I'm heading out of town for a week, off to sunny Cabo San Lucas. I'm looking forward to it in ways I can't even explain. Especially since this past week has been worthy of launching myself out of Seattle for some respite from. I have a gig the night after I get back, a paying, fancy, corporate holiday party gig so who knows what I'll be like after a week off-stage? It'll be fun, though. Some jokes you only have to tell once a week to keep them polished, but there is a lot of new stuff that the company wants me to work in to the performance. I'm whoring, a little, but it's also a personal challenge for me that I get to step on stage with material formulated specifically for a company, to hone in on their culture and people, as well as be able to do my own act. It's hard enough writing from thin air sometimes, but tailoring an act around a central theme, in this case, "Clothing For Cats," is a challenge as well as a creativity primer.
I'm trying to not be too exacting in writing lately. Some people can sit and pour over jokes that are written out and refine and juggle them, but I can only take that so far. The funniest and most powerful I've ever felt on stage is when I'm shooting from the hip, letting whatever's inside just come out. There's nothing rehearsed, and the audience knows that, and it is rather exhilirating for everyone in attendance. I can see the words flashing across my mind in slow motion, mileposts I connect with other terms and phrases, like the funniest words stick out and my senses guide me there. Then after my set I usually end up taking the mask off the severed head and see my own face there. Or was that in "Empire?" Maybe "Jedi," but "Empire" is still the best.
You can never really plan for what's going to happen at a comedy show. All you can do, as a comic, is be open to experiencing the middle ground you meet the audience on. Ego often forces a comic to stand in front of a cold room and deliver joke after joke without getting so much as a nose whistle. Ever feel like that? Like you're in line and the brat taking your order is throwing attitude so you're like "F*ck you, here's my order, it's your job to take it" and the whole thing leaves you feeling a little worse? That's what it's like for a comic to bomb and yet keep pushing on with the act. It's okay to break your character and tell the audience to loosen up, to ask what's wrong, to direct the funny back on them instead of on your problems. They need some levity, too, or your nachos are going to be topped with whatever was in the dustpan... if you're lucky.
Stay flexible, that's what I'm saying. Whether on stage or a yoga mat or yet another witness stand, gotta stay flexible. I say this while staunchly defending my position that if you cross a certain decibel level in the work place you should disciplined ass-wise with a proper caning. My hypocrisy is perhaps someone else's opportunity to be flexible.
I am the F*CK out of here. Have a good week. Via con Dios.
==========
Take Me Home
My Non-Funny Blog.
Geoff Lott: Comedian, Writer, Philosoteur. I am here to amuse you, not entertain you. If not now, later. If not you, somebody else. If you can't laugh at yourself, that's just fine, too. I will do it for you.
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
You Really Need To Get Over Yourself
Holy mackarel. Seriously, take some ludes and drop your throttle a little. You've got too much yaw to land that thing, you're going sideways on it there. Ease back. More. Now cruise a little.
Sure enough, we're all flying the best we can around here, but you seem to have to radio to all the other pilots about what you see wrong with their patterns. That's how most pilots come to a stop, quickly, against a mountain. What do you care if I'm barrel-rolling into 15-degree dive and pulling tail-stalls? I'm not on your flight path anyway, Hindenburg, so maintain radio silence instead of sonicating everyone with your banality. I'm switching channels.
I have no idea what I'm talking about, but I've realized that missives directed at nobody in particular are great tools of making people squirm in their seats. I've had people be aksin' me who these are aimed at, "is it so & so?," "it has to be Boogly, right?" Of all the possible targets, people never think they have a bullseye on them. Good, because we shouldn't fret over what other people think of us. Good, because eventually the person handing out bullseyes will be just another dipshit handing out fliers for their crappy one-nighter in Twisp, and we breeze on by. And Bad, because some people have zero sense of self, and the Self is running kid-like around the room, and sooner or later, someone's taking it to a closet and doing a naughty to it. Like giving it the emotional foundation to be a comic. Quel horreur!
I realized that in most of my anonymous directives I am finding a piece of myself that I am fed up with, and this is my way of telling it to sit down and asking for it's house key. It all comes back to releasing fear from my life. Fear of not being funny, fear of losing my job, fear of losing my ability to store fat, fear of ending up Bradley Lewis' roommate (which would congeal the previous fears into one), fear of a government that is running unchecked like an oil light on a '78 Buick. It could seize at any moment, you know?
Comedy is the hardest thing I've ever pursued. It has so many random little awards and disappointments, and losing hurts more than winning feels good. I can have a great 15 minute set, but if 2 jokes bomb then I had only a good 13 minute set, in my mind. Or, I can have a crappy 3 minute set, but if a new joke gets a big laugh and an applause break then I consider it a good set. Backwards? Yes. Rational? Yes, oddly enough. Don't ask why. It's just the order of the comedy universe.
Also, it's nice to be in a position where I don't have to take crappy gigs. Some guys who are "just comics" take every single paying gig they can get their hands on. In the end, they develop an act that caters to the brown and smelly end of the comedic anatomy, instead of the synapse-firing/blood-pushing side. Work your way up and the jokes get harder. The funny is thinner way up there, you have to pace yourself. Shit jokes will get you work, but the work will be shit. Grab a spoon.
And when all is said and done, I've seen Willie Nelson parodies do 10-times better than a clever and solid joke. You never know what people are going to laugh at, especially when they don't even know where they got their jacket. "Found it" = "Hell gig."
What the hell am I talking about? Oh yeah...
...so touch down lightly, refuel, and get someone to de-ice those wings. Maybe someday you'll get rid of that problem and you won't have to pee into a bag. You are in my prayers.
================
Take Me Home
My Non-Funny Blog.
Sure enough, we're all flying the best we can around here, but you seem to have to radio to all the other pilots about what you see wrong with their patterns. That's how most pilots come to a stop, quickly, against a mountain. What do you care if I'm barrel-rolling into 15-degree dive and pulling tail-stalls? I'm not on your flight path anyway, Hindenburg, so maintain radio silence instead of sonicating everyone with your banality. I'm switching channels.
I have no idea what I'm talking about, but I've realized that missives directed at nobody in particular are great tools of making people squirm in their seats. I've had people be aksin' me who these are aimed at, "is it so & so?," "it has to be Boogly, right?" Of all the possible targets, people never think they have a bullseye on them. Good, because we shouldn't fret over what other people think of us. Good, because eventually the person handing out bullseyes will be just another dipshit handing out fliers for their crappy one-nighter in Twisp, and we breeze on by. And Bad, because some people have zero sense of self, and the Self is running kid-like around the room, and sooner or later, someone's taking it to a closet and doing a naughty to it. Like giving it the emotional foundation to be a comic. Quel horreur!
I realized that in most of my anonymous directives I am finding a piece of myself that I am fed up with, and this is my way of telling it to sit down and asking for it's house key. It all comes back to releasing fear from my life. Fear of not being funny, fear of losing my job, fear of losing my ability to store fat, fear of ending up Bradley Lewis' roommate (which would congeal the previous fears into one), fear of a government that is running unchecked like an oil light on a '78 Buick. It could seize at any moment, you know?
Comedy is the hardest thing I've ever pursued. It has so many random little awards and disappointments, and losing hurts more than winning feels good. I can have a great 15 minute set, but if 2 jokes bomb then I had only a good 13 minute set, in my mind. Or, I can have a crappy 3 minute set, but if a new joke gets a big laugh and an applause break then I consider it a good set. Backwards? Yes. Rational? Yes, oddly enough. Don't ask why. It's just the order of the comedy universe.
Also, it's nice to be in a position where I don't have to take crappy gigs. Some guys who are "just comics" take every single paying gig they can get their hands on. In the end, they develop an act that caters to the brown and smelly end of the comedic anatomy, instead of the synapse-firing/blood-pushing side. Work your way up and the jokes get harder. The funny is thinner way up there, you have to pace yourself. Shit jokes will get you work, but the work will be shit. Grab a spoon.
And when all is said and done, I've seen Willie Nelson parodies do 10-times better than a clever and solid joke. You never know what people are going to laugh at, especially when they don't even know where they got their jacket. "Found it" = "Hell gig."
What the hell am I talking about? Oh yeah...
...so touch down lightly, refuel, and get someone to de-ice those wings. Maybe someday you'll get rid of that problem and you won't have to pee into a bag. You are in my prayers.
================
Take Me Home
My Non-Funny Blog.
Gabriel Rutledge, That's Who!
It's Official: Gabriel Rutledge is the Winner, Best All Around Comic, and Coolest MoFo of the 25th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition. I competed with Gabriel in a contest earlier this year and was impressed time and again at how he captured crowds and was cool and collected, and how we both got beat by a 20 year-old comedy anomaly, Fahim Anwar. And I think by Scott "The Stick" Black, but Gabe could've been 2nd overall that week. I was just happy and honored to lay my head on his shoulder. Scott has funny teefuses on!
Gabriel's next mission will be to erase the section of his blog where said he was gonna get a day-job, as well as remove that picture on his website where he looks like Tim Curry circa "IT" in a snow-patrol parka. He's so darling, that picture doesn't do him yustice. It's hard enough to get laughs sober, prepared, and well-rested. Gabriel won this grueling competition of 18 shows over 3 weeks while battling bronchitis, laryngitis, and HIV. He doesn't have HIV, but he would have won even if he did, although he wouldn't have ever mentioned to the audience that he had HIV, he would have simply winked at the comics and handed them the microphone he just spat his game into. HIVLARIOUS!
I am really happy for Gabriel and his achievement. His act is universal, it appeals to so many people, and that is so hard to create, unless, like Gabriel, you are open to the universe. His observations are so perfectly accessible that you laugh your ass off, like an Occam's Razor of punchlines. The funniest jokes are those that are simplest to understand, and it is the harsh task of any public communicator to simplify your thoughts, feelings, and ideas into words, let alone make it funny enough to be called a joke, and to make it a joke that works largely EVERY SINGLE TIME. Damn, the guy's GOOD, ah'ight? WORD!
Congratulations to Gabriel Rutledge. He beat 31 other comics from around the continent, in rooms where he had to prove, night in and night out, what comedy really is. Here's hoping his winnings will pay for the respirator and stem cells, and a little something left over for the family. It is the holidays, yo.
Your gift? Gabriel's Comedy. Enjoy.
Way To Go, GABE!
==========
Why not, here's what a Blog is. Get yours today!
Oh, and watch HAX-TV tonight, 9pm, Ch. 77
===================
Take Me Home
My Non-Funny Blog.
Gabriel's next mission will be to erase the section of his blog where said he was gonna get a day-job, as well as remove that picture on his website where he looks like Tim Curry circa "IT" in a snow-patrol parka. He's so darling, that picture doesn't do him yustice. It's hard enough to get laughs sober, prepared, and well-rested. Gabriel won this grueling competition of 18 shows over 3 weeks while battling bronchitis, laryngitis, and HIV. He doesn't have HIV, but he would have won even if he did, although he wouldn't have ever mentioned to the audience that he had HIV, he would have simply winked at the comics and handed them the microphone he just spat his game into. HIVLARIOUS!
I am really happy for Gabriel and his achievement. His act is universal, it appeals to so many people, and that is so hard to create, unless, like Gabriel, you are open to the universe. His observations are so perfectly accessible that you laugh your ass off, like an Occam's Razor of punchlines. The funniest jokes are those that are simplest to understand, and it is the harsh task of any public communicator to simplify your thoughts, feelings, and ideas into words, let alone make it funny enough to be called a joke, and to make it a joke that works largely EVERY SINGLE TIME. Damn, the guy's GOOD, ah'ight? WORD!
Congratulations to Gabriel Rutledge. He beat 31 other comics from around the continent, in rooms where he had to prove, night in and night out, what comedy really is. Here's hoping his winnings will pay for the respirator and stem cells, and a little something left over for the family. It is the holidays, yo.
Your gift? Gabriel's Comedy. Enjoy.
Way To Go, GABE!
==========
Why not, here's what a Blog is. Get yours today!
Oh, and watch HAX-TV tonight, 9pm, Ch. 77
===================
Take Me Home
My Non-Funny Blog.
Sunday, November 28, 2004
Just Some Random Thoughts
I'm thankful for all of the people in the Seattle Comedy Scene. Whether by deed, word, or immature and misguided emotional outburst, we're all making each other better in one way or another. Some really great people to hang out with, but wow, some of you are F*CKED TO THE CLOUDS. It's fun watching you freak out and self-destruct. And if you think I'm talking about you...
How I know that I have found the right woman:
Laying by the fire. We watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force. We sip a light Pinot Noir. My shirt is off. She makes a man out of me right there.
Gleefully, she is yanking the hair out by the root. Wax on... Deep breath in... FSSSSHT wooOOP!... Waxing is not for the faint of sack. When one experiences pain, the brain's pain centers release endorphins and a bit of dopamine in order to counteract the pain, resulting in a feeling of bliss and calm. (this is why some people enjoy some pain with their pleasure; see "Open Mic") I've got enough of those running through my body right now to downshift that OxiClean guy.
Killorn did a masterful stuffing of the bird by showing her Thanks for people in her life. Check it out. She is a writer of inspiring and humbling gifts (talent can be developed, but hers is Inspired from above), painting pictures in my head when I read or hear her words. I hope she never stops writing and publishing. On top of that, she fed a number of local comedy scenesters on Thanksgiving, and I've heard rave reviews from all who attended. Later that night, with punch-softened brains and pants unbuttoned (pros wear sweats on such days, recognize), I'm sure they basked in the glow of full bellies and love that is Killorn's gift of hostessing. Good work, Short-pants. Here's to the LA-Mexico leg of our flight, now in under 96 hours. Acting shoes on, centered... and BE the whatever.
How the F*CK do the Seahawks suck this bad? Losing 38-9 at home to a team that had not won a road game all season? I haven't seen a collapse like this since they opened a gymnastics school for lepers. Personally, I think Mike Holmgren's got his eyes on another job. He wants out of Seattle for some reason. Maybe he's pursuing his career as a chef? That's what I've heard.
Magnets. Mark my words. Invest in magnets as a biotech option. No shittin'.
Do you understand that at least once a day I hear some pop-culturetard say "Waaaasuuuup?" or "You're so money"??? You do now. Before Christmas, I will be drunk at work. I'll be making a booty-blog.
Tony Moser is a savant. I can't understand his fascination with organic lip balm or why he won't eat soup with a spoon, but hey, working with the guy is fantastic. Fabulous. TRUTH. He will be there to film the demise of rap, and this asshole will be holding his boom.
I have a strong belief that, if I was ever in the position, I could wrestle to death a cougar.
Wine's wearing thin, gotta roll. Have a great Monday.
------------------------
Take Me Home
My Non-Funny Blog.
How I know that I have found the right woman:
Laying by the fire. We watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force. We sip a light Pinot Noir. My shirt is off. She makes a man out of me right there.
Gleefully, she is yanking the hair out by the root. Wax on... Deep breath in... FSSSSHT wooOOP!... Waxing is not for the faint of sack. When one experiences pain, the brain's pain centers release endorphins and a bit of dopamine in order to counteract the pain, resulting in a feeling of bliss and calm. (this is why some people enjoy some pain with their pleasure; see "Open Mic") I've got enough of those running through my body right now to downshift that OxiClean guy.
Killorn did a masterful stuffing of the bird by showing her Thanks for people in her life. Check it out. She is a writer of inspiring and humbling gifts (talent can be developed, but hers is Inspired from above), painting pictures in my head when I read or hear her words. I hope she never stops writing and publishing. On top of that, she fed a number of local comedy scenesters on Thanksgiving, and I've heard rave reviews from all who attended. Later that night, with punch-softened brains and pants unbuttoned (pros wear sweats on such days, recognize), I'm sure they basked in the glow of full bellies and love that is Killorn's gift of hostessing. Good work, Short-pants. Here's to the LA-Mexico leg of our flight, now in under 96 hours. Acting shoes on, centered... and BE the whatever.
How the F*CK do the Seahawks suck this bad? Losing 38-9 at home to a team that had not won a road game all season? I haven't seen a collapse like this since they opened a gymnastics school for lepers. Personally, I think Mike Holmgren's got his eyes on another job. He wants out of Seattle for some reason. Maybe he's pursuing his career as a chef? That's what I've heard.
Magnets. Mark my words. Invest in magnets as a biotech option. No shittin'.
Do you understand that at least once a day I hear some pop-culturetard say "Waaaasuuuup?" or "You're so money"??? You do now. Before Christmas, I will be drunk at work. I'll be making a booty-blog.
Tony Moser is a savant. I can't understand his fascination with organic lip balm or why he won't eat soup with a spoon, but hey, working with the guy is fantastic. Fabulous. TRUTH. He will be there to film the demise of rap, and this asshole will be holding his boom.
I have a strong belief that, if I was ever in the position, I could wrestle to death a cougar.
Wine's wearing thin, gotta roll. Have a great Monday.
------------------------
Take Me Home
My Non-Funny Blog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)