The New Shayne-Michael.COMedy

The Comedy News For 09/06/10

Comedian Corner [+]

Introducing Comics On The Spot Saturday Comedy Workshop

Most every Saturday at 2:00pm I’ve been heading to the Spot Café in Culver City. The Spot Café’s Saturday “open mic,” is different than any other open mic I’ve ever attended. It’s run by L.G. Ross and Vicky Nissen who also created Comics on the Spot, a very good Monday show at the Wharehouse in Marina Del Rey. The duo use the Spot Café every Saturday, which also has a Wednesday open mic as an audition and comedy workshop space. Comics get eight minutes to do their act followed by four minutes of feedback from the other comics there on that day. Basically, it’s the group dynamics created by your average comedy class for free. L.G. and Vicky do ask that you purchase something for participating, but they also never hover over someone who happens to be broke on that particular day.

Why else is this such a unique format for an open mic? Well, with comics giving feedback, you’re guaranteed to have an attentive audience. That’s half the battle with open mics anyway. There’s usually at least twenty people in the room, many of whom stay until the last comic. Often there’s also usually a few civilians in the room as well. More importantly, you can learn as much by helping the other comics tweak their sets as you can by practicing yours. And because it’s all over at 5:00pm, you can even get in another set during the evening. That’s why, in my humble opinion, the 2:00pm Workshop at the Spot Cafe is one of the top five "open mics" I get to attend each week.

Posted September 4, 2010 by Shayne Michael under Open Mics for All | No Comments | Bookmark

A Little Bit On Professionalism

You will have good shows and bad shows as a comic; they are both inevitable. It’s more important to deal with bad nights in a professional manner than it is to avoid them all together. That keeps bad shows from becoming worse. Professional behavior in comedy is often much more important than being funny. It’s also something you have complete control over. Tonight at the Eye-Candy, here were some things that happened.

1. One comic talked through every set but his own.
2. After his set he continued talking over the next comic.
3. One comic later, he left half way through the guy’s set.
4. One comic missed his spot because he wasn’t in the room for anyone, so he never heard his name called. He was put on second to last. There was one performer after him. He didn’t stay for that performer either.
5. Another comic talked back to three performers.
6. That same comic demanded an earlier spot on the list.

What do all these behaviors have in common?

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Posted September 3, 2010 by Shayne Michael under open mics for All | No Comments | Bookmark

Rare Open Mic At The Icehouse Annex

I learned this yesterday from a Bobby Oliver Facebook post. It has also been confirmed through several other sources. Tonight, on 09/02/2010, at 8:00pm there will be a rare open mic at the Ice House Annex. There will be a one drink minimum to perform. Signups start at 7:30. Time will be divided the time by how many comics show up.  Open mics at the Icehouse are so rare that this is the first one I've ever seen posted. Nornally, the only way you get on stage at the Icehouse is through Dave McNary's Saturday Auditions, Bobbie Oliver's Stand-up Academy or by sending in a professional twenty minute tape to the current booker.

Posted September 2, 2010 by Shayne Michael under open mics for All | No Comments | Bookmark

World’s Funniest Marketer Contest In New York

If you’re a New York Based stand-up comic who is working in advertising, design, marketing or PR. Or, if you always thought you were funny a contest has just been announced in New York City. Drinking With Adholes and The World Stand-up Comedy Club will sponsor the contest with the grand prize being your a live performance at the world famous Fryer’s Club. The contest, dubbed New York’s Funniest Marketer Contest, will also award one lucky winner five minutes at the Broadway Comedy Club and a one-on-one training session with the club booker Aaron Haber. You will also be referred to as the World’s Funniest Marketer 2010 for the rest of your life. Wow, the best title I ever earned was the fourth funniest person in the Redlands 2006. While this contest may not seem like a big deal, a comedy contest with no entry fee is a rare opportunity. And I didn't see any entry fee when I looked at the webpage. So, if you think you have what it takes, email your name, photo and short bio to awesomecontest@theworldnyc.com.

Posted September 1, 2010 by Shayne Michael under Comedy Contest for All | No Comments | Bookmark

The Response To Stand-Up Comedy Is Not Pretty

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Posted August 31, 2010 by Shayne Michael under Comedy Bookers for All | No Comments | Bookmark

The Cost Of Getting Up Every Chance You Can

I used to know a great comic who did more than 365 open mics a year. Great guy, but he burned out very quickly. I wish I performed more. Staying home tonight was harder than going out to perform. But the truth is I had nothing to work on. I had no goals. And I hadn’t expanded the new material I’m working on. I hadn’t tightened the part I had already written. And without a real show to build a fan base, I didn’t want to practice material I already know works. There’s a point where a comic gets out so much, the constant drives and cost of $5 drinks starts to become self-defeating.

I write a lot. But even I can’t generate five new minutes a day. I just don’t have that kind of time. Besides when you’re at the open mic phase of material development, sometimes it helps to step back from new material for just a few days. Fresh eyes tend to find new directions quicker than tired ones. Don’t get me wrong, the comics that get out the most are almost always better than the comics who don’t. But there is also a plateau where the constant driving and hanging out starts to prevent improvement and self-discovery. So far I did over thirty shows in August. Two days off to regroup isn’t an unreasonable use of my time.

Posted August 30, 2010 by Shayne Michael under Open Mics for All | No Comments | Bookmark

Why Serious Comics Need Their Own Domain

MySpace is so dead now, they're copying Facebook’s layout to try to win back their traffic. Good luck, MySpace, that traffic is gone. Artist who relied to heavily on MySpace are now in a forgotten place in time. Facebook won over people with a simpler layout. They also generated less spam. However, as fake profiles grow this will change. There’s a deeper problem with all social networking sites. That problem exists within MySpace, Facebook, Friendster and Twitter. None of these sites...

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Posted August 29, 2010 by Shayne Michael under Promotions for Members | No Comments | Bookmark

What It Means To Pay Your Dues

Recent Articles For Comedians [+]

New Article: What Makes an Open Mic Comedian Compelling

On any given Tuesday night, I might watch forty to eighty comedians spread over three different shows. Sometimes those comics are performing jokes I read over the internet ten years ago, as if they wrote that same joke last night. Do you have any idea how many comics I know who wrote the line, “I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather, not kicking and screaming like the passengers in his car?” People who are looking to try their hand a stand-up comedy usually try open mics first. The first problem with performing at open mics is that is you’re also performing around amateurs, some of whom have developed amateur habits, like lifting old internet jokes and passing them off as their own. They often walk on stage with notes, act nervous because they didn’t rehearse and then bl... [Read Entire Article]

Posted August 27, 2010 by Shayne Michael under Open Mics

Recent Biographies [+]

Sheldon "Shelley" Berman was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 3rd, 1926. He is an American comedian, writer, teacher, and actor who is ranked one of the 100 greatest stand-up comics of all time by Comedy Central. He is known for his talent for adlibbing and honesty. A trained dramatic actor, Berman rose to fame in the 1950s when he became the nation’s first sit-down comic. Berman's specialty was the telephone monologue; seated on a stool and holding an imaginary receiver. This would eventually lead to six comedy albums, an idea Berman got from Mort Sahl. Berman tended to wear his neuroses on his sleeve and was known for his unpredictable temperament, which would eventually lead to the downfall of his career. In 1943, Berman was honorably discharged from the Navy. He immediately enrolled as a drama student at Chicago's Goodman Theatre, where he met Sarah Herman, another a... [Read Entire Bio]

Posted 09/06/10 by Shayne Michael under comic actor

• See Shayne Michael @ the Eye Candy Cafe in Long Beach, CA on Friday/ 09/10/2010 8:00PM
• Today is Jeff Foxworthy's birthday
• Today is Jane Curtin's birthday