Today's friday the 13th. One my favorite days to celebrate. Good things always seem to happen on said day. Most of the day was spent studying. And thinking and more thinking.
I wrote (or at least thought about) a few jokes. Nothing noteworthy, but I earned new blogger friends, and my link cherry has been popped today....my link cherry has been popped...
I haven't been on stage in about a week and I'm going through a bit of withdrawal. But then I think about the cash I have to drop to get on stage and I then I no longer feel guilty for not being on stage.
I still find joke writing to be a bit of a chore. I tried churning out a few with my sibling. And then I thought about a piece of advice I was given from comedy great Greer Barnes.
Mr. Barnes mentioned that if you hear or think of a joke in your head and you proceed to tell that joke the exact way you heard it in your head, then 99.9% of the time, the joke will work. But the problem with comedy writing and joke telling is that the way you hear it in your head is not always the way it comes out. It's the translation that is difficult. And I've always been sharp with the pen, vocabulary, and linguistics in general. But I've realized this all has to do with recall--pure, unadulterated recall. I find myself racing to a pen and paper over running to my digital voice recorder, because the DVR throws me off sometimes. I would start with telling the joke into the recorder and thinking about what I just said in the middle of finishing the next sentence, missing the phrasing of the following sentences, because I'm so tuned into what's coming out of my mouth. It's probably the verbal equivalent of a copy of copy-- perhaps feedback. Yeah, I speak and all I get is feedback. Yeah, you don't want to be in the same room when I climax.
God help me. I missing some key jokes.
I am Jack's smirking revenge.
I am Jack's cold sweat.
I am Jack's raging bile duct.
I am Jack's colon.
I am Jack's complete lack of surprise.
I am Jack's wasted life.
I am Jack's inflamed sense of rejection.
I am Jack's broken heart.
I am my own distraction.
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8 comments:
I think you just made my blogroll -- I'm intrigued :)
Lucy,
I give you kudos for leading the life of a comedienne. I'm sure it can be difficult - yet very rewarding.
So when you tell people you're a comedienne, what's the reaction you usually get? Do people try to give you a lame joke of theirs (not that I was going to do that)? ;-)
Thanks Fever Dog! I'm honored!
BottleBlonde:
No, I haven't yet received the lame jokes which aptly get pushed on you once you let the cat out of the bag and say, "Hi, I'm a comedian."
I don't think I've fully grown into the title as a "comedienne." It's like saying your a photographer, but still have yet to get paid for your work. So until I admit it to myself, well...
But to be more direct, I still have yet to introduce myself as "a comedian/enne." I still just say, "Hi, I'm Lucy." Altogether, I'm not a big fan of labels. But through this blog, I'm trying to gain a perspective that no one else has explored. Once I accomplish my goal with playing in front of an audience of 100, then I might switch to filmmaker, or cuisine chef. Really I would like to be a Renaissance woman, but I haven't seen anyone get paid for that.
i am jack's blog obsession. love the reference. i didn't know you had to pay (directly or indirectly) to get on stage. i guess you may have to steal a car and pay a visit to your friendly, local chop shop to get some ends. oh yeah, congrats on the cherry popping... just hold pressure, okay :)
"...on the cherry popping... just hold pressure, okay :)"
RAFFI: Is that what you tell you virginal patients? "It'll only hurt for a minute."
Glad you liked the reference. For some reason that popped in my head as I was writing, and I wasn't sure if I could pull it off correctly. (Oh, I'm such a stereotype--of a comedian, I mean.)
Just stick to your dreams ... from what I have read, you are already on your way.
I agree. As an inveterate ranconteur and funny girl, I find that a lot of my stuff is like found art- the less thought about the better the joke. Then, through repeated telling, I refine it, until it's almost patter.
Rock on with your bad self, LD.
Hi Lucy -- I agree with you about writing. I always write better when I write fast as it occurs in my head. The more I try to "write", the worse it gets. It probably has something to do with learning to trust ourselves more.
Also, thanks for checking out my blog! I haven't tried Word Press. I think I'll stick with blogger for a while, though. I'm loyal to a fault, and since they made it so easy to blog, I'd like to stick with them as long as possible. Besides, Bob Mould AND Pete Townsend are google bloggers, so we're in good company! Take care!
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