Yes I do Stand Up Comedy

Greetings all,

One of things that keeps happening to me and that annoys me greatly is how people react when I tell them I do stand up comedy. I joined a site that has a bunch of different groups that you can attend various social events. So I am always meeting new people. When I meet new people, I usually am a bit reserved and do not open up right away.

Then when they ask about me and what I do, I tell them how I've been laid off and am working towards being a comedian. I don't know what people expect a comedian to be like when they first meet people but I am not going to joking around and fighting for attention. That's not my style of behaviour when meeting new people.

Then they do the classic 'are you going to use us as material?' line.
I don't understand why they would think that. Like I get my jokes from observations and situations I am in or witness. There might be an element I find in meeting someone but how that manifests into a joke or character I don't know yet.

Yes obviously the people I encounter are material but to what degree is the question. I think comedy is something that people should be able to relate to. It's not about me going on stage and complaining about people I meet. I am an artist and artists take whatever basic material is thrown at them in life (people they meet, situations they end up in, situations they observe) and transform it into something new.

So yes I may actually use you, but perhaps just an element of you. Whatever element I take, I amplify it, exaggerate it and make it bigger. At that point, it no longer is you, it is comedy.