Last night’s show was not well attended. There were a total of 10 people in the audience. It was another episode of what I like to call intimate and interactive stand up. Over the last little while I’ve discovered there are two types of comics, those who persecute small audiences and those who don’t.
When I started out, it seems natural to lash out in a small room. For some reason, ego almost seems to force that issue. I thought I was a star, brilliant beyond comparison. How could these people not appreciate that? How dare they not appreciate that! (I was an arrogant dick…)
Then as I got older, (and over myself…) I realized that these are the people that came to the show. If I were going to get mad, why would it be at them? These were the people who wanted to come and see the show. Why do they deserve to be treated badly? The only answer here is that they don’t!
Now don’t get me wrong, a misbehaved audience needs to be corrected every now and then, but that’s a different animal altogether.
I’m amazed when I see seasoned pros shit on a crowd for being (too) small. I would have thought they would have gotten it by now. Nobody ever pays to see a tantrum. More to the point no one wants to see a “professional” act like a spoiled child.
Sometimes, I think we forget that this is a job! The show is just as much about the audience as it is about my “pearls” of wisdom.
The waitresses here in Grande Prairie mentioned that it was nice to see comics that weren’t being dicks to the audience. That in itself is a sad commentary.
Working with Bobby has been a good positive reinforcement of that lesson for me. Nothing on stage seems to faze him. He’s as gracious with 10 people as he is in front of 300.
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