little overlooked when the audience had given me a very warm applause (the Sheffield gong the last time this happened) a small niggle but nothing major to worry about.
Other gigs I have done include a boxing day trip to Darlington and a superb fun Panel show in Bawtry which really got my comedy ad lib muscle working (if that is such a thing)
I have had a lot of success lately getting booked for gigs from the Facebook comedy forum which is nice, but one thing I have noticed is its the same people post regularly on the forum and often mention the silly stipulation 'No Yoghurts'! now this is intended to be a lighthearted way of saying don't apply for paid work if you are not ready, or don't apply for a 20 spot if you have only 10 or similar such ideas. It seems however, that some acts are using this to intimidate in a way, lesser experienced acts. It's only a small numbe of people and I'm not convinced they are even aware they are doing it, that said I did a gig with an act w few gigs ago and the act in question looked at a poster of forthcoming nights and proceeded to state how 'shit' all the acts lined up are. There is no need for this and I feel that this, and when acts alienate other acts (something I find amusing when they have material claiming to stand up for the little guy) is just a self esteem issue that is smoke and mirrors when they suffer self doubt. I guess all I'm saying here is i think that newer acts need to take this with a pinch of salt and more experienced acts should consider how they come across sometimes.
Another thing I experienced this month was a Christmas function with friends I have not seen for a while. during this night I had numerous chats with my non comedy pals about how the comedy is going. They all told me their favourite comedians, things I should put in my set, that my comments on the evening 'weren't funny' all standard, annoying but harmless. One thing that came up was when asked who my favourite acts were I listed several. All actsI have gigged with, none famous and all very very funny with great futures. 2 names among the list are Amy Gledhil and Harriet Dyer and no less than 6 of the blokes I chatted to said "i just don't find women funny" Seriously!! I know there is sexism where comedy is concerned but I had no idea that it was so blatent. It is almost always a case for me spend the 1st 2 mins trying to win an audience over, but all I am fighting is the audience thinking, is he any good? It seems that females are in some instances fighting the, oh god its a woman thing! really harsh but I am no authority to speak any more on this as it's the 1st time I have seen such gender discrimination up close.
So going back to Kenilworth gong, the night had been going badly for some really strong acts, the audience were subdued and were not shy at gonging off anyone for just one bad joke. When it came to my turn the mood was still somewhat dull, the vibrant buzzing atmosphere that you can get at the frog or one of Spiky's was not there but they were a lot more forgiving when I was up in front of them than it seemed. My set was going ok, not brilliant but they were laughing, however, the key moment for me was when I setup a gag and mid punchline the guide dog stood up and shook like a wet dog diverting most of the attention very briefly, enough to ruin one of my best jokes. It was frustration but funny and it seems my flippant response to this (just a simple line about being heckled by a guide dog) got me the nights only real applause break. This piece of luck was enough to allow me a win, although not total win as Pat Draper was of course in superb form as ever (seriously if any bookers are reading this... book him!!) and a comic from London who embarrassingly I forget the name of both took joint victory with me and we will next year all 3 of us take a paid gig from Hilarious. Phillip stating that if we do well there we could gain more gigs so I hope to have some good form next year.
This year I have done 211 gigs, next year I aim to do 250 and get somewhere with one of the bigger promoters, lots of work to do and my 1st gig of 2014 will be in Amsterdam for an American company so I hope to start the year with some improv proving I am capable! (I may not be) I may even head to Edinburgh in 2014 and my solo show (which i think needs work) has been booked by JH Events, a company that usually promote music, and pushed for a mini tour!! not something an act of my level should do?? well they asked me and its worth trying.
I may have some other exiting things to get stuck into in 2014 as an event planner for a comedy festival has been in touch too although i made him aware of my level as an act and I may not be what he is looking for, he still seemed keen to have me involved after seeing my show at Hull comedy festival, so that could be fun too. Another thing for next year is to try cut the swearing from my set, its a new act tick that I don't need and can try iron out, not to say that swearing does not have its place as it does, but I'm going to try go without.
I really hope 2014 is a busy year and trust me I will go all out to make sure it is and will continue to try improve.
Have a great new year everyone!!
The day after my last blog I took to the road to take part in the Kenilworth Gong show, an annual Christmas gong show where Hilarious comedy look at the newer acts out there. Kenilworth is near Coventry so the 2 and a half hour drive may not seem worth it for a gong show but my theory is I am still learning and any gig is a gig, I had actually given up doing gong shows but I need them (annoyingly) and can see the benefit to doing them where some comics do not, this is not to say they are wrong, just that they work for me occasionally.
Hilarious are a midlands based booker that run some pro and amateur nights around Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton Walsall and such areas. I have seen that there have been some disagreements between some of the acts in the Midlands and Hilarious, however, while I am aware of this, it does not concern me and i am not sure why this has happened.
Upon arriving at the gig I was greeted by a couple of other acts and we chatted about the prize at steak, a paid gig at one of Hilarious' pro nights, the reason why some 6 months ago now, I booked in for this.
Phillip who books for them arrived and immediately engaged in conversation with the acts present and was good enough to thank me for making the journey from Leeds. He also explained why this gong show exists, basically stating that we need not win, just impress and do our best. I felt this was a fair statement as they use this annual gong show to look at new acts they may not otherwise get to see.
I moved from my spot at the bar to the room where the gig was to take place and immediately saw my chances of winning take a hit (i had not assumed to win anyway) as stood at the bottom of the short stairway was Pat Draper, it is odd to see an act i like and really enjoy watching and yet think 'oh no'!
There were other great acts there too, Pat may be one of my favourites but quality like Jo D'Arcy and Mister Andy among many many others were also taking part. Mister Andy for anyone who does not know him is a blind comedian who has his guide dog with him, the relevance of this to me will be revealed later.
I also took part in another gong show recently, Worcester gong, one of Spiky Mike's gigs. Worcester a very long drive from Leeds, however, with Dave Marshall, Si Finnigan and Dave Rivers on board for the journey it was as much about car share conversation as it was the gig. As it happens the gig went well for me, my 5 mins interrupted 3 times with applause from a very receptive audience. The winner Jack Campbell we all identified as the best act long before the vote, but once again in a clap off with Spiky Mike I feel like I had been a little overlooked when the audience had given me a very warm applause (the Sheffield gong the last time this happened) a small niggle but nothing major to worry about.
Other gigs I have done include a boxing day trip to Darlington and a superb fun Panel show in Bawtry which really got my comedy ad lib muscle working (if that is such a thing)
I have had a lot of success lately getting booked for gigs from the Facebook comedy forum which is nice, but one thing I have noticed is its the same people post regularly on the forum and often mention the silly stipulation 'No Yoghurts'! now this is intended to be a lighthearted way of saying don't apply for paid work if you are not ready, or don't apply for a 20 spot if you have only 10 or similar such ideas. It seems however, that some acts are using this to intimidate in a way, lesser experienced acts. It's only a small numbe of people and I'm not convinced they are even aware they are doing it, that said I did a gig with an act w few gigs ago and the act in question looked at a poster of forthcoming nights and proceeded to state how 'shit' all the acts lined up are. There is no need for this and I feel that this, and when acts alienate other acts (something I find amusing when they have material claiming to stand up for the little guy) is just a self esteem issue that is smoke and mirrors when they suffer self doubt. I guess all I'm saying here is i think that newer acts need to take this with a pinch of salt and more experienced acts should consider how they come across sometimes.
Another thing I experienced this month was a Christmas function with friends I have not seen for a while. during this night I had numerous chats with my non comedy pals about how the comedy is going. They all told me their favourite comedians, things I should put in my set, that my comments on the evening 'weren't funny' all standard, annoying but harmless. One thing that came up was when asked who my favourite acts were I listed several. All actsI have gigged with, none famous and all very very funny with great futures. 2 names among the list are Amy Gledhil and Harriet Dyer and no less than 6 of the blokes I chatted to said "i just don't find women funny" Seriously!! I know there is sexism where comedy is concerned but I had no idea that it was so blatent. It is almost always a case for me spend the 1st 2 mins trying to win an audience over, but all I am fighting is the audience thinking, is he any good? It seems that females are in some instances fighting the, oh god its a woman thing! really harsh but I am no authority to speak any more on this as it's the 1st time I have seen such gender discrimination up close.
So going back to Kenilworth gong, the night had been going badly for some really strong acts, the audience were subdued and were not shy at gonging off anyone for just one bad joke. When it came to my turn the mood was still somewhat dull, the vibrant buzzing atmosphere that you can get at the frog or one of Spiky's was not there but they were a lot more forgiving when I was up in front of them than it seemed. My set was going ok, not brilliant but they were laughing, however, the key moment for me was when I setup a gag and mid punchline the guide dog stood up and shook like a wet dog diverting most of the attention very briefly, enough to ruin one of my best jokes. It was frustration but funny and it seems my flippant response to this (just a simple line about being heckled by a guide dog) got me the nights only real applause break. This piece of luck was enough to allow me a win, although not total win as Pat Draper was of course in superb form as ever (seriously if any bookers are reading this... book him!!) and a comic from London who embarrassingly I forget the name of both took joint victory with me and we will next year all 3 of us take a paid gig from Hilarious. Phillip stating that if we do well there we could gain more gigs so I hope to have some good form next year.
This year I have done 211 gigs, next year I aim to do 250 and get somewhere with one of the bigger promoters, lots of work to do and my 1st gig of 2014 will be in Amsterdam for an American company so I hope to start the year with some improv proving I am capable! (I may not be) I may even head to Edinburgh in 2014 and my solo show (which i think needs work) has been booked by JH Events, a company that usually promote music, and pushed for a mini tour!! not something an act of my level should do?? well they asked me and its worth trying.
I may have some other exiting things to get stuck into in 2014 as an event planner for a comedy festival has been in touch too although i made him aware of my level as an act and I may not be what he is looking for, he still seemed keen to have me involved after seeing my show at Hull comedy festival, so that could be fun too. Another thing for next year is to try cut the swearing from my set, its a new act tick that I don't need and can try iron out, not to say that swearing does not have its place as it does, but I'm going to try go without.
I really hope 2014 is a busy year and trust me I will go all out to make sure it is and will continue to try improve.
Have a great new year everyone!!
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Back blogging
It is with regret that for a while I had to leave the blogging behind but I am now working a pattern that allows me time to as someone once put, spout my unfettered opinions!
Well yes.
So, I have advanced since I last blogged, or to put it more accurately I have done a shit load more gigs!
I was able to count up all the gigs thanks to my Iphone saving all the diary dates and its 347 to date which surprised me to be fair but I do try and ensure I have at least 4 a week if not 5 meaning the quality of gigs I do is not always great but I'm continually adding to my set and tweaking things. I have just come off the back of a busy few months including 43 gigs in 55 days. In that time I have done my 1st solo show although it was only 45 mins but all brand new stuff and this is exiting for me as my writing has started to improve and I'm beginning to tackle subjects I wanted to when I 1st started but had neither the skill nor intelligence to manage.
My solo show was at Hull Comedy festival, it went ok but having watched it all back now I can see massive glaring errors and gaps in funny, far too much swearing something I know Steve Walker does not like, and above all too many hacky ideas following some quality ones. I am not being to self critical either, there were some bits that I am very proud of, but I'm so so so far away from where I want to be its almost painful. Hull comedy festival taught me a lot though, Hull is a great place to gig with exiting things going on at both my level, with Steve Rimmer running some lovely gigs as are Jed and Andy but also the more pro level with C69 running things and Jed thoroughly deservedly taking his place as resident compere at fruits pro night featuring some superb line ups every Saturday.
My presence in Hull is small but I am welcomed and I have used that welcome to work on loads of new ideas to friendly audiences. From the phrase re-inventing the wheel I have come up with some ideas about cars that I believe have potential to be a really strong set. I have to learn to make what I have funnier still though and I'm frustrated with myself for not progressing fast enough.
When I 1st started my stuff was really cheaply written shite, I mean I just wanted to get to the laugh as quick as possible for fear of being hated!! I knew all along that the key for me was be funny 1st albeit cheaply, then be clever or more skilled later. This worked massively in my favour recently after a spell of gigs with all my new material going well, no mention of flat caps (I tend not to even wear it now) no mention of hen nights, my grandparents or any of the open spot checklist (incest, homophobia, Peado, Sexism, then I shot him, that was just the teachers, wanking, you know basically my set!!) none of my quick get to the easy punchline bollocks!! but then I was booked for a charity gig.
Now, call me uncharitable but I hate the idea of charity gigs, lets assume that I have no other job and I'm a pro comic (surviving on £180 a month as it would be with the paid gigs I get!!) Someone then asks me, hey Jim, can you come do your job in a really difficult environment, where no one is there for comedy, where people will not care how much work you have put into your set, where the audience will assume you're shit if you don't take the roof off, where the booker will have little clue how comedy really works... can you come do that and for free as its charity, well I am not keen thank you. Now 2 things, I believe charities have great people involved doing hard work often for no money themselves, and I know not all charity gigs are like this, so when approached to perform for a charity that I already do work for and support I said yes where I would normally say no. I was to be on with 2 vocalists (both were paid) and a magician (also paid) so I asked to bring another act, that being Gregor 'Monty' Burns. I was told this is fine please both do 15 mins, so we agreed Monty would go on 1st, and as it turned out I'm so glad he did. We arrived to find one of the vocalists was on and we were due on next, the room was huge but half empty with a large dancefloor directly in front of the stage meaning audience were some distance away, and speaking of audience the average age was 87 I'd guess!!! Not to be ageist this, for a skilled act would be no problem! Monty and I are new however. Now monty is great, he is a real joy to watch as he gets into gear and belts out his comedy at 100 miles an hour. He has audiences crying laughing and for one so new seems like a seasoned pro. His act is full of shall we say language though and he had decided not to use any on this occasion for fear of audience disgust. It was not helped that he had to follow 40 mins of bingo!
To be fair he nailed it, the foulest of language coming from an elderly heckler who called him a porridge wog I believe!! not nice! but Monty kept calm and did a great job with what he had to work, when I came on I thought, no way is my new stuff going to fly in here so reverted to hack mode and sure enough that worked. They even shut up and listened for a while!! It was the second time in recent weeks I had seen a room go with a certain style of comedy and reverted to my old shite, both times to good effect and I now feel I have a bit more about me when judging what to say and thankfully I have a couple of directions in which to go.
I will leave this return to blogging there for now, don't take my word for it on charity gigs as i'm sure there are some lovely ones, and while on the subject of lovely gigs I have 6 between now and Christmas that all seem grand so no doubt I will have plenty to talk about in 2 weeks when I return to this (yeah I have decided to blog every 2 weeks)
Thanks for reading
Well yes.
So, I have advanced since I last blogged, or to put it more accurately I have done a shit load more gigs!
I was able to count up all the gigs thanks to my Iphone saving all the diary dates and its 347 to date which surprised me to be fair but I do try and ensure I have at least 4 a week if not 5 meaning the quality of gigs I do is not always great but I'm continually adding to my set and tweaking things. I have just come off the back of a busy few months including 43 gigs in 55 days. In that time I have done my 1st solo show although it was only 45 mins but all brand new stuff and this is exiting for me as my writing has started to improve and I'm beginning to tackle subjects I wanted to when I 1st started but had neither the skill nor intelligence to manage.
My solo show was at Hull Comedy festival, it went ok but having watched it all back now I can see massive glaring errors and gaps in funny, far too much swearing something I know Steve Walker does not like, and above all too many hacky ideas following some quality ones. I am not being to self critical either, there were some bits that I am very proud of, but I'm so so so far away from where I want to be its almost painful. Hull comedy festival taught me a lot though, Hull is a great place to gig with exiting things going on at both my level, with Steve Rimmer running some lovely gigs as are Jed and Andy but also the more pro level with C69 running things and Jed thoroughly deservedly taking his place as resident compere at fruits pro night featuring some superb line ups every Saturday.
My presence in Hull is small but I am welcomed and I have used that welcome to work on loads of new ideas to friendly audiences. From the phrase re-inventing the wheel I have come up with some ideas about cars that I believe have potential to be a really strong set. I have to learn to make what I have funnier still though and I'm frustrated with myself for not progressing fast enough.
When I 1st started my stuff was really cheaply written shite, I mean I just wanted to get to the laugh as quick as possible for fear of being hated!! I knew all along that the key for me was be funny 1st albeit cheaply, then be clever or more skilled later. This worked massively in my favour recently after a spell of gigs with all my new material going well, no mention of flat caps (I tend not to even wear it now) no mention of hen nights, my grandparents or any of the open spot checklist (incest, homophobia, Peado, Sexism, then I shot him, that was just the teachers, wanking, you know basically my set!!) none of my quick get to the easy punchline bollocks!! but then I was booked for a charity gig.
Now, call me uncharitable but I hate the idea of charity gigs, lets assume that I have no other job and I'm a pro comic (surviving on £180 a month as it would be with the paid gigs I get!!) Someone then asks me, hey Jim, can you come do your job in a really difficult environment, where no one is there for comedy, where people will not care how much work you have put into your set, where the audience will assume you're shit if you don't take the roof off, where the booker will have little clue how comedy really works... can you come do that and for free as its charity, well I am not keen thank you. Now 2 things, I believe charities have great people involved doing hard work often for no money themselves, and I know not all charity gigs are like this, so when approached to perform for a charity that I already do work for and support I said yes where I would normally say no. I was to be on with 2 vocalists (both were paid) and a magician (also paid) so I asked to bring another act, that being Gregor 'Monty' Burns. I was told this is fine please both do 15 mins, so we agreed Monty would go on 1st, and as it turned out I'm so glad he did. We arrived to find one of the vocalists was on and we were due on next, the room was huge but half empty with a large dancefloor directly in front of the stage meaning audience were some distance away, and speaking of audience the average age was 87 I'd guess!!! Not to be ageist this, for a skilled act would be no problem! Monty and I are new however. Now monty is great, he is a real joy to watch as he gets into gear and belts out his comedy at 100 miles an hour. He has audiences crying laughing and for one so new seems like a seasoned pro. His act is full of shall we say language though and he had decided not to use any on this occasion for fear of audience disgust. It was not helped that he had to follow 40 mins of bingo!
To be fair he nailed it, the foulest of language coming from an elderly heckler who called him a porridge wog I believe!! not nice! but Monty kept calm and did a great job with what he had to work, when I came on I thought, no way is my new stuff going to fly in here so reverted to hack mode and sure enough that worked. They even shut up and listened for a while!! It was the second time in recent weeks I had seen a room go with a certain style of comedy and reverted to my old shite, both times to good effect and I now feel I have a bit more about me when judging what to say and thankfully I have a couple of directions in which to go.
I will leave this return to blogging there for now, don't take my word for it on charity gigs as i'm sure there are some lovely ones, and while on the subject of lovely gigs I have 6 between now and Christmas that all seem grand so no doubt I will have plenty to talk about in 2 weeks when I return to this (yeah I have decided to blog every 2 weeks)
Thanks for reading
Sunday, 5 May 2013
So little time
I have not blogged for a while due to not having much time spare, but I shall blog as I have done no less than 11 gigs since my last blog, some were good, some awful, some I died, some I did well & one of the 11 has been my favourite gig thus far even eclipsing the slimming world one.
So to keep an update of what is to come I have done
World of comedy:- Blackburn
Pigeon Hole :- Leeds
Mayan comedy :- Bolton
Help for heroes charity gig :- Birmingham
Polly B's comedy :- Clapham London
Portion of quips :- Pudsey Leeds
Hot water :- Liverpool
Cask corner comedy :- Doncaster
CAN comedy :- west Bromwich
Shirley comedy club :- Shirley Birmingham
NuVar comedy :- Newcastle
I have also been reviewing myself and figuring things out, I am always open about what I am doing as secrets are pointless in this world as most comedians have a bitchy streak that is born out of their own insecurities (or so I believe) a lot of comedians only have this in tiny doses though and generally it's a supportive friendly environment. So this is why I have approached 2 very strong writers of comedy and asked for assistance writing my set to move forward with.
Assistance the key word, I don't expect things to be written for me (well not in full anyway but jokes and or concepts that suit me are what I'm seeking assistance with)
So there is that project going on along with my hunger to progress. I now feel I'm starting to get to a position where everything on stage flows organically and with a slight swagger of confidence that actually isn't really there. My aim to learn to be a comedian with materiel that would never be considered well written but is at least getting laughs is showing dividends at last. I feel I'm ready now to move up a gear and write some meatier stuff while cramming more funny into what I have. Trimming the fat would help too but I'm a story teller so there will always be some slightly convoluted bits to my stuff.
I mentioned in a past blog how I felt I did not fit a type that Leeds gigs book (but then was asked to fill a drop out at pigeon hole as I was being considered by them anyway which is nice) but I feel now like I can perform for any night with belief... Soon with strong materiel too.
My attack on the comedy world is draining a lot of my energy but I am determined to keep going and get the result I require... Regular paid work.
Check back soon for the blog detailing the last 11 gigs
My next gig is fox and newt Leeds for Chortle Kombat
So to keep an update of what is to come I have done
World of comedy:- Blackburn
Pigeon Hole :- Leeds
Mayan comedy :- Bolton
Help for heroes charity gig :- Birmingham
Polly B's comedy :- Clapham London
Portion of quips :- Pudsey Leeds
Hot water :- Liverpool
Cask corner comedy :- Doncaster
CAN comedy :- west Bromwich
Shirley comedy club :- Shirley Birmingham
NuVar comedy :- Newcastle
I have also been reviewing myself and figuring things out, I am always open about what I am doing as secrets are pointless in this world as most comedians have a bitchy streak that is born out of their own insecurities (or so I believe) a lot of comedians only have this in tiny doses though and generally it's a supportive friendly environment. So this is why I have approached 2 very strong writers of comedy and asked for assistance writing my set to move forward with.
Assistance the key word, I don't expect things to be written for me (well not in full anyway but jokes and or concepts that suit me are what I'm seeking assistance with)
So there is that project going on along with my hunger to progress. I now feel I'm starting to get to a position where everything on stage flows organically and with a slight swagger of confidence that actually isn't really there. My aim to learn to be a comedian with materiel that would never be considered well written but is at least getting laughs is showing dividends at last. I feel I'm ready now to move up a gear and write some meatier stuff while cramming more funny into what I have. Trimming the fat would help too but I'm a story teller so there will always be some slightly convoluted bits to my stuff.
I mentioned in a past blog how I felt I did not fit a type that Leeds gigs book (but then was asked to fill a drop out at pigeon hole as I was being considered by them anyway which is nice) but I feel now like I can perform for any night with belief... Soon with strong materiel too.
My attack on the comedy world is draining a lot of my energy but I am determined to keep going and get the result I require... Regular paid work.
Check back soon for the blog detailing the last 11 gigs
My next gig is fox and newt Leeds for Chortle Kombat
Friday, 12 April 2013
Bear pit, gigs 125-126
It is nice to be getting offered gigs in far away (relatively speaking) places and see how different crowds react to the same jokes. I know my accent can be helpful away from Leeds (as this is the feedback I have had) and that it allows me to play about with the truth a little more, for example I have a bit about Sir George Cayler being (the guy who in vented seatbelts and gliders) from near Otley... he was from Scarborough!!
The other plus point from taking these gigs is that most of them are in front of proper comedy audiences. By that I mean that these are people who attend comedy regularly as all audiences are proper audiences and I suspect the arena comedy audiences do not attend comedy that often as they only want to see Peter Kay, Micheal McIntyre or Lee Evans (which is fine).
I guess I just want to be put in front of all audiences and try all gigs while I still tweak my set and continue to try and tighten it.
Gig 125
So this week I was off to Wincanton (near Bristol 420 miles from home) I set off at 1pm from Leeds and went into economy drive with no electrics running and not above 60mph... to quote the guy at Shell filling station Harrogate rd, fuel is expensive innit. After a long slow drive during which my bum died I arrived at a lovely little pub named the Nog Inn. There was a roaring fire in the main room and I stood by that warming up and chatting to fellow act Phil Cooper who arrived a moment after I did. This gig was one that used to be a fully pro night but as the pubs budget was slashed they now have 9.. yes 9, open spots and 1 pro act.
I had a lovely slot being on 1st after the 1st break and relaxed on finding out how many open spot acts there were too. I watched the 1st section which went well, including Phil going 3rd (or last in that section) doing a great job and a lovely callback to the previous act. The break seemed to last for ever as my standard pre gig doubts crept in. The MC, Kevin Sheppard, was awesome and seemed to be really enjoying himself. He did however forget my name twice during my intro and had to check his phone, this was great for me as it allowed me a chance to mock myself a little pretending also to not know my own name and needing to check my phone. This was cheap really, not comedy gold, but it was effective and got a bigger laugh than perhaps it deserved. I knew from that I could relax and just go through my stuff slowly, taking Mark Hayden's advice to breath and slow my pace..... what... Mark gives good advice! My new bit based around scuba diving went very well but the silent gaps spoke volumes as this crowd were laughing at anything. I moved away from the new bit and into my standard set and just enjoyed the laughter that filled the small room. They were very supportive and just went with it, I even noticed one lady creased over... ok I'm not that good yet but it was nice to see them enjoy it so much. All the acts following did a great job too although one seemed to have 'borrowed' some of his jokes as they were ones I knew I had heard and given how new this act was I cant imagine that they were his, nicked and put on Sickipedia or something but then I could be wrong these days given the way jokes are passed round.
Special note for the staff at the Nog who were so welcoming and friendly and the venue itself which is lovely. I had a great night and took loads from it.
Gig 126
This was the 2nd part of my 2 part appearance in a pro night doing 9 open spots in order to keep costs down. If there was any doubt about how good an idea this is then this pub gig in Barking should assist opinions. I was picked up from Barking station by the only pro on the bill Andrew Simmons, he was very chatty and amid the conversation we talked about quality of gigs, Andrew said he would be able to tell me if tonight would be a good gig within 5 mins of arrival... it took much less than that! We arrived at a beaten up looking pub with a door that had a smashed glass frontage, inside there was a speaker at each side of a sound system with a Mic and stand but no stage. There was no seating and the burberry cap brigade of punters were drinking heavily and chatting. It was clear this would be a struggle and so it proved. Andrew announced the gig would be taking place but this was met with 'banter' or abuse possibly a better word.
The time for starting the gig was put back but this and several announcements did not stop the chatting. So the gig began. Andrew did everything possible to bring about quiet and get a gig going... it did not work and the morons among the crowd just kept making jokes among themselves and talking shite. Omar Hamdi went 1st of the acts and was actually very impressive given how hard it was. He is a lovely guy off stage too and it was a decent start in comedy terms but really the talking never stopped and so the night did not really get going. Both the following acts did fine but who heard?? only the other acts I think plus a handful of others, one of whom was hilarious, so funny, you see when he was asked his name he said Fred... but it wasn't Fred!! brilliant!!!!.
I guess the Pub staff were trying as they did a bit of shushing during the interval but one lady sought to abuse them for this stating that she'd paid her fucking 2 paand and could do what she fuckin likes!!! classy bird that one. The Landlady did a school teacher style announcement in the Mic and no one gave a shit so the next section was just the same. The 3rd section was a tad better and I was on in that section but really this gig was best forgotten and during the drive back to London Andrew was muttering about how he was stll winding up doing gigs like that!! He was lovely enough to take me back to victoria bus station and offer a little advice although he prefers not to be an advice offerer as he thinks its condescending and he is respectful of peoples ability to do things their own way.
So another night over and another gig down, I can only take experience from that one though! next for me a week off!!
The other plus point from taking these gigs is that most of them are in front of proper comedy audiences. By that I mean that these are people who attend comedy regularly as all audiences are proper audiences and I suspect the arena comedy audiences do not attend comedy that often as they only want to see Peter Kay, Micheal McIntyre or Lee Evans (which is fine).
I guess I just want to be put in front of all audiences and try all gigs while I still tweak my set and continue to try and tighten it.
Gig 125
So this week I was off to Wincanton (near Bristol 420 miles from home) I set off at 1pm from Leeds and went into economy drive with no electrics running and not above 60mph... to quote the guy at Shell filling station Harrogate rd, fuel is expensive innit. After a long slow drive during which my bum died I arrived at a lovely little pub named the Nog Inn. There was a roaring fire in the main room and I stood by that warming up and chatting to fellow act Phil Cooper who arrived a moment after I did. This gig was one that used to be a fully pro night but as the pubs budget was slashed they now have 9.. yes 9, open spots and 1 pro act.
I had a lovely slot being on 1st after the 1st break and relaxed on finding out how many open spot acts there were too. I watched the 1st section which went well, including Phil going 3rd (or last in that section) doing a great job and a lovely callback to the previous act. The break seemed to last for ever as my standard pre gig doubts crept in. The MC, Kevin Sheppard, was awesome and seemed to be really enjoying himself. He did however forget my name twice during my intro and had to check his phone, this was great for me as it allowed me a chance to mock myself a little pretending also to not know my own name and needing to check my phone. This was cheap really, not comedy gold, but it was effective and got a bigger laugh than perhaps it deserved. I knew from that I could relax and just go through my stuff slowly, taking Mark Hayden's advice to breath and slow my pace..... what... Mark gives good advice! My new bit based around scuba diving went very well but the silent gaps spoke volumes as this crowd were laughing at anything. I moved away from the new bit and into my standard set and just enjoyed the laughter that filled the small room. They were very supportive and just went with it, I even noticed one lady creased over... ok I'm not that good yet but it was nice to see them enjoy it so much. All the acts following did a great job too although one seemed to have 'borrowed' some of his jokes as they were ones I knew I had heard and given how new this act was I cant imagine that they were his, nicked and put on Sickipedia or something but then I could be wrong these days given the way jokes are passed round.
Special note for the staff at the Nog who were so welcoming and friendly and the venue itself which is lovely. I had a great night and took loads from it.
Gig 126
This was the 2nd part of my 2 part appearance in a pro night doing 9 open spots in order to keep costs down. If there was any doubt about how good an idea this is then this pub gig in Barking should assist opinions. I was picked up from Barking station by the only pro on the bill Andrew Simmons, he was very chatty and amid the conversation we talked about quality of gigs, Andrew said he would be able to tell me if tonight would be a good gig within 5 mins of arrival... it took much less than that! We arrived at a beaten up looking pub with a door that had a smashed glass frontage, inside there was a speaker at each side of a sound system with a Mic and stand but no stage. There was no seating and the burberry cap brigade of punters were drinking heavily and chatting. It was clear this would be a struggle and so it proved. Andrew announced the gig would be taking place but this was met with 'banter' or abuse possibly a better word.
The time for starting the gig was put back but this and several announcements did not stop the chatting. So the gig began. Andrew did everything possible to bring about quiet and get a gig going... it did not work and the morons among the crowd just kept making jokes among themselves and talking shite. Omar Hamdi went 1st of the acts and was actually very impressive given how hard it was. He is a lovely guy off stage too and it was a decent start in comedy terms but really the talking never stopped and so the night did not really get going. Both the following acts did fine but who heard?? only the other acts I think plus a handful of others, one of whom was hilarious, so funny, you see when he was asked his name he said Fred... but it wasn't Fred!! brilliant!!!!.
I guess the Pub staff were trying as they did a bit of shushing during the interval but one lady sought to abuse them for this stating that she'd paid her fucking 2 paand and could do what she fuckin likes!!! classy bird that one. The Landlady did a school teacher style announcement in the Mic and no one gave a shit so the next section was just the same. The 3rd section was a tad better and I was on in that section but really this gig was best forgotten and during the drive back to London Andrew was muttering about how he was stll winding up doing gigs like that!! He was lovely enough to take me back to victoria bus station and offer a little advice although he prefers not to be an advice offerer as he thinks its condescending and he is respectful of peoples ability to do things their own way.
So another night over and another gig down, I can only take experience from that one though! next for me a week off!!
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
I would drive 500 miles Gigs 120-124
So much has happened in my 13 months as a comedian in that I have gigged a lot for a new act but then I am 33 and do not have as much time as some of the younger acts around. This is one of the reasons why I'm happy to travel, another reason I am happy to travel is to put myself in front of gig bookers across the UK and increase my chances of progressing. I am also having to travel to further afield as the gigs that run in Leeds seem to not suit my style and as a result the bookers for those tend to avoid me where I see names such as Liam Pickford, Fern Brady and Robin Parmiter to name a few appear regularly on the posters so I know that I am a far cry from those acts which is why I have to move around to gig as often as possible. This opens all kinds of doors for me and has led to me being involved on pro nights as middle open. The latest of these gigs took me all the way to Haselmere (near Portsmouth) with gigs in Pudsey, Hull, Keighley and Leeds, obviuosly all a lot closer to home, following.
So Haselemere gig 120 , well this was a 4 hour drive each way almost 500 (well nearer 440 but the proclaimers didn't sing they would walk 440 miles now did they) mile round trip for 10 mins stage time. This is something I'm prepared to do this year as I try and ensure I do at least 2 gigs a week if not 3. The drive and £70 fuel cost will hopefully prove worthwhile in the future as I start to push into paid work and gigs like this are a catalyst for that as I was in front of a proper comedy audience with professionals either side of me. Arriving a the venue I noticed that the layout of the room was a little odd with lots of buffet style seating and long tables all pointing towards the performing area (there was no stage). It looked a lot like many of the open mic gigs that I have done but as I went and sat in the area set aside for the acts I could tell this was like no open mic night as the 4 other performers all pro's chatted of gigs past and what they had coming up. They were very welcoming and warm with me as I came and sat with them and mad idle conversation before the gig started. The gig coincided with an England world cup qualifier which may be why most of the audience were women but at least the place was full. The Mc Neil Cole set about his work with cool precision and was quickly establishing the level for the night before opener Neil McFarlane took to the stage and delivered his deadpan jokes superbly. There was then a break and middle act Guy Manners with a shorter set got the best reaction from the room with his amiable style. I was next and really did not get much, my jokes perhpas too obvious or not well delivered and certainly the performance was not tight at all with me even finding myself waffling utter nonsense that is not in my set at one point. I came off stage a little early as I could see I was not to their liking and I knew exactly why, it was piss poor lacked conviction and I was way off my best.
Closer Mark Felgate who had been to the Solihull Debacle with me the previous week was on next and he showed me ow its done with confidence and ease as he used his charm to win them over then his ventriloquism with no dummy was very funny. I took plenty from the night and the good thing about being so poor is that they will not remember me so I can bounce back.
gig 121
Pudsey Bojangles gig is essentially no longer my gig as the responsibility for booking it and promoting is falling on the Pudsey based event planner James Hardy. But I will remain resident compere and I was in charge for this night that boasted a fabulous line up. There is a problem with Bojangles as a Venue, there is no door from the down stairs bar so the noise from downstairs was filtering up and becoming a problem. This was a small issue in January too although only for an hour but tonight it spoiled things a little which I am disappointed with. Take nothing away from the acts that were all superb with Callum Scott opening and in top form followed by Jon Newell who despite my email asking not to, did new materiel however, it was as always with Jon, superbly well written and the audience seemed to really enjoy the 1st section. In fact someone (who i think missed the point) asked Callum if she could be his best friend (maybe she did see the point and was trying to be funny?) After the break Mickey Sterrett with his awesome new face wig strode through his set with the same professional style that so many of the pro acts I have gigged with recently and he was in the kind of form that makes him so highly regarded by so many other acts. Chris Grundy went 4th and was performing in front of an army of his friends who had come to support him. He looked a little nervous possible due to this but has enough personality to overcome that and deliver a decent set. The Major disappointment of the night for me came when a 3rd of the audience left before the headliner as did all but 1 of the other acts. Tony Jameson is a superb act and his set was one of a man who has total control over what he is doing so was a shame that people did not stick around (acts sometimes have to get trains etc fair enough) and it is poor etiquette in comedy to come watch only your mate then leave but never mind, Chris himself was the only act that stayed (with some of his other friends) and it was worth staying for. Even with the background noise filtering through Tony was excellent leaving the room wanting more. From a personal point of view I was happy with my own performance to a degree, could have done a bit more to warm the place up but they were a nice enough crowd to not require to much warming so I was also able to experiment with bits.
Gig 122
this was the middle of my 3 MC gigs and was at the national in Hull, one I have been a paid MC for before but tonight was relegated to open spot MC due to poor performance last time out (well due to it being a charity gig). It was quiet this time and the night was slow to start, I could tell from the audience that they were up for doing comedy but they was little energy and I tried to inject some but it didn't really seem to work. That said there was enough attention in the room and everyone was up for it so I brought opener Steve Rimmer to the stage and he went through his 20 min set with casual confidence and of course a wink and a smile. He got the most out of a quiet bunch and we went into the break feeling like things could lift. I did a little more materiel working in my new bits and trying to get laughs from the audience so that I could introduce Rich Austin to a warm reception, and so my mind began to think about his set and not calling him Steve Austin..... which is exactly what I then did!!! Fail!! I was gutted about the error but Rich just took it in his stride and went through his jokes totally unphased, another act that has cool professionalism about him. Billy Lowther was next and he was doing some new bits that I had not seen before, his Steven Hawking joke was excellent as was his memory foam stuff. Billy has such a high hit rate of jokes it was a shame there were not more people in to enjoy them. The final section was headliner Big Lou Jones, I have never met him before but he was a very nice guy back stage and was a very funny guy on stage with some great stuff about how he resembled a notorious gangster and was also mistaken for a notorious prisoner. Lou clearly had the room in the palm of his hand as he went about his set with style rounding off the night brilliantly.
Gig 123
This my 3rd MC spot in a row was at Keighley Exchange Arts centre. Now I did the 1st night there and there was originally a regular MC in Robin Leitch however, he has found success with his music I understand and so they now book guest MC's in each week. I was in good company as MC too as Mark Rough had once taken on the job so that is a high standard. Acts performing tonight varied from experienced acts doing some newer stuff to acts performing for only 5th of 6th time. There was meant to be a headliner as an easter treat bu this was not arranged and possibly with good reason as the venue is still building the night so only about half the number of people that I expected, were in. That said it was a nice audience of 25 or so and they were good sports in particular one young lad who was about 12 in appearance yet had a pint and assured me he was 18, he became the victim of a little bit of audience banter but was a great sport. getting going was tough and I was not too well prepared in fairness but I just produced some average ad libs and did some materiel readying the crowd for their 1st act. John Pearson or JP went 1st and spoke confidently about things that had some people cringing and other in tears laughing, he was very full of personality and gave a great performance, following him was the youthful Josh Walker who I had seen a few times when I 1st started. His materiel was much tighter now with a one linery style although he still needs a little more confidence or self belief but still very good. Barnsley boy Johnny Greatrex who now resides in the midlands was next and arguably the act of the night. He told with great detail the story of his naturist article that he wrote and how he researched it. Following on was relative newbie Jennifer Banks, she was very confident and gave a relaxed performance with some neat jokes. The 1st act after the second break was doing some darker stuff, his set was about getting cancer and in particular in his manhood. Sadly the audience just did not go with it and he really struggled, I tried to make light of the situation and make the audience aware he was not being nasty about cancer but instead I offended the act in question who promptly left although I contacted him by email and he is cool now he knows it was not an attack on him, he also informed me that his best gig ever was the one he did previously in Sheffield and he did the same set so it further proves that not every room will get you. The final act of the night was from Burscough think (near Liverpool) and was only doing gig 6 but he is definitely one to watch as he had some nice stuff and a real presence about him closing the night nicely. I was very pleased with how things went from a personal point of view and in terms of the night. I hope to return to keighley again soon.
Gig 124
The verve Comedy Cellar..... its on my doorstep and I can quite possible book myself in here fairly regularly so I have no idea why I haven't as I spoke at the top about local gigs not being the sort that would book me this gig is one that offers stage time to anyone and is a great little gig in a lovely venue run by dedicated people. Eddie and Pat now gaining assistance from Alistair Greaves and James Christopher. I arrived this evening to find the place rammed, a large portion of the crowd to support Gregor 'Monty' Burns which was nice. Performing tonight would be James as MC, Myself up 1st then Anthony Murphy and after the break Cormac Friel and Monty himself. The night started in the most bizarre fashion with the 1st issue being the microphone not working very well. James was able to overcome that issue but not to a level that everyone could hear too well and so began 1st of all a guy in the front who just did not shut up, he was answering every word that James was saying and with such odd responses not allowing James to carry on. This prompted some of the audience to begin talking among themselves, some heckling the heckler with everyone else just yelling shut up or trying to hear James. One lady yelled just get the 1st act on... I responded no dont... I was without a clue what to do, I had planned to just do all new stuff but going 1st and being given a longer set I figured I would do a bit of old and new. James did a sterling Job getting the focus back although I feared that if I showed any weakness then I would lose them so I hammered into some jokes, one topical and one brand new that seemed to work with walking like madness as the punchline. I worked the new bits about begging from a beggar and being stuck under a glassbottom boat in between tried and tested Jager bomb stuff and the big Julie sketch that I rely on so much. It went ok but I know that both new bits can be really tightened up. Anthony went next doing a little over 10 mins including a nice ringtone bit that reminded me of Ivan Brackenbury.
Cormac was up next, he has not done many gigs but showed a lot of charisma on stage and was very comfortable trying things out before heading off to Edinburgh this summer to do an hour show!! brave boy!
Next acts was Monty and I think I can sum him up well by saying he is strong minded, very confident, has some lovely anecdotes (not all worked though) and some great little rescue lines (his words, I though they were just nice jokes) but my god do not heckle him!!! he will rip you apart!! He did a lovely job and would have been the final act if not for the fact that Mark Hayden had been spotted lurking in the darkness. Mark went on to the stage invited up by James who had conceded, fuck it its a free night you get what you pay for, after some former Mr Bens regulars asked him to let Mark perform. It was what I have come to expect from Mark really, a performance that was interrupted briefly by him saying " I once opened for Joe Rogan you know" something which was lost on this audience as they did not know who that was. As it was Mark got all the men laughing and all the women cringing as he rounded off the night.... The Verve, I really need to be there more often!!
Next for me another couple of long Hauls as I make my way to Wincanton and Barking
So Haselemere gig 120 , well this was a 4 hour drive each way almost 500 (well nearer 440 but the proclaimers didn't sing they would walk 440 miles now did they) mile round trip for 10 mins stage time. This is something I'm prepared to do this year as I try and ensure I do at least 2 gigs a week if not 3. The drive and £70 fuel cost will hopefully prove worthwhile in the future as I start to push into paid work and gigs like this are a catalyst for that as I was in front of a proper comedy audience with professionals either side of me. Arriving a the venue I noticed that the layout of the room was a little odd with lots of buffet style seating and long tables all pointing towards the performing area (there was no stage). It looked a lot like many of the open mic gigs that I have done but as I went and sat in the area set aside for the acts I could tell this was like no open mic night as the 4 other performers all pro's chatted of gigs past and what they had coming up. They were very welcoming and warm with me as I came and sat with them and mad idle conversation before the gig started. The gig coincided with an England world cup qualifier which may be why most of the audience were women but at least the place was full. The Mc Neil Cole set about his work with cool precision and was quickly establishing the level for the night before opener Neil McFarlane took to the stage and delivered his deadpan jokes superbly. There was then a break and middle act Guy Manners with a shorter set got the best reaction from the room with his amiable style. I was next and really did not get much, my jokes perhpas too obvious or not well delivered and certainly the performance was not tight at all with me even finding myself waffling utter nonsense that is not in my set at one point. I came off stage a little early as I could see I was not to their liking and I knew exactly why, it was piss poor lacked conviction and I was way off my best.
Closer Mark Felgate who had been to the Solihull Debacle with me the previous week was on next and he showed me ow its done with confidence and ease as he used his charm to win them over then his ventriloquism with no dummy was very funny. I took plenty from the night and the good thing about being so poor is that they will not remember me so I can bounce back.
gig 121
Pudsey Bojangles gig is essentially no longer my gig as the responsibility for booking it and promoting is falling on the Pudsey based event planner James Hardy. But I will remain resident compere and I was in charge for this night that boasted a fabulous line up. There is a problem with Bojangles as a Venue, there is no door from the down stairs bar so the noise from downstairs was filtering up and becoming a problem. This was a small issue in January too although only for an hour but tonight it spoiled things a little which I am disappointed with. Take nothing away from the acts that were all superb with Callum Scott opening and in top form followed by Jon Newell who despite my email asking not to, did new materiel however, it was as always with Jon, superbly well written and the audience seemed to really enjoy the 1st section. In fact someone (who i think missed the point) asked Callum if she could be his best friend (maybe she did see the point and was trying to be funny?) After the break Mickey Sterrett with his awesome new face wig strode through his set with the same professional style that so many of the pro acts I have gigged with recently and he was in the kind of form that makes him so highly regarded by so many other acts. Chris Grundy went 4th and was performing in front of an army of his friends who had come to support him. He looked a little nervous possible due to this but has enough personality to overcome that and deliver a decent set. The Major disappointment of the night for me came when a 3rd of the audience left before the headliner as did all but 1 of the other acts. Tony Jameson is a superb act and his set was one of a man who has total control over what he is doing so was a shame that people did not stick around (acts sometimes have to get trains etc fair enough) and it is poor etiquette in comedy to come watch only your mate then leave but never mind, Chris himself was the only act that stayed (with some of his other friends) and it was worth staying for. Even with the background noise filtering through Tony was excellent leaving the room wanting more. From a personal point of view I was happy with my own performance to a degree, could have done a bit more to warm the place up but they were a nice enough crowd to not require to much warming so I was also able to experiment with bits.
Gig 122
this was the middle of my 3 MC gigs and was at the national in Hull, one I have been a paid MC for before but tonight was relegated to open spot MC due to poor performance last time out (well due to it being a charity gig). It was quiet this time and the night was slow to start, I could tell from the audience that they were up for doing comedy but they was little energy and I tried to inject some but it didn't really seem to work. That said there was enough attention in the room and everyone was up for it so I brought opener Steve Rimmer to the stage and he went through his 20 min set with casual confidence and of course a wink and a smile. He got the most out of a quiet bunch and we went into the break feeling like things could lift. I did a little more materiel working in my new bits and trying to get laughs from the audience so that I could introduce Rich Austin to a warm reception, and so my mind began to think about his set and not calling him Steve Austin..... which is exactly what I then did!!! Fail!! I was gutted about the error but Rich just took it in his stride and went through his jokes totally unphased, another act that has cool professionalism about him. Billy Lowther was next and he was doing some new bits that I had not seen before, his Steven Hawking joke was excellent as was his memory foam stuff. Billy has such a high hit rate of jokes it was a shame there were not more people in to enjoy them. The final section was headliner Big Lou Jones, I have never met him before but he was a very nice guy back stage and was a very funny guy on stage with some great stuff about how he resembled a notorious gangster and was also mistaken for a notorious prisoner. Lou clearly had the room in the palm of his hand as he went about his set with style rounding off the night brilliantly.
Gig 123
This my 3rd MC spot in a row was at Keighley Exchange Arts centre. Now I did the 1st night there and there was originally a regular MC in Robin Leitch however, he has found success with his music I understand and so they now book guest MC's in each week. I was in good company as MC too as Mark Rough had once taken on the job so that is a high standard. Acts performing tonight varied from experienced acts doing some newer stuff to acts performing for only 5th of 6th time. There was meant to be a headliner as an easter treat bu this was not arranged and possibly with good reason as the venue is still building the night so only about half the number of people that I expected, were in. That said it was a nice audience of 25 or so and they were good sports in particular one young lad who was about 12 in appearance yet had a pint and assured me he was 18, he became the victim of a little bit of audience banter but was a great sport. getting going was tough and I was not too well prepared in fairness but I just produced some average ad libs and did some materiel readying the crowd for their 1st act. John Pearson or JP went 1st and spoke confidently about things that had some people cringing and other in tears laughing, he was very full of personality and gave a great performance, following him was the youthful Josh Walker who I had seen a few times when I 1st started. His materiel was much tighter now with a one linery style although he still needs a little more confidence or self belief but still very good. Barnsley boy Johnny Greatrex who now resides in the midlands was next and arguably the act of the night. He told with great detail the story of his naturist article that he wrote and how he researched it. Following on was relative newbie Jennifer Banks, she was very confident and gave a relaxed performance with some neat jokes. The 1st act after the second break was doing some darker stuff, his set was about getting cancer and in particular in his manhood. Sadly the audience just did not go with it and he really struggled, I tried to make light of the situation and make the audience aware he was not being nasty about cancer but instead I offended the act in question who promptly left although I contacted him by email and he is cool now he knows it was not an attack on him, he also informed me that his best gig ever was the one he did previously in Sheffield and he did the same set so it further proves that not every room will get you. The final act of the night was from Burscough think (near Liverpool) and was only doing gig 6 but he is definitely one to watch as he had some nice stuff and a real presence about him closing the night nicely. I was very pleased with how things went from a personal point of view and in terms of the night. I hope to return to keighley again soon.
Gig 124
The verve Comedy Cellar..... its on my doorstep and I can quite possible book myself in here fairly regularly so I have no idea why I haven't as I spoke at the top about local gigs not being the sort that would book me this gig is one that offers stage time to anyone and is a great little gig in a lovely venue run by dedicated people. Eddie and Pat now gaining assistance from Alistair Greaves and James Christopher. I arrived this evening to find the place rammed, a large portion of the crowd to support Gregor 'Monty' Burns which was nice. Performing tonight would be James as MC, Myself up 1st then Anthony Murphy and after the break Cormac Friel and Monty himself. The night started in the most bizarre fashion with the 1st issue being the microphone not working very well. James was able to overcome that issue but not to a level that everyone could hear too well and so began 1st of all a guy in the front who just did not shut up, he was answering every word that James was saying and with such odd responses not allowing James to carry on. This prompted some of the audience to begin talking among themselves, some heckling the heckler with everyone else just yelling shut up or trying to hear James. One lady yelled just get the 1st act on... I responded no dont... I was without a clue what to do, I had planned to just do all new stuff but going 1st and being given a longer set I figured I would do a bit of old and new. James did a sterling Job getting the focus back although I feared that if I showed any weakness then I would lose them so I hammered into some jokes, one topical and one brand new that seemed to work with walking like madness as the punchline. I worked the new bits about begging from a beggar and being stuck under a glassbottom boat in between tried and tested Jager bomb stuff and the big Julie sketch that I rely on so much. It went ok but I know that both new bits can be really tightened up. Anthony went next doing a little over 10 mins including a nice ringtone bit that reminded me of Ivan Brackenbury.
Cormac was up next, he has not done many gigs but showed a lot of charisma on stage and was very comfortable trying things out before heading off to Edinburgh this summer to do an hour show!! brave boy!
Next acts was Monty and I think I can sum him up well by saying he is strong minded, very confident, has some lovely anecdotes (not all worked though) and some great little rescue lines (his words, I though they were just nice jokes) but my god do not heckle him!!! he will rip you apart!! He did a lovely job and would have been the final act if not for the fact that Mark Hayden had been spotted lurking in the darkness. Mark went on to the stage invited up by James who had conceded, fuck it its a free night you get what you pay for, after some former Mr Bens regulars asked him to let Mark perform. It was what I have come to expect from Mark really, a performance that was interrupted briefly by him saying " I once opened for Joe Rogan you know" something which was lost on this audience as they did not know who that was. As it was Mark got all the men laughing and all the women cringing as he rounded off the night.... The Verve, I really need to be there more often!!
Next for me another couple of long Hauls as I make my way to Wincanton and Barking
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