People laughed at me—again!

I did stand-up—again! A few days after my last performance (which was detailed here), Augsburg held another open mic night. This one was sponsored by KAUG, Augsburg's student radio station.

Me, excited to tell some jokes. Photo by Alex Behrns.

The environment was better this time, but the crowd was not. The event was held in the lobby of Augsburg's freshman dorms. Although the crowd was larger, I did not really get a better response this time. Partially because people were funneling in and out, and some were talking during the performances.

The main problem with the crowd, though, was that I got my first experience with hecklers. Hecklers can be a comedian's worst enemy or their best friend. Either they can totally disrupt your set, or they can give you some laughs when you take them on.

In my case, it was a little of both. This particular group of hecklers was comprised of four cocky freshman boys. Boy, did they think they were hot stuff. They came in right after my brand new opener (which I will talk about later—I'm really proud of it), and tried to draw all the attention to themselves.

Me, downtrodden because of the hecklers. Photo by Alex Behrns.

I brought egg nog on stage and drank it during my set as a sort of visual gag. Being obnoxious freshman, they of course had something to say about this. Then there was the typical loud, forced laughter. One of them responded to my "Groundhog Day" joke with "you have to see the movie."

This was where I got my biggest laugh out of the hecklers. After his response, I said sarcastically to the audience "Glad these guys showed up, huh everyone?" It did not get a huge laugh, but the audience hated these guys just as much as I did, so a few people responded.

Me, taking on the hecklers. Photo by Alex Behrns.

The best part, though, was that they decided to go up after me and try and be funny. They did not tell jokes, instead they rapped and then sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." The audience gave no response, which was incredibly satisfying for me.

Anyways, let's talk about my actual set. Like I said, I tried out a new opener (a seasonal one!). I went on stage with my egg nog and said "Merry Christmas! Or, for all of you non-Christians—screw you!" It got a pretty good laugh and one audience member told me it was his favorite joke.

Me, telling a joke. Or maybe doing a bit. I don't remember. Photo by Alex Behrns.

After the opener, I told a lot of the same jokes as the other night. I was not being lazy, though. This is how stand-up works. You tell jokes, gauge the reaction, tweak them and tell them again.

The experience with the hecklers was certainly valuable, even though I was really annoyed at the time. Though I did not get the response I was hoping for from the different environment and larger audience, it was fun and worthwhile to go up again and get some more experience. Christmas break is coming up, and I am going to try to build up the courage to go to a real comedy club. If I do, I will update you guys.

A star is born. Photo by Alex Behrns.