Balance. It's not something I have been able to achieve in my life, but the universe seems to impose it on me. Last night I auditioned for the Boston Comedy festival. A lot of us did. There is some unwritten rule in comedy that when a set really matters the crowd that shows up that night will stink. Well, that's what happened last night. In one of the strangest things I have observed in stand-up, the host was truly the only one who had a good set! I had some laughs, but stuff that always kills did OK and stuff that does OK just sat there like a turd in a bowl. The worse feeling in comedy is to be on stage and have a great punchline fail with 5 more minuets to go. What do you do? You stay up there and fight every instinct to stop and go, What's wrong with you people? That's what you do.
When I came off stage I picked up my phone and went out back to check for messages. There were a lot. I had forgotten that my episode of Last Comic Standing aired earlier in the evening. I still have not seen it yet, but apparently it went pretty good. They even aired most of my set. I know because when I returned home to check e-mail and myspace and facebook, I had a ton of messages waiting for me there too. But here is the message I find the funniest. It's from my Mom. Ah Mom. After 15 years in comedy she finally gave me the nicest compliment yet. "Joe, your Father and I watched you on TV tonight. well, he watched you I could only see part of it. You have a nice voice."
That is going to the top of my Bio! I have a nice voice. That only took 15 years and my second TV appearance to get. Oh yeah, in the same night Comedy Central replayed my Live at Gotham set too. That's good because, it looks like that is the only set I am going to be able to get onto TV.
So there is the balance. A shitty set for yet another chance at a festival that offers a chance at something more, and two good TV sets, compliments from strangers on the Internet and my Mom's first legitimate compliment in a long time. Now I just have to watch the copy of the show and wait for Hollywood to call!
4 comments:
It has been cool to get e-mails from people telling me I was robbed. That show was taped a few months ago and I had gotten over the whole thing. Now, after I had come to terms with it all, it's like getting a call from the girlfriend you are over and feeling the sting all over again. Ouch! Oh well.
Sorry, but Punching A Pigeon is like the song the songwriter never really thought much of, but then years later finds out that people love it more and more and even played it at their graduation, wedding, bar mitzvah, etc. etc.
The audience did just completely suck last night. A bunch of hot young chicks scantily clad and determined not to laugh. Very weird.
I'm sorry I didn't get to say hi...I thought I'd wait 'till after the show, but you split.
By the way, you failed to suck. It was the audience.
Dearest Joe!
I'm a first time blog user :) Not too sure how to do it, however after reading the entirety of ALL your blogs I've come to one conclusion! People like you! They REALLY enjoy you! Dude...you are extremely funny. Talented. Bright. Articulate. And freakin' handsome...so work that thing baby! Know that YOUR time is coming...a time for YOU to shine! The WHOLE world will see what most of us have been seeing ALL along. The real deal. Thanks for everything...but most of all...thanks for ALWAYS staying TRUE to you!
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