Gig 5 - Comedy Dublin (Belvedere Hotel), 27th September 2009

Thinking back…

Pre Show:

Extremely anxious, but not quite as bad as before most of the gigs I’ve done. I’d come from a house party the night before with no sleep, more than a little stinky and wearing a (deliberately) hideous borrowed shirt. All in all I looked like Wurzel Gummidge if he’d just been released from a sex offender institution. After 3 weeks of standup and ‘exchange words’ planning, my brain was in a similar state of disarray. I had to stop myself from running my material over and over in my head (as I’m still paranoid about forgetting something, or even blanking altogether).

Show:

Another comedian had closed with a Madeline McCann joke so I figured screw it, I’ll open with one. I knew it would disrupt the flow of the first half of the set; but I’m already worried about stagnating and the ‘chilling effect’ of toning myself down when I’m afraid of an audiences reaction to my saltier material. Credit goes to Andrew Booth, who’d told me the ‘spread your thighs’ line earlier in the evening.

There was a heckler in the crowd, with an enormous tattooed friend as backup, so I was prepared to respond to him, but luckily I didn’t have to. I’ve yet to face a real heckler (tempting fate here I know).

Managed to get the mic off the stand quickly- the Comedy Dublin mic stand has a ‘pronged’ base rather than a round one, and is hence irritatingly prone to tangle, potentially ruining the energy and spontaneity of a good opener.

When the audience didn’t respond well to my ‘Are you all having a wonderful time?’ line, I was able to flip it around. As I hadn’t planned for this and was half dead I’m pretty proud of thinking on my feet; but the trade off was that I broke eye contact and wandered about too much while I was riffing.

Watching the Video…

What an introduction, and what a shirt. With that shirt and hair I really do resemble a time travelling soft rock paedophile. So I guess the opening improve was appropriate. My exhaustion really shows. Not a great set. I foreshadowed (and hence broke) the ‘my real voice’ bit by slipping into a Dublin accent too early. Also my ‘Byron’ voice was all over the place. Still I’m glad I tried something new, as it grew into a proper bit for the next show.

Projected what the sex men call ‘a needy frame’, especially at the start, seeking approval from the audience rather than demanding / earning it: e.g.: ‘you can say aww’. Although slowing down, building tension, and providing a good pay off help to combat this. Also fought back with a bit of vocal gymnastics, basically perving up the emotional tone on lines like ‘bigger boys and girls’. If I’d been more on the ball I would have played with the audiences reactions a little more, lingering over parts they enjoyed, reacting to groans etc. I need to to more of this.

I think the heckler actually did squeeze one out right after I switched to my real voice, but I didn’t hear him so I didn’t respond- win win.

The moving house metaphor bit went over well, but not that well: as usual. If I do this bit again, I need to slow it down, invest it with life and make sure the audience is following me.

Always surprised how much of a reaction just saying ‘Fibber McGees’ gets. Obviously this would only work in Dublin, but it’s interesting how well a simple relatable detail like that goes over. I guess part of what people look for in comedy (at least some of the time) are experiences and ideas they’ve had but perhaps never fully articulated. I hate this shit in literature, where it usually seems (to me) false and portentous (sic), but even I enjoy it (and envy the fucker who writes it) in standup.

Really happy with how much I slowed down this time. Best thing about a gig that didn’t go amazingly well.

Lost the audience through the first part of the sexual history bit. Think I just seemed too nervous (mostly because I was moving to much). Overall I was sleep walking through this gig, and it shows. Got them back for the vivid descriptions though- mostly because I kept the pace slow and invested them with a lot of, well… perversity.

I will write ‘a clean set’ soon(ish). Or at least one that doesn’t rely on sexual deviance. Maybe.

Gig 4 - Comedy Dublin (D4 Hotel), Ballsbridge, 25th September 2009

Thinking Back…

Pre Show:

A toughie. The crowd was 30% friends, 40% comedians / staff of comedy Dublin / other comic’s friends, 30% randomers from the hotel. The mic was a bit tangled which meant I had to spend a few moments shifting it from the stand before kick off (not in the video). Although there were a lot of folks I knew there, I wasn’t quite as nervous of this as I had been at Gig 2, due to getting a bit more experience and confidence, and was more worried I’d forget my lines due to being absolutely knackered.

Show:

The audience liked some of the stuff, but generally were a lot less into the ‘moving house’ bit than I’d have preferred.

I remembered almost everything and the extra time (a 10 minute slot instead of the usual 7) allowed me time to breath and build stuff properly. Unfortunately I was absolutely knackered and hence way more nervous and out of it than I should have been. On a related note I reckon I may have sleep apnea, and I’m getting tested soon; I definitely suffer from insomnia and low energy. I’m only really able to gig like this at the moment because I’m unemployed and can sleep away the morning!

Everyone was absolutely lovely afterwards, and the organiser (Maura?) even said I reminded her of Peter Sellers (sweet!)

Watching the video…

Good

Especially at the start I made excellent use of prosody and projected a strong personality.

Toned down my moving around, it’s still a bit too much when I’m nervous, but much improved.

Slowed down my speech quite a bit, felt the audience

Slow tension building intro worked well, built up successfully to ‘working class pleasures’ bit.

10 minute set let me extend my ‘first sexual experience’ bit successfully.

The small amount of gestural ‘mime’ stuff I’m doing at the moment worked better because I did it simultaneously with the action it was describing (e.g.: ‘one lay defiled’).

Threw in a couple of topical one liners.

Transitioning to my own accent worked better. A) Because the folks in the front row knew me, and B) since I was more chilled. Still less than ideal.

Bad

I didn’t pause enough when the audience was laughing.

Kept almost forgetting where I was (especially at the start), due to tiredness.

Moving house bit- intro is still just too long before payoff. Looses steam. Whole bit always falls kind of flatter than I’d like. But I I kept my delivery slow, and physically stood my ground, and got the audience back for the ‘first sexual experience’ bit.

Angry hornet testicles line doesn’t work.

Lessons Learned…

The audience loved the early stuff (more than I appreciated at the time), and flatlined once I dropped the accent. I don’t want to be a novelty comedian, so I need to work on increasing the comprehensibility, intensity and audibility of my non-character stuff.

Slow down. Wait for the pay off. Chill out. Do more character stuff. Engage with the audience way more. Try to start quicker (ask the MC to hand me the mic if possible). Develop physical performance more- this could be great, but I toned it back this gig due to exhaustion.

Reading, Boru Review, Thursday 24th September

This isn’t standup, but I figured I’d post it as a) I’m embarrassed about it, and b) it occurred at this point in the standup chronology. The video is of a reading I gave at Hedigans ‘Brian Boru’ pub in Glasnevin, as part of the ‘Boru Review’, a monthly music / poetry and creative writing review, run by the Irish actor Claire Jenkins. As far as I can remember it was only the second public reading I’ve ever given of my written work (the first being a relatively successful reading from the novel, at the Naked Lunch open mic night in Feile bar), and I was nervous as all hell.

I would like to have read something from the book, but Claire advised against it, and in the end she was completely right. Most of the crowd were locals in their sixties who would have thrown a riot if I’d read one of the scenes of horrific and disturbing grotesquery I’d planned. Instead I read two completely unrelated pieces, probably the only short form (under eight hundred words), ‘clean’ stuff I had available. The first was a Myles Na Gopaleen homage, called The Croquet Lawn, by Flann O’Brady Hastings, which was originally written for the unreleased second issue of Piranha 2008. The second was a silly piece on the Electric Picnic 2007, from the Jackdaw Reviews project, an experimental comedy endeavour from my college days.

I’m not particularly in love with either piece, but thank goodness I didn’t read anything more controversial. The crowd were drunk and rowdy (it was after all Arthur’s day), and I clearly hadn’t rehearsed enough.

Lessons learned: Read with more vigour, ideally in better lighting, and look up at the crowd when possible. Rehearse like mad, even when you’re going to have the piece in front of you. Once again, dashing as it is, I shouldn’t have worn the jacket.

Dublin Pirates

I’ve posted this before in other places, but I think it might be appropriate and fun to throw in again here. Myself and a few friends grabbed a camcorder and some ladies clothes one afternoon and improved / filmed a faux-documentary on the ‘Dublin Pirate Scene’.

Looking back, I’m the worst thing in it! But it was great fun, and although over-long I think it holds up quite well- given no budget or script!

Gig 3 - Ha’Penny Bridge Inn, 22nd September 2009

Thinking back…

Like the the novel after the sophomore slump, this was my best gig so far. I dropped the blasphemy stuff and ran a much more fleshed out version of the virginity stuff I’d improv’d in gig 1.

The crowd were quite old (for a comedy club, e.g.: lots over their mid forties) and though they were a bit shocked they were willing to go there, and didn’t get too offended. The MC (Damien Clark, who runs the Woolshed comedy night), built up some great energy and was an absolute legend too- for some reason (probably me mixing the dates up) I hadn’t been included on the show rota, but he stuck me right on anyway, 1st in the second half (a great slot).

Overall good start, dry middle, good end. The crowd really enjoyed the Byron Frumpeque accent stuff, which I hadn’t expected.

I took off my jacket this time. It’s a small thing, but I think not having dark heavy clothing (which I wear mostly, to be honest, to conceal the auld spare tire) seems to increase your visbility on stage and more importantly opened me up more, making it easier to move and connect with the crowd.

If slowed down a lot this time, and didn’t run around the stage or touch my face nearly as much (as in Gig 1 and 2). Great piece of advice Aidan Killian gave me before my first show. ‘Pick up the mic, put the stand out of your way, let the audience see your face for a moment, and introduce yourself’. It’s obvious, but your wouldn’t believe the number of vetran standups who don’t do this. The exceptions are acts like Dylan Moran who build nervousness into their persona, or guys like Simon Mullholland who play with the comedy of awkwardness.

Perhaps most importantly, my timbre and cadence (prosody) were good. I’d nailed it in rehearsal, and it’s probably not audible in the video, but I got the rhythm, and intonation out much better than previously. This is something all my favourite standups are wonderful at- next time you see a Paton Oswalt or Bill Hicks video on youtube, close your eyes and listen to the emphasis they put on words as they stretch a story to ludicrous and hilarious effect. Their intonation is so good sometimes it doesn’t matter if you can’t hear what they’re saying, it just sounds funny.

Watching the video….

Good

In retrospect the big difference with this gig is that I had a) practised out loud (as I’d had somewhere to be completely alone), which helped with the voices and emotional tone, and b) I believed in myself a lot more.

Overall I think my presentation was good, just a little too fast.

The transition to a ‘Ronny Drew’ accent worked great. I think the trick is to do it quickly and completely seamlessly, and obviously not to have previously dipped into that voice at all (a mistake I made at a more recent show).

The ‘life is filthy’ section went great, the audience seemed to really enjoy the combination of character, vivid description, intonation, gestures and utter filth. I also didn’t move around too much.

I feel I addressed the whole audience rather than one specific group (or the air) better this gig. Although it doesn’t come across in the video (which was filmed from the back of the room).

This is the first gig where I paused for reactions (including groans of horror). I need to step this us and (as I keep repeating), need to vary the emotional tone more. I did this quite well in some sections (like the ‘wasps nest testicles’ bit, which I’ll probably drop, and the ‘drag me to the toilets’ line. This will hopefully help / benefit from slowing the fuck down.

Audience really like the ‘Fibber McGees = Lying Vaginas’ bit.

Conversational tone was good, delivery didn’t seem rehearsed.

Good finish with ‘her lips were gummed shut’ line and cheeky delivery.

My body language was very good in parts, very congruent, specifically the ‘life is filthy’ bit, but overall still too tight, and too many extraneous hand gestures.

I looked happy to be there. For whatever reason this was my most comfortable gig so far.

Bad

Hmmm…. Judging by the video this show went well, but not quite as well as I’d remembered. I’d written a new ‘cleaner’ opening bit, which worked for the most part (well enough that I’ve kept it for the two gigs I’ve done since). I opened well with a ‘lewd’ hello, but then the list of things too posh for the audience worked OK but not great.

I forgot the end of the ‘posh’ introduction, arg. Which made the transition to my normal voice go badly, although not terribly as I stayed in ‘character’ for the ‘I’ve completely forgotten’ line. Luckily the audience were already on my side at that stage, so it was OK.

Broke my own rule about not responding to inaudible hecklers (for the record I think he said ‘she’s your ex’, pointing to his girlfriend).

The moving house bit was too quick (although I slowed down midway through). This bit is still not getting the reaction I think it could get. Although the cheap ‘hot dog barbecue’ line always gets a laugh. I also blanked out for a moment midway through. ‘Getting in touch with landords’ line went well too.

The ‘Stage 4, daft.com’ line doesn’t work, so I’ve dropped it from here out.

Need to improve my description of ‘the truly homeless’, if I’m going to continue to use the moving house bit.

Bungled the ‘toilets of a dublin pub’ line. Arg.

There’s real potential in the ‘of course I wanted to fuck her’ line, but it’s not working right now… Could develop it a lot.

Still wandering about the stage loads, although it’s more directed in this show.

Messed up handing over the mic again.

Gig 2 - Underground Comedy Club (Thomas Reads), Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, 17th September 2009

Thinking back…

Pre show:

Incredibly nervous, pacing back and forth, stretching back stage, running out into the bar. Having my friends there made it so much worse.

Show:

This was the first gig I told my friends about. I invited perhaps 40 people via Facebook, and maybe 20 actually showed up. In retrospect, I should have waited! I was pretty put off, only really addressing them rather than the room (tip - talk to the folks laughing, not the folks sitting in silence, this reinforces their ‘good’ behaviour), and spoke way way too quickly. To my surprise the blasphemy stuff I’d dropped from the first gig didn’t go over that well at all. I think this is because I didn’t spent long enough contextualising it. Also, it has a gestural component and I perhaps wasn’t secure enough in myself for that on the night.

The Underground is a great club, and Mc Savage had absolutely blown the place apart a week before; but overall the crown were pretty dead that night (including my friends!) and only the head-liner Rory O’Hanlon (who’s just played Edinburgh) got a really good reception.

The MC had been picking at my friends with fairly cheap class based stuff all night (i.e.: how rich you supposedly have to be to go to Trinity College- A free university that my friends and I attended), which absolutely wrecked my head. So that’s what my opener referred to.

Watching the video…

Bad

Man this gig went even worse than I remembered. This was my worst set by far, and is incredible painful to watch.

I had very closed body language at the very start (e.g.: 2 hands on the mic), and you can actually hear how the crowd open up once my body language broadened. Later I started stepping left to right and pacing backward and forward really annoyingly the whole way through this set. If I can control this more (and hopefully I’ve already toned it down somewhat), then it should make the deliberate mime stuff and silly gestures more parsimonious and thus more effective.

This might sound like a small detail, but I shouldn’t have worn my jacket. First off, it’s hot as hell in a comedy club and it made me physically uncomfortable. Secondly bright clothes make you more visible in dim lighting, and I’m already half invisible wearing dark jeans. Thirdly I already have glasses and a beard - both of which obscure my facial expressions, obscuring my body language even a little bit worsens the effect.

I spoke way way too quickly throughout, and didn’t give anywhere near enough explanation of the blasphemy material- which in any case has too long a delay between intro and payoff (without even the tension of audience expectation to sustain it). Even worse I made almost no use of prosody. In other words, no variation of how emphatic I was being, or what emotional tone was weighing individual phrases or words. I think this may be the magic sauce that folks like Patten Oswald or Stewart Lee or even Billy Connelly have, the ability to deeply infuse a word or phrase with an emotion, almost irrespective of the actual content of the sentence. To quote wikitruth - “English is an intonation language. This means that the pitch of the voice is used syntactically, for example, to convey surprise and irony, or to change a statement into a question”. I think I can do this well, but I certainly didn’t do it in this gig.

You can hear me get nervous at the lack of response to the whole blasphemy routine… I’m mumbling and repeating words (for example I say ‘lusty head and arse’, rather than ‘willing head and arse’. Which is irritatingly repetitive, since ‘lusty mouth’ is used already). I completely lost the audience for this whole bit, and didn’t really get them back until right at the end (‘lobster faced knife wielding…’).

I looked at my feet way too much. I think I’ll start watching these videos once with the sound off to notice this stuff better.

Good

I slowed down somewhat in the ‘moving house’ bit - and did the mimed pregnancy gesture (the part where I say ‘didn’t have that hideous extension’), better than in later gigs. It’s a small thing, but the line ‘I’m going to physically vomit’, works much better than ‘…be physically ill’, which I think I’ve been saying recently. I’ve a notion this whole bit could work much much better with improved imagery and practise.

I’d learned my material well, and didn’t forget anything. Despite being nervous I didn’t space out, and got most of the descriptions I’d planned spot on.

The shorter intro (than later gigs) made the transition out of a silly accent a great comic effect rather than a stumbling block.

Gig 1 - Anseo, Wexford St Dublin, 31st August 2009

Thinking back…

This was a great place for a first gig. Young sympathetic crowd, no bar in the upstairs room where the gig goes on, a working mic, a spotlight and most importantly a great Mc (Aidan Killian). Not to mention the other acts, which were in retrospect a good step up from the regulars at some other venues.

Pre show…

Almost catatonic. I sat reciting my material over and over in my head, white faced and shaking, terrified of freezing up. I’m not ashamed to say I had to run to ‘the jacks’, on more than one occasion.

Show…

The spotlight (from an overhead projector) was much brighter than I’d anticipated. I literally couldn’t see the front row of the audience. The audience was fine, really receptive even though I had to semi improvise the second half (see video). Aidan had them in a great ‘frame’, very positive and listening intently.

Although I felt like I was doing my set as practiced I just had too much material (or material + asides, for the time allotted) as I ended up speaking so damn quickly.

Watching the video…

Good

Transition from ‘cockney’ intro to real voice worked better than in more recent gigs. Possibly because it was quicker, but also having a great MC (not visible on the video), was a huge help.

Couple of nice bits of improv / recovery - e.g.: ‘I hadn’t planned for the virginity either’, ‘obviously a lot of ugly Catholics here tonight’.

Actually slowed down better than I had remembered in others, e.g.: first half of ‘moving house’ bit, until ‘you’re still looking line’.

Better response to my ‘moving house’ allegory than in more recent gigs. Not sure if this was because it was looser and less rehearsed seeming, or by contrast my intro material is just stronger now.

The audience laughed way harder than I remembered, or could hear at the time. Good to bear in mind - as what I perceived as lack of laughter made me less confident towards the end.

Bad

Nervous ticks - looking down, touching my face, bobbing from left to right, not staying in the spotlight (this one was completely unconscious).

Speech was slightly slurred and too quick towards the end. Also I broke eye contact way too much.

That ‘Daft.com’ line never gets a laugh, I should just drop it.

Did a bit of meta-critique after the ‘driving the train’ bit, a cardinal sin, and as you can see it didn’t work.

The biggest laugh of the set was a line I can’t hear on the video, and made up on the spot, and can’t remember, poo! It comes right after the line ‘…and it didn’t have that hideous extension’. If anyone can make it out I’ll try to sort you out some sort of a sloppy blowjob based prize.

Deep fat fryer description fell kinda flat- much improved description in more recent gigs.

[Thanks to Ian Perth for filming, apologies for the dire sound.]