Comedy - You win some, you lose some...

Voice of Doom...

Oh, Oggers, you aren't still persisting with that silly comedy idea of yours are you? How long has that been now? Going on towards two years? Are you getting paid yet? Still just the one gig a week is it? Ha ha ha ha, you could make a joke out of that, couldn't you???

Voice of a tiny mouse... (me)

Err, No. Not paid as such and well kind of yeah, its about 19 months and I'm still keeping a hand in... You know... not gigging as much as I should. It is just, I do quite enjoy it and even though I don't work hard enough at it and I sometimes go on stage not very well prepared... the audience quite often appear to enjoy it too and I'm not doing anyone any real harm am I? Anyway Doomy Doomster, why don't you go fuck yourself?? Up your big doomy gloomy bum-hole. *Squeaks and runs back to mouse hole for large portion of non WW comfort cheese*

Oh sorry, those inner monologues again. Where were we...?

Ha, that would make a good pixar movie, like Ratatouille, but the mouse is a stand-up? Did someone make that already? If not, it could be a girl mouse, with the voice of me... Oh yeah.

Should I crack on???

I did two gigs last week. Number 70 and 71, for the number crunchers out there...

The first was my Laughing Horse Heat on Monday. I didn't make it through to the next round. I was gutted. Should I be toughing it out and saying, it really doesn't matter? It does a bit. If 16 acts compete against each other and you don't even get into the top 6, it isn't all that encouraging. I think I did a pretty good set, in a big crowded room, where I could see and hear the appreciation right to the back, so it wasn't a total disaster. Looking back on it, yeah, fair do's - I wasn't as strong as some of the other acts, but we can go round in circles here.

Reading Norm's blog, you might get the impression that the whole evening was a collection of scarcely thought through observational comedy that could drive even the most considerate audience to get out their PSP's, iphones, blackberries, gameboys and discmans, if they still had such devices... You might wonder how the judges even picked 6 acts to go through. I said after the event and even while munching on my sour grapes, it was a good night of comedy, spoilt only (for me at least) by bringing in the element of judging. Other friends who have been to a few of these things have assured me it was a very tough heat. Of course that is exactly the kind of thing I'd say to make a complete loser feel better.

I hadn't really expected to get through. I'm sure there are life coaches and NLP pushers out there that would say that kind of attitude won't get me anywhere. I hadn't though, but it was still disappointing. Either way, going in circles again. Sour grapes and knocks to confidence is what competitions are made of, apart from - you know - for the successful ones and ultimately for the winners... Well, good for them!

I was almost too embarrassed to leave the house come Tuesday, but leave the house I did and as you know - tiny victories - I had lost 2lb at WW. "Weight Watchers - When being a loser makes you a winner..."

I'm on fire here, Movie Proposals, Advertising Slogans. This is it people, as good as it gets...

And breathe and relax and back to last week...

Come Wednesday, it was off to Desperately Seeking Stagetime. The question on everybody's lips. Where was Norm? Maybe not everyone's lips. Sorry Norm. Conclusion: He was probably doing a paid fifteen somewhere.

First 12 acts to arrive, get 5 minutes, anyone signing up after that, gets 3. I got there early enough to do five minutes and when the time came, hoping to play around with a few new ideas, I got stuck after only half my time. After which, I told one segment of my brother set and then offered up my last minute to someone with only a three minute spot if they bought me half a shandy. I never got that half a shandy and to the best of my knowledge, all the three spots just stuck to three...

Even though I only managed 4 minutes. The night was made of win in several ways:

I walked from work to the gig, without getting lost and still arrived relatively early. (about a 50 minute walk.)

I didn't get drunk and I didn't take my beer on stage either.

I ad-libbed and got laughs and felt love and warmth from the audience (of comics).

I didn't smoke.

I was not the last person in the pub.

I made the tube home.

I didn't eat take away.

So. There you have it: You don't have to be a Laughing Horse quarter finalist to be a winner, although yeah fair enough - it would have helped.

Next week at gig 72. I'll be breaking one of Keith Palmer's golden comedy rules: Don't agree to do your comedy at a non comedy night. I've been invited to Tooting of all places. Yes, Tooting in South London *spits* to do five or ten at a bands night. A potential disaster? Yes completely, but I do have a certain weakness for musicians and as such, I couldn't resist. Wish me luck ;o)