It's my second week of getting into stand up comedy so everything is still RUSSELL BRAND new. Today's open mic was at a cafe called 'The Flying Pig.' It's a strange little place to do comedy, but as valid an experience and exercise as any other open mic in the city and 100% worth a visit.
As a cafe it is great, with great service and great food, but as a place to hold an open mic it is tough for the comic.This is why it's good for developing! I believe all environments help a comic grow and learn the craft, and I will of course return, but it was not an easy place to illicit laughter...in my case at least.
The room is long and the tables are spread out. Thus, the compressed energy and intimacy which help spawn & draw out laughter were not readily available. I like to be able to see the whites of the audience's eyes, but in this instance I couldn't. That said plenty of comics did better than I did, and I am thankful for the opportunity to get on stage once again.
I went up feeling loose and I didn't do a single 'joke' for the first 3 minutes. It was jarring and hard to do...since instinctively I wanted to jump to the safety of my 'jokes' as the awkwardness grew. I tried to just 'riff and play' with the tension in the room and challenge the dexterity (or lack there of) of my mind. It worked to a certain extent...but it failed to a greater extent.
I tried out a riff about "stabbing the audience if they laughed," That seemed to work nicely and it is perhaps worthy of further investigation and extrapolation in the future. When I got down from the stage I could tell that some comics and clients thought it was a wasted exercise haha! But for me it was a box ticked and an interesting way to overcome a fear that I saw in myself and some other comics. The fear of not being able to go outside the lines of your writing or freestyle. Maybe I'm naive but I gave it a go despite the pain.
I may have done terribly comedically, but as a comedic strength and brain building exercise I think it might have been a good idea. It's a long road to comedic success, so better to experiment now while it's low stakes rather than later. Also,to paraphrase Tom Watson "If you wish to increase your success, you have to double your rate of failure." I'm taking this advice to the limit and trying to quadruple it. So I'm succeeding at this at least :)
"One must work out ones comedy muscle." A world famous comedian shared that gem with me in a green room a while back. I am like a super retentive sponge when it comes to that type of elucidating comment. It seems logical and obvious once you hear it or read it, but until someone draws your attention to it, it might not pop into ones consciousness. I now have a new muscle to work out. My comedy muscle!
In essence, the comment suggests that the more you practice the comedy craft and art of verbal ninjary, the better you become. This results in less extraneous cognitive load on your brain when you are performing. Thus, leaving your mind more free to improve your performance rather than waste energy on the basics. It has only been 2 days of slacking, but in this stand up comedy world, especially at this early stage, it's like hoping to be a competitive athlete and skipping daily training sessions.
Once again I found myself being brought to the famous 'Brainwash Cafe' by Chris and Tom. It was another wholesome experience. I truly cant get over how relaxed I feel on stage. It is a cafe/laundromat with some really cute waitresses. The crowd was as ethnically, economically and ideologically mixed as they come and most of the room were comics tonight. Of course the non-comics is where I aimed my set delivery. No point in flirting with a married woman, so to speak. Comics have analytical minds, and are usually thinking of their own set or analyzing the delivery of your material. So you can be as funny as hell and still not illicit the slightest grin. Knowing that...can keep you sane!
Tonight I found that how I held the mic in regard to its distance from my mouth etc. was completely automatic. When you first start getting on stage it is strange to hear your own voice and you can find yourself worrying about volume etc. With that small part of comedy on autopilot I stepped outside my bits/jokes again tonight as much as I could.
I have decided that every month I will try and do one perfect showcase set and then archive my material and start fresh. If I do that I may learn quicker by forcing myself to grow or die on stage. It shouldn't be as difficult as it would've been last year when I would have lived and died by every set and clung to my material like glue. Fear stifles progression!
This new found 'fearlessness' (for want of a better word) is kind of awesome and empowering. I think it comes from living in that tent for a year and my other ridiculous adventures. I'm so comfortable with what I am and what I am not that other people's judgement of me is so irrelevant it is nutritive. My diverse and perverse myriad of life experiences to date have given me a personal sense of value that public humiliation cannot take away.
I do of course have to care to succeed, but only in respect to my joke delivery, humor and audience reading. NOT to what they think of me as an individual. This sounds obvious but I have seen comics struggle with esteem issues. Perhaps the fact that I can see a clear separation between my jokes and I is the real important thing here. Note to comics YOU ARE NOT YOUR MATERIAL OR A REFLECTION OF THE RESPONSE YOU GET! But what do I know? I'm new here. I really hope this fearlessness feeling lasts!
I'm not going to lie to you guys and gals. I was more than a little nervous today. I met my two friends Tom and Chris ahead of time. They wanted me to get up and do 5 minutes of stand up comedy at an 'open mic.' I felt like I had nothing to say yet alone try and make people laugh. To me they are both so funny, so good and so polished that I feel until I get to their level of writing I should just wait. I've done about 10-15 open mics in my life and to be honest today I felt like I was starting completely fresh and from the beginning. In the business they say 'comedy is like a muscle you have to workout regularly at the mics.' I had not seen a gym in ages and had suffered comedy atrophy.
Public speaking is considered one of man's greatest fears and to say you are also going to be funny while you're up there on stage too is like parking a combine harvester in a childrens' playground. VERY HARD to do and painful for all involved! Turning on being funny live,at a moments notice like flicking a switch is extremely hard to do.
As the public we generally only see polished comedians on stage or television...By the time they make it in front of our eyes its usually after years of practice at 'open mics' where they undergo trial by fire every night. Many lose heart and leave the craft. It's so hard that the attrition rate in the business/art is SUPER high. For some reason I believe I can beat the odds and make a living at it.
Photo from my Instagram 'GLOWPUNK' of bridge on way to perform.
We arrived early at "The Brainwash Cafe" in San Francisco and the first slot on the 'sign up sheet' was open. Sometimes you have to wait hours to get up so I thought this must be an omen. I knew if I could just force myself to write my name on the page now I would get up when my name was called. Like any innately driven male I tend not to run from a challenge and instead seek out glory.
The fear was terrible and exhilarating at the same time. I plucked up the short term courage and gritted my teeth to sign my name. Knowing that in the near future (but just sufficiently later) I would pay the price for penning my name. Once my name was down I immeadiately began to try and get my 5 minutes of comedy together. I did so by writing/thinking and stressing with Tom and Chris who hit the mics 4/6 times a week.
Since I was first on the list I was going to 'open the show' I had to try and be good enough to capture the crowd right off the bat. I enjoy the idea of free flowing and forcing myself to come up with stuff in the moment...and that is more or less what I did. But I did have 2 or 3 'solidish' jokes to dip back into when I got lost or scared.
Funny enough the 'brainwash' is a busy cafe with people ordering food and drink as you deliver your jokes/bits…It's environment is a strange, enigmatic double edged sword. The atmosphere can destroy or relax a sensitive comedian depending on his/her disposition. Oh yeah, I now identify myself as 'a comedian.' An important step I have taken for my positive psychological development. Up until now I would feel myself unworthy of the prized title. But once you step to the mic like a gladiator of humor and 'rip it' I feel you deserve the title.
Internally I adopted an 'I don't care' attitude. Externally, I presented a grateful to be in such a wonderful city persona (truth based). The foreign accent definitely helped to break the tension and capture the audience's attention at first. However, I have to acknowledge the accent in San Francisco and let the audience adjust before I start joking around so it is as much of a hinderance as it is a benefit.
I did an impression of a small minded Texan, and an African American from the Tenderloin. I had never done accents before on stage so it was a terrific feeling to actually pull it off. Especially because I'm a novice and haven't been on stage in ages. I did better than some, which matters very little really.It is a long game and the only real competition is with yourself. I exited the brainwash cafe in San Francisco driven and determined to get as skilled as Tom and Chris. They are my inspiration right now!
I feel like the initial fear has been overcome, the key now is to get more creative, stay loose, and push the boundaries every time I rock the mic… I think!? All the media attention and media exposure in Ireland over living in the tent has allowed me to take myself less seriously and not feel like I live and die by every performance (Not that I take myself too seriously anyway.) I kind of see myself as like an art project of sorts. A bundle of potential that can be shaped for good or bad. Roll on next open mic. I fear it less already, now I just want to dominate this enigmatic comedy siren.
An article in the Connaught Tribune Ireland that mentions my adventures to date and the show that I am putting on the 7th February 2013 in the Bank of Ireland Theatre, NUIG, Galway . Sure pop along.
Peace.
Was looking around the class today and listening to people and thinking.... My God these freaks are eccentric!, then I remembered I am living in a tent. :)
Just so you know,
Right now I am very very broke, but not for long. So please dont pity me. I have business interests that are maturing.(Yahoo!) And I will take you on that adventure too around xmas time. Should be fun. It will be in Guadalajara, Mexico. So, Mr. Fancy Businessman ....why are you broke?
Well it comes down to some choices and principles.As any business man worth their salt will tell you, sometimes you have to forget your own salary and comforts and pay your workers first and put your business first to reach your long term goals. Especially if you want to compete against people with a lot of money behind them.
My business partner David Walsh (A legend of a guy) and I needed to invest heavily in some restaurants we have over the last few months, and the next few months too. So, cash doesn't exist but assets do and those assets are not fluid right now. I could take a big loan with heavy interest from a bank, but, personally I like to operate outside of the banking system where possible, (because of what I perceive they have done to my country.) Basically, we have been pretty broke for about 4 years now as I build the business with my friend David.We do not come from wealthy families so every penny that comes in goes out, and that is fine. After all that is how 'new wealth' is made. Most people think when you have your own businesses that you are made of money. Nothing could be further from the truth. I think it takes 3-5 years before you ever make a single penny. Unless you are a hero, which I am clearly not.
Also, part of me wants to rebel against 'the norm.' Stick my two index fingers up at linear thinking, and also shout this as loud as possible ...'Why the F@ck should I live in a house if I can't afford to right now, just so you close minded folk feel ok, and your perfect world, where business men live in mansions doesn't collapse. Would you prefer I kept up appearances and lost everything including the 20 jobs David and I create.'....or something to that affect. This is how I roll and this 'madness' works really f@cking well in business. I dont owe a single penny to any institution and will hopefully be cashing in soon, if my luck holds out and hard work pays off. I am a product of every experience in life that I have ever had. Some awesome, some average and others bad.
Where am I coming from? I love to follow instinct and dare to risk big. I trust my brain and body to take care of me. I love non-linear disruptive action and thought. This "madness" is part of why man discovered flight and why some day there will be campsites near universities full of students. (I f@cking bet ya!) Maybe part of why I am camping is because I fear loosing the hunger and the edge that I have carried like a double edge sword my whole life. When the money finally arrives will it destroy my need to drive forward and adventure. Will I become a softer, a less interested in life version, of myself former self. Or, maybe it's just cause I am a little mad! There definitely could be some of that in the mix too. I won't deny that possibility, but as I like to say... 'You have to be a little nuts or you will go nuts.' When it comes down to it, I don't even know why I am doing this, apart from the fact that I want to and I am too short on cash to rent.
Where my business interests are in Mexico right now is a very competitive, and for the last few months and the foreseeable future my business partner and I have opted to reinvest every cent to beat the competition. And, it is working gloriously, and I hope (if the risk and investment pays off) by the end of my time in University I will be on the up income wise once again.
So in a way this may be my last opportunity to really experience financial hardship. I believe it is just as important to embrace the bad experiences, as it is the good ones. Keeps you feeling alive and present, and also inspires new thought and ideas that may lead to somewhere great that you can't conjure up doing the same things day in-day out.
So please DONT FEEL SORRY FOR ME, or try to tell me that you know better. I love the messiness and hardship of life. I want this experience. I want to learn from this life. I will be dead and gone in less than 100 years and no matter what I do it will be forgotten in time. I am documenting this cause I want to, and I feel driven to share the experience, and for a million other reasons I can't fathom or verbalise. Not everyone is going to like it, nor do I want everyone to like it. (Although some liking it would be nice.)
Millions have endured a lot more than me, for a lot longer than me. All the 'nay sayers' and trolls who don't see merit in this project/adventure, or find fault in how I roll, have nothing to do with my direction, or my personal development as a human. And try as they may to belittle my efforts all they are doing is missing the point . No one knows why we are here, or what we are supposed to do with our lives. Being critical of another human just highlights an inability to think at any great depth. F@ck, even I know I know nothing and that I am of little or no importance on a grand scale.
So in conclusion, I am very happy now. I am here as a result of the choices and principles I choose to stand by, and because I want to communicate this simple message
-Life is Fucking Short, Live it!
I have a website www.glowpunk.com. My life is on there, like an open book. You can link up with me 1000 different ways should you wish.
Getting on the bus from Dublin to Galway with GoBus.ie. Only 10 Euros. Exciting times. Recording video log now too:) There is an air of excitement coursing through my veins, but that is slightly retarded by my lack of sleep. Myself and Stuart King were filming until midnight last night for the "Time Wasters" movie in Dublin City centre. I think it went well. Cant get over this GObus.ie service. Well I'm thinking I might use this service all the time.
Why you might say? Im sitting on the bus travelling at 60mph in comfort, while writing this, saving on gas money, saving on stress, not worrying about parking, and not missing mobility because I know Galway is a nucleated, navigable by foot city. Good Times
So the plan today is to get to NUIG University. It will be a short walk. Drop my bag, Attend a few classes and get my timetable. Get to the University Gym, buy a membership and thus have my gym and washing facilities sorted for this little adventure. (that i hope you will join me on.) Then head of to a few locations I have researched on Google maps and see can I set up my home (tent) there. Ideally, I will find a place that is not within view of passing people and that I can leave it set up while I go to college. I will always carry my valuables with me, but I can leave my clothes and bedding there all the time if I find a secluded enough place. A hard thing to do in a city....but I am guessing it is possible, hence this project. Will edit a video later tonight, that will be available on Youtube on the 'GLOWPUNK' channel ASAP.
So, Yes this is a video so hardly worth writing about it. Although I should say it was painful to make and worked out well in the end as far as I can tell :) Hopefully some people and online news/sharing sites will pic it up and run with it. I can see an improvement in my artistic shots, since I started making videos. Also , I learned about the importance of sound. The interviews are poor due to a bad microphone set up, and a lot of wind.
My brother and I got off the ferry and set up our tents quickly. We picked up a guy Sean Smithers at the site and made him an honarary member of the crew. Then we legged it of to Pol na Peist to see could we jump in.
If you liked that please share it around, by posting the video on your Facebook page.
When we got there there was a lot of security, so there was no chance of jumping. I was ready to go mentally, but I guess I cant claim I would have done it... Maybe I would have bottled it. Anyway, the weather was terrible. We went home and back in to Joe Watty's Pub, which was just across the road from the tents. In there the divers were having a pint. There was a nice atmosphere.
This for me is the best still from the video. It just looks epic. Think that is Jorge up there. He had struggled ith some mental demons in the warm up dives and it took real guts to get back up there and try again.
We stayed in the back garden of a B&B. It was arranged by Donal. He is the coach of Shamrock Diver's club, Dublin. They train in the National Aquatic Centre.
Right that is all i want to write today... See you all soon. :)
My 7th and 8th Open Mic. 'Comfort through Discomfort'
What a great day on the video and stand up comedy front. Well 'Epic,' by my standards.
I think it may have been in the preparation. I Slept well last night, was in bed before 10pm and got a great breakfast and lunch. Had breakfast in the hostel (USA HOSTELS) and then headed down to China town for lunch.
I've been sharing a room with a good French lad, but we were on different timings so I wasn't sleeping that well. But, yesterday he left, so I had the room completely to myself. Awesome.
So all morning I edited a video for the 'Glowpunk' youtube channel that I shot on Sunday for the Pride Parade in San Francisco. I'm straight but it was probably one of the coolest parties I have ever been to, and a learning and mind opening experience as well. Hopefully you will like the video. Here is the link.
So after editing all morning I walked the 45 minutes across town to the 'Amnesia' bar open mic, that my friend Chris Duncan was hosting for a friend in his absence. I was up 13th, and decided en route that I was going to try and freestyle and create tension in the room as much as possible. The room was giving little or no feedback as the room was mainly full of comics and poets. So instead of writing this off as a waste of time, I realized that no matter what I did I was going to bomb (fail). So i decided to just mess about and even went behind the curtain and put on some silly voices and mentioned some subject matters that I would never want to make part of my act. I also called out some one who was not listening and pointed out that "it was funny that creating tension was funny" and that got a laugh.
Also that "people cared as little about the comedy as the bar owner did about the decor" and that got a laugh. And, that it seemed "that the reaction of the audiance would be the same to the comedy that I made up on the spot as to the comedy I practiced en route" and that got a laugh. I also mentioned that to top it off there was "an alcoholic man dressed in a clown suit staring at me who was there to highlight the sadness of the situation."(it was another performer dressed as a clown -Dr. Dream( he is great)) And that got a laugh. So a few easy laughs and proof to me that highly personalized comedy is the way forward.
Now don't get me wrong, I kinda bombed, but I bombed on my terms and that was satisfying, a great lesson learned and a confidence builder. I remember Dave Chapelle mentioned that it was only when he got comfortable bombing that he became a better comedian, so I kind of tried it based on that. Strange to attempting to fail and winning. Fun times.
So after getting that set out of the way, I showed a stressed Chris Duncan his first appearance in a Glowpunk video I made and checked that he was cool about everything I showed in it. It was quite an honest take of him and he was 100% up for it. He is a clever fella, fearless and open to an admirable level, and as we have joked about on many occasions operating very close to a fatal mis interpretation. I expect great things for Chris Duncan as a result of his 'Highwire Act.' As I like to call it. Anyway, he approved his cameo and we edited the video a little in the car. Then we drove to the second Open Mic of the night. 'The Rock-it Room.'
We arrived at 'The Rock-it Room' and signed up . It was a super quiet night, so we went for a bite to eat across the road in the chinese take-away and then walked back over at our leisure. I smashed a can of red bull (which I have not done in years) and videoed a super high energy 5 min set that was terrible but again useful for my development. Also the wonderful asian guy running the room was a friend of mine and was nice and friendly and supportive. I guess someday I might let people see that video, but not 'til I feel I am better than that performance. To be honest, that shouldn't take too long.
Myself and Chris then hit a few bars (drank coke and water) and I sent a few rounds of water to some girls who were sitting across the bar from us, which surprisingly worked better than sending alcoholic drinks. haha! The power of originality and comedy I guess. That is the end of the blog for today... Feeling good and as you can see by the length of this entry, the red bull is still working.
Tonight was a great night. I wrote a piece yesterday that I thought was well written and had confidence in. Today I performed it at an open mike called "Amnesia" on Valencia and delivered it with conviction, and no missed beats. Today I got a look into the future of my stand up comedy.
I found that I could operate at a level I didn't think was possible for me yet. I got a few handshakes after getting down and one guy even got off his seat to say he enjoyed it. (that is my measure of success) It was a solid two minute story that required a lot of energy and memory. Now don't get me wrong, every comic worth his salt could do what I did, but for me it was a huge jump.
Before getting up, I had half a beer and a mouth full of coke. Then when the guy before me was going up I walked outside and walked round the corner and just raised my heart rate with a little swinging of the arms and some jogging on the spot. A minute of that and I walked around to the entrance again only to be met with Chris Duncan, who was hosting the open mike. His few words of advice were, enjoy the fact you know no one.
Before I knew it, Chris was onstage inviting me up to take the mike. I slagged him a little bit about the pitter patter of his shoes and explained to the audience that if they laughed I was a comedian and if they didn't I was just a guy telling a story.
I got to abstract quickly, which felt good and comfortable. The room was polite and attentive and laughed when expected. My final punch line could have been a little better but the little laughs throughout the story and the 100% attention of the audience made me feel like a winner.
Now the key is to be able to replicate this again, in many different ways and have strong 'bits' from start to finish. By no means do I think I am a good comedian, but by god today went well for me. I feel more comfortable committing to my material and longer stories instead of one liners, and all that came from today. A milestone for my development.
Hopefully this is just the tip of the iceberg. Had to battle with my mind a little just to get on stage today, i think partly cause I felt last time I had very little to say and the rewards are so minimal in a room full of comics, but as expected you always get something out of getting up there... Gotta fight through the fear. I feel like I can actually think straight now on stage or at least the fog is lifting and clarity and control is seeping in, which is something that only four 5 minute sets ago I did not feel. A great rate of progression but lots more to achieve.
After 'Amnesia" me and Chris roamed the streets and Chris did a 10 minute set at the 'Rockit Room.'
Tomorrow going to a comedy central gig on some free tickets... i'll let you know how it goes.
Tough crowd, bad show, I bombed but Great host Mike runs a good ship
Monday night at the Brainwash, it was a mixed open night, three rappers/poets before me and then I got up and tried to deliver dry material. The room was completely quiet. I nearly left with my tail between my legs after my 3min30sec set but by chance stayed on and watched a guy kill. He was great.
The room was still silent for him too, and that made me think wow, it really is partly the crowd and the room. He was touring and everything and still played to silence... He did brilliantly though and kept his pauses and timings... I imagine we may hear about this fella in the future, i think he may have just given me the best lesson about sticking to your guns and be fearless with your material... The room tried to destroy him and he just slowed it down and destroyed the room. Awesome to watch a comedian kill in complete silence.
I did how ever make a few school boy errors...
1 Signed up after a rapper.
2. Tried new material without preparing and committing properly.
3. Showed signs of fear.
4. I wasn't amped up or focused, too casual.
5. Openly cared to much about the audience's reaction.
I "bombed"... and if that is as bad as it gets I should be ok from here on in....maybe... hmmm
Walked back through the Tenderloin and Mission Street area which is a tough part of town and arrived home in one piece, Laptop intact... It seems the lads on the streets there only want to sell drugs and not mug. Actually have met a few cool cats on my little walks. Sad to see so many people in turmoil though.
New goals, commit to my material and pause and hold as the material dictates, be less reliant on the audiences responses while still being present.. It is a fine balance and hard to put down in text but I know what i mean and i guess some people who have been in my position will.
The key is to get up tomorrow and try and kill.....
Third gig was a disaster, queued from 6pm signed up at 6.25pm. waited around 'til 10.45pm only to be told there was no time left for us to get up. I guess this is part of paying your dues. The host being as nice as he could, offered to let me and Tom up first next week. So that will be a nice day of not waiting... Tom headed off, so i guess it is time to hit the comedy open mikes on my own..
Going to take Friday Sat and Sunday off to try and write some good bits, feel like i have nothing funny to say so will try that for the next few days and hopefully on monday try it out and see how it goes down.
Here is the video of our 'Rurfing' If you can drop by the channel on youtube that would be great.
We can't stand up so it isn't surfing and we are not in a kayak so it is not kayaking. Hopefully someday soon more people will Realize that lying so close to the water with no paddle moving down stream with the current is worth a try.
Myself, Paul Dwyer and Diarmaid Collins drove from Dublin to Galway the night before and stayed in a hostel called snoozles in Galway city centre. We stayed there for 2 nights. We planned and shot the video shots that we could the first day and then went to Roisin Dubh's for a few pints.
As you can see the river Corrib in Galway was in Spate. It had been lashing rain all week and the river was flowing at great speed. We had rode the river before back in University, but it had been a little lower. We found that it was easy enough to steer where you wanted to go.
The closer we got to Wolfe Tone Bridge the larger the swells became. This Shot above is from the GoPro HD I had strapped to my head. You can See I am down in a trough and he is up almost on the crest. Creat crack. The adrenaline was pumping. Which led us to do it five times. Kayakers do this run all the time. But not that many do it when the river is this wild or high because it would be hard for them to get under the bridge in the sitting position. Thus allowing us to go down when the river is a little wilder :)
The final bridge . Wolfe Tone Bridge had just enough room under it for us to pass.
On the far side of the bridge the standing waves were bigger.. All the water was being forced through the narrow opening. We let the water drive us about 500 m down stream towards the sea near the mouth of the harbor and then calmly paddled out of the powerful river current into the side.
Special thanks to Paul Dwyer who was chief camera man on the trip,
and all the people who cheered us on and took photos as we flew under them on the bridge... Great bit of fun...
The room is long and the tables are spread out. Thus, the compressed energy and intimacy which help spawn & draw out laughter were not readily available. I like to be able to see the whites of the audience's eyes, but in this instance I couldn't. That said plenty of comics did better than I did, and I am thankful for the opportunity to get on stage once again. 
