Weekend Re-Cap 4 (July 22-23)
This past weekend I was awarded the great opportunity to feature at the Holly Hotel Comedy Club. As I have mentioned in my previous post, this was my first time doing 30 minutes for an entire weekend. Going into the weekend, I was incredibly nervous. I can barely hold a conversation for 30 minutes, but now I had to do comedy and remain entertaining for that insurmountable duration of time.
Turns out, I had no business being nervous or scared or anything but confident. All of the shows were fantastic. I hit my time, I got big laughs and I even got tipped*. Very few people get tipped. Granted, I was wearing a waiter’s uniform and brought out a few drinks and plates of cheese sticks, but I still got tipped. Just kidding. That club doesn’t serve cheese sticks.
By any stretch of the imagination, to do as well as I did on my first feature weekend was an accomplish. But, given some of the clinentelle, it was a triumph. The first show Friday crowd not only featured my girlfriend, who I do not want to embarrass myself in front of, but also her parents and culturally savvy uncle, who I really, REALLY, don’t want to embarrass myself in front of. Good news: did not embarrass myself. I am still allowed to court their daughter and said daughter still doesn’t think I’m that much of a dork. I think.
The Saturday show featured an even bigger adversary: My Parents.
Now, this was not the first time that I had gone up in front of my parents. I’ve actually done very well in front of them. But, as I’ve mentioned time and time again, this was different. Luckily, they came to the show of my life. Everything hit. I got about 4 applause breaks. I was sharp off the cuff. I dictated where I wanted to go and how I wanted to take them there. It was exactly the kind of set that I should be having for the amount of work that I’ve put in, not just in the last 6 months, but since March of 2009 when I started my journey into this world of stand up comedy. Most importantly, I gave my parents exactly the set that they needed to see to know that their only son isn’t wasting his time on something silly. However, stand up comedy is still pretty silly.
This next weekend coming up is another reward. I’ll be working at the biggest and oldest club in the state, Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle. I’ll have a weekend re-cap and hopefully an interview with headliner Mike Brody about the scene in Minneapolis, which has quickly gained a reputation of being one of the hottest in the country and, coupled with a bubbling job market, a possible post-graduation destination for yours truly.
Until then, fill out your comment cards.
*The Tip
Like most features, I did a merch joke this weekend. However, I had no merch to sling. Underneath is that joke:
A lot of comics sell t-shirts after their shows and their always something weird, like something that says “Who Farted?” and then an arrow pointing to their junk, or whatever. Sadly, I don’t have that. But, if you’d all like to just give me $5, I’ll allow it.
A guy, who I have to assume is literally made of money, gave me $50 after the notorious Saturday show. Felt instantly weird and spent it on a vinyl copy of Bruce Springsteen’s “Greetings from Asbury Park” and a delicious lunch for my father and myself the next day, because that’s what you do with your weirdo comedy tip money.
