Archive for October, 2011

One of the cool things about being a comic is sometimes I get to hang out with cool people. Last week Henry Phillips was in town (Acme Comedy Club, Minneapolis). I caught his set on Thursday night and got to chat with him before and after the show. I met Henry ten years ago at the Improv in L.A. Since then, every so often, our paths have crossed. I’m always glad when that happens. He’s not just a cool guy to hang out with, I’m a big fan of his work.

I’d list Henry Phillips as one of my favorite comics except I’m not so sure the term “comic” precisely applies. Henry’s a talented musician who plays guitar and writes and sings original funny songs. I believe he started out performing serious folk music. The kind of stuff you hear in coffee shops. Somewhere along the line he put a satirical spin on that genre and created his own brand of musical comedy. But it can’t be described completely as musical comedy either. A lot of laughs come from the things he says while setting up each song. It’s a cool kind of funny and he’s a funny fucking guy.

I’ve always felt an affinity for comedians who do their own thing. Although mine and Henry’s acts are very different, I’d like to think there are similarities. Like for instance, we’re both very different. Plus we both write punchlines of the make-you-think, read-between-the-lines, fill-in-the-blanks variety. And for sure we’ve both been in front of crowds that didn’t appreciate different or want to fill in the blanks. Henry politely puts it this way, “Sometimes you don’t connect with the audience.” Though he seems better at handling those situations (though I’m sure I’ve had more practice), I know he shares my angst. In his movie  Punching the Clown (mostly autobiographical) there’s a pivotal scene in the beginning depicting one such painful show. He told me the real-life story it was based on last Thursday night.

Punching the Clown is an independent film directed by Gregori Viens. Henry co-wrote the screenplay and plays himself. It’s about a tortured artist musician comedian who quits the road and tries to make it in L.A. The movie was released a couple years ago. It has won film festival awards and received lots of great reviews. I feel stupid for not being aware of it’s existence. Maybe I vaguely remember something…. The first I remember for sure hearing about it was when Henry mentioned it on stage last week. That says a lot about the kind of guy he is. It didn’t come up in conversation before the show. I hope he wasn’t offended that I didn’t ask about it. I really need to crawl out of from underneath….  But anyway… After the show Henry gave me a copy. I watched it a few days later. The very next day I watched it again. I only do that when I really love a film. Plus I wanted to make sure it was really as good as I thought it was. That I wasn’t just sleep deprived, imagining things or high. Or just laughing because I knew the guy. But in fact I laughed even harder the second time. That’s why instead of renting it, I recommend you buy the DVD. That way, in addition to watching it over and over again, you can share it with your friends. It’s one of those movies you and your friends will want to quote from. “I smell pizza,” is my favorite line. That wasn’t Henry’s. He has an amazing supporting cast. Henry’s brother Matt (Matt Walker) was especially hilarious. “I got a slogo and a logan,” was my favorite line of his. Although the cast was outstanding, Henry wasn’t out-shined. My favorite line of his was, “That was mostly my fault I think.” If you’ve seen the movie you’re laughing again.

Because he’s as funny on screen as he is on stage, I’d list Henry Phillips as one of my favorite new actors except I’m not sure the term “actor” precisely applies. I don’t know if you call what he does “acting” because he’s really just being himself. But whatever you call it, watch it and I am pretty sure you’ll agree — certainly if you know him – he does a really good him. Or as Dane Cook would say, totally captures his own essence. That’s a lucky thing for those of us watching. In Punching the Clown, Henry Phillips is his brilliant self.

One of the reasons that Acme Comedy Company in Minneapolis is one of the best comedy clubs in the country is that it has such a great open mic. Not only does Acme’s weekly open stage provide a nurturing environment for new comics to develop an act and for establish comics to work on new material; it provides a fertile ground for the packed-house crowd of regulars to develop a comedy connoisseur’s appreciation for stand-up comedy.

I love doing Monday nights at Acme, but I only occasionally request a spot. I wish I’d go up more often. That’d mean I’d have new jokes. For me, writing comedy is a painfully slow process. Coming up with five new minutes of one-liners sometimes takes me months. Even then, of that five new minutes, sometimes not a single minute of it works. Typically I write twenty jokes for every one that eventually makes it into my act. And there is only one way to find out if a joke is funny. Get on stage and tell it. See if it gets laughs.

Sometimes I take the easy road when trying out new material. I bring a list of new bits which I casually tick off an index card. Having a list to read from means I don’t have to memorize the order. Plus it gives me cover when a joke bombs. I’m telegraphing to the audience that my jokes are works in progress and I haven’t put much effort into them yet (even though sometimes I’ve been working on them for months). Bringing a notebook on stage is a crutch. It’s a common practice at open mics. I don’t like how prevalent the practice has become. I decided to throw that crutch away last week. Not just because I hate being a hypocrite; it gives me a better gauge for judging the quality of the new bit.

I worked hard on putting my set list together for Acme’s open mic last week but I have to admit, I had my index card in my pocket just in case. I didn’t have a killer set but I stuck to my plan and kept my set list in my pocket. Some new jokes worked. Others didn’t. I got a few big laughs. There were moments of silence. Some in the crowd really dug my style. A few groaned in disgust. Over all, considering the audience, I guess it was one for the win column. Monday night at Acme isn’t really my crowd.

Although I can rate the open mic at Acme to be the best anywhere in the world, it isn’t always the best for this old road dog. The crowd is young; lots of college students; many below the age of twenty-one. Some too hip for my old-school, jokey-joke style. Some disgusted by the twists my dark humor takes. Although on the video below you can’t hear the groans I heard from stage, there was a few in the crowd who voiced such displeasure. Once when when I made a joke about trying to drown my cat. Once when they were late getting one of my stupid puns.

If you just came across my blog because you’re thinking of coming out to my show or booking me, please don’t judge me by this video. I have a whole page of clips where the crowd is thoroughly enjoying my act (Video). The reason I’m posting this video is because I thought some might be interested in how I develop material. Open stage is an important part of what comics do. Trying out jokes in front of an audience is the only way to find out what works. It’s also important to find out what doesn’t. It isn’t always pretty but it’s how the sausage gets made.

The Acme Comedy Company is celebrating it’s 20th Year Anniversary Celebration, November 1st-5th, featuring TWENTY of Acme’s favorite headliners ALL IN ONE WEEK. I used to do every Monday night at Acme back when it all began. I’d like to think I had a tiny part in helping make it what it is today.