The Politics of Open Mics in New York City

So, Yes, I have been slacking in the posting department. I know you all are so very expectant of what I've been doing over the past week/weekend--teeming with anticipation! And I'll have you know that I've been doing NOTHING, absolute zero-- as it relates to comedy.

...I don't want the money, I just want the stagetime...

I have been investigating getting a portable PA system to perform in the streets/subway, to up my comedy ante. Although, I heard you need to have a Tax ID # in order to perform underground or publicly for that matter. I don't want the money. I just want the stagetime!

Let me explain why I've come to this conclusion. I need to be onstage more, less to do with joke telling, and more to do with having a mic in my hand and speaking into it. Really, I just need to get comfortable walking and talking, formally!

These open mics cost money, which I'm not sure I've mentioned before. But I will do so now. Let's get behind the 'Politics of Open mics in NYC': Owners and GMs (general managers) are hip to the scene. They know these scrap comics are bad at what they do, but are desperate enough to perform anywhere. There's a joke about setting up a mic stand in an alley, and comics will flock (without any advertising.)

Let me tell you who's not doing a great job in advertising department: The Comedy Clubs. Well, maybe that's a bit farfetched. But the Comedy Boom of the 90s is long gone. Where's the next Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock, or Dave Chappelle? (I think Dave Chappelle was an aberration/fluke. Comedy was dying and he gave it its last few breaths. He and John Mayer.) So comedy in general has been in a bear market, and hence comedy club owners feel they charge for open mics. Open mics are now at least $5 - $7 or a one to two drink minimum. I'm not a miser. I know these venues (comedy clubs, restaurants, etc.) need to remain afloat as a business. So why not take it out on some wanna-be comic, who's got nothing better to do with his money/time? Good rationale. But this "pay for stagetime" thing has only been a recent occurrence--within the last 2 - 4 years.

So I've decided to "take it to the streets." I'll let you know how this progresses. I'll try and record the audio. I have no idea how I'm going to do that. But where there's a will there's a way!

Law school stuff has been dominating the agenda, and much to my surprise it's actually fun to do. Yes, I said it. LSAT review is actually FUN! I know, I know. I shouldn't be writing that. But my mind is one that likes to take apart puzzles and figure out crazy clues and put them back together again.

And I'll have you know, lawyers and standup comedians have a lot in common. The assembling of an argument and the assembling of a joke is quite the same. There's a beat to it--a rhythm, if you will. Logic is well-represented in both media.

Cool occurrences in the past week:

I FINALLY got to see Demetri Martin perform at ITU last Wednesday. Super cool. I literally swooned. I didn't know swooning was something that occurred outside of cheesy 50s movies. (*In the voice of a high school teenager with heart throb-itis*) "He's so witty and so smart!"

Anyway, it's something I've been waiting to see for awhile--his standup set. It's the first time live since 2005! (I didn't mean for that to rhyme.) Anyway, it was well worth the wait!

I also saw Mr. Dave Attell hanging out yesterday. He wasn't actually hanging out. He was probably making some very important phone call to his manager. I happened to see him and wave hello. He sort of did the "I-have-no-idea-who-you-are" grimacing smile. But I couldn't resist! It was cool. I feel like all these random sightings are a sign that I should keep going and simultaneously, like I'm being invited into a cool community.

~ Lucy

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Successful Meeting with M Buddy

So I've had two more meetings with this same comedy buddy, we'll call "M". It's been great so far!

M seems interested enough to want to improve upon the craft.

The first meeting, M brought some of M's previous work, and as we combed through it, we realized more and more that it was in "story" format, rather than "joke" format. So luckily I brought my handy Comedy Bible, which M owns. Not to say it was easy to explain the idea to M that, "These jokes need to be rewritten in a new format, or we need to start fresh!"

My LSAT course... oh, by the way, did I tell you I was taking an LSAT course? Yeah, well, I need to be prepared, just in case this comedy thing goes south! Anyway, it starts May 12th and I will swamped the minute that gets underway. I still have to remain 'logical' and law school is on the horizon as a back up.

I also need to start thinking about letters of recommendation. I have no idea. I haven't had a steady job--well, ever! And although, I'm a great law school candidate, I might have a harder time than most proving it.

Anyway, Comedy Buddy M and I met up now for a third time, this time with M having completed 'homework,' assigned by me. (Pretty funny idea, eh?) So when we met up he had a better idea of how to approach joke writing.* We read his premises (basis topics on a joke). Okay. Fine. Then we got to hashing away at his premises, and some how we tapped a nerve and a flood of ideas came flowing out. It was exciting to witness the comedy process firsthand.

This reminded me about the myth behind inspiration. Inspiration and great ideas don't come to you at will. Sometimes you have to go out and drag your muse back in the building. You gotta show the muse that it's now or never. Eventually, you'll intrigue Muse. Muse might see that you're hard at work and begin to pace around you while you drill away. Eventually Muse is going to get restless and want to grab the pen out of your hand, like some curmudgeonly school marm.

"No, no. Don't do it like that. Do it like this."

And Muse finally adds its two cents, and together you make things happen. The point being, you need to entice Muse by doing the work anyway. Eventually, the Muse will want to 'get in the mix,' jealous and irked Muse is not involved in the process. Muse can be a bit of a bastard is greedy for praise. And despite Muse's best attempts at wanting to see you fail, Muse's need for accolade wins out. And eventually, Muse wants to be apart of every single accomplishment. Muse can't sit by the sidelines and watch you at work. So you need to entice Muse by getting started in the first place. Even when you're so uninspired, it's mind-numbing. Muse will get involved. I promise!

~Lucy


* By the way, I don't want to say, by any means that I have any grasp of joke writing or comedy at all. You've seen my history in comedy, which has consisted of a month and 3 days. But M has been 'out of the loop' for much longer.



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