My New Comedy Plan

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.

The Name Thing

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.

Thursday Night at the Vortex

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

Pineapple Jacks

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

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

Last Night at Coffee Underground

Eh.

The Athens, GA of Stand-up?

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.