I'm at a weird stage in my comedic life; I know I have certain problems that I need to work on, but I am somewhat unable to do so; much like a smoker who knows they should quit, but cannot take the first step, I just can't begin tackling certain things.
Firstly: I have a very big ego. I honestly think I am funnier than a lot of people; now I try not to act like it, because I don't want to piss anyone off or make any enemies, but I do. The main problem with having an ego is; when people who I think are "less-funny" than I think I am do better than me, it takes some of the wind out of my sails. I know it's good to be put in one's place, and reminded where they stand in life, but it's probably better to not need to be put back into one's place, right?
Part of my ego-problem comes from the fact that I think I work hard at comedy. When in all actuality I should be writing WAY more. This "hard work" that I believe I do, in my mind, makes me think I am a better comic that some of the others, especially those who are really talented. In my mind I say stuff like "those guys are good, but hard work will pay off in the end". Which might be correct, but since I'm not actually working hard, I likely won't be standing in the winner's circle. So my new goal is to write more, be more humble, complain less and enjoy comedy more.
I tried recording my set tonight at the Forum because I wanted to try to "talk to a friend" on stage tonight (and by that I mean I wanted to talk into the microphone like I would talk on the phone or in person to a friend). Instead I got caught up in a rant-like conversation I was having with Joel and Brian Dowell about why Julia Robert's character in Pretty Woman did not pay her dues in the hooking community and therefore did not deserve to wind up with the wealthy Richard Gere. Needless to say, that bit didn't capture the audience as I had hoped. After the show, A Top, Joel, Mandy and I hit the Denny's and talked about comedy, Christmas, how Jesus and Superman could be the same person, and about Girls (and Guys) gone Wild videos. I am quite sure you can't tip enough to make a waiter or waitress put up with that.
Check out my MySpace blog for jokes on which I'm working.
Visit RooftopComedy.com. Watch videos. Laugh. Feel warm and fuzzy.