Headaches and Heckles

I’ve just had gig #3 (this time at the lovely Hot Water Comedy Club). It was the first gig I’ve really enjoyed I think while performing but also one where I think I might have learnt a lot about myself as a performer, myself as a crazy knobhead, but also, crucially, my material.

So what did I learn (I hear you ask!)…

Well.. In no particular order.

1. When I have a gig in the evening I feel sick for the entire day and don’t want to eat, even when at a lovely restaurant with my beautiful girlfriend.
2. I also need to wee an incredible amount prior to the gig. I mean seriously, I am probably the most dehydrated person in the UK right now. 6 pisses is not natural. But less pisses than my first gig (#8).
3. The stress disappears when I’m backstage for the 20 mins before i’m due to go on.
4. My opening is good, however after 5 mins I lose the audience.
5. Being too self referential, or comedy referential, isn’t interesting to your average audience.
6. Sometimes you need a cock joke up your sleeve to bring the audience back.
7. Talking to the audience and ad-libbing from that is easy, delivering material to mix in with it isn’t.
8. Sometimes heckers won’t give up
9. I mean seriously won’t give the fuck up.
10. I mean, stop it.
11. In that situation it’s very difficult for anyone, especially a new act, so I shouldn’t read too much into one guy throwing the second half of my set.
12. I should, however, read in that the second half of my set wasn’t interesting or funny enough to make the audience self-police. This I will address.
13. Some comedians are so bad they’re good. Some comedians are deliberately bad and are amazing. Some comedians are neither. Some are one. Some are the other.
14. What I was trying to say in #13 is there is variation.
15. Comedians are, I have to say, some of the kindest, most supportive people I have met.
16. Nothing unites a group of comedians like a heckler in the 3rd row.
17. Worrying about whether I’m dressed right for my act is pointless until I have a better act.
18. I need my act to be bulletproof. And it will be. Watch this space.