Guest Columnist

Back in 2017, which is somehow 8 years ago, I was venturing out and trying new things. I have been a student of stand-up comedy for a very long time and really wanted to see if I could do it. However, I didn’t wanna just get one laugh and say, “Well that wasn’t too bad.” I wanted to be pretty good at it, too.

I went to an open mic in Kingston and tried it out. The first time was ok, and the second time seemed to really go over well. I ended up doing 8 different spots at a few different locations and had a lot of fun. 

Then, of course, the pandemic hit, and I was unable to do much of anything. When the social distancing had finally stopped, and the world opened back up I was always asked if I still did comedy. I let people know I had a fun time with it but didn’t do it anymore. After a while people stopped asking.

I was at peace with it and was happy to have conquered the nerves and difficulty that would keep many people from taking the stage and attempting to make strangers laugh.

Then 4 months ago, a family friend had a very interesting comedy event they were putting on and asked me if I would be interested. I knew a lot of people would be showing up and it seemed way too good to pass up. I said yes and didn’t think much about it for a while. Then about two weeks before the show, I said to myself, “Oh crud, I gotta actually do this now.”

The prep work began and the panic of “I haven’t done this in forever” set in. Once I narrowed down the topics and the jokes I hoped would land, I had to start really internalizing it all. The ironic thing about the process is by the time you memorize all your lines the material doesn’t seem funny anymore. But you hope it will be. 

I’d also add that the set I planned to do was only 6-8 mins. That’s pretty close to a 1000-word write-up, so my hat’s off to the brilliant comics who do an hour like it’s no big deal. 

I finally was called to the stage and all the prep work seemed to carry me through. I wasn’t searching for words or better descriptions. I was able to take my time and explain each topic as I had hoped. The night went perfectly and it was a huge weight off my mind to know I had promised it and delivered. 

The feedback was great, but my favorite compliment was the most awkward one I received. “Mike, you did so well, we really thought you were gonna be terrible!” Well... thank you... I think.

Here is the issue. Now I keep getting asked if I’m going to do more stand up.

Hmm… I’m not sure. Give me 8 years to think about it.