I've done some stand up comedy in the past - only a couple of years ago I was playing regular gigs around the working men's clubs, going under the stage name of Dai Bando and I played the fringe two years ago.
I used to enjoy it but it was often nerve racking and my stomach would do spasms just before the curtain went up. Anyway, after the fringe,
I didn't bother chasing the gigs and eventually things dried up. It's been almost two years since I've been on stage and performed a comedy gig.
I'm thinking I'd like to get back into it. Watching a DVD of George Carling earlier has given me the taste for it again. I don't know what the market is like at the moment - we've lost a lot of clubs over recent years and less and less artists are being booked. Singers are cheaper than comedians and even they are finding it hard, a friend who has been a professional singer for over ten years told me that the work situation is getting dire. And things are not even guaranteed for a comedian with a nice line in cynical humour and an inflatable sheep.
I'm at a crossroads - one one hand I don't want to get into it all again, concentrate on the writing,the acting, even the cabbing. But on the other hand...I miss the thrill of a good performance, the high of the applause. It a hard thing when the crowd refuse to warm up, damn uncomfortable, it feels as if your shrinking, fading away to nothing and all the while there's a hurricane swirling around your head. But when the gig is going well it takes you to cloud nine. So maybe I will give it a try again but not straight into it...maybe a visit to the comedy club and an open mike session is the way to go.
4 comments:
It's not something that I would do but I do have great admiration for those who do. In many cases they are better than some of those who make it into the big time.
Like Michael whatsisname's comedy roadshow - the support acts were a darn sight better than he was.
Why does this not surprise me? You're a funny guy who likes to do everything. The option you mentioned at the end seems to be the best.
I've been watching some of the TV program "America's got talent!" and I can see where you're coming from. It's a tough life it seems, but here's wishing you good luck and success in the endeavor.
I should imagine this would be just up your street. And the good thing is, you can just "play" with it, as there are lots of other strings to your bow, so you are not relying on it to work.
Andrea
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