Saturday, April 14, 2007

Hit a Brick Wall...

...Comedy is not easy...


This is the realization I came to today. Even with the help of my comic buddy, I have come to realize that we both come from two different schools of comedy. C is coming from a school of theatrics and improv. I'm not against it. However, I come from a more traditional standpoint. I like the "Premise, Set-up, Punchline" formula. I like comedy to be quick and dirt-- well, not dirty, but satisfying. Like sex!1 What I'm trying to say is that I like my jokes to be tight and not too wordy.

I respect smart humor. In fact, I can almost say I get off on it. Humor that makes you think, and it doesn't have to hit you right away. It may come to you seconds later or perhaps the next morning, when you're in the shower. (Well, that wouldn't be good for the shelf life of the comedian's career.)

...I'm determined...to create a new species and force the audience to evolve...

I like the hook and twist in comedy. Seinfeld is a master at this. He says line, sets you up with a premise, and drops a punchline. And then another punchline. And just when you think he's finished, he pulls a zinger from out of left field. He took it to another level. That is my aim--to get to his level.

So yeah, I've decided to talk about my background as my first set. But not the usual stuff. I'm a weird cat, I know. I'm a minority within a minority within a minority. I don't fit into any category. And you would know this if you ever met me. Most people find it intriguing. I'm an alien--a mutant. I'm definitely a square peg in a round hole kinda chick. I'm not sure how much I want to go into my personality here. I think it might be best left for the comedy.

And part of my set is the idea that people feel the need to categorize each other. We always need to say, "I am this." Labeling seems to be a big part of our culture.

And when people meet people who don't fit into one of the imaginary categories that have concocted in their mind, they begin to ask questions. "Where do you fit?" "Who are you?" "What KIND of person are you?" ...as if we all are cookie cutter sets of each other.

It's the proverbial Jack Hanna, Lorne Green, Jacques Cousteau curiosity. Have you ever seen what a biologist/scientist does when s/he can't fit a plant/animal species into a category? They create a new TOTALLY NEW category. All for this one organism! I'm determined to become that organism in comedy. To create a new species and force the audience to evolve.

I still have yet to meet anyone exactly like me, which is why I think I'm doomed to singlehood. That's fine. I could die alone. We all die alone, eventually. Yeah, I know. I'm taking the sad clown theory to a whole other level.

I've come to grips with this. Unfortunately, my mother has not.


~Lucy


1Again, I would have no idea about the sex thing. I think my flavor of sex should be ample and long-lasting, like my chewing gum. [Return to Entry]

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