Topic: The craft of comedy
I've decided to stop wearing glasses while I do standup. I've been thinking about this for a while, and I finally decided to change because I think that audiences are making assumptions about me before I even start.
On the one hand, I feel bad that I'm letting the audience change me. On the other hand, I don't wear glasses very often outside of standup. I'm nearsighted, and my vision isn't really that bad, so I really only wear glasses when I'm driving at night or when I'm doing something that requires distance vision, like seeing a movie. Because I drove to my first couple shows, I was wearing them, and when I showed up at later shows without them, nobody recognized me. So, I continued to always wear them for comedy, even though I rarely wear them in real life. I don't really think of this change as something akin to changing the way I dress or speaking in an affected accent; I'm actually changing myself to be slightly more like the way that I am in real life. It's a stupid thing to have to do, but I also feel like some audience members are judging me for the wrong reasons, and I want to take one of those factors out of play. Anyone ignorant enough to judge me by my appearance isn't someone I want as a fan, but I would like those people to laugh just enough so as to make the show enjoyable for people who might actually like me.
I am making another change: I am incorporating a puppet into my act. Some people will say this is too edgy, but I'm all about breaking convention. The puppet's name is Ching Ding Dong, and we are going to be doing some hilarious ethnic humor about the Chinese or Japanese (I haven't yet decided which one Ching Ding is going to be). I don't consider this to be pandering to the audience, because people who know me know that I frequently walk around having zany conversations with a sass-talking puppet in real life.
While I'm at it, I should probably mention this: the puppet does magic. After a little funny back-and-forth with a "pretty bronde rady" in the front row, Ching Ding will ask for the lady's jacket. Ching Ding will place the jacket under a silk handkerchief (I'm really leaning towards Chinese right now) chant an ancient Chinese voodoo spell, and…ARACAZAM! The jacket has been replaced with a spring roll! Then, while the lady is sitting there, completely stunned, I tell her to look under her seat, and – to her amazement – there's her jacket…pressed and dry-cleaned! Then, just before the laughter reaches fever pitch, Ching Ding will say "You give me your dog I make that disappear, too!" Huge laugh, standing O, applause, underwear thrown on stage, I hold up my CD, exit.
So, if you catch me, perhaps on the Original Queens of Comedy Tour (on which I was recently booked), without my glasses, performing racist humor with a magic puppet, please don't think that I've sold out. I'm just letting the audience get to know my real self.
The glasses part is real. I'm going to try it for a while and see how it goes.
