Laugh Out Loud

 

Open Mic - a session in a club during which anyone is welcome to sing or perform stand-up comedy.

Well if you’d like to know, then let me tell you about it.

I heard that Murf’s Pub is open in Sunset West at 3115 W 6th St. and it even does comedy too. Maybe when I’m back in Lawrence Kansas, I might go there and do some open mic. I’m always in the mood for some laughs. One time I watched Lounge Lizards on Comedy Central once on cable TV, and I saw Rondell Sheridan on an episode of Lounge Lizard.

He was really good at stand-up one time we were watching TV.

I know plenty of places to go to in Lawrence Kansas, so here's a couple to name.

The first thing I wanna do open mic is at the Jazzhaus. And since 1982, this place has been the home of the greatest musicians on planet Earth. If you still haven't noticed, it's in downtown Lawrence. But you already knew that, didn't you. I've been there once in the evening and I saw Carswell & Hope perform. It was really acoustic to hear. Nick Carswell is one of my favorite musicians I've met since the very first time. And I gotta tell you, Carswell & Hope are like one of the greatest local bands I've seen in a long long time! I gotta let Nick know that I'm moving back to Lawrence next year! Maybe I can invite him to the party. Anyway if I were to do stand up during open mic Wednesdays at the Jazzhaus, I could crack them up with a little story about anything I can think of. I'm gonna need a little improv and observation comedy. Just like on Seinfeld.

Now what is open mic, you ask? An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub, often taking place at night (an open mic night), in which audience members may perform on stage whether they are amateurs or professionals, often for the first time or to promote an upcoming performance. As the name suggests, performers are usually provided with a microphone plugged into a PA system so that they can be heard by the audience. Like this one.

Clubs and small venues often run open mic events; these slots may be booked in advance or left for walk-ins. Comedians use open mics to work on material or to show off their skills to get an opener slot. "Bringer shows" are shows that require amateur performers to bring a specified number of paying guests with them to receive stage time.

If I can think of a topic to talk about in stand-up, it would be about the time I got into the river with my dad in the winter time. I would make people laugh about when I fell into the ice during our walk. I would even tell them that I got pretty cold. My dad would think that was funny!

Anyway, I can't imagine how much fun I had when I was at KU participating at Stitch Tatics Improv. That was pretty much memorable that I'll never forget when I was at Best Buddies. It was extremely funny when I got on stage with the boys. To prove it, here's a video. Click here!

Okay, moving on to the second part of the story. At the Replay Lounge, there’s open mic and rad night shows here every Wednesday. But it doesn’t stop there. Every other afternoon at the Replay Lounge, they do special events too such as outdoor parties, DJ events, etc. And if I wanted to do stand up here at Replay, I’d make them laugh about something that went onto my head a hundred times.

Three! There’s also this place that I wanna try besides Murf’s Pub. Cicada Open Mic. Now I may not be too familiar with this one just yet, but hear me out on this one. It’s an event designed to be a safe space for expression. This is where people can bring their 5 minute material to the stage and express themselves to the other creative folks in Lawrence. Just to be clear, it’s located at 1501 Learnard Ave at Sunrise Project. So it might be another event I can try out someday. It would be extra fun to check out when I'm finally back in town.

Now you might be wondering... What is stand-up comedy? (You may ask.) Well, I can tell you what it is. It's a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehearsed scripts but often include varying degrees of live crowd interaction. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, observations, or shticks that can employ props, music, impressions, magic tricks, or ventriloquism. A performer in this genre can be known by the masculine and gender-neutral terms stand-up comedian and stand-up comic, or by the feminine term stand-up comedienne. Performances can take place in various venues, including comedy clubs, comedy festivals, bars, nightclubs, colleges, or theaters.

Like this guy, George Carlin. He did stand up in 2008. He also starred in The George Carlin Show in FOX way back in the 90s. WACKY!

Even Joan Rivers did stand up comedy. It was the year she did that in 2009.

There’s a whole lot of stand up comedians that I remember watching on TV and will always watch for decades to come. If only I could name a few more on that.

Sarah Silverman

Jerry Seinfeld

Maria Bamford

Larry the Cable Guy

Rob White

Aziz Ansari

Gilbert Gottfried

Carlos Mercia

Dane Cook

Etc.

Stand-up comedy originated in various traditions of popular entertainment in the late 19th century. These include vaudeville, the stump-speech monologues of minstrel shows, dime museums, concert saloons, freak shows, variety shows, medicine shows, American burlesque, English music halls, circus clown antics, Chautauqua, and humorist monologues, such as those delivered by Mark Twain in his 1866 touring show Our Fellow Savages of the Sandwich Islands.

There are all types of multiple genres in stand up. There's the following.

• Alternative: Intended to counter the established figures of mainstream comedy.
• Anecdotal comedy: Storytelling using exaggeration and humor.
• Character: A fictional persona created by the performer.
• Deadpan: The deliberate display of emotional neutrality or no emotion, commonly as a form of comedic delivery to contrast with the ridiculousness or absurdity of the subject matter. This is also called dry humor, or dry-wit humor.
• Insult: Consists mainly of offensive insults, usually directed at the audience or other performers.
• Musical: Humorous songs or musical parodies, sometimes without lyrics.
• Observational: Conversation on the absurdities of everyday life.
• Satire: Ridicule of people, institutions, or ideas through jokes.
• Topical: Framed around a specific topic related to current events or dealing with issues that are important or popular at the current time.
• Wordplay comedy: Tends to involve the use of tactics like puns, double entendres and rhymes to entertain audiences. Thus, delivery tends to be filled with many one-liners.
• Self-Deprecating comedy: In this genre, comedians make jokes at their own expense, often poking fun at their own flaws, insecurities, or embarrassing experiences. The humor comes from vulnerability and relatability, which can make the comedian more likable.

There's also three kinds of stand-up. There's opener, feature, and headliner.

For instance, In a typical stand-up show, the host, compere, or emcee "warms up" the audience and introduces the other performers. This is followed by the opener, the feature, and then the headliner. The host may also act as the opener for smaller shows. Proven comics tend to earn regular bookings at clubs that are part of a chain and comedy venues. Jobbing stand-ups may perform sets at two or more venues on the same day.

Stand up comedy performances can also be seen in festivals. In fact, as well as being a mainstay of the comedy circuit, festivals often also showcase up-and-coming acts, with promoters and agents using the festivals to seek out new talent. It can also be seen on TV specials and heard in albums. Experienced comics with a following may produce a television special or a comedy album. It may be recorded on tour or at a show advertised and performed specifically for the purpose. A TV special originally released on television, video on demand, or in film theatre's may be re-released as an album on audio CD, LP record, or audio streaming. A "half-hour special" is typically between 20 and 35 minutes in runtime excluding commercial breaks and an "hour-long special" is typically between 40 and 65 minutes excluding commercial breaks.

Now let's get the inside scoop on Murf's Pub in Lawrence. If you haven't been to Murf's Pub here in Lawrence, then you might wanna pay attention on this one.

Murf's Pub is a bar and grill serving comfort food such as burgers and tacos, with trivia nights, and live entertainment. It's a fun, chill, atmosphere with great service and food. And you know what's going down, every Saturday they do stand-up comedy. If I would go to that place in Sunset West next to the radio station, I'd get myself some some fried chicken and a basket of fries as my choice. That would be pretty cool, won't it. Booyah!

One more thing that I discovered while I was on vacation there. Someone gave me a card for the Stand-Up On The Side Comedy Show at Lucia Beer Garden & Grill. Lucia is located at 1016 Mass St. and if so, let me know on some more details about it on Instagram. Another great way to support local live comedy here in Lawrence.

https://www.instagram.com/standupontheside

Phew, there you have it! My inside scoop on open mic and stand up comedy. If you'd like to get me interested in some Saturday stand up comedy at Murf's, please let me know in the comments on Facebook. I'll bet that my friends would like to be part of that too, you know. Also if you like my blog entry, feel free to let me know what's up. I’m really sure that I’m ready to make people laugh, so LOL!

Anyways, that’s all for today. And check back later for what’s next on my monthly blog. Have a great day and happy Thanksgiving. See you soon!