Kent
Potential
I think a lot about my potential as a comedian, mostly because it’s the only light at the end of the tunnel. Every shitty bar gig turns into a bonding experience among young comics who tacitly agree to believe that this, too, shall pass. Someday we’ll all be national headliners, and we can reminisce about [...]
Brother, Can You Spare an Opener?
In Philadelphia I got very comfortable doing longer sets where I could stretch my act out and build a rapport with the crowd over time. For some reason, it felt better to build to a crescendo than to go out and kick the audience in the teeth from the first joke. In some embarrassing way, [...]
Stop it.
I got raped by AIDS, so I had to get an abortion. A BLACK abortion! This is the tragedy of the new comedian. I see this guy all the time. He’s twenty years old, he grew up in the suburbs, and he hasn’t really figured out what makes him interesting yet. So instead of searching [...]
Being Annoying
Ok, so it’s not like my comedy trajectory has really changed that much since moving to Chicago. I mean, how far along was I really? I was getting work twice a year at Helium (which I can still do) and I had the ability to go up to New York to do shows (which I [...]
Doogie Horner Destroys on America’s Got Talent
Last night my friend Doogie was a contestant on America’s Got Talent, a ridiculous, lowbrow reality show that is basically an excuse for Americans to gawk at maniacs and novelty acts in stupid costumes. To those of us familiar with Doogie’s conceptual and cerebral sense of humor, this show seemed like the perfect mismatch. But [...]
Meet the New Boss
After a long (and ongoing) transitional month, I feel that I can finally lay claim to being a resident of Chicago. I have taken a 3:15am Blue Line train to my apartment, I have logged 8 consecutive nights on an air mattress, and I have awkwardly inserted myself into the conversations of innumerable comedians. In [...]
Demetri Martin
Demetri Martin’s act is not my favorite type of comedy. This is a phrase that comedians use a lot, usually about someone who is too hacky to respect, but too nice to insult. It’s equal parts political and condescending, essentially a way to extricate oneself from a conversation about a bad comedian without being overtly [...]
Goals and Goalposts
I’m leaving Philadelphia for Chicago in a month or so, and the impending relocation has made me reflect on my time in Philly, so pardon the nostalgic tone of the next couple of posts. Since moving to Philadelphia, I’ve met or exceeded almost every comedy goal I’ve set for myself. And yet, I’m no happier [...]
Sell It
Here’s a problem I didn’t expect to encounter when I started doing comedy: after coming up with a good idea for a joke, trying it onstage over and over, and tweaking the syntax until the bit is really starting to sing, I begin to abandon it. What is wrong with me? I take a joke [...]
The Second Chorus Problem
I don’t like comedy songs. To me, the fundamental problem with comedy songs is structural. Jokes are meant to be surprising, to constantly shift and develop into new areas. Great songs, however, are based on familiarity. The best pop songs all have that one great hook in the chorus that you just can’t wait to [...]
