Well 4 shows with Pauly Shore are now in the books, and it’s been a great experience so far (have 1 more show tomorrow (Sunday) at 7pm). My sets have done decently well, with tonight’s 10:15 crowd being the best so far.
For those of you wondering, Pauly’s a pretty nice guy and a solid stand-up comedian. He takes the time to do pictures and autographs after every show, which is something I’ve always respected in comedians/movie stars. And he does it until the last person is gone, which can take awhile considering he draws a good number of fans – most of which are obsessed with “Bio Dome” or something like that.
It must be tough for someone like Pauly to still be known for something he did 10+ years ago (imagine if you had to go through that, I’d be known as “Bowl-cut Boy” or something ridiculous like that). Without fail, in every set I’ve seen, people have to yell out “Weasel.” Granted some of that notoriety has helped opened some doors for him, but it’s also typecasted him in a certain light. I think he’s handled it pretty well, and uses it as a springboard into his act.
The Feature act, Tommy Tallarino, is also a great guy – very personable, willing to give advice, and is funny both on and off stage. He said something today that’s really stuck with me as far as comedy goes – “You’ve got to learn your act.” And that may not seem profound, but in the context of our conversation, it was like a light bulb going off in my head.
He’s not talking about just memorizing what it is you want to say, he’s talking about exploring the ins and outs of your on-stage persona, your material, your range as a comedian. Not only do you have to memorize your ideas, but you have learn the way that you should do it (sound fx? physical motions? long pauses?). Not only that, but you have to learn yourself. You have to find out what makes you unique, what makes you funny, and what makes you honest on stage. As Seinfeld said, “The whole object of comedy is to be yourself and the closer you get to that, the funnier you will be.”
So that great insight, plus what Pauly talked to me about understanding the roles of the MC vs. the Feature vs. the Headliner (i.e. that the MC should be more of a host than a comedian), has made for an amazingly educational stand-up weekend (and of course the stage time helped). Hopefully it will pan out and help me this coming Wednesday, when I battle it out for the title of “Funniest Person in Cincinnati” at Go Banana’s (show starts at 8pm, tickets are $5).
(Picture added 6/4/07):
