New Set, New Audience, New City.........

Friends,

  
After many a week of comedic inactivity, we finally have movement!


As I mentioned, I was spending some time in the wee township of Picton. I don't know why, but NZ doesn't have villages, it has townships which I think make it sound very Victorian. Or Amish. The point is, I've left Picton now and am in windy Wellington in search of some work and/or money.

The Fringe Bar, the next venue
for me to conquer

After a little bit of research, I found an open mic night last Monday and dutifully attended with the aim of checking out the sort of stuff the locals find funny. It was at a venue called Fringe Bar which is located at the end of Wellington's uber-hip, uber-trendy Cuba Street (This means the guys wear tighter jeans than the girls and everyone has enormous headphones around their neck without ever actually listening to any music.). I have to say, it's a pretty decent set-up they have down there. I was kind of expecting a tiny bar with a microphone and stand in the corner of the room, but there is a decent sized stage, a sound booth, and it's well lit.


The open-mic night is called "Raw Meat Mondays" which makes it sound like the comedians are scared little lambs there for the taking, so I was apprehensive as to how the audience would handle people trying new material out. But they were great. I don't think I heard a single heckle. In fact the closest thing to a heckle was when the Mrs leaned in and whispered in my ear, "This. Is. Shit.". I wonder how she'll react to seeing me for the first time? In her defence, some of it was a bit shit.

This is what you look like if you hold a
piece of paper on stage

Because I'm pretty much a veteran on the comedy scene now I feel like I can say this - there are a few things I would change about the acts getting on stage. For starters, all of them took there notebooks and scribbled on pieces of paper on stage with them. I would make sure people didn't do this for a couple of reasons. Firstly it looks terrible when they have to keep referring to a sheet of paper to get a laugh. And secondly, when you are nervous, the sheet of paper in your hand shakes like a shitting dog and it screams out how nervous you are. Obviously these are just my opinions, but when I'm nervous I'd try anything I can to make it look like I'm not. Overall though, it was a really well run night and the standard of comedy is actually pretty good.


I was inspired to book myself in for a gig. So it's my pleasure to announce, on Monday 8th August, I will be making my New Zealand debut. Maybe sooner actually because I'm going to head down again tomorrow to see if there has been a slot open up. And on top of this, I will be trying out completely new material. I managed to sit down the other night and scour through all of the bits I have written down over the last couple of months, and have pieced together a new 5 minute set. It will need a lot of tweaking and at least 5 or 6 attempts at open mics before it becomes any good but I think it has potential.


I am pretty pleased to be back on the comedy train again after a couple of extended stops and hopefully it will all go well and I will have plenty to talk about in my next post.


On a quick final note, my aim for the blog is to make it an interactive thing where people will leave comments and what not, so if you happen to be reading this (and why wouldn't you be?) then write a comment. Even if you don't follow any blogs, stumbled onto it and never plan to return, it would be nice. You could say how much you think it's all a piece of poo or how you'll never get the 5 minutes it took you to read it back. I don't care.


If you have actually managed to read this blog all the way down to this point, let me be the first to congratulate you and thank you.



Now comment.

Non-Comedy Related Post To Show I Still Think Of You......

Dear One and All,


    I have so much to tell and so little of it is comedy related. Since my last post I have travelled all around the South Island of New Zealand and have semi-settled in the tiny seaside town of Picton. I'm pretty sure the only reason Picton exists is because the ferry from Wellington stops here. We have found ourselves "woofing" (I don't know what that means but people keep calling me a woofer) in a hostel, which essentially means I do three shifts a week on reception in return for free food and accommodation. It's a pretty sweet deal all in all except for the fact that I'm not earning any dollars.

Artists impression of the captain
my ship

   Since the North Island, I have stood at the geographical centre of New Zealand (yawn), been to a glacier, visited a spa, played two rounds of frisbee golf (Awesome), drank alcoholic teapots in Queenstown and been deep sea fishing. All while stopping at Dunedin to briefly try and find work before deciding the city is full of crazies and making a swift departure. The deep sea fishing was amazing and the captain of the little boat we were on was a proper pirate. He probably wasn't, but he had a wooden leg and every single finger amputated to the first joint (is that called a knuckle?). He was only missing a parrot on his shoulder and a name like Blue-beard and he would have definitely been a pirate. But he was a super cool guy and fully didn't mind jumping in and killing the conga eel that tried to eat us all. Long story.

   While in Dunedin, or Dunedinburgh as it's fondly named after the amount of Scottish settlers there, I got in contact with a comedy troupe via otagocomedy.co.nz and enquired as to how to get a gig, if they even knew of any. It wasn't until I had left Dunedin on the Wednesday that I got an email back asking if I would be interested in a six-minute spot at the University Comedy Night. Obviously I couldn't justify going back to Dunedin but that's the closest I've come to doing stand-up in NZ. It's a shame really because I've had gig-horn for a while now, not helped by the fact that the guys back in Melbourne seem to be shooting up the comedy ladder and I can't get one gig. I've also noticed quite a few new comedy rooms opening in Melbourne over the last month or so, which is annoying because there were only a couple when I was there.

Me taking frisbee golf very seriously

   Me and the lady friend are amidst serious discussions over whether to cut our losses, forget finding work and heading home within the next month or two. This obviously has it's ups and downs. The major down of course being the fact that I will be back in the real world doing another job that I can do with my eyes closed for the rest of my life. The major up being that I can get myself a place with an adequate man-room i.e. playstation, Lay-Z boy chair, mini fridge, Foosball table, somewhere close to London and start the fledgling British leg of my stand-up world tour.

Or I can keep cleaning toilets in a tiny seaside town for no money until next April. Either way. At least I know that if I end up working in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington or Dunedin, there are comedy clubs to have a crack at.

   Something I have noticed about being on the road is that it's really hard to write new jokes when your brain is so pre-occupied with all the new scenery and different places. I wrote my first new joke last night since Auckland, which feels like ages ago. I don't have much more to say on that matter but I wanted to share that I had broke my joke writing drought.

   As soon as I know when I'm gigging next, you'll know. But in the mean time, thanks heaps for still tuning in to see what I'm up to.

 Until next time mes amis,


     Sean