Tag: comedian

 

It would not consist of playing Xbox or watching movies; my ideal work day would consist of a lot of, well, work.

Of course this work day would take place at home, mostly in my office. I’d start off the day by working on my comic strip. I generally come up with ideas for it in the morning, and they are usually based on recent and past experiences. I’ve found that when I am working on this strip that I have some days where I’ll make 3 or 4 comics, and others where I am in a dry spell. Regardless, I would work on this strip for the first hour of my day. By the way, today I started putting this strips into PDF form, so that I can make an E book out of them later this year. Stay tuned!

One of the most crucial parts of being a comedian is writing. This is what I would do next, because often I make comics strips that could be turned into new material. It is only logical that I would spend time writing new jokes after working on my comic. I used to try to write with music in the background, or while watching Netflix. I always found myself simply listening to the “background” music, or watching Netflix, and not actually writing. I don’t need complete silence to write, occasional distractions can actually help me at times. Also, I don’t write my jokes out word for word. I’ll generally write the premise in as few words as possible, and then have some bullet points of punchlines, and ideas to explore based on that premise. Additionally I have pages in my journal of premises to explore later, I love making these lists. Sometimes the ideas get forgotten, but sometimes when I’m having writer’s block I’ll look for one of these lists and force myself to flesh out one of those ideas.

At some point during the day I’d eat lunch. Generally when I’m on a roll with writing or whatever other comedic pursuit I’m into I don’t want to stop and eat. So who knows, this type of work day might help me lost a few pounds.

Another important part of the day would be spent reading articles about comedy. This is something that I try to do in moderation. I’ve learned that reading and talking about the way that other comedians have succeeded can actually be detrimental. For example, Louis CK has done a lot of amazing things by controlling the production of his tv show, selling his own tickets online, and self-releasing his own albums as of late. However, I’m not at a stage in my career where any of those things are relevant. It is great to read about them, but I refuse to let those things get in the way of my writing, performing, getting better, etc. I do like to read interviews of other comedians, studying the greats can have its benefits.

Obviously I enjoy creating things, and I enjoy writing. Something that I want to start doing is writing monologue jokes. You know, the ones that guys like Letterman and Conan deliver on a nightly basis. Those were all written by talented comedic minds. This requires not only quick wit and writing ability, but also a knowledge of current events. I’ve never had a ton of topical material in my act, because it has such a short shelf life, but I think that writing for late night would be amazing. I’m obviously not at that point yet, but writing dozens of topical jokes would be great practice. Creating writing samples would take place during this chunk of the day, sitcom scripts and various other relevant writings.

Lastly, I’d go out at night and work on my material. I don’t currently live in a place with stage time every night, but I do get up as much as I can. I am somewhat envious of comics who live in places where they can think of an idea in the morning, and ALWAYS be talking about that idea on stage that night (if they so choose). When I went to New York this summer I remember hitting 3 open mics in one night, it was amazing. I love the stage. Writing and creating things aside, doing actual stand-up is my passion, first and foremost. I ALWAYS write my ideas out by myself initially, but at least twice a week I’d love to meet with other creative minds who I trust and bounce ideas off each other.

During this ideal work day I may spend some time watching actual stand up too. I feel like I’m at a point where I’m comfortable on stage, I know what I’m doing. It is always good to watch people who are better than you, and have different styles. It keeps you hungry.

Did I mention that this workday would start around noon? Not because I’m lazy, but because I have a family that I’d spend my mornings with. Also, I’d probably be working late into the night (that’s when I’d be on stage), so starting at noon makes sense. Also, I’m not a morning person, so there’s that.

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Not all comedy shows are created equal. There are rooms of all sizes, audiences of varying attention spans, and other varying variables. On Wednesday I had the chance to open for a Las Vegas-based comedian/magician named Adam London, and it was one of those shows where most if not all of the variables were ideal for comedy.

My wife and I arrived at the venue at 6:30pm. I told someone at the front door that I was the opening act, and they gave me a funny look. Luckily right at that moment someone came out and said “oh good, Lam, you’re here,” and took us inside. It was a nice theater with a balcony, seating about 600 people. Adam was on the stage and introduced himself, nice guy. One thing that I’ve heard a lot (and I believe to be true) is that you shouldn’t pester the headliner. I always try to see what type of person they are before engaging in a lengthy conversation. There are plenty of people who (understandably) don’t want to talk to everyone before their show; they may be preparing, getting in their “zone”, or whatever. Adam seemed very laid back and kind, not at all in his own world.

A friend of mine was opening as well. We had each planned to do a certain amount of time, but were asked to shorten it. Not a problem. Another thing that I’ve learned is that you have to roll with the punches. Being easy to work with is almost as important as being funny. That may not be how it should be (some people feel that being funny is all that matters), but I think I’m pretty easy going anyway so changing things up last minute is never a big deal to me.

Fast forward to the beginning of the show. The theater was packed. My friend did his set, and did well as he always does. Then I did my set, and was later told both by Adam and many audience members that it was great. I’ve read a lot of articles that say when you are hosting/opening/featuring that you should hold back a little; you shouldn’t come out and try to “knock the headliner’s head off.” In other words; do well, but don’t do so well that the headliner has to compete with you. I can see the truth in this, but also, you never know who is watching.

Regardless, I kept that rule in mind. I feel like all of my bits were hitting with the audience, as they should since I was avoiding new material. However, the bit that I decided to close with didn’t end with an applause break as it normally does. The reaction was great, but not what I’m used to. It was sufficient though, so I ended my set and left the stage. Normally in that situation I would have kept going in an attempt to end on a slightly higher note, but I wanted to be mindful of the time that I was given. Earlier today I watched the video of my set from that night, and I’m fine with how it went.

Adam’s show was great. He started off with stand up and then did magic with tons of audience interaction. I haven’t seen tons of magic, and there were several tricks that I was impressed with. For one of his tricks he made my wife’s wedding ring go into a bag of M&Ms. Crazy stuff.

Everyone has to pay their dues, especially in the entertainment industry. Every time that I’m fortunate enough to do a show like this it reminds me that it is where I want to be. I love performing for crowds of 30-50 too, it is relaxed and I can work on new material. Even if I’m blessed to someday perform in theaters on a regular basis I’d still want to continue to do smaller shows. Bottom line is that its great to work with people who have what I want, to get to know them, to watch them work, and to show what I can do in those circumstances.

photoI’m trying to lose weight, so naturally this is what I decided to have for lunch today. I give it a 7.5/10 on the Manly Meal scale (which I just invented, right now). It is called the J.J. Gargantuan from Jimmy John’s. It contains every type of meat that they have (other than Bacon, which is part of the reason for the average score). Clearly, not everything I post on this blog will be about comedy.

When did growing up become a “thing”? I think that Peter Pan and whoever wrote the iconic jingle for the Toys-R-Us commercials (“I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a Toys-R-Us kid….”) would be appalled by the amount of maturity in society today. People discover their first interests and hobbies when they are children, but so often those interests are abandoned as people get older. I started playing video games as a kid; in fact, one of the best Christmases ever was when my brother and I got Super Mario Bros 3 for the NES. I STILL play video games, albeit less frequently because I have a family, job, and am working on a Master’s degree. Regardless, so many people think that it is immature, childish, or irresponsible for people to continue loving the things that taught them how to love in the first place.

I still love to read graphic novels, more commonly known as comic books. One my favorite series is called The Runaways, about a group of teens who realize that they have super powers and that their parents are part of a criminal group called the Pride. It is well written and illustrated, and grabs my attention just as well as a “more mature” non-illustrated book would. I love The Walking Dead, recently read Batman: Year One, and I got seasons 1 & 2 of Batman Beyond for Christmas. I’m a self-respecting, hard-working adult; I love reading graphic novels, playing video games, and watching cartoons.

In fact, if you know me, you know that I also have my own comic strip (you can see an old one below). It isn’t meant to be laugh-out-loud HILARIOUS, but almost more of a journal of my experiences as a comedian. It is called “Comic About A Comic” (I agree, the title is clever. Thank you for noticing) and most weekdays I post a new one on my Facebook fan page as well as here on my website. It is loosely based on my comedy, and like comedy there are occasional exaggerations that are grounded in truth. None of the characters (other than yours truly) are based on real people, because not all of the things that I write about are “happy”.

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By now you may be wondering why I titled this post the way that I did. The answer is because comic books aren’t for children. Any form of media, can be used and appreciated by people of all ages. When I watch Sesame Street with my son, I can appreciate the fact that someone took the time to write the episode and that the people in the episode are actors playing a role. But really, my appreciation of comic books goes deeper than that. I’m not usually into literary analysis, but comic books have room for plenty. In fact, I took an English class as an undergrad that was based solely on graphic novels. We read Batman: The Long Halloween, Blankets, Y: The Last Man, and others. It was one of, if not the greatest class that I have ever taken. The authors of these books are often pushing messages that can’t be seen at the surface, ones that children would easily miss.

So I create comics, and I read them. I will continue to do so until there are no more good ones to read, or I lose my eyesight. You should too, because you don’t know what you’re missing.