(no subject)

[oakenguy]

According to my calendar, today is "Day after New Year's Day", a national holiday in New Zealand. I'm guessing it's the day where they celebrate all the things no one's come up with a good name for. Happy whatever-it-is, you Kiwis!

Last night I watched something very educational on public access tv: it was Jimmy Tingle, one of the Boston area's best-known comedians, *bombing* in front of a crowd of about twenty senior citizens at the tv station's annual picnic. Every couple minutes the camera would cut away from him to show that, yes, the old folks were still eating their sandwiches and totally ignoring him.

It was fascinating. I mean, normally on tv you see comedians working with the best possible audience (even when the tape has to be cobbled together from several nights' performances, or the laughs have to be "boosted" in the sound editting.) Watching a good comic get grim, clench his jaw and plow on through as he realizes he's got a Bad Crowd on his hands, that's a totally different animal. It made me feel a lot better about some of *my* gigs.

Comments

[lisy-babe.livejournal.com]

A few weeks ago I managed to catch a repeat of Mel and Sue on Room 101. Pretty much everything that anyone wants to banish into Room 101 is illustrated with film footage and comedy props.

One of the things they wanted to banish was a town call Leighton Buzzard. Because they once had a bad gig (so bad they were told to leave the theatre by the fire exit and to not go into the bar) there.

Having a bad gig was illustrated by the presenter introducing some footage of someone at The Comedy Store in the 80's. He was terrible, and the audience didn't look at all hostile or anytihng, and there were no hecklers, they all just looked blankly at him and sat there eating, drinking and smoking.

[malterre.livejournal.com]

I've done that gig. Others have done the one where they yell.
"YOU SUCK!"
As long as there are no thrown objects and we get a paycheck, I call it a deal.

Kiwi holidays

[(Anonymous)]

I am still getting used to the idea that shops might actually be closed on a holiday. Sure, all the mega-chain stores are open (and probably having a "[insert holiday name]-special sale), but all the little places are shuttered. Main streets down the little towns in the region have tumbleweeds. Pretty weird. I hear that 5-10 years ago everything was closed, big stores included, but the American "24/7 consumer experience" is slowly catching on, for better or worse.

Stephen in Wellington