Precious

Advice for newbs

When. you start in comedy every set is so precious to you. Your first time up, that set is 100% of your stand up experience, and you’re nervous, scratch that, terrified, you want it so bad, all your eggs are in this one basket and you’ve got 5 minutes to succeed or go down in flames.

If I could go back in time and give baby comic Keith advice on that day it would be, just do it, get it out of the way, you’re gonna do this hundreds or thousands of times more. You’re putting too much weight on this one set.

Of course I wouldn’t have listened.

Do the math, every set you do becomes a smaller percentage of your overall comedy experience and eventually it stops being so damn precious. It’s not that it’s not still important to you. You work hard for those minutes and their potentially some of the most uplifting, satisfying minutes of your life, or the most miserable, soul crushing minutes, but when you know that there’s plenty more coming, and your whole career isn’t turning on this one 5 minute set, you’re able to relax a little, take some chances, stretch a bit.

So maybe the best advice for a first timer isn’t, try not to put so much weight on your first time, but rather, plan out your second, third, fourth, and fifth time before that first time. Go up knowing that whatever happens, you’ll be back at this mic next week, or at a different mic tomorrow, ready to go again, to build on your successes and correct whatever didn’t work so well.

Here’s some other advice I’d love to give young comics:

Don’t compare yourself too much to your peers. I had comics roar past me out the gate, only to plateau in their first year, or even burn out completely. Of course some went quicker than me, and kept going and are doing great. I’ve gone at my pace. I try to be satisfied with knowing that I’m always getting better, and I’m building my audience bit by bit. I’m definitely the tortoise in this race, and that’s alright, the hare is a really funny comic and I love being on shows with them. Amongst my students some have come in with great instincts, taking to the stage naturally like a duck to water, but I’ve witnessed plenty who took years to find their stage legs who still got to that same place and became great comedians.

Be careful about listening to other comic’s advice. I’ve gotten great advice that has made a difference but I’ve gotten way more terrible advice over the years. I’m sure Stephen Wright was told he couldn’t be so dry and stiff. I have no doubt Bobcat was told he’d never get anywhere yelling and screeching. I remember a female comic telling me several male comedians had told her she’s too dirty. Everyone of these male comics had jokes way dirty than any of hers. I remember when JR DeGuzman was just getting started he told me other comics told him the guitar was hacky. I laughed and said, “It totally is, usually. That you manage to use it in a way that is original and successful, makes it that much cooler.” JR’s guitar bits have done quite well for him. So, be yourself, and take advice with a grain of salt.

Be organized. Keep a list of all your jokes so you don’t forget them, and so you can put a set together quickly when called on to do so. And mark the jokes that are your sure things, your closers and openers, the jokes that work for you most consistently, knowing that the other jokes have value too, and can make it onto that list with time.
I wandered into The Punch Line just hoping to see Norm Macdonald, and I ended up opening for him. I was able to reach into my bag and pull out my list, pick 5 minutes of jokes, and I turned in a set I as proud of with zero time to prep.

Don’t look at your phone when you’re on stage, EVER. If you have notes (I have memory issues and so always use a set list) put them on an index card and put it on the stool next to your drink. Have it be a list that contains as few words as possible. The audience should not see you reading. It will break the connection between you. Just a quick glance to see what joke is next as you take a sip of your drink and way you go. NO PHONE.

On the flip side of this, if you do have anything less than an incredible memory, even when under pressure, Have a set list available in case you need it. I’ve seen the very funny Jesse Fernandez pull a list out of his pocket and he just says “And that concludes the memorized portion of my set” which gets a huge laugh. I have seen a comic have their mind go blank during a big show, where they were opening for a friend who was taping a special. They apologized and ended their set. If they’d had a set list in their back pocket, they could’ve made a quick joke, and gone on.

Next week I’m going to give you the lesson that has made the biggest difference in my comedy career, the most important thing I’ve ever learned about comedy. Tune in.