Essay Fiesta had a dang birthday and I was there with a new camera (hence the crap lighting). I am still working it out!
Photos by Jason Madeja. Opener/House Band: She's Crafty
Hey Huff is a bi-monthly advice column for stand-up comedians. Please send your anxiety riddled issues to kelsie@comedyofchicago.com
Hey Huff- I’ve been butting heads with a loud, obnoxious drunk chick lately and this particular audience member gets under my skin the most. What is the best way to handle such a person without being offensive or mean or hurtful? - Gentleman G. Hey Gentleman G. - When hecklers hit a nerve it can be difficult, but recognizing why this specific heckler gets under your skin is key. First of all, start viewing these experiences as connections instead of battles. Comedy doesn't have to be combative. You don’t HAVE to be offensive, mean or hurtful to show that you have power. In fact, it’s often more interesting (and unexpected) to connect to your heckler instead of handling them. Secondly, you’re not alone. All comedians have specific audience triggers because we are humans dealing with our own personal stuff. When faced with these audience members many of us instinctively go into defensive/argumentative mode because it feels like we need to protect ourselves. We lash out. Yes, sometimes it works and we’ll get a few laughs. But when comedians instantly go to this hostile place it often confuses the room. The audience doesn't recognize your internal struggles, they simply see you reacting like a lunatic. Recognize your triggers. Figure out WHY this “loud, obnoxious drunk chick” gets under your skin. Once you understand WHY you can start responding in an open, honest and personal way. This tactic often silences the heckler and also pulls the audience into your experience. One of my audience “red flags” are large, white men sitting in the front row with their arms crossed, whilst looking at their cellphones. These dudes set my face on fire and make me want to scream, “WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE, DICKHOLE?! THIS IS MY TIME! CHECK YOUR MONEY MARKETING YACHT BULLSHIT IN YOUR FANCY DOWNTOWN CONDO, YOU IGNORANT ASSHOLE!” That is audience railing. I advise against it. Try the honest tactic BEFORE you lose your shit. For example, I was performing recently and there was a large, white man sitting in the front row with his arms crossed, whilst looking at his cellphone. TRIGGER. I stopped, took a breath, sat in the silence, looked him dead in the eye and said, “Excuse me sir, I know you are on your phone right now but you look just like my dad! Could you tell me that you’re proud of me? I mean, look at all these people who came to see me!” It got big laughs. Often, there is more humor in vulnerability than there is in venom. Gentleman G, you’re going to get heckled. Sometimes it’s going to feel super personal. Find out why intoxicated females are your trigger. Then stop trying to “handle” them and start trying to connect with them. Occasionally you will run into hecklers who are beyond reason. If you've tried connecting and they are still interrupting it’s time to call them out. Also, there are people, heck there are entire rooms (Cigars and Stripes - I am looking at you!) where the audience loves to be railed on. That’s HOW they want to connect. Read the room and if they want to be roasted, go get em! Staff Writer - Kelsie Huff Kelsie is a producer, writer, storyteller and stand up comedian based in Chicago. You can catch her performing at top clubs and showcases all over town as well as at her own showcase - the kates a bi-monthly show in at The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square and now at Laugh Factory Chicago. If you've been doing stand-up for some time you have experienced a bad set or two (or too many to count). Crap sets are part of the long con we call comedy. Sometimes awful sets can slide right off your back but occasionally they can stick in a performer's consciousness and eat away at them.
After a horrible set you may feel like locking yourself in a room and recreating Martin Sheen's opening scene from Apocalypse Now. Before you sweat all over your sheets and karate chop your full length mirrors remember - this isn't war, this is comedy - settle down! Here are some tips to bounce back from "the horror, the horror" of a terrible stand-up set. 1.) Don't Blame the Audience. Take Responsibility. Failing publicly is part of the stand-up contract so don't lash out at the folks who witness your struggle. The moment you chide the audience you give up your power. Also, your defensiveness may not allow you to grow as a comic. When you are on the stage you are responsible for the show. Period. If the crowd doesn't respond to your bits don't take it personally. Learn. Get better. 2.) Don't Apologize A comedian’s instincts after a crap set is to run away and hide. Often, on the way to seclusion, stand-ups want to say sorry a billions times. There's no need. Folks in the biz know that bad sets happen. Let it go, they have. Also, the audience doesn't need you to apologize, especially while you are on stage. Never admit defeat, ever. Fake it till you make it. 3.) Controlled Self-Pity The heart pounding pain of rejection is a dreadful. But feelings are real so allow yourself to really feel them. Feelings are catalysts for change. However, you don’t want the feelings to spiral into self-pity. Pity is boring and wallowing gets in the way of the work. Create your own self-pity time lines. Some comedians allow themselves to “leave it at the office;” once they walk out of the venue they don’t allow themselves to feel shitty. Some comedians need to talk it out and analyze their set with friends. Some comedians need to go to the gym and hit stuff. Find the thing that pulls you out of your self-pity and hold on. (If it’s booze or food - like me - well, try to find another thing.) 4.) Record All Your Sets AND Listen to Them Don't dwell on the missteps but don’t ignore them either. Record your sets and force yourself to listen. Hone into your recordings like a director or like it's your friend's set. You wouldn't tell your friend they are worthless pieces of crap, you would help them. Do the same for yourself. 5.) Share Comedy "War Stories" Talking with other comedians about their terrible times in the comedy trenches is always comforting. It's great to be reminded that you're not alone. We all have moments of pure suck. Bad sets can feel like you’re dying but comedy is not war. The most important thing to do after a bad set is to do another set. Sometimes you do need a mission to get out of a negative mindset. Get up. Get out. Get back at it. To quote Apocalypse Now's tortured hero, Captain Benjamin L. Willard, "What the hell else was I going to do?" Originally Published on Comedy of Chicago Staff Writer - Kelsie Huff Kelsie is a producer, writer, storyteller and stand up comedian based in Chicago. You can catch her performing at top clubs and showcases all over town (Zanies, Laugh Factory, UP Comedy Club) as well as at her own showcase - the kates a bi-monthly show in Lincoln square. by Kelsie Huff
If you’ve spent any time with a small human you know they ask “why?” a lot. Why do fish breathe water? Why is the snow white? Why does Seth get more corn dogs than I do? Children need to look at the world and question it in order to learn. Sometimes it’s annoying, sometimes it’s cute, and sometimes the questions work. The kid learns a thing or two. If you’ve spent any time doing or hanging around stand-up comedians you’ll notice a similar pattern. The question of “why”. Why didn’t this joke work? Why do I always have a killer set in this room? Why am I not getting booked as much as Seth? Questions are important. Stand-ups have to look at the world (and other stand-ups) to learn. The problem is when the question of “why” turns into “why not me”; when learning turns into envy. Being envious is a part of being a human but if you are a performer, envy can be the death of your creativity. 5 Ways to Keep Stand-Up Envy at Bay 1.) Focus On the Stuff You’ve Accomplished Instead of looking at all the gigs you haven’t booked, look at the shows you’ve done. Make a list. Look at it. Keep looking at it. If it’s a short list focus on one or two moments or shows that you are proud of. Build off that and make new, realistic goals. Nothing will pull you out of an envy party like a plan of attack. If you still feel worthless write how you felt after nailing one set that month. Focus on that feeling. You can’t feel envious if you feel good about yourself. 2.) Control Your Creativity NOT Your Career You can’t control which audition you get, why a club books you or why they don’t. You cannot control your career. If you try too hard, you’ll want to blow your brains out AND if you keep emailing that booker they are going to want to blow your brains out too. You can control your creativity. Write and perform. Try new things and hone the old. Do shows that push you. Write things that scare you. Show up on time, every time. Don’t be an asshole. Grow. Create. Maybe Comedy Central will come running after you. Maybe not. You have zero control, just make great stuff. 3.) Compare Don’t Covet There is no stand-up corporate ladder, no clear path, no easy road; therefore, stand-ups need to look, learn and compare. At times, comparing your path to a comedian you admire is needed to see how the heck this thing is done. However, becoming obsessed with why someone has a “better career” than yours is a mistake. It’s not helpful. Coveting someone else’s path is not blazing your own. Focusing on someone else’s successes and your “failures” or what you “should get” will lead to garbage thoughts and may eventually turn you into a garbage person. Harsh, I know. But it’s true. 4.) Change Your Philosophy I don’t know if it’s because many of us had parents who liked to hold back on their hugs or what but stand-ups tend to think luck, love and success are limited. That’s bullshit. We don’t need to horde these things nor do we need to hate those who have them. There may not be enough billion dollar TV sitcoms for all us but there sure as shit is enough stage time in Chicago. 5.) Compete with a Smile not a Switchblade Comedians like to compete with each other and sometimes it works. Healthy competition can be fun and you feel like comrades in the same stand-up battlefield. Choose your comrades wisely. Friendly competition that pushes both parties to become better is great. Negative “friends” who drag you down are poison and unprofessional. Not great. Stand-ups need to look at other stand-ups and often question the comedy world in order to learn. When the question of “why” becomes more a question of “why not me” it’s the sign of envy creeping in. Envy can turn talented comedians into bitter, unfunny husks of who they once were. Bitterness is boring! Stay on track, do your job keep asking “why” and leave envy to the amateurs. Originally Posted in Comedy of Chicago Staff Writer - Kelsie Huff Kelsie is a producer, writer, storyteller and stand up comedian based in Chicago. You can catch her performing at top clubs and showcases all over town (Zanies, Laugh Factory, UP Comedy Club) as well as at her own showcase - the kates a bi-monthly show in Lincoln square. |
Kelsie Huff
maker of jokes. eater of hot dogs. creator of hiccups. Archives
January 2018
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