Beyond a Joke: THIS IS IT!

BEFORE IT:

Here are my pre-gig feelings about tonight:

1. I wish I would stop sweating.
2. I have nothing to wear.

Point 2 is really caused by Point 1, since my first outfit choice is now sadly drenched in nervous perspiration - also unpleasantly warm, since I had the insane idea of fixing it by spraying it with perfume and then ironing it. Outfit Choice 2 has just been donned, ten minutes before I leave the house. But oh no! I must brush my teeth! I don't want the mic to malfunction because of my terrible breath!

I'm not that worried about getting it right. All of my past experiences of public speaking have taught me that I don't start panicking about actually getting up in front of people and saying things to them until about one minute into the presentation.

AFTER IT:

Here's me six hours later! I've done it! It's over!

Oh no! It's over!

It's almost worse now. My very first gig was also my only planned gig, and I forgot to ask Klare what I'm supposed to do next. Most of the advice I got from the other comedians was based on making contacts and knowing people, so I guess it's like anything else.

I'm a comedian now! This was like losing my virginity, except after that event my friends didn't all high five me, and none of my relatives were watching and laughing.

I didn't forget anything! After my set I didn't feel relief or adrenaline, I mainly felt tired. I was glad that I hadn't forgotten anything, but I was annoyed that my energy was low.

People were there for me! I had to put this in bold because it was really the most important thing about tonight: I had a crowd. I don't remember anything of the 7 minutes I was on stage, all that stands out in my mind was the conversations I had with my friends before and after my set. What ended up pleasing me most was that my friends had a good time and weren't bored or embarrassed.

One of the biggest temptations for new comics is to do their first gig with strangers, so that you can prove to yourself that when your friends laugh they aren't just being polite. Fuck that! Let them be polite! Let them fill the room with their polite laughter! There's hugs after! HUGS!