Posted by Ian on 2009-03-28
in Entertainment, Tips
I guess one of my most difficult career decisions was to give up performing in the Comedy Clubs. I say in my one man show that the reason was because I felt the audience were becoming young enough to be my children (which sets up a joke about it not being a particularly rock ‘n’ roll attitude - as the Rolling Stones still perform to audiences young enough to be their children: the main difference being that the way they put it about in the 1960s, most of their audience probably are their children).
Like all comedy it contains a nugget of truth. I did see the audience getting younger and younger and embracing life style choices which I couldn’t really empathise with. Admittedly as a comedy magician, this perhaps wasn’t as important as it would be with a straight stand-up. But even so I felt a little inhibited.
A magician in the US, who still performs in comedy clubs at an age at least equal to mine, confronts the problem straight on. He begins his set by saying: “You kids can just think of me as your Dad on acid….I’d rather smoke pot, be paranoid and think everybody’s plotting against me; than not smoke pot, be straight and realise that nobody gives a shit about me at all.” Somehow such lines – or indeed sentiment – wouldn’t suit me.
The other problem with comedy clubs was that I found myself with twenty minutes of strong material – but not much more. Twenty minutes is the amount of time that most comedians are asked to perform for in comedy clubs. And yet, whenever I was booked for a corporate event or private party, the minimum requirement would be half an hour – and more likely forty minutes. It was going to be hard to come up with that amount of strong material if I was trapped into a twenty minute mindset.
So I took the decision that if I wanted to progress as a performer, I would have to give up on the comedy clubs. And, much as I miss the sheer excitement and thrill of playing to a packed and baying crowd, I’m sure it was the right move. Over the course of a few years I have developed what I like to think of as a very strong half thirty to forty five minute set - dependent on what is required.
The problem is that from time to time I’m asked to do just twenty minutes again; and I’m actually finding it as hard to cut back as it was to extend my repertoire all those years ago. The main problem is that my principal routine lasts twenty minutes on its own – and it’s not something I can go straight into. So I need at least twenty five minutes to consider performing it.
You would have thought that the simple solution was just to do the other twenty minutes of my forty five minute set. But somehow that seems unsatisfactory. It’s the second half of my act that plays really big with an audience – not the first.
Personally I’ve always felt that performers who say: “I can’t do less than half an hour”, are just showing off. But now I have some sympathy with them.
It’s okay, though, I don’t expect you to have any sympathy with me!
Like all comedy it contains a nugget of truth. I did see the audience getting younger and younger and embracing life style choices which I couldn’t really empathise with. Admittedly as a comedy magician, this perhaps wasn’t as important as it would be with a straight stand-up. But even so I felt a little inhibited.
A magician in the US, who still performs in comedy clubs at an age at least equal to mine, confronts the problem straight on. He begins his set by saying: “You kids can just think of me as your Dad on acid….I’d rather smoke pot, be paranoid and think everybody’s plotting against me; than not smoke pot, be straight and realise that nobody gives a shit about me at all.” Somehow such lines – or indeed sentiment – wouldn’t suit me.
The other problem with comedy clubs was that I found myself with twenty minutes of strong material – but not much more. Twenty minutes is the amount of time that most comedians are asked to perform for in comedy clubs. And yet, whenever I was booked for a corporate event or private party, the minimum requirement would be half an hour – and more likely forty minutes. It was going to be hard to come up with that amount of strong material if I was trapped into a twenty minute mindset.
So I took the decision that if I wanted to progress as a performer, I would have to give up on the comedy clubs. And, much as I miss the sheer excitement and thrill of playing to a packed and baying crowd, I’m sure it was the right move. Over the course of a few years I have developed what I like to think of as a very strong half thirty to forty five minute set - dependent on what is required.
The problem is that from time to time I’m asked to do just twenty minutes again; and I’m actually finding it as hard to cut back as it was to extend my repertoire all those years ago. The main problem is that my principal routine lasts twenty minutes on its own – and it’s not something I can go straight into. So I need at least twenty five minutes to consider performing it.
You would have thought that the simple solution was just to do the other twenty minutes of my forty five minute set. But somehow that seems unsatisfactory. It’s the second half of my act that plays really big with an audience – not the first.
Personally I’ve always felt that performers who say: “I can’t do less than half an hour”, are just showing off. But now I have some sympathy with them.
It’s okay, though, I don’t expect you to have any sympathy with me!
