May 4, 2007

Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic Number Three - Last Night at Pressure

Yep, number three is under my belt now. Here's a clip of my third open mic. May 3, 2007 at Pressure Cafe in Chicago. Again, all new material (hopefully not a mistake). Topics covered - I am not tall like the other comedians, many fashions are unflattering, Cosmo magazine makes me choose between Cheetos and sex, and it's tough being German, because we are to blame for the blight of sausages upon humankind.

Check it out:

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

That was even funnier than your first performance this time. I liked the tie together of the whole eating out of boredom and sex with the imaginary boyfriend thing.

Elizabeth McQuern said...

Thanks, Atul! Yes, I think there are a million ways to go with the "sex vs. snacks" joke. And who doesn't love a good "imaginary boyfriend" joke? :P

Chancelucky said...

Bella,
this whole project is really pretty fascinating. It also takes a lot of guts to compound whatever fears get involved in getting on stage then record it and stick it on the net.

You also are clearly getting more comfortable on stage. One thing I've consistently heard is that the material matters a whole lot less than the delivery, the dynamics, the comfort level with the audience (being able to respond to their reaction and build on it), etc. It's fun watching all of those things grow.

Hope things go well with the imaginary boyfriend. I have heard that they're pretty low maintenance.

Coaster Punchman said...

Did you have to plant the sausage guy? :)

Elizabeth McQuern said...

Thanks, Chancelucky. There is something very liberating about #1 being scared and doing it anyway, and #2 putting it all out there for everyone to see. I know by some measures it might be ill-advised to put all the early fumblings online for all digiternity, but it's part of the agreement I made with myself when I started doing this, and I like being so transparent with this process.

I do feel like I'm getting much more comfortable on stage and dealing with the audience. There's still the pre-show terror and blankness of mind, but somehow when I step up to the mic, everything is fine, and everything I want to play with is right there for me to draw from, and I even find myself looking at the tape later and realizing I did and said things I hadn't planned or been conscious of. (For example, giving the finger to Cosmo magazine during the "I have no sexual partner" joke? I didn't even realize I had done that.)

And Coaster Punchman, I probably shouldn't say this, because as it happened, the sausage joke looked like good improv, but that actually was the joke I was heading for. I wanted someone to say "Nazis," which someone did, so that then I could talk about the evils of German sausage.

Anonymous said...

Well Bella, if I'm ever in Chicago, I can be a temporary not-so-imaginary boyfriend, and you can joke about me all you want :-)

Elizabeth McQuern said...

Hey, Atul, will there or will there not be Chili Cheese Fritos available? That would change things significantly.