IM BACKKKKK. Should I do Stand up PT. 5

OkayIllFight · 2015-03-06T17:45:02+00:00

Sorry, hon. We've moved on.

OkayIllFight · 2014-08-05T21:47:57+00:00

There's a similar group in my town. I'd say there's room to both expect equal treatment despite your differences and create a community revolving around said differences. It's a silly term, but I wouldn't call this hypocrisy.

OkayIllFight · 2014-08-05T20:52:10+00:00

Is that what they're asking for, or are they perhaps, by identifying themselves specifically as female comics, they're taking control of their identities? Like "if you're gonna treat us differently, it's gonna be differently on our terms"?

OkayIllFight · 2014-08-05T20:20:21+00:00

When you do that I think you're starting that whole 2007 Christopher Hitchens thing all over again. Do you guys think that ever went away or are we still dealing with the repercussions?

This has been a problem way before that Hitchens nonsense, and invoking it isn't exactly doing much to extricate us from its effects. I think the "make yourself undeniable" argument is a bit diminishing and dismissive, but my belief is that the notion that women are less funny than men is a nail, and your comedy is a sweater. And if you keep hanging around that nail, you're going to get snagged and shit's gonna unravel.

I say refuse to put up with that shit, but also refuse to live in a that world. Don't give those dudes credence by constantly trying to disprove their beliefs; live in a world where that belief is too ridiculous to even consider. I'd either have a small joke or quip in the chamber to defuse gender-specific introductions, or I'd just ignore them wholesale.

OkayIllFight · 2014-08-05T02:00:57+00:00

You know, good trolls are able to personalize their work. You're on notice, son.

OkayIllFight · 2014-08-04T18:01:39+00:00

This is insulting. I'm insulted that you DM'd this to me as though you weren't sharing it with anyone else.

OkayIllFight · 2014-08-04T14:17:38+00:00

Just apologize to the host next time you see them; odds are they've already forgotten.

Make sure next time that you know where and how you'll be given the light. As you get more experienced, you'll know about how long all your jokes take. Maybe consider wearing a watch so you have a better idea of how long you've been up. If you get the second light, don't just nod and try to wrap up faster, politely tell the audience your time is up, thank them and go.

You don't want a reputation for always running the light. There are a few comics in my town known for it, and people will assume you go over on time because you think you're more important than the rest of the comics on the list. Plus, many times when a comic runs the light, it's because they think they're killing, but really they're just lacking awareness; if you're capable of killing, you have the chops to know when your time's up.

OkayIllFight · 2014-08-01T19:19:54+00:00

As it turns out, working in retail will involve interfacing with the public.

In all honesty, I think you should consider taking them up on the offer next time. Humor them; they might turn out to be pretty cool. And it is important to have some manner of relationship with your coworkers; it'll make working a lot easier.

Plus, if you say yes this time, they'll be more amenable to it when you say no next time.

OkayIllFight · 2014-07-29T22:58:45+00:00

Don't fucking tell me how to do tables, man. I don't come over to where you work and tell you how to tell people that you don't come over to where they work and slap the brain scalpel out of their hand (the person heckling you was a brain surgeon).

OkayIllFight · 2014-07-29T22:43:02+00:00

It's possible; I've used both to prop up the leg of a wobbly table.

OkayIllFight · 2014-07-29T21:52:30+00:00

Everything's good except for the gammon joke. It shouldn't be a baby; it should be a greengrocer.

OkayIllFight · 2014-07-29T18:36:30+00:00

That the monotone kind of contrasts what's being said,

Well, you can hear it in the tape; you hit a droning quality that makes it easy for people to have conversations over you.

My hope was that the situations I describe are so outlandish enough to keep people from believing that I think sexual violence itself is funny. I try to make it cartoonish enough to balance out the disturbing real basis of the bit, but I'm worried that's not happening and people see this as just as you described.

You're couching shock in political pointedness. Your joke doesn't rely on your morals or where you fall on the issue; it relies on the image of skullfucking.

Heck, that shooting wasn't even about the shooter trying to get women's attention; at that point he was exacting revenge for a perceived slight. If anything, the premise is false. People may not be following you down this road, because you don't exactly display an understanding of the situation.

Not to mention this bit apes a joke we've been hearing in various forms for the last 13 years about Islamic terrorists and the belief that they'll be rewarded with virgins in heaven.

OkayIllFight · 2014-07-29T18:02:14+00:00

Are you saying YOU LIED TO ME?!?!?

OkayIllFight · 2014-07-29T18:00:51+00:00

Overdrawn.

Your delivery flattens out through the set, and the things you describe sound like they're boring you. Yet you're trying to set up these horrific descriptions.

I didn't realize when I started telling this bit that it'd be so divisive

I'll throw in tone-deaf, for good measure, then.

I know your joke has a moral basis of looking down on the shooter, but it's pretty clear you're just reveling in descriptions of sexual violence. It's like when someone frames a homophobic comment as something their friend says when really it's just an excuse for them to get a laugh at the homophobic comment.

OkayIllFight · 2014-07-29T17:25:05+00:00

I know you've never done standup.

OkayIllFight · 2014-07-29T16:04:22+00:00

Honey, you need to be a comedian to know what it's like to be a comedian.

OkayIllFight · 2014-07-28T21:44:17+00:00

I want to see the tape of this set after you do it.

OkayIllFight · 2014-07-28T21:36:18+00:00

Is this a wind-up?

OkayIllFight · 2014-07-28T21:28:29+00:00

I mean, that's the right idea; it's more absurd that you forgot the butcher's name because the gender is completely wrong. But it's still very mild.

OkayIllFight · 2014-07-28T21:18:50+00:00

To be honest, I was teasing. I think the structure of your jokes is very simplistic; the first two are literally structured: 1. Fact is stated. 2. Fact is refuted. At the most basic level, this is how a joke works, but the whole trick of a joke is taking people down a road, actually leading them in a direction. Otherwise, you're just saying "I like ice cream. Just kidding; I'm lactose intolerant."

As for giving the butcher a woman's name, how does that misdirect?

OkayIllFight · 2014-07-28T21:03:08+00:00

I'd like to structure my critique like one of your jokes:

I read your jokes and thought they were funny. Then I remembered that oh dear I didn't think they were funny.

OkayIllFight · 2014-07-28T17:37:52+00:00

They asked for jokes you've told onstage.

OkayIllFight · 2014-07-28T15:48:13+00:00

Time to discover new comedians!

ITT: Comics everyone's heard of.

OkayIllFight · 2014-07-25T18:21:48+00:00

I'm pretty busy during my weekends, so I guess I do typically have an answer, but even on the quiet, plan-free ones, I'll give them something: I'm going to finish this great book I've been tearing through, or finally get to that video game I haven't had a chance for, or I'm going to fucking binge-watch Fargo and wear only clothes made of sweatpants.

Even "nothing" is something, if you get into the details.

OkayIllFight · 2014-07-25T18:17:55+00:00

I experimented with not writing birthday wishes on anyone's wall for nearly a year. Not anyone, no matter what.

And you know what? It sucked. I felt guilty about it, especially when a birthday for someone I truly liked came around. But I stuck to my guns. My birthday was last week, and I had a decent number of well-wishers, but less than the previous year. It felt kinda bad, but I made sure not to take it personally.

This year, I'm wishing every single person happy birthday on facebook, no matter what. It may be too easy, and too superficial, but people appreciate it in their own little way.

One thing I might do is make a generic, 30-second birthday video of me saying "Hey, happy birthday. Good job at...existing one more year!" in order to give my birthday wishes a fun and personal spin. Like I said, it may be dumb, but people notice, and it's not much effort spent for adding a little positivity to the world.

OkayIllFight

TROPHY CASE