Sunday, May 07, 2006
Standup in the Red States (Part 2)
Standup in the Red States (part 2)
(Read the first part below before you read this)
Arriving at Ozark Lakes, MO at 10pm, I had dinner at the Tan-Tar-A Resort restaurant. I was the only one in the place except for the stuffed animals that surround me. In the middle of the restaurant was a stuffed grizzly bear standing on her hind legs and growling at a stuffed fox for all eternity. Birds that were offered on the menu were also strung to the ceiling. I've never found it appealing to see the animals I’m ordering.
Since I was the only customer, this was a chance to talk to the waitress and see what things were like in Ozark Beach so I could get some local comedy material. After about five minutes my waitress told me her whole life story. I don’t know if it was because I mentioned that I met Oprah, but she told me the most intimate details of her life: her child is Autistic, her husband and her don’t have sex, she had her stomach stapled to lose weight. Finally, something I could relate to. That’s when I realized that deep down; we are all alike and struggling with the same problems; family, sex, comestic surgery.
Got up at 8am (5am LA time) to do the gig for the bankers. I wrote the Ozark Banker's Rap song.
(Listen to it here)
I did the gig cutting out anything that would alienate the group starting with language. I didn’t know “Hell” was a bad word until I did a gig last year in North Dakota.“What the hell” changed to “What the heck.” “Oh God! To “Oh Goodness.” And "Oy!" to, well, somethings just don't translate.
But in the end, I found something that we had in common to poke fun of: people from Los Angeles. I made fun of Botox (“Nobody laughs at comedy clubs in LA. They can’t. They have too much botox”); I make fun of myself. Because in the end, they aren’t the joke – I am.
The biggest mistake comics make when traveling is that they write material about “How weird the place is.” But that won’t help you connect to the audience, because it’s not weird for them – they live there. The only weird person is you. Yes, it is normal to look at endangered animals while eating chicken fried steak. Who am I to judge? A comic can’t get people to laugh unless they build a bridge to the audience. So, I connected with them. They loved the rap song. And all was well. Well… except maybe I should not have said it was “Hard out there for a pimp.” Which is weird because in Ozark Lake it probably is one of the hardest places for a pimp. What the heck!
(Read the first part below before you read this)
Arriving at Ozark Lakes, MO at 10pm, I had dinner at the Tan-Tar-A Resort restaurant. I was the only one in the place except for the stuffed animals that surround me. In the middle of the restaurant was a stuffed grizzly bear standing on her hind legs and growling at a stuffed fox for all eternity. Birds that were offered on the menu were also strung to the ceiling. I've never found it appealing to see the animals I’m ordering.
Since I was the only customer, this was a chance to talk to the waitress and see what things were like in Ozark Beach so I could get some local comedy material. After about five minutes my waitress told me her whole life story. I don’t know if it was because I mentioned that I met Oprah, but she told me the most intimate details of her life: her child is Autistic, her husband and her don’t have sex, she had her stomach stapled to lose weight. Finally, something I could relate to. That’s when I realized that deep down; we are all alike and struggling with the same problems; family, sex, comestic surgery.
Got up at 8am (5am LA time) to do the gig for the bankers. I wrote the Ozark Banker's Rap song.
(Listen to it here)
I did the gig cutting out anything that would alienate the group starting with language. I didn’t know “Hell” was a bad word until I did a gig last year in North Dakota.“What the hell” changed to “What the heck.” “Oh God! To “Oh Goodness.” And "Oy!" to, well, somethings just don't translate.
But in the end, I found something that we had in common to poke fun of: people from Los Angeles. I made fun of Botox (“Nobody laughs at comedy clubs in LA. They can’t. They have too much botox”); I make fun of myself. Because in the end, they aren’t the joke – I am.
The biggest mistake comics make when traveling is that they write material about “How weird the place is.” But that won’t help you connect to the audience, because it’s not weird for them – they live there. The only weird person is you. Yes, it is normal to look at endangered animals while eating chicken fried steak. Who am I to judge? A comic can’t get people to laugh unless they build a bridge to the audience. So, I connected with them. They loved the rap song. And all was well. Well… except maybe I should not have said it was “Hard out there for a pimp.” Which is weird because in Ozark Lake it probably is one of the hardest places for a pimp. What the heck!
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Hey Judy,
Glad to see you're doing some red states. I'm from Oklahoma myself, and I'm having difficulty judging just how far I can go with my comedy here in the comedy clubs. Most of the comics I've seen that have had bad reviews got them either because the material was "too vuglar" or they used too much profanity. So that would be my number one tip for people traveling the Bible belt, no blue material or profanity.
Glad to see you're doing some red states. I'm from Oklahoma myself, and I'm having difficulty judging just how far I can go with my comedy here in the comedy clubs. Most of the comics I've seen that have had bad reviews got them either because the material was "too vuglar" or they used too much profanity. So that would be my number one tip for people traveling the Bible belt, no blue material or profanity.
Hi Judy,
Great blog you've got started here. I've been following with keen interest the discussion of "tone it down" vs. "be yourself." Now granted, the only comedy I do is around the office or standing in line at the grocery store, but one thing I've noticed is that things aren't always what they seem. What you think may be too much and over the top, may be just the breath of fresh air that some people have been waiting for. I live in Tallahassee, Florida right not, and trust me, not all of us are into NASCAR.
Thanks for all you do,
skip
Great blog you've got started here. I've been following with keen interest the discussion of "tone it down" vs. "be yourself." Now granted, the only comedy I do is around the office or standing in line at the grocery store, but one thing I've noticed is that things aren't always what they seem. What you think may be too much and over the top, may be just the breath of fresh air that some people have been waiting for. I live in Tallahassee, Florida right not, and trust me, not all of us are into NASCAR.
Thanks for all you do,
skip
Hi Judy,
I love your stuff, and now, thanks to your books, only half the check out clerks at the grocery store run like hell when I get in line. For me, that's a BIG imporvement.
Seems to me it's not a question of should I be myself or tone it down, but have I been paid or have I not been paid. If you've been paid, then what the hell.. let 'er rip!
You're not really afraid of not being able to go back to Ozark Beach are you?
Love ya,
Skip
Tallahassee, FL
I love your stuff, and now, thanks to your books, only half the check out clerks at the grocery store run like hell when I get in line. For me, that's a BIG imporvement.
Seems to me it's not a question of should I be myself or tone it down, but have I been paid or have I not been paid. If you've been paid, then what the hell.. let 'er rip!
You're not really afraid of not being able to go back to Ozark Beach are you?
Love ya,
Skip
Tallahassee, FL
Hey Jude,
(I know it's "Judy," but after listening to the Beatles all morning, I just couldn't resist.)
As a new reader/listener to your blog/podcast, I'd like to say, "Who would have expected it?" You're a rapper—Say: "Yo! Hey yo!"
It's fun reading your thoughts. Self-talk (a good friend calls it "the drunken monkey") is sometimes a chattering discouragement, but I love the way you use it, to stay at your peak of competence.
Keep up the fun.
Sincerely,
Horace J. Digby
Winner of the Robert Benchley Society Award for Humor
http://www.lexingtonfilm.com
(I know it's "Judy," but after listening to the Beatles all morning, I just couldn't resist.)
As a new reader/listener to your blog/podcast, I'd like to say, "Who would have expected it?" You're a rapper—Say: "Yo! Hey yo!"
It's fun reading your thoughts. Self-talk (a good friend calls it "the drunken monkey") is sometimes a chattering discouragement, but I love the way you use it, to stay at your peak of competence.
Keep up the fun.
Sincerely,
Horace J. Digby
Winner of the Robert Benchley Society Award for Humor
http://www.lexingtonfilm.com
"I've never found it appealing to see the animals I’m ordering."
Sure, the Denny's Menu has pictures, but they only show the good parts.
"After about five minutes my waitress told me her whole life story."
The waitress told me about herself. She stopped talking about five minutes later. Because she was done.
"I make fun of myself. Because in the end, they aren’t the joke – I am." -- Great quote.
Sure, the Denny's Menu has pictures, but they only show the good parts.
"After about five minutes my waitress told me her whole life story."
The waitress told me about herself. She stopped talking about five minutes later. Because she was done.
"I make fun of myself. Because in the end, they aren’t the joke – I am." -- Great quote.
Hey Judy,
Wow, I'm glad it worked out. But I was really hoping you were going to turn it into a “Getting in touch with your inner homo” instruction class. The look on their faces would have been worth it alone.
Yeah I know everybody’s a freaking comedian. But hopefully it gives you a laugh.
The Rap was awsome.
Anyway, I’m reading the comedy Bible right now and trying really hard to document every funny aspect of my life. Thank you very much for encouraging me.
Wow, I'm glad it worked out. But I was really hoping you were going to turn it into a “Getting in touch with your inner homo” instruction class. The look on their faces would have been worth it alone.
Yeah I know everybody’s a freaking comedian. But hopefully it gives you a laugh.
The Rap was awsome.
Anyway, I’m reading the comedy Bible right now and trying really hard to document every funny aspect of my life. Thank you very much for encouraging me.
A month ago, I joined a tour of entertainers from here in the Northwest to bring laughter to folks bringing relief to post-Katrina New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I actually lived to tell about it. But the best part came out of the MATERIAL I was able to bring back to Seattle... Like
"The folks in Mississippi were really curious. They asked what happens to your testicles after gender reassignment surgery....
My answer: Legend has it that whenever a lesbian chews on a Rocky Mountain Oyster, a transsexual earns her training bra."
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"The folks in Mississippi were really curious. They asked what happens to your testicles after gender reassignment surgery....
My answer: Legend has it that whenever a lesbian chews on a Rocky Mountain Oyster, a transsexual earns her training bra."
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