Standin' on Up
Thanks to everyone who came out to the Stand Up for a Cure show last night. It was a lot of fun and it looks like they raised a few bucks for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society which is always a good thing. I always try to do a certain number of charity events each year as it's a really amazing feeling to be able to help people out by doing something you love. Toys for Tots is the one I seem to do the most every Christmas.
Oddly enough, I had been so busy with acting and writing that I hadn't performed an actual standup set since a gig down at (my favorite name for a club and a little bone thrown out to my ever growing "monkey porn" audience) Hot Monkey Love in San Diego...in February!!! I think that may be the longest time I've ever had in between sets in the 14 years (shit, has it been that long?) I've been a standup comic. I didn't feel rusty at all.
I used to be of the belief that I had to get up onstage at least a few times a week to stay sharp. That was probably true when I was first starting out doing comedy. You need to get as much stage time as possible, honing your act and (sometimes more importantly) just facing as many different audiences as you possibly can. The confidence that comes from knowing what to do in almost any situation is priceless.
As you do more and more shows (and my peak was at about 200-250 shows a year) you can also start sliding into autopilot. The jokes start to lose their meaning to you and you can really get into a groove where you are telling them but barely listening to yourself. I think at that point you need to take a step back and take a few weeks off. You need to be at a point where you are actually considering the words coming out of your mouth. Really thinking about them and making them new each time. That's the trick.
I don't "chase" standup as much as I used to. I love it still (and last night's show gave me the bug to do it some more) and will always perform but I'm done with the road as a whole. Waking up in a different town each day but having to take five minutes to get your bearings as all hotel rooms start looking the same...well, that gets old really quickly.
Now I do standup because I want to do it...not because I feel like I have to. I pick and choose my shows and it makes each one very special to me. That makes a big difference in not only how I portray my act onstage, but also how I feel personally. That, I've learned in time, is much more important.
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