"Can you hear me in the back?" (Comedy Run)

Todd Barry totally blew up my spot tonight. He said he read my blog which was flattering and petrifying at the same time. Luckily, I'm not an a--hole, so I don't write disparaging remarks about comedians, right Todd? Anyway, I try to keep it objective. Objective to me of course!

My goal with this blog is to make a virtual diary, tracking my inevitable success. Duh! (*wink-wink*) We shall see...

Anyway, this Wed night was incredible--jam-packed with open mics.

First Stop: Stand Up New York
Overall, minimal turnout (5 people or less), but they just lost a promoter/open mic MC, so they are "regrouping." It's a supportive environment for up-and-comers so I believe this will blow up in the next 6 months, especially with the right amount of marketing.

Next Stop: Comedy Cellar
We arrived too late to do a set, but I did meet the MC, so it was cool. He now knows me and perhaps he'll cut me a break every so often. (You scratch my back. I scratch yours.)

Third Stop: The Duplex
Known as a relatively cliquey ensemble cast. I like to go to see the talent and of course hear the jokes. I'm gathering ideas about how I can eventually run my own Open-mic or comedy show. But slowly. ...s...l...o...w...l...y...

Non-Comedy related stop: On the way to ITU, we walked by a Furniture Gala (Yeah, I know there's a joke in here somewhere.) And you can tell it was sort of a society event--hoit(e)y-toit(e)y, fancy-schmancy affair. People were spilling out onto the sidewalk and so we (NCB and I) thought, "Why not?" We headed in and checked out some cool furniture. (Nothing that I would want in my dream house.) But afterall, it was Art! Eventually, the wait staff, if I made add were waaaayyy too attractive to be waitstaff, started to honor us with some champagne. Now I'm thinking, "this is way too easy." So we were served drinks. I being a teetotaler, passed mine onto P Buddy, whom I realize as I write this forgot to give a proper introduction.

Fourth and Last Stop: Rififi's (Cinema Classics) - INVITE THEM UP!
Tonight was a bit slower. But funny none-the-less. I said Hi to Eugene Mirman and introduced myself. I figured he didn't remember me, but he did. In fact, he added, "Yeah, I've been introduced to you like 5 times." YIKES! NCB laughed because even NCB knew that. Yes, I was selfishly overly obsequious and recently wanted to make an impression. So now I realize I have.

Even worse, I totally missed out on Demetri Martin's set last week. The week I decided not to attend. And it was a long night, with several comics. I'm annoyed at myself.

...Maybe it's because they can't hear me in the back...

And the "headliner," if you can call this very cozy friendly show, a show that produces headliners--- it's too family-oriented to place that kind of feel on it. The headliner was Todd Barry. A part of his set was about how people enter a show 15 mins into it and non-chalantly take their reserved seats in front, basically outlining how rude it is. He mentioned that there were two seats available in front during his set. We, NCB and I, quickly ran in and filled them. Not too many laughs from the audience, but apparently the bar room enjoyed watching it on the flat screen. That move made the night. Barry chatted up NCB while onstage. Pretty cool to be referenced in the show!

He also kept using the callback "Can you hear me in the back?" With the dexterity of a filigree seamstress, he used the callback enough and in the right places for it to be unexpected and it never got old. [Note to self: Understand and hone the craft of a proper callback. Points it adds to the set: 10!]

New word I learned today: Teetotaler - The story about how I learned this word is pathetic, at best. Recently, Glamour magazine has been running a contest the new "Jake." The original "Jake" was headhunted by Glamour editors to write about dating from a male perspective in hopes of teaching women about the way men think. To be honest, his column was very interesting. I used to get caught up because he would act like such a bastard to women. Classic Men.

Long story short is Jake got engaged. And usually, I'm a sucker for romantic comedies (good ones: French Kiss, You Got Mail (featuring favored comedian, Dave Chappelle), Shakespeare in Love, Bridget Jones' Diary) salivating over the happy endings. But for some reason, this ending didn't sit well with me--the fact that Jake was getting married. I dunno. I haven't digested it yet. Maybe because I would like to meet him myself and decide whether or not he was really the cat's meow as the magazine made him out to be. Maybe he's Prince Charming, but maybe he's a troll. I'll never know, will I?

~Lucy

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