Mic 21 Short Form
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Venue: Winchester Music Tavern
Hosts: Bryan Sternick and David Horning
Show: One More Joke
Set Time: 1
Venue: Winchester
I got out for 3 mics this week and it's only Tuesday. The opportunities are numerous and most comics take full advantage.
This mic's sign-up starts at 9:15, show at 9:45 — or so they say. I've learned that start times and sign-ups are a fast and loose thing in this world. Most comedians are already out for the night, so it doesn't matter. I have to plan. This mic runs in order, so earlier is better for getting out early. I like to stay and support, so I sign up in the middle and leave about six comics after my set.
I'm trying the current events jokes again tonight, tighter this time since it's a one-minute set.
Bryan welcomes me to the stage in his usual slightly awkward way. He's taken to calling me "girlfriend" — heavy emphasis on the friend — with a little head shake to sell it. Bryan is genuinely kind and happy to see people, so I shouldn't be too hard on him. But it's a small reminder that I make people a little uncomfortable in this space.
My name is on the list. I have my club soda. I settle in the back to run my jokes.
Everyone is in a good mood tonight — chatty, forthcoming with the details of their day. And it hits me how little I actually know about these people I spend so much time with. You get nuggets from their sets, and unlike most casual relationships, those nuggets are intimate. Raw, even. There's no small talk buffer — no "what do you do for work" warm-up. It's like being set up on a blind date and showing up to find your therapist.
That's probably why it feels a little awkward. I should cut Bryan some slack — I can see the weird position he's in too. But this is comedy, and I am learning: you follow that train of thought first.
I start by casually mentioning that I've been watching a new reality show. I pause, pacing like I'm trying to remember the name.
Iran War.
It's about a threesome. Two of the characters have some serious baggage — religious undertones, a lot of jealousy, vindictive behavior. I compared the Strait of Hormuz to hooking up, suggesting one of the characters was basically saying: "This is all on lock. No one is getting this action — well, except for that Russian guy, his Japanese friend, and those couple of guys from India."
Since it was the first day of the ceasefire, I suggested they were on a two-week hiatus — and I couldn't wait for the next episode, because we all know what happens when you're on a break.
I was more comfortable with current events in short joke form. It didn't give me time to overthink how grave the situation was, how horrible things are. But it also didn't diminish the severity. It poked fun at the idiots — not the situation. Comedy isn't the opposite of gravity. It's the release valve. A joke doesn't make a crisis smaller but it makes the room breathable.
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