Stop Telling Me You’re Funny, I’m From Missourah….
by: Sean Webb
Published With Permission From: http://webbdroppings.com/
I want to go ahead and apologize for what I’m about to write. We need to get this out of the way right off the bat. I’m about to sound like a self important prick because I don’t really know of any other way to put this. I try to soften the blow in life whenever I have to be stern (just ask my kids), however this is not one of those times. At any rate, onto the show
I’ve been doing comedy now for about 2 years here in Wilmington and around the southeast, and like any other well adjusted person who leaves their house regularly, I’ve met a fair amount of people in that time, and inevitably when I meet some of them, I’ll meet someone who believes themselves to be funny. I’m not saying their NOT funny per say however it’s been my experience in life, that the funniest people don’t tell you up front their funny, they just show you how funny they are. But that’s not the worst of it, nay, if it were I would not be writing this piece. They aren’t content with just notifying me of their level of sense of humor, they go on to tell me their plans in comedy for the foreseeable future. A conversation usually goes something like this (my words in bold for those slow on the uptake)
“Oh, so you’re a comedian?”
“Yeah”
“Well ya know……it’s funny you’re in that business because I’m a bit of a cut up myself!!” (insert hilarious chuckle)
“Oh yeah? You like making people laugh too?” (broke the first rule with this line, never give them an opening)
” I really do, in fact I’ve been thinking about coming out to Nutt St for a while now….I just…”
“Well come on out man, it’s a cool room. There’s really nothing to be afraid of”
“I’m not scared of bombing, cause I know I’m gonna totally kill it when I finally show up, I just have to get some stuff written down and ironed out”
“So how do you go about ironing stuff out?”
“Well ya know, I just write some more stuff, and then look it over”
It’s usually at this point I let them off the hook and stop the full court press, but you get the idea. Like I said from the get go, I realize I must come off as an arrogant, condescending prick mocking this young man for his interest in comedy. Which is why I wan to shame him into getting on stage. You see, there used to be a little flit of excitement when somebody used to tell me they wanted to try comedy. I think it’s a huge bucket list item for people who just want to try it once and not make it a career, and I guess on some level I realize what doing comedy has done for me as a person, and I want to share that experience with others (All I need now is a white shirt, black tie, backpack and a moderately priced bicycle). So it took me a while to realize there are people out there that like to say these things in an attempt to make themselves level with myself in a conversation. As if that was even necessary in the first place. Let’s just talk fella, take it easy, I talk to people who don’t do comedy just the same as other people.
So what are you saying Sean?
I’m saying that if you are honestly thinking about doing stand up comedy, then do it. If you wait till you feel ready or till you feel your material is funny enough, then you will never ever step on stage, because you’ll never feel ready for that first time. However, like I’ve told dozens of people over the past two years, what’s the worst that can happen? You bomb? Congratulations , you’ve just joined every other comedian that’s ever done stand up comedy on the planet earth…..ever.
What’s that? Ohhh you want to have a good set and make the entire room laugh at your every whim? Well, then you’re gonna have to get up more than once for that experience,(or bring like 30 of your friends to a show and get them real high before you come down to the club) and that will take a lot more work, and ability to work through some bad sets. And if you were to ask me is it worth it? I would respond….you bet your sweet golden corral eatin’ ass it is.
Sean is a comedian out of Wilmington, NC. A married father of 2, Sean brings a gritty,real world view of family life. Sean also grew up with a brother with Autism which has given him a definite unique view of humanity. For more of Sean’s writing check out his site http://webbdroppings.com/