Art Sturtevant: Funny Human Being

Rockytop Comedy Contest

2011-08-29T21:11:00.001-04:00

Art Sturtevant at the Rocky Top Comedy Contest August 26th, 2011 from Comedian Matt Ward on Vimeo.

Jeremiah Greer Live

2011-08-01T21:43:00.012-04:00

">

I was a guest on this wonderful show today with Jeremiah, my friend Jennifer Riddle and a fellow called "Dr. Free Love."

Wow!

2011-07-28T15:15:00.004-04:00

As a kid, I loved this old Spider-man Cartoon. I saw an episode recently, and the show doesn't hold up at all. Gotta say though, it's theme song sure does.

How many theme songs since have had the sheer guts to open with a brassy, unapologetic fanfare (bwah bhaw bwah BWAH BWAW BWAH!), and hyperbole that might have been written by Stan Lee himself: "is he strong?/ listen bud / he's got radioactive blood."

It wasn't subtle or minimalistic or ambiguous in any way. It was designed to bring my 5-year-old self running into the living room, and it served that purpose without fail.

I still get chills.

Another trip to Laughing Skull

2011-07-17T22:19:00.000-04:00

Why The Darwin Fish Pisses Me Off

2011-05-08T20:18:00.008-04:00

No, it's not because I'm religious or that I object to its message. I hate the Darwin Fish in it's most common current version (pictured), because it's a beautiful, subtle little joke spoiled by someone's urge to make sure I GET IT.

Years ago, the Darwin Fish made me smile every time I saw it. Its design was simple: the same fish you saw on many cars, with the addition of budding feet. It was smart, elegant and funny, but you had to do the work the first time you saw one -- you had to figure it out.

Somewhere over the years, someone decided you CAN'T figure it out. The answer? Fill the negative space with the name "Darwin" -- all in loud caps. Then they sent out teams of guys in plaid sport coats and bow ties to drive up beside you as you pass a car with the new, idiot-friendly Darwin Fish, follow you until you pull over and then elbow you in the ribs and say "do you get it????" "Huh?" "Huh??"

Those folks who added "Darwin" -- you're going to be seeing more of their work. At the moment, they're editing a new version of "The Grapes of Wrath" that ends with "...because she was BREAST FEEDING the starving man!!!! -- OMG! Isn't that sad????" Their remake of "Planet of the Apes" will include a narration: "...kneeling in the sand and cursing his fate, Taylor knew, he finally knew, that he WASN'T on another planet. He was on Earth. 'Cause it was The Statue of Liberty. Which is on Earth. And the fact that it's buried in the sand indicates..." They're even rewriting your favorite proverbs, and you'll soon be treated to gems like "a word to the wise is sufficient, because a wise person doesn't need you to explain everything."

By all means, please put Darwin Fish on your cars. I applaud your endorsement of science, especially at a time when it's under assault in our land. But please, please insist on the old, perfect version. If you can only find the new, cluttered design get out your X-Acto knife and make two statements with your fish.

Art Sturtevant: The Comic Who Brings His Own Audience!

2011-03-25T18:42:00.002-04:00

Friday Night at Petra's

2011-03-20T20:04:00.001-04:00

Brian Zarbock runs an excellent open mic at Petra's Piano Bar in Charlotte, NC. I had a ball.

Open Mic at Wall Street Coffee House and Emporium

2011-01-26T20:17:00.000-05:00

I think I may be figuring out hecklers...

Feature Set Disclaimer Underground Comedy Series

2011-01-13T14:59:00.001-05:00

Charlotte Schlesinger, Michael Roach, Nick Shaheen and I did feature sets opening for national touring comic Dave Waite. Tom Scheve hosted. Part of the Disclaimer Underground Comedy Series.

A Suggestion

2011-01-11T23:34:00.001-05:00

As comics mention videos of their sets, I often hear some variety of "I want to see what I'm doing wrong."

I'm by no means the expert here; most of my comedian friends have more experience than I do. Even so, I want to suggest that if you listen to audio or watch video of your comedy, look for and focus on the things you did right. The things that went well are probably representative of your strengths, and you're much more likely to build up those strong points than turn weak areas into strengths.

I don't mean to say that things that went wrong deserve none of your attention -- it's important to shore up your weaknesses. You'll see the problems no matter what, though. Most of us are more likely to cringe at a minor slip of our own than even see them in other comics' work. What I'm saying is that the minority of your effort should go to shoring up your weak areas, and most of your energy should go into duplicating and building on the things that went well.

Play the good parts over and over. Give yourself permission. It'll be a lot more productive and a lot more fun.

Coffee Underground 1-3-11

2011-01-11T23:17:00.001-05:00

Nope. I don't know why I untucked my shirt either.

Superman's Voice...

2010-12-25T14:29:00.003-05:00

This may be too esoteric to explain in a written blog entry, but something I heard cracked me up and I have to give it a try.

I downloaded some old (1940's) Superman radio serials on iTunes, and I've been having a ball listening to them (they're free at "Old Time Radio Hour," if anyone's interested). In these old episodes Bud Collyer uses two distinct voices -- a more reasonable, higher-pitched 40's-businessman voice for Clark Kent and a lower, more serious voice for Superman. You'll hear things like "this looks like a job FOR SUPERMAN."

So in the episode I was listening to recently, Clark, Lois Lane and another character were trapped in an old mine by a cave in. Clark couldn't move away the rocks with them standing there without giving away his identity, even though they had no light and it was pitch black dark in the mine. So Clark concocts some ruse to get the other folks to go off elsewhere in the mine, and then starts clearing enough rubble away for them to get through.

He's alone, presumably still dressed as Clark and talking to himself out loud.

And he says, "now that they're gone, I can clear these rocks away AS SUPERMAN." And there are a few minutes as he narrates his actions to himself -- "A FEW MORE... THERE -- THAT SHOULD GET IT" -- all in the Superman voice. Then in the Clark voice: "now I just have to wait for the others to return and explain the rubble wasn't as firmly in place as we'd thought..."

I guess in 40's radio, the closest thing they had to a special effect was the wonderful vocal talent of Bud Collyer (who voiced Superman from the 40's radio show through Saturday morning cartoons in the 60's), but it cracks me up thinking about this man alone in a cave in street clothes changing his voice so he can talk to himself heroically about what he's doing.

Alone. By himself.

Hah. Here's a page with a .wav file of Bud Collyer doing both voices in one sentence.

December 8 at The Disclaimer Lounge

2010-12-10T22:42:00.003-05:00

Oooh I get by with a little help from my friends...

Comedy Night at Koncepts Hookah Lounge in Boone, NC

2010-11-24T18:07:00.002-05:00

Benefit Flyer

2010-11-10T10:48:00.004-05:00

FightBreastCancerFlyer -

Rocky Top Comedy Contest

2010-10-04T20:21:00.000-04:00

Here's my set for the Rocky Top Comedy Contest. I didn't advance this time (and congrats to the guys who did!), but I had a blast with a great room, host and venue.

Jokes for Jugs

2010-09-28T22:54:00.000-04:00

I was lucky enough to perform at Jokes for Juggs -- a benifit for Susan G. Komen For The Cure.

Video for Rocky Top Comedy Contest

2010-09-28T06:50:00.000-04:00

Here's the video my wife and I made for the Rocky Top Comedy Contest.

My First Comedy Competition

2010-09-21T16:00:00.001-04:00

I participated in the first preliminary round of this year's Charleston Comedy Festival competition. Lucky enough to place, so I move on to the semifinals. Thanks to Charleston City Paper for filming and posting!

An August night at Coffee Underground

2010-08-26T19:07:00.000-04:00

In honor of No Expectations Comedy's Coffee Underground open mic's first birthday, host Michael Robinette asked each of us to do a bit from our first time on stage. Mine was a few decades old...

My New Comedy Plan

2010-08-26T18:19:00.001-04:00

My comedy's been feeling a little flat the last few weeks, and I think I know what to do about it. It comes down to taking comedy more seriously, and that means showing up prepared like a professional (which I'd love to eventually be).

Here's what showing up prepared means to me:

Have five to ten minutes (depending on venue) ready every time I go on stage. No more "this is what open mics are for." Open mics are for new material, but that material should be ready for a test run, not a wisp of a concept to elaborate from on stage. It has to be written and gone though at least five practice rounds.
Never drink before I'm on. Then get wasted and enjoy everyone else's set.
Write at least two minutes of new material a week.
Stop showing up naked.
Never take a notebook on stage. It's important to try new stuff; I just need to have it ready.

I'm not saying I won't improvise or that I'll have a set memorized word-for-word like a sonnet, but I do believe knowing all your points and their order gives you the freedom to play around with what's going on in the room.

Looking forward to some fun sets.

First Time at Leeg's

2010-07-11T11:23:00.001-04:00

I didn't have my camera ready in time, so a friend was kind enough to film this set Cinéma vérité style. Be sure to eat Dramamine before watching.

Open mic at the Laughing Skull in Atlanta, GA.

2010-07-03T07:09:00.005-04:00

The Name Thing

2010-06-03T20:35:00.004-04:00

Well, I’m all confused. I don’t know how to introduce myself or what to tell people to call me. Half the time, I don’t know to respond when people are calling me by name. And friends aren’t sure what to call me.

A stage name is important to me. I love doing stand-up comedy, but it’s unlikely to supplant the income I’ve made from sales and management over the years. In this Google age, hiring and promoting managers routinely search applicants’ names. A hit that shows me doing political or blue material could kill my prospects without my ever knowing why. It could also cause headaches in my current position.

So I’m Art. At least on stage or on the internet.

I can make things simpler, though. I can start with introducing myself by my real name and then explaining that I use a stage name. Feel free to use my real name when we’re talking, or in any non-stage context. Or keep calling me Art, if that feels right to you.

Here’s the cool part: I never thought any of this would be an issue! When I stepped out on Coffee Underground’s open mic stage in January, I never imagined comedy would be a regular part of my life again, or that I would have to figure out how to communicate with dozens of great new friends. Thanks for that, ladies and gentlemen. It’s a great problem to have.

Disclaimer Lounge May 9, 2010

2010-05-19T20:08:00.004-04:00

This one needs a little set-up: Becca Steinhoff had told her hilarious story about the date who took her "scrappin..."

I make one person laugh at Coffee Underground...

2010-04-13T17:17:00.000-04:00

Sunday Night at the Hangar

2010-04-05T09:19:00.001-04:00

At the Disclaimer Stand-up Lounge in Asheville, NC on its maiden voyage. This was a lot of fun.

Thursday Night at the Vortex

2010-04-03T00:08:00.002-04:00

Becca and I did the Vortex last night. Great crowd, except one guy who felt his participaiton was required.

Pineapple Jacks

2010-04-01T10:13:00.004-04:00

I open Becca Steinhoff's wonderful "Occasional Acts of Brilliance" show at Pineapple Jacks. My primary motive for posting this clip is to show off my unparallelled cinematography skills.

Another Night at Tomato Tuesdays

2010-03-31T17:50:00.001-04:00

Feel like I'm getting my comedy legs back here after a couple of flat weeks.

Last Night at Coffee Underground

2010-03-30T12:28:00.001-04:00

Eh.

The Athens, GA of Stand-up?

2010-03-16T14:27:00.000-04:00

As I've mentioned (ad nauseum) to friends, I used to do stand up at a lot of open mics in the eighties, and I'm just blown away by the difference between the way things were then and today's lively comedy scene in the Asheville-Greenville market (alphabetical).

The first thing that impresses me is the hard work and talent that dozens of sharp young men and women pour out onto whatever audience they can find. You don't see the old cliché of these venues -- the drunk guy whose friends have convinced him to wing it because he always makes them laugh. Instead, you see comics who've written and prepared and are -- with rare exceptions -- very funny. Comedians who have a tough sets go home, put their material in the shop and come back funnier (and funnier still the next time).

An incredible sense of camaraderie also defines a sharp contrast between our local comedy world and the one I saw all those years ago. People support each other, critique each other's work and are genuinely glad to see each other. As each person gets better, it challenges others to do the same, and the environment builds better and funnier comics.

Lately, I've been wondering if this is somewhat unique -- do most areas have this kind of vibrant comedy community? Or is Greenville-Asheville like Athens was to alternative music in the eighties? I dunno. I do know I'm happy to have found this group of people, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Coffee Underground, March 15

2010-03-16T13:21:00.001-04:00

Ok, this is getting ridiculous. I've got to learn how to get off a stage with some degree of grace and professionalism.

Tomato Tuesdays March 9, 2010

2010-03-10T14:17:00.000-05:00

Made a few gaffes here. Neeed to always make time to practice. Lot of fun, though.

Monday at Coffee Underground

2010-03-09T15:37:00.000-05:00

The word's getting out about the great show the Greenville comics put on, and there was a packed house for most of the evening. I really had a blast. Got to work on my closing.

At Vortex Caberet, March 4, 2010

2010-03-07T07:47:00.000-05:00

There's a wonderful variety show in Asheville on Thursday nights at the Grove house (11 Grove Street). You'll see bands, magic acts, comedy -- I was really impressed by an accordian player. This is my set at the Vortex.

March 1, 2010 at Coffee Underground

2010-03-02T16:25:00.001-05:00

A great crownd at No Expectations Comedy's open mic at Coffee Underground.

First time hosting

2010-02-24T01:40:00.000-05:00

I hosted Tomato Tuesdays tonight, but I was so wired I forgot to turn my camera on.

So I ruled. Tore the house down. And I will maintain that position until someone produces video evidence to the contrary.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

February 16 at Tomato Tuesdays

2010-02-17T07:59:00.000-05:00

February 16 at "Tomato Tuesdays at the New French Bar" in Asheville, NC. I took some good advice from a friend and dropped Kermit/Motown and Popeye (for now). Not giving up on either one, but I need to really finish both. I've been going out half- baked on both bits, just because I love their concepts.

February 9 at Tomato Tuesdays

2010-02-10T07:35:00.001-05:00

Had a lot of fun with this one. I finally found a place to practice, and I was able to run the set out loud a few times beforehand. Before-hand? Before hand?

2010-02-05T08:11:00.000-05:00

Took the week off to write and practice. Went to see the last half of Tuesday's open mic at The New French Bar, and it was a lot of fun.

January 26 at Tomato Tuesdays

2010-01-27T00:36:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed doing this set, but it still suffers from a lack of the confidence that will come from practicing it over and over. I can still be spontaneous and mix it up, but I have to be very comfortable with my delivery and timing.

At Coffee Underground 1-25-10

2010-01-26T17:09:00.000-05:00

A short set at Coffee Underground. Tried a new bit, and I had about 50% success -- the material worked, but the visual fell apart. I knew what I had in mind when I fell down, but I didn't communicate it to the audience at all. Feeling more comfortable and having a lot of fun.

Regional Showcase

2010-01-24T20:39:00.000-05:00

Friday and Saturday, I saw some local comics perform at Funny Business' Regional Showcase in Asheville.

They were terrific. I'd seen several of their acts before, but even those seemed fresh to me polished up and presented in this exciting venue.

What was really fun, though, was seeing their faces after the show, as they mingled with the crowd. They were on fire -- thrilled with the show, burning with excitement, coming down off the thrill of the evening.

It's inspiring. It makes me want to write and practice. Way to go, folks.

January 19 at Tomato Tuesdays

2010-01-21T09:33:00.000-05:00

Figuring it out...

2010-01-20T20:27:00.000-05:00

I've got to figure out the balance between writing new material and polishing up stuff I've already worked on. I think the answer for me is to find a place -- alone -- and practice a set over and over. Get very comfortable with the order, develop clean transitions and also leave in flexibility to throw in a new idea or two.

In the eighties, I was in College and my school's Theatre Arts department had what they called a "black box" theater, which was left open all hours. The accoustics were perfect; you didn't even need a mic. I'd work until 1 a.m., and then go stand in an empty theater and work my set over and over. Good times.

January 18 at Coffee Underground

2010-01-20T20:17:00.000-05:00

December 12, 2010 at Tomato Tuesdays

2010-01-16T23:00:00.000-05:00

Testing... Testing...

2010-01-14T07:08:00.001-05:00

Trying the blog app.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone