Stage Fright
August 9, 2007 · Print This Article
The #2 question most comics get asked, right after, “Why don’t you say something funny now clown boy?”, is how do you deal with your nerves on stage? Brian shares some of his personal methods of handling those nervous jitters, and tells you why a little pre show dry heaving isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Listener topics include, Ron Shock the morning after, comics shelling out cash for other people’s material, a language barrier when everyone is speaking English, and Brian unveils some big news that may change his act for ever. What’s the deal with the Teletubbies?
Email: brianmcomedy@gmail.com and give us a call on 206-203-4692
Congrats on the kid. Can we call it Little Mo.
Do you still do work for UPC? Is it still on?
I offer you my congratulations and condolences on the forthcoming Mini BMO. My downstairs neighbor has a baby and all that poor kid seems to do is cry. Everytime I walk past their door that kid is wailing.
Few things: I wasn’t really around too much last week so I’m just getting to Ron Shock who I wasn’t real familiar with. I know Hicks material and backstory well (loved the story about Neal, BTW as I have 3 ferrets myself) but somehow I’d never been exposed to Ron. Your show last week made me a fan.
As to this weeks show I agree with you 100% Brian, not everyone can write and perform. I’m a fair writer, i.e. I can bullshit on paper with the best of them, but as far as public speaking I abhor it. We have a weekly business meeting that someone from my office must attend which requires you to speak in front of about 30 people, I did it twice and told my boss I wouldn’t do it again. I tend to run through whatever I’m saying at 30 MPH and doing the presentation or what not at that speed causes me to stumble quite a bit. But hey that’s just me, I’m a social retard.
I think I read or heard once where Christopher Lloyd was a very shy person which is odd to me because he’s always been an actor I liked because of his stage presence.
As you can tell I have no impetus to become a stand-up.
Thanks for the congrats fellas. To answer your question Joe, UPC was cancelled about 6 weeks into my season. It was replaced with Cash Poker which was moderately successful, but the jury is still out on whether there will be a second season. Sposorship without online gambling sites is still a problem, and there is a possibility that the show will continue in the UK and not in the states. Every now and then my ugly mug will appear on a rerun, but I’m not sure what time/channel in the northeast. So there is my longer answer to a simple question.
Two more things: Don’t worry about being a role model to your kid. You have more than 6 months. It’ll be a while before they really understand and take it all in. Plus, there wasn’t a more proud moment I had than when my daughter, fed up with her toy, threw it on the ground and said, “God damn it!”
AS for Magic and how to get better by yourself. The key.. build a really killer deck. Usually green and red works well. You can pull a bunch of little creatures out quickly and then use powerful red spells to kill your opponents creatures. At least that works for me.
Heh! I wonder how many people will actually get that reference Joe. I did but I spent many a night drinking and playing. I am the resident geek!
Congrats B on the bebeh!
*listening to show*
In relation radio interviews - this is a cut-n-paste from an attachment for a recent emcee gig I did - which shows the CLUBS may be more behind the interviews more than the comics.
From Club Owners to HEADLINERS:
From the previous 11 years of experience in this market, the ONLY thing that sells seats & brings people in to the club is presenting material from your show. Personal info, etc…is not needed unless it has to do with your act or is a lead in to a bit.
Have bits and or material ready, and lead-ins for the DJ’s – this is necessary to make it the best show possible and to bring in customers to the show. The top 40 station requests clean material while the rock stations have a bit more flexibility with your approach and content.
=================
In relation to comedienne (sp?) - bleh. I’m a comic. I like Comic. I also don’t like firewoman, flight attendress, or flight whore.
=================
Next, I don’t get nervous. I want to do good - I really want to kill - but I don’t get nervous. And I guess, maybe I get more nervous AFTER my set. Maybe I just call it something else? I get really excited - amped, even - but I don’t think it’s nerves.
I’ve been nervous. Super nervous about things - and I don’t get that feeling before/when I get on stage.
So, yeah, now I’m a fucking liaress or is it liarenne?
I sorta get the reference, but I never did get around to playing it.
Yeah, i agree with Amelia, congrats on the baby. I got a two year sister, (imported from China), and you would not believe the things we have taught her to say. She cusses, and she knows how to use it. Its actually kinda scary. But, good luck to you.
Do you know if its a boy or a girl yet? or was it answered on the show, and I just wasn’t paying enough attention?
and when i say i agree with Amelia, i meant her, and everyone else. :p
LOL, Mike. Seriously I actually LOL’d. And I don’t LOL for real, much.
Sina, I love you.
I love you too. Where did that come from?
Great stuff in this episode, Brian. I liked it a lot. I’m going to try the fingertips thing next time i get anxious before a show. I’ve been MCing so much over the past year that when I actually have a normal set I get nervous because there is something so comforting in being a host. You can go back up and rehash thoughts you forgot while on stage and the crowd gets used to seeing you so you can get away with more sometimes. It’s hard to just do a regular spot now. Only one shot to get it right and to get them to like you.
In regards to telling people you’re a comic…I do the same thing as you with lying about it etc. When I first started doing comedy I would tell people i was a comic and would get the worst responses you could imagine like “I never knew you were funny!” or “Tell me a joke!” Fuck that. Bleh.
Who wants to start a pool to see how long before Brian starts doing ‘baby jokes’?
haha. It’s inevitable my friend.
My favorite phrase from tonight’s show: “[My wife] has to somehow cram a watermelon sized baby out of her peesh.”
hahahaha.
Love you long time,
Sina.
P.S. I’m a horrible writer but a pretty good performer. I don’t have the discipline to sit down and write and I don’t like working with a script (weird considering I call myself an actor) but I can get a crowd to listen to me regardless of how shitty my material is. I don’t think I’m the worst writer in the world…but definitely not my strong point and not something distinguishing about my act.
In terms of fixating on someone in the crowd…I do kind of both. I’ll look at the back of the room initially but if I find someone who is having fun or liking my jokes more than the rest or just a good laugher, I’ll tell her (or him) all my jokes and I’ll feel like i killed even if they were the only person laughing in the whole room.
I do the same thing when I’m with my friends or having dinner with a group of people. I direct my show to whoever seems to like it the most.
Okay I’m done now.
Sina.
Congratulations brian and best wishes to your wife.
Your gonna get loads of material for the next 18 years!
I’m in vegas in Febuary, maybe I can drop by and hold a towel or somethiing?
Congratulations Brian….I’m sure you’re tired from all the ‘hard work’ you had to put in to making little mollica. I suppose this means you’re gonna have to grow up now………
Hey brian,
I was listening to some old episodes and was really enjoying some of the interviews with your buddy Mike-simon-cowell-of-stand-up. You should do another one and rip into LCS or some other comedy train wreck!!
Always good fun!
Nick
p.s. is it kicking yet?
Thanks amelia. I’m not quite sure what you lol’d about there, but if it made you laugh, thats awesome. Be prepared to change diapers on lil mo (can that be his official name until he/she is born?) everyday. It’ll be fun.
Actually, watching parents who have no idea how to change a diaper is pretty fun. They don’t know what they are getting into, shit starts to fly, but they don’t give up. Now that i mention it, its sorta like watching my brother argue with my parents.
I agree with nick. Bring Mike (really) back.
Mike (not really)
Good call everyone. I haven’t chatted with Mike for a while, but I agree that he should make his triumphant return. I’ll have to see if there are any potentially miserable specials coming up.
Amelia, I have some good news and bad news for you. The bad news is that I do believe you are a fucking liar, but the good news is I think we only disagree on semantics. The feeling I get before going on stage is certainly nervous anticipation. I want to be up there. If it was the same nerves my wife gets before getting on a plane I would have quit a long time ago because that’s misery. I think what I describe as nerves you refer to as “being amped”. But I could be wrong. If you don’t get butterflies or that split second of doubt right before you hit the stage, maybe you are one of the few naturals in this business.
Sina - it came from my heart, that’s where!
[I’m totally not stalking you, really]
You fucking liar.
Sina.
P.S. Did you guys see the nice blog on me in Punchline’s online magazine? It’s the Friday Featured Comic segment at the bottom of the page.
Just got done reading it, thats awesome Sina!
and congrats Brian on the mini-person you and your wife will be receiving soon.
Brian,
The Onion just podcasted “Another Comedian Ruined by Parenthood”. Think you have a fan there? More than just a coincidence…
I heard that. As usual I accuse the Onion of stealing my material. I also accuse punchline of stealing Sina from my show. I am the single most influential voice in comedy, at least in my own mind.
Mike,
You might want to check. I think they’ve put a recall out on Chinese-made babies recently.
asterion, you think I could bring in my two younger brothers. Techinically they were not MADE in china, but they were designed there. hmmm… think I could get more money selling them?
Hey guys,
Stanhope posted an awesome rant/advice column on his myspace blog about setting up your own room, doing your own thing and extolling his views on comedy clubs and how they fuck up comedy.
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=27637086&blogID=298838387
He writes quite well for a fuck up………….my hero.
Nick
p.s. Hey Brian, dunno if you caught my post last week but you got any Bobby slayton you can play? He’s awesome and for your near future, he’s got that soothing, lullabye voice that will send little B-mo to sleep every night(!)
Brian, no one will ever take me away from you…you’re stuck with me for a while. I fell in love with your podcast from the first episode i heard (recommended by Doug Stone in Iowa FYI) and immediately subscribed and listened to every episode on my last big road trip. After hearing how cool your show was, I set out to find more shows like it and, I must say, yours is by far the best podcast on comedy I’ve found so far.
I haven’t fallen this in love with a “radio-ish” show since I listened to Adam Corolla on Loveline every night when I was a teen.
Great job man. Thanks for all that you do. I think you have more listeners than you know about…and plenty of influence.
And, Doug is a genius Nick. I can’t agree with you more on that. I’ll go read that blog.
Sina.
Thanks Sina. Now I know how you feel when you read Amelia’s posts.
Hey Brian,
I am 15 and I have been listening to comedy for about 2 and a half years now. I love the show i listening to it every week. I was wondering What got You Interested In Comedy. And How Would One get into the bussiness of comedy?
Lonely?
Related to stage fright and coming from personal experience, I found it took me a very short while to actually approach the stage. I really wanted to get what I had on my mind out. And granted I had a blog (Quest for Comedic Stardom - http://standup101.blogspot.com), I felt my voice was stronger and struck people more easily when on stage.
So I was driven by the message, rather than what people were thinking. At the same time, I think acting is a little more daunting because when acting I’m not my own words–so I have a tougher time relating to the message. Go figure.
Hey every one,
congrats on the baby Brian. also in refrence to becoming hacky after the baby dont worry cuase if that does happen we’ll all have a comedy intervention for you right here.
good luck my man
Oh, on a more comedy related note. Who watched the Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav?
I did and I gotta say, I was kinda disappointed with all the cheap shots the comics made. Did anyone else feel, watching an hour and a half of the comics and guys calling Flav a really dark black piece of shit, Carrot Top- well anything feminine, Lisa Lampanelli a whore who fucks black guys, and Flav’s wife, a man find it slightly repetitive? Okay. Slight rant, but I was seriously disappointed. But I was happy to watch Greg Giraldo. After I saw his special, I became a fan.
Okay, on to slightly happier things. Did you guys watch LCS? I am pretty happy that Matt Kirshin won, partly because I find Debra Digiovani kinda boring. But, anyone else’s thoughts?
Mike
I watched all of about thirty seconds of that “roast” while flipping through channels between innings of the ball game. How anyone watches those things is beyond me.
I gave up on those roasts. The Leary one was alright but at least he had people who actually knew him giving him shit. Other than Briget Nielson I doubt half of those people who roasted him had ever even spoke to the man, unless Lisa Lampinelli screwed him. I still have to say they’ll never touch the Dean Martin roasts. You could tell most of those people ran in the same circles. That and Dean was always trashed.
Yeah the roast wasnt as good as i wanted it to be. learys and foxworthys were my favorite, but i think thats cuase im a fan of them both. pamela andersons was alot like flav’s in my opinion. also i have officialy given up on LCS. after that whole medievel monstrosity i said “fuck this, id rather be watching lifetime”. but i do hope that lavell crawford wins.
I think Brian was right when he said that it was fun when they were roasting comedians but it’s just kind of sad to make fun of someone who can’t really defend themselves. (My favorite part of a roast is when the guy getting roasted gives it back to everyone. It’s kind of the coup de gras…you know? It wraps everything up nicely).
Also when you don’t know the guy, you’re going to end up making the same hackneyed jokes. ala: Shatner, Pam Anderson, Flava Flav etc.
My favorite parts of Leary’s roast were when comics who knew him from back in the day would go up and tell old stories about him…although I was hoping someone would bring up that he was accused of stealing Hicks’ jokes. I know it probably would’ve crossed the line of good taste, but still would’ve made me laugh.
Sina.
hear hear sina hear hear
Thanks for the article! I’ve had problems with stage fright myself so it’s good to read other perspectives on this.
I still get nervous any time I have to perform in front of others, but I find the best things to do are to be totally prepared, accept that a mistake doesn’t mean the whole thing is a disaster and get your breathing under control.
For anyone interested, another website that has articles and help for stage fright is http://www.stagefrighthelp.com