'Paz Dispensers
I made a rare appearance at the Enlightenment Room of the Topaz Hotel last night. Bar none, it's the best time to be had for free on N St. on a Thursday night (and you can quote me, Curt). The room was packed, the crowd roared, and the line-up did not disappoint. Props to the ever-uptight Curt Shackleford for running a great room.
It was a nice stroke of the ol' ego to have a great set in front of a gracious audience. Keep supporting live stand-up comedy, if only to feed our attention-hungry psyches.
The MC of the evening was a guy named Johnny Fortune. With a name like that, I expected all of his jokes to end with "...in bed".
And now, a word on jokes and joke writing. I'll use one of Mr. Fortune's jokes as an example, but it's bigger than just one guy or gal. I've been noticing that some comics are trying to pass off premises as whole jokes. For example, last night Mr. Fortune hit the crowd with, "I just found out that ham is actually pig's ass..." and that was it. He then got on the audience's case for not getting it. That's essentially the equivalent of: Knock, knock Who's there? Pig's ass... and stopping right there. It's a great premise but, beyond the mention of a pig's patoot, it's not very funny by itself. Some comics do this, then lean on the verbal crutch, "Y'know what I'm sayin'?" in an attempt to get the audience to relate to them and their half-joke. Take the next step, is what I'm trying to say, and you'll find yourself getting some better or, at least, more consistent audience response. Ask yourself, "Pig's ass who?" Not a sermon. Just a thought.
News Flash:
Harlequin Enterprises and NASCAR Announce Licensing Agreement
Harlequin Enterprises Limited, one of the world's leading publishers of series romance and NASCAR, the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States, today announced a new licensing agreement. Under the agreement, Harlequin will publish a variety of women's fiction titles that will have romantic plotlines centering on NASCAR drivers. A NASCAR spokesperson praised the partnership saying, "...nothing screams romance quite like Dick Trickle."
It was a nice stroke of the ol' ego to have a great set in front of a gracious audience. Keep supporting live stand-up comedy, if only to feed our attention-hungry psyches.
The MC of the evening was a guy named Johnny Fortune. With a name like that, I expected all of his jokes to end with "...in bed".
And now, a word on jokes and joke writing. I'll use one of Mr. Fortune's jokes as an example, but it's bigger than just one guy or gal. I've been noticing that some comics are trying to pass off premises as whole jokes. For example, last night Mr. Fortune hit the crowd with, "I just found out that ham is actually pig's ass..." and that was it. He then got on the audience's case for not getting it. That's essentially the equivalent of: Knock, knock Who's there? Pig's ass... and stopping right there. It's a great premise but, beyond the mention of a pig's patoot, it's not very funny by itself. Some comics do this, then lean on the verbal crutch, "Y'know what I'm sayin'?" in an attempt to get the audience to relate to them and their half-joke. Take the next step, is what I'm trying to say, and you'll find yourself getting some better or, at least, more consistent audience response. Ask yourself, "Pig's ass who?" Not a sermon. Just a thought.
On to some self-promotion... I've overhauled my MySpace.com page (which you'll find conveniently linked on your right) to include MP3's of my CD and a calendar of my upcoming comedic engagements. Please check it out and let me know what you think.
News Flash:
Harlequin Enterprises and NASCAR Announce Licensing Agreement
Harlequin Enterprises Limited, one of the world's leading publishers of series romance and NASCAR, the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States, today announced a new licensing agreement. Under the agreement, Harlequin will publish a variety of women's fiction titles that will have romantic plotlines centering on NASCAR drivers. A NASCAR spokesperson praised the partnership saying, "...nothing screams romance quite like Dick Trickle."
To be continued...
posted by Jared at 11:23 PM
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