# Ask the guy who has no idea what he is doing at an comedy club's Open Mic night **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 29, 2010, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865 "2010-06-29T00:29:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/21 "2010-06-29T18:41:26Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > My favorite comedians are the ones the say the things other people are afraid to say, e.g. Chris Rock, Carlos Mencia. (That’s right, I said Carlos Mencia.) If I were a comic, I’d be afraid of making Mencia’s jokes too. ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/22 "2010-06-29T18:41:47Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > Timing! > ETA: And as you can see, mine is off. -medy? So’s mine! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/23 "2010-06-30T03:27:59Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > Are you afraid of dying? > (I didn’t want to post that before the gig, in case it freaked you out.) > > Still, are you/were you? No I am not afraid of dying, ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/24 "2010-06-30T11:50:39Z")
As George Burns said when asked by a reporter about his advancing years: “Am I afraid of death? No, I died in Cleveland, I died in Buffalo, I died in New Jersey.” ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/25 "2010-06-30T13:28:02Z")
So when is/was the gig? I used to do open mics long ago, and generally loved it. Audiences tend to be somewhat forgiving when they know they’re watching amateurs, so hopefully you won’t have to deal with hecklers or anything. The best advice I can give about writing is: don’t force it. Don’t try to write “jokes.” Throughout the course of your everyday life, you’ll have some funny thoughts. Usually they’re fleeting; you smile to yourself and they’re gone. _Write those thoughts down_. Immediately. Then you can devise a simple way to deliver that thought to an audience. Example: “I was watching TV last night and I saw _x_. And I thought, (_punchline_)!” If it’s funny, it doesn’t need to be more complicated than that. If you choose to keep performing, you’ll get a feel for what works and what doesn’t and you can begin to structure more complex material. But for your first time, keep it simple. Relax, be yourself, and most of all, have fun with it. Good luck!! ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/26 "2010-06-30T15:04:19Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > If you choose to keep performing, you’ll get a feel for what works and what doesn’t and you can begin to structure more complex material. But for your first time, keep it simple. > > Relax, be yourself, and most of all, have fun with it. Good luck!! Years ago, I saw George Carlin soon after he started performing after recovering from his heart attack. This was in Norman, OK, pretty small potatoes compared to his usual venues. It was like watching a master class in preparing a comedy routine. You could tell that all of his material was new; he frequently referred to written notes. If I remember correctly, the show was a long one, about three and a half hours. Some of his stuff worked, some didn’t, and occassionally he’d jot a note to himself. You knew that when he performed at his next venue, the act would be tightened just a bit more based on what he learned during this performance. I saw the same act on HBO a couple of years later when it was about 90 minutes long. I appreciated it that much more knowing a bit of how much work went into molding that 90 minutes of tightly controlled mayhem. ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/27 "2010-06-30T17:15:43Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > So when is/was the gig? > > I used to do open mics long ago, and generally loved it. Audiences tend to be somewhat forgiving when they know they’re watching amateurs, so hopefully you won’t have to deal with hecklers or anything. > > The best advice I can give about writing is: don’t force it. Don’t try to write “jokes.” Throughout the course of your everyday life, you’ll have some funny thoughts. Usually they’re fleeting; you smile to yourself and they’re gone. _Write those thoughts down_. Immediately. Then you can devise a simple way to deliver that thought to an audience. > > Example: “I was watching TV last night and I saw _x_. And I thought, (_punchline_)!” > > If it’s funny, it doesn’t need to be more complicated than that. If you choose to keep performing, you’ll get a feel for what works and what doesn’t and you can begin to structure more complex material. But for your first time, keep it simple. > > Relax, be yourself, and most of all, have fun with it. Good luck!! This. I normally don’t like replying to a whole post just to “this”, but, yeah, **Wheelz** pretty much hit the nail on the head. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/28 "2010-06-30T18:25:27Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > This. > > I normally don’t like replying to a whole post just to “this”, but, yeah, **Wheelz** pretty much hit the nail on the head. Aw, shucks. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/29 "2010-07-02T18:48:04Z")
Timing! ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/30 "2010-07-07T02:02:58Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > Timing! Speaking of timing, can the rest of us get the story yet? ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/31 "2010-07-07T16:22:50Z")
> [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](#): > > Speaking of timing, can the rest of us get the story yet? Seconded! C’mon, **MannyL** , what’s up? ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/32 "2010-07-07T17:30:30Z")
Yeah, tell, tell! I did open mikes back in the mid 1980’s at the Comedy Store in San Diego. Great fun, even had a few paying gigs despite the fact that I sucked. 😛 Moved to L.A. and got job at the Comedy Store there and realized that it was not the life for me. Go figure. Fun memories though. ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/33 "2010-07-08T00:38:42Z")
I hope you do better than [Sweet Dee](http://vimeo.com/7263618)! ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/34 "2010-07-08T00:54:04Z")
Ok the show isn’t until the 14th and I will post the outcome when I get back that night ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/35 "2010-07-16T12:25:27Z")
> [@MannyL](#): > > Ok the show isn’t until the 14th and I will post the outcome when I get back that night We’re still waiting… Hope you killed! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/36 "2010-07-16T12:53:34Z")
> [@B.Serum](#): > > I hope you do better than [Sweet Dee](http://vimeo.com/7263618)! That is veh funny. Is the rest of the show as good? If so, I’d like to watch more. Oh yeah, and **MannyL** , is the reason you forgot to update us because you went down a storm - or is the reason that you died? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/37 "2010-07-16T16:15:33Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > That is veh funny. Is the rest of the show as good? If so, I’d like to watch more. > > Oh yeah, and **MannyL** , is the reason you forgot to update us because you went down a storm - or is the reason that you died? 😉 I LOVE “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia!” They have lots of clips on Hulu, but just a few episodes up. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865/38 "2010-07-21T13:27:27Z")
Paging **MannyL** … paging **MannyL** … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-no-idea-what-he-is-doing-at-an-comedy-clubs-open-mic-night/544865.md?page=1)