Well...that was interesting

So far all of my open mic experiences have taken place at the Laughing Skull Lounge in Midtown Atlanta. For the most part they've been positive, at least in the sense that the Laughing Skull is a small venue, and even if there are only 25 people there you still feel like you are performing in front of a crowd.

This past Thursday, I finally took my act to a new venue, the Funny Farm out in Alpharetta. It's an interesting set-up, to say the least. The club is part of a restaurant that is attached to Andretti's, a family fun-type place with the usual assortment of skeeball, pop-a-shot, and video game type activities.

It's different, I guess, is what I'm trying to say.

Anyway, for my fifth time up, I decided I wanted to try out a different style. Every time I've performed so far, I've done 2-3 longer bits, with smaller punchlines (at least, I think they are - the audience might disagree) building up to a larger finish.

This time I decided to do shorter jokes, without segues, and to see how it felt and how the crowd responded.

It was a good plan, in theory (or maybe it wasn't, what do I know?). I was able to see how it felt. As for how the crowd responded - therein lies the rub, as they say.

I would have loved to see how an audience liked my different approach - if there had been one.

I've heard that often at open mic nights the only people there are the comics who are performing, but I hadn't really seen that happen yet (which I suppose is a credit to the people who run the Laughing Skull). Man - it is something else when it happens. I might as well have been doing my set in front of a mirror*.

*My brother-in-law Will came with me, but he doesn't count. He is the most easy-to-amuse person I know. As long as there is a curse word or a reference to feces, he's going to laugh. You could give a sobering lecture about depression and drug addiction, and as long as you toss the word poop in there, he's going to chuckle.

All in all I suppose it was a good experience - if you can power through in a setting like that, I imagine it makes it easier to keep your composure when the house is packed. But if part of what I'm hoping to get out of each time up is a barometer reading on my material, well, I'm not sure I'll be able to glean much from this one.

Just gotta keep getting reps...