Tuesday night someone asked me why I got into stand up in the first place.
It used to be easy to answer that. Making people laugh. Creating something. The challenge, the thrill. But at this point, he may as well have asked why I got into breathing or some such thing.
This is what I do, it's just that simple. It stops mattering why, it stops mattering where and when (as long as it's anywhere and soon), you don't worry about being rewarded financially or emotionally. You just do it.
Comedy is life, and life is hilarious. It's beautiful, and simple, and the rest is a backdrop. I need to sleep more, get a job, communicate better with others, exercise, be a better adult in general. But I've got this thing, these ideas and words and moments I replicate at least five times a week, and if you need to ask why, then it's probably not the thing for you.
This year I've made friends faster than I've ever made friends, because it's easier to talk to people if they live inside the same sort of madness that you do. And Austin, at least for these first six weeks, seems like city that doesn't need to ask me why.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
on Austin (month one)
I got here a month and two days ago. Let's bullet point my new life:
-Austin has a lot of comedy. And a lot of comedians. Lots of them are super-talented, nearly all of them are super-nice. There are open mics every night but Sunday, there are showcases all over, there are sketch groups and Improv theaters and underground happenings, and this is all in an incredibly hot July- without the vast majority of the UT-Austin students in town to attend things. I am excited for the future.
-Austin is HOT. This is obvious, I know. But it is extreme. August has come sweltering in at 107 every day.
-Austin is geographically odd- it is kind of a grid, but turned 45 degrees. And there are no hard and fast rules within the grid- the numbered streets are sometimes skipped (and there's random half streets, like "38 1/2"), and are arbitrarily switched from East to West several blocks from I-35. I-35 is nonsensically zippered into an above ground expresslane that does nothing to alleviate rush hour gridlock. Everybody drives everywhere here, and you have to learn to be a lot more agressive.
-I've made 42 new Austin-based facebook friends. I think that is equivalent to at least 7 real-life friends.
-I've been doing so much comedy, I have barely had a chance to get into everything this city has to offer- live music, the natural springs you swim in, bats (apparently). But honestly I'm fine waiting until it's not still 90 degrees at midnight to discover the nightlife.
-August looks to be even better- a solid job prospect, a paying comedy gig (!), and another project on the horizon that cold be the most important thing I've ever been a part of. Sorry to be cryptic, but this is what the internet is for.
-Austin has a lot of comedy. And a lot of comedians. Lots of them are super-talented, nearly all of them are super-nice. There are open mics every night but Sunday, there are showcases all over, there are sketch groups and Improv theaters and underground happenings, and this is all in an incredibly hot July- without the vast majority of the UT-Austin students in town to attend things. I am excited for the future.
-Austin is HOT. This is obvious, I know. But it is extreme. August has come sweltering in at 107 every day.
-Austin is geographically odd- it is kind of a grid, but turned 45 degrees. And there are no hard and fast rules within the grid- the numbered streets are sometimes skipped (and there's random half streets, like "38 1/2"), and are arbitrarily switched from East to West several blocks from I-35. I-35 is nonsensically zippered into an above ground expresslane that does nothing to alleviate rush hour gridlock. Everybody drives everywhere here, and you have to learn to be a lot more agressive.
-I've made 42 new Austin-based facebook friends. I think that is equivalent to at least 7 real-life friends.
-I've been doing so much comedy, I have barely had a chance to get into everything this city has to offer- live music, the natural springs you swim in, bats (apparently). But honestly I'm fine waiting until it's not still 90 degrees at midnight to discover the nightlife.
-August looks to be even better- a solid job prospect, a paying comedy gig (!), and another project on the horizon that cold be the most important thing I've ever been a part of. Sorry to be cryptic, but this is what the internet is for.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)