Open My Spots.


I’m purposely keeping my approach to the open spot I’m doing in London tomorrow a little loose, as a social experiment.

This seemed to stand me in good stead for my short solo set at last Thursday’s Mostly Comedy. The fact it was such a tiny fraction of the evening, and Glyn and I had already been on to a good response, meant it wasn’t important; as a result, I did a better job. If I can sit back on the material a bit, as I do when I’m performing my hour-long show, I might enjoy it more and get a more enthusiastic response.

Ultimately, the point of me taking open spots is to try stuff out. It’s not about getting stage experience, other than in the sense that I’ve done less stand-up on my own. I may as well play with what I do, in hope of improvement. It’s better to take risks and fail, if it helps me find new ways to succeed.

(I sound like an internet meme.)

The strangest aspect to performing stand-up on my own, particularly when the gig isn’t run by me, is turning up to a venue alone and not working with a projector. I’m so used to being in a double act that I’ve not spent much time in comedy clubs without company. I know my place in a conversation with Glyn by my side, but less so without. Likewise, the combination of being on stage with him with slides to fall back on, gives me more time to think. We create more distraction together than we do apart. If it’s just me and a mic, without the clarity of pictures to reinforce my words, I’m forced to work harder.

I may as well use these opportunities when I’m under the radar, to experiment with newer, half thought-through ideas, to see what sticks. I did in my early days working with Glyn, after all. We debuted the Star Trek Porn Letter at the second ever Mostly Comedy, for example, not knowing whether it would work and it turned out right. We still perform it the same way to this day (to the disdain of any Mostly Comedy regulars).

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