A Tale of Two SHows

So, as y'all know, Friday night was my first paid gig ever. I was to perform at a fund-raiser for the Hunter College Women's Basketball Team. For some reason I wasn't really nervous going on...maybe I was maturing as a comic...better prepared...more confident in my material. Yes, that must be it!

So when I go in, I find out that the other two comics are Modi, who performs all over the city and, in fact, the country (I've seen him before...he's awesome) and some other dude who I never heard of but has been on Comedy Central and Letterman. I started to get nervous.

Modi, who hadn't arrived yet was gonna go on as soon as he got there because he had another gig that night. I told the MC that I didn't care when I went on since the only plans I had for later that evening involved General Tsao and his lovely chicken. When Modi arrived in time to go on first (after the MC did his thing), the MC asked if I minded following him since the other dude didn't wanna. In the worst decision since that Best dude left The Beatles, I agreed.

First of all, most of the crowd were minority college kids...not really my target audience. I scrapped the idea of doing my jury duty and work related stuff. My nerves increased.

I started getting REALLY nervous when Modi was onstage. . He was killing (that's "doing extremely well"). By the time he left, the crowd was in his hands...laughing even before he got to the punchline. Then it was my turn.

I tell my first joke...a joke about my poor basketball playing ability in an effort to get them on my side......nothing.
I tell my second joke....starting my own material....nothing.

And it went downhill from there.

Not only didn't they laugh much, but I swear, they wanted to beat the crap out of me. The biggest laugh I got was when I said, Thank You," after I told a joke that was met with complete silence. Long story short, I stayed on for about 10-12 minutes but it felt like 30.

(by the way, after the MC introduced the next comic, he saw me in the hall and said, without a trace of irony, "Good set.")

I went to bed that night - after eating a Snickers bar, a Boston Creme Dunkin' Donut, a Toasted Almond coffee from said donut emporium and my General Tsao's - wondering why the heck I'm doing this...and kinda dreading my show planned for the next night at Gotham Comedy Club...where, by the way, Bronwen's parents would see me perform for the first time.

So I was back to my nervous self before Saturday's show. Maybe cause I bombed the previous night, or maybe cause I couldn't remember the wording of my first couple of jokes.

Anyway, I went on fifth. My first joke did well. My second joke did well also. Then, I kicked it up a notch and even got some applause. Though I remained nervous throughout my set (dunno why), the audience was definitely diggin' me. I'm still at the stage where if my first couple of jokes don't do well, I lose confidence up there and I think the audience smells that (well, that and when I piddle on myself up there).

Anyway, I have another gig tonight at Stand Up NY (9 PM)...my fingers are crossed.

Rock On,

Aitch