Hey, so I did stop by Rififi's tonight, which I found out is an unregistered name for the venue (maybe I shouldn't write that here.) Well, it's not detrimental if I write this (I don't think.)
I waved and said "Hello" to Mr. Louis CK again. Turns out he just moved to my neighborhood, as he mentioned in his routine. I may even be lucky enough to catch him at the local grocery store--and then maybe he'll put a snarling rant about some ditzy flaky girl in his routine. (I could only be so lucky!)
...Focus, you need to focus...
Later, I met and spoke a good 5 mins with very established comedian, Todd Barry1. After disclosing my ambition to become a comedienne, he unknowingly knocked the wind out of me, like a fierce high school soccer player. (I'm so easily discouraged.) The conversation went more like this:
TB: Are you a comedienne? (I'm sure when he said it, he probably mean "ian" over "ienne." But unlike the French language, we don't have the convenience or luxury of masculine and feminine.)
Me: Well, no! Well, yeah! But if this doesn't work out I'm probably going to head to (uncomfortable pause)
TB: (grimacing)
Me: law school.
TB: I was just about to say law school.
Me: I know, right?
TB: There's a considerable number of comics that started off as lawyers.
Me: Yeah, I heard Greg Giraldo graduated from Harvard Law. (pause) Well, at least they could study and hone in on their craft, not broke.
TB: So what do you do now?
Me: I proofread.
TB: That makes good money.
Me: Yeah, well, I have to take a lesser number of hours because I have to study for the LSAT.
TB: What type of law?
Me: Well, I guess (gesturing to the stage) entertainment. I really would rather be on stage, than be behind the scenes.
TB: So why do you want to do stand-up?
Me: Well, I think stand-up really is a one-man-show. I think it's faster than, say, investing in making a film. I could spend $100,000 over the next year with a staff of people creating ONE film. And then shop it around to film festivals for 2-3 years. Or I could work on my stand-up routine for $5 each time I want to get on stage, and write and write and write, and I am the only person I have to worry about. And by the end I'm a self-sufficient entertainer. I would be marketable because any studio, agent, manager, knows I can create my own material, and perform it. I would be a Triple Threat. Well, give me some time for the third one. But eventually I'll be a Triple Threat. Plus, I could negotiate my own contracts.
TB: Focus. You need to focus.
Ugh, that was the kiss of death. Talking to Barry gave me flashbacks to talks with any other adult that had some opinion on my life. I understand that I need focus. Focus to me is like telling the lothario bachelor, "You need to commit." It's a scary thought limiting my role in this world to one occupation--and a boring one at that!
I don't want to go to bed with the same occupation every single night.
I want to be able to sleep with all the occupations the world has to offer! And not just any occupation--mainly those occupations in entertainment. (I have a thing for occupations in entertainment. It's just my preference. Don't call me prejudiced!)
Well, this is the dilemma that keeps reoccurring in my life.
Want to see how much I've grown?
My resolve:
I've pretty much given up on flying by the seat of my pants. So now I've stopped running and have settled (reluctantly) on law.
Any advice?
The last comic on stage was Aziz Ansari.2 He really does have a southern accent (stemming from South Carolina) which is mind-boggling seeing as he's Indian-American. It definitely requires a double, rather a quadruple take. The accent is sort of hidden, but it slips every so often. And it's endearing. He's cute because he's already so petite and his voice is relatively high.
However, the topics he broaches upon are relatively serious and adult, even ripping on the hypocrisy found in MTV's programming. So you have to take him seriously. Plus he has a new TV show on MTV, Human Giant. As a part of his set, he showed clips of Human Giant as well as tell jokes about it in comparison to other lame-ass MTV shows. It was enlightening and disheartening at the same time. Once you cross that precipice that is stardom, selling out seems inevitable. So I say to anyone who thinks Aziz is selling out, why don't YOU TRY getting a hit TV show on America's most promising3 but least reputable network and try not compromising your talent a bit. I bet you would crumble under the pressure. It's so easy for us to sit on our fat never-seen-the-inside-of-a-gym asses and judge. What in the world do you know?!?!
Afterwards, I got to speak with another comic, someone whom I hadn't heard or seen before, who goes by the name of Leo Allen4. (I have no idea if he's related to Woody Allen.) But I decided to chat him up, because he was kinda giving me the "I think you're really interesting" look, also known as the "male trying to be subtle while ogling" look. Eh? So he likes me. Or maybe I have a big hubristic head? I think I must've been curious as to how "interested" he really was, so I approached him. I asked him a lame comedy question (I'm rife with lame comedy questions. Really, it's just one question. It just sounds brand new according to each new comic I approach.) Anyway, he indulged. Eventually, he was cock-blocked by a female friend. I was sort of relieved. I kinda wanted to head out. I really wanted to walk the streets of NY, because this other guy (that recently dumped me over e-mail) was interrupting all productive thoughts in my head. I needed time to think and perhaps vanquish the intruding thoughts. But it was too late and I was too tired. So I hopped on the nearby train.
The guy situation is still bugging me as I write this. And it's only because I want it to. It's a weird long story. Usually, if I like a guy, it takes, at most, a weekend to get over (1-2 days). But I volunteered to take on this strife. And of course when your mind is on a specific boy, EVERY SINGLE HOT GUY in NY comes out of the woodworks. And I'm really trying not to be distracted. I, honestly, think it's the Universe testing me to see if this sole guy is really someone I truly care about--over every other FINE-ASS distraction.
Okay, that's my complaint, aptly filed. I will check ya'll later.
~Lucy
1Todd Barry [Official Site|MySpace|Wikipedia] [Return to Entry]
2Aziz Ansari [Official Site|MySpace|Wikipedia] [Return to Entry]
3I say "promising" because MTV could easily be on the forefront of everything that is cool. But instead they harp on everything that still manages to make money and sucks. Obviously, these Execs are out of touch, including periodical media (i.e. Rolling Stone, Spin, NME). Thank God for Pitchfork. Although, I think Pitchfork can sometimes take on the role of the uptight admissions council for the boarding school of "Hardass Music Credibility," I still say "Thank God they're around." I think if Pitchfork were a political party, they would be the staunch conservatives (i.e. Republicans).
If anyone ever handed me the keys to the kingdom of a music television station, I would know exactly what to do with them. hint, hint [Return to Entry]
4Leopold Rufus Allen [Official Site|MySpace|Slovin and Allen] [Return to Entry]
