The Work Life Comedy Balance

Good cause comedy

Nitin — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:05:00 +0000

I feel really good about doing standup when it goes towards a good cause. The Asian American Donor program targeted a donor registration drive for bone marrow donation with standup comics. They included me an Indian as an Asian. What a concept? We certainly ain't got the features, but we come from the same continent, share buddhist values, and are terrible donors.

The show was awesome -- it was exclusively asian crowd, mostly young filipinos settled in South San Francisco. They were an amazing audience, attentive and enjoying themselves. I am certain that the filipino community can now count on having several registered bone marrow donors. I hope it reaches other Asian communities as well.

One of the bone marrow donors, the winner of Survivor on TV, spoke about how Asians have not yet come together as a community that takes care of itself. He attributed it to still getting established and as such the focus stays on career and the self. It is time now to branch out and give back to the community dedicating our time, money, and when needed organs!

Viva Asians!!!!

The Hard Knocks

Nitin — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 04:33:00 +0000

I headlined in front of a large audience of about 100 people in a restaurant about a week ago. It can be a bit dangerous performing with no raised stage and in front of a large group of people, mostly drunk by this time at night.

First I pissed off two women who kept interrupting - so I called them out, riffed on them a bit and they left to get drinks - good riddance. Next a burly man starts trying to add to my lines. So I cut him short. As a retort, he calls me short (true!). As a comic, I can't let this go, so I let him know that I will get him later in my routine. The audience claps, they are on my side. So the burly man stands up - and he is huge. I ask him to sit down and he wants to take me on instead.

Thankfully the organizers step in and get him settled back again.

Not so thankfully I have to start again from this episode and get the audience laughing again - I am able to do it. Life is good.

NBC Diversity Standup Auditions

Nitin — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 15:22:00 +0000

Being a bit later in life into comedy, I hate the showbiz industry cattle-call auditions that essentially take you through so many hoops that only those with the best luck, talent, and ability to cling to a sliver of hope possibly make it through.

I still found myself in line for the NBC Diversity Standup audition at the San Francisco Punch Line Comedy Club. I had debated with myself over showing up for this audition. Essentially NBC was going to permit the first 100 folks to do a 1 minute audition. This means that people line up early - real early, sometimes 12 hours early so they can be in line for this audition. At the end of the 12 hours you get a 1 minute performance. Assuming you pass this performance, the next gate is a 3-minute competition round that afternoon, followed by a 5-minute competition round that evening which is taped and sent to some faceless executives who can then determine who to invite to Los Angeles that winter.

However daunting this sounds, this is about the fairest showbiz audition I have seen structured. In many cases industry auditions are held and there are no callbacks or any feedback for months. Also for this NBC audition, presumably you can email/call early and avoid the 1st round which is by far the most daunting.

For one thing anyone can show up for the 1 minute round. By Noon which was the call-time for the 1st round, the line at the San Francisco Punch Line looked like it was at the American Consulate in Tijuana. Every possibly minority was represented along with a few Anglo-Saxon Republicans eager to show that they were as diverse as any.

The event was well-organized, eventually about 50 open call folks showed up. The 1-minute auditions were run through well and it seemed the judges were listening. I did not find my name in the final list (bummer!) but then again I had a great 1-minute set and after the show other comics were surprised that I had not made the cut.

I suspect it could be because eventually the entire show (over all the metros after several months) nets out to "1" (yes ONE) comic who gets a scholarship with NBC. I possibly did not fit the mold for that "1" comic in the mind of the judges. It was a beautiful day in San Francisco and after being in line all morning, I did not mind getting the afternoon off. In the evening I got to spend time with my wife watching the latest Harry Potter.

I am glad I still went. In the comedy journey, this was one morning that makes me wiser, and bolder, which is much needed in comedy.

A thank you to my audiences

Nitin — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 15:52:00 +0000

I might have already thanked my audiences, but I really cannot thank them enough! Last night I did yet another Pundits with Punchlines out at Pepperbellys in Fairfield, CA. The middle of the week audience was light, but once the show got going, the audience was willing to go on the journey.

They laughed, enjoyed the comics and their gaffes. I must have flubbed at least two jokes, but the audience took it all in stride and laughed their sides out. An environment like that allows me to experiment, riff, and really have fun on stage. I feed on the audience, who feed on me, and it brings the entire show to life.

If there is a good audience, it means there is a not-so-good audience as well. An audience that is tired, sceptical, or "I really didn't want to be here" is a comic's nightmare.

A good comic should be able to work with what they have, and bring life into the room. Sometimes that just doesn't happen. And that's life! Thankfully last night was different.

What's the balance?

Nitin — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:51:00 +0000

I originally titled this blog: work, life, comedy balance since that was top on my mind. Since then I re-titled it to a comedy journey. Now I see that someone is actually trying to "google" work/life comedy balance and pulling up one of my earlier blogs. Side Note: In case you are wondering, it is very easy as a website owner to see how you get your webhits, search words and all. Creepy!

Anyway, when I see this gentle person (I don't know who) trying to determine work/life comedy, I believe I should say something about my work/life/comedy balance.

I am gainfully employed 24 hours a week in the Corporate world. I spend about 3 - 4 evenings a week at comedy. The rest is taken up by writing, promoting, getting booked, daydreaming and life.

Sometimes I alter the balance and life takes precedence largely because I am driving too hard and could actually end up divorced (oops!).

Sometimes the Corporation alters the balance and takes precedence and I really don't want to get fired (another oops!).

So I assume that I am driving the comedy. I am making money at it now. It's no longer small potatoes, but still not enough to throw everything to the wind.

Anyway my big show is coming up tonite, so this is all for now! Ciao!

ShowBiz Egos

Nitin — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 03:48:00 +0000

I am still trying to cope with the showbiz ego and lack of professionalism. It's easy to piss people off, sometimes people get pissed off all by themselves. Coming from the Corporate world it is hard to get used to the "irrational" behavior. But then again, showbiz is irrational.

Take Last Comic Standing -- comics from San Francisco traveled to Los Angeles, stood in a line for 12 hours to get a short (very short) audition spot in front of an irrational jury. The same audition also had comedy pros who have been working for years and regularly get booked at clubs try and get their shot at fame and fortune.

In short the supply of wannabe comics (or performers) is so immense that the demand side can extract it's price. "Hey want to perform in my show? Pay me!" Yet the performers persist! With such madness comes a fragile and unpredictable ego.

Now let me go and smash my head against the wall.

I thought it was funny, but the audience didn't

Nitin — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 03:30:00 +0000

Lately I have been hitting open mics and small showcases. The big shows are great but I have to play safe and do my tried and tested material. No point bombing in front of 100's of people on purpose. In front of a handful, I can fail and hopefully be forgotten easily. The publicity damage is limited.

I have been coming up with a bunch of new joke wannabe's and trying them out. The only way a joke wannabe can get written is if I believe it's funny. Then I learn in front of the audience that maybe it's not funny.

I wrote this joke wannabe on Iraq that I found hilarious but it failed miserably the first time on stage. Then begins the hard work of wondering why the damn thing failed. Is it the audience? Is it me? or God?

So when does a joke wannabe survive and make it into a joke? When for at least a month on the open mic/showcase circuit I receive enough of an audience response that makes me want to continue to work on it. When that happens I remain optimistic that there is something funny in that pile and if I dig, I will find it.

Back in the saddle and Borat

Nitin — Sun, 20 May 2007 22:33:00 +0000

Google's taken over blogger and I hope this new setup allows me to post blogs properly. Already my login has been Googlized. One day Google will link the email, the payments, the blogging and provide uncle Sam the technology glue to link stuff up and screw the individual. But then nothing's for free, and if you don't pay, then Uncle Sam must play (in your backyard).

I have been back doing comedy now for over a month and finally the creativity and shows are happening. Had a good show last night for a Desi crowd. As always, no matter what you say, Desis show up with their toddler in tow to an 18+ comedy show. That kid will now say the word "Fuck" better than any other Desi.

I saw Borat finally all the way through instead of watching snippets and hearing interviews. I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt. Sacha Cohen is a genius! Every single detail in the movie including the shots are built as a joke. There's the setup, then the punch, and then the tag. Rather than someone verbalizing, it's done with the camera. The movie climaxes somewhere in the middle as opposed to the end. It's good because if the humor had continued all the way to the end, I would have perished laughing.

The Stanford University Comedy Showcase

Nitin — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 05:14:00 +0000

Years ago Stanford turned me down as a student, now I give them an opportunity to laugh at me. Most Tuesdays, Stanford's 750 Pub hosts a comedy showcase. Since it's right on campus, the audience is always students except for us comics.

The first time I performed there, I tried to appeal to the stereotype of intelligent, hard-working, straitjacketed students. I did ok, but nothing extraordinary. That was surprising because when I performed at the Rose and Crown in the same town, I rocked the house.

The second time I performed there, I had similar results, an ok show, but nothing to write home about.

Then I realized that I am trying to tailor my show to my stereotype of students. For the third show I did my regular stuff with plenty of R-rated stuff and it rocked.

Bottomline: Do not underestimate the hormones of 20-year olds.
Corollary: Similarly in a blue-collar bar, do not underestimate the intelligence of a drunk.

The Noodles and Kabob Show: Asian Comedy

Nitin — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 16:03:00 +0000

Last night I held the first Asian standup comedy show called Noodles and Kabobs. I had to call it Pan Asian, because the concept of Asia in America is limited to a racial identity which doesn't include Indians, Middle-Eastern folks, Iranians. So by calling it Pan Asian, I was able to get a broader diversity of comics and the audience.

The show was a success. The comics were a hit and the audience seemed to be really enjoying themselves. Personally though, I did not get what I wanted, which is a great video of my performance. I can find blame in many spots, but the person I want to blame is a heckler.

This is the "movie" heckler. The person who has a comment about everything on stage, and mutters it just so audibly to the person next to them. They are not so loud or boorish that the audience wants to poop on them, but like a quiet fart, they smell up the room with that piffle.

Dealing with the heckler took me off my path and dented my portion of the show. And in comedy there is no "heckler" insurance.

Then again, this is part of the journey: encountering situations on stage that make you feel like a veteran. The next time this type of heckler shows up, I will know what to do with them.

The Brainwash Laundromat and Cafe

Nitin — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 04:07:00 +0000

Located on Folsom near 7th Street in San Francisco is the Brainwash Cafe and Laundromat. It's a place where you can have coffee, food, beer, or wine while waiting for your laundry spinning in the adjacent room.

For the last several years the Brainwash has hosted comedy every Thursday night. That is the hard work of Tony Sparks, a Bay Area comic who forms the backbone of the comedy circuit by running comedy work out rooms.

Thanks to Tony and the Brainwash, new comics have a place to start while established comics get an opportunity to try out new material.

It's the place I go when I have new material to try out and need an audience that is there for the hell of it. Generally the audience is an eclectic mix of hipsters, yuppies pretending to be hipsters, hippies, the homeless. A few of the audience are attentive, a few are half-listening while working on their laptops. There is plenty of foot traffic and street noise. In this milieu comics go up and take their turn at the mike for their 5 minutes.

There was a time when I found it depressing to go to the Brainwash. As a beginning comic, you wait in lines for your 5 minutes, and then all you get are a few chuckles from someone who you learn, chuckles at his own thoughts.

Now a few years into comedy, the Brainwash is like coming home. It's one of those places where you can truly let go on stage and go with the flow. Like this night I read the graffiti in the bathroom "Losers piss on the floor, Winners shit on the ceiling." That is how I opened my set and got the attention of everyone, including the hippie on heroin.

The Late Night Comedy Show

Nitin — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 16:25:00 +0000

Finally I had my experience hosting a late night comedy show in a real comedy club. This audience comes in drunk, high, and wants to party. The women wear the short skirts with tops that leave little to imagination. The guys have the baggies, and their favorite team jerseys. The cellphones are out, and everyone is texting one another. The waitstaff is out fulfilling drink orders. Then as the host I am the first one on stage to get this audience to listen. If I have any intelligence I will give the audience, the silly, the dirty, and the shock.

The first night I tried intelligence and fell flat on my face. The club had "clean" rules and I played by them and it was horrible. The feeling of jokes dying on stage is like walking through a minefield. Pretty soon that's how your act is on stage, a painful death, limb by limb. The following night, the club lifted the "clean" rules and I brought out the dirt. By the time I got off, it became a promising evening of some good, dirty fun.

Now I realize why the comics have joke bags fulls of some good filthy jokes. When it's late night, that's what the audience wants.

Islamic Fundamentalist Bit

Nitin — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 06:25:00 +0000

I was at a big club on Tuesday and decided to do my Islamic Fundamentalist routine. I don't always do it because it uses props and that is always dicey. However the going was good that night and I put the props on and launched the routine.

In my routine, I imitate an Islamic Fundamentalist who uses logic to defend ancient practices, by pointing out the illogic of pop culture. In the process it makes the Fundamentalist seem like a dirty but likeable old man. That night while it did not fetch as many laughs as my other stuff, it still got good laughs and a long applause. Afterwards one guy bought me drinks and several came by to talk.

One woman approached me and thanked me because she had been angry about the Middle East all week and my routine helped her laugh and get over her peeve.

I hope the Muslims find my routine complimentary as well. Then I will have achieved something with comedy.

Obligated to Perform

Nitin — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 04:50:00 +0000

I did two shows that drew an appreciative audience and I came away feeling not too good about my performance. Then I did a show with three audience members, two homeless guys, people chatting at a table and I felt pretty good about my bit.

It's the corollary of performance anxiety i.e performance judgement. In the first two shows with an audience looking on, I felt obligated to perform and so I did my routine and then judged myself about everything that could have been, should have been, or simply how I screwed up.

Then in the last show with almost no one paying attention, I did whatever I felt like, got a few laughs, and walked away feeling, who gives a shit!

That in essence is the challenge of any performance art -- to be prepared and skilled and when the moment dawns don't give a shit about being up on stage, but to be in the moment. I know I should not say "shit" but it's so much more descriptive, so I don't give a shit about using it.

Race or not to Race

Nitin — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 05:33:00 +0000

It's been comedy every night this week. Two shows in the boonies of the Bay Area, a comedy panel, and then a show in the heart of the City.

The boonies is relative, because in the Bay Area even the distant suburbs are racially mixed and heavily populated.

In the boonies, I opened with race and got off to a great start and then carried through with clean comedy from there. In the city, race is not what people want to hear much about in comedy. At least not from Indian comics. The city audience is younger, hipper, and drunk. They want sex and more sex comedy. Drugs are good. Intelligent politics is good too.

I must say the show that sticks the most this week is the show in the city. I thought the young, great looking, dressed to the nines audience was going to be too stoned to pay attention. But they were attentive, looking to laugh, and not fazed by my edgy jokes. The edgy jokes that I don't even dare in the suburbs!

Star 101.3 - The Don Bleu Call

Nitin — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 03:28:00 +0000

It's my birthday and I hardly realize it. Then the phone rings. It is 7:30AM and it's gotta be my family calling from India. I pick it up and it's Don Bleu and Uzette! And no, it's not a blooper call. I am one of the finalists for the Kelly Clarkson Ford Mustang contest. They picked me for my bold move at quitting my Corporate job to start out as a Standup Comic.

I go live on air and I even get to tell a joke. Finally they take down my information and hopefully I'll get tickets to go see Kelly Clarkson AND have a chance at winning the Ford and get some good publicity.

Promote, Promote, Promote, that's what showbiz is all about, assuming that there is a product in the first place.

Now I better get working on that product part.

Imitating Ethnic Accents

Nitin — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 17:43:00 +0000

I heard Tracy Ullman making fun of ethnic minorities, imitating their accents. Tracy spoke out on National Radio against political correctness.

I wonder if she realizes how she would sound if she ever spoke Hindi or Chinese or Arabic. First she would need to actually learn another language. Then she would realize that no matter how hard she tries, she would sound like an idiot to a native speaker. Then a native speaker comic would imitate her accent and make her realize how ridiculous she actually sounds. I don't think she would be laughing much but the native speakers would have a ton of fun.

Thank goodness for political correctness.

Dashed Expectations, Hecklers, and a Great show

Nitin — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 17:29:00 +0000

You plan MONTHS in advance to celebrate a friend's 40th birthday at a comedy club with several of your friends. You call for reservations a month ahead of time. You miss picking up on crucial details: the club doesn't call back until days before the show, or that the tickets are only $7.00 on Saturday night, or that the place calls itself a hole-in-the-wall. Then you are the kind of person who I would like to sell a car to.

That's the kind of person who showed up with 10 friends to the Mock. I saw the jaw drop..."the comedy show is in here???!!!" "Yes!" At 10:15PM at night, there isn't another show that they could go see. Especially on Pride weekend in the city when parking is scarce, even the bars have lines snaking outside.

So they paid and sat down and I felt the burden of their disappointment. At the Mock, I am the businessman, the promoter, the producer, the host, and a performer. Pressure -- Nah!

By 10:20PM the room is full and I kick the show off. I always feel a little stupid, taking people's money at the door and then running on to the stage to do the show. Makes me feel that I am running something cheap! But this audience is good. I open with a new joke, and it goes over so well that I actually do a set. The birthday group is full of energy and they are laughing and my burden lifts.

But there is a heckler. A drunk Eastern European woman with her Korean boyfriend talks on every single line and I shut her up once. After my set I signal to her many times to not talk. In the meantime the show is going great guns! The comics are on a roll and it helps that it is one of the best lineups and it is unique. I had a themed night on Asian/Indian comedy and it helped that I was able to get some of the best comics to come out.

The heckler is not shutting up, we are on our last feature, and I have been unable to make the decision to throw her out. Every time I signal her to be quiet, she shuts up for a full minute and then she is back on. Her boyfriend is trying to get her to be quiet, but is failing miserably. I pity this man's desperation. He seems like a nice guy.

And then it happens -- one woman turns back, and tells the heckler to "Shut the F*** up." The room goes quiet. I am grateful. It needed to be said. The comic on stage handles the interruption really well. The audience bounces right back. The heckler and her group leaves. The heckler tries to come back by herself and I forbid her from the club. I hope her nice boyfriend has realized that this kitty comes with regret, lots of it.

Then it is time for the final headline act. It starts well and it's time for me go outside and relax. I come back and catch a great finale to an awesome show.

Sometimes the drama and the conflict is what makes a great show memorable!

Diversity of the Bay Area

Nitin — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 06:34:00 +0000

Take a town, Fremont, one of the Bay Area hubs of the Indian community and you can experience the unintegrated social life for immigrants. Thursday night I performed in one of the premier American restaurants in this town. The host figured that my presence would pull in some Indians. My presence pulled in four Caucasian friends. They came by, gave me a hug and were there to see me since I was in their town. Thankfully the restaurant itself pulled in a huge crowd and I played to an audience of close to a couple of hundred, lively caucasians who wanted the best raunchy material. I had an awesome time, despite being heckled by an aged, cranky, guy who seemed to have a beef with immigrants. I wouldn't put it past him to be one of those minuteman on the border. The rest of the audience was awesome and found in me a bridge to a community that lives around them, but hasn't been fully integrated.

Then on Saturday I performed at a Private Party for an Indian family. The audience of over a hundred had 2 Caucasians who were business associates of the hosts. The rest of the folks were all Indian. I put together a completely different routine that was PG-rated. The audience loved it (ok this is my blog).

Makes me wonder how diverse and unintegrated this liberal Bay Area is and how the rest of the country is faring. Then again, does it really matter? It's late and to heck with it.

The Joy of Comedy

Nitin — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 04:23:00 +0000

Finally an appreciation that hit home. A few weeks ago another comic saw my set and invited me for a paid private party. After 50 miles of driving I arrived to a 30th Birthday Bash. The audience was American and Latino. I was the feature act in a regular comedy setup. The host a Latino comic pronounced my name as "niti" "kan".

I couldn't have been setup with a more perfect opener. "Now I know how to say my name in Spanish." It allowed me the perfect segue into my accent joke and the rest of my set.

The gig was outdoors, the weather was gorgeous, there was booze, food, the audience was there to laugh and appreciate.

After a great act as I left the stage, someone stuck a $100-tip into my hands. Life is good.

All in a day's work...

Nitin — Fri, 12 May 2006 05:02:00 +0000

I receive a call from the local comedy club to do a set the same evening. I am tired from a show the previous evening where I had a lot of fun and could not fall asleep for the longest time. I still agree to the show since I don't want to turn down a gig at this baby-step of my comedy career.

The show kicks off to a total of 8 audience members who are friends with one of the comics. One of the guys is drunk and it is obvious he will talk the entire evening and interrupt jokes. The host tolerates him and then it's my turn. After a couple of interruptions, I tell him "Shut up Drew!" That shuts him up and kills whatever little laughter the 8 were generating. So I cajole him back into talking. The rest of my set is about bantering back and forth with Drew. Drew is a construction worker. Drew is chewing on chicken and drinking.

In the meantime the club-owner is fuming. It is hard to know if he is fuming at the audience, at me, or just his running a comedy club. I am thankful to get off the stage.

Walking out of the club, I hear Drew calling the next comic "cabbage patch." I am not sure what that means, but I don't wait to find out.

It's all in a day's work.

The Aristocrats, Robin Williams, and Easter Comedy

Nitin — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 16:24:00 +0000

I have the day off from work so I sit down to watch the Aristocrats. I can only take this for a few minutes, but I can see why we comics like this joke. It is purgative improvisation. It's letting our hair down while still performing. It's vomiting out all that expectation we put upon ourselves for the audience. A performance artist is obligated to be free on stage after all the preparation that goes into it. It's the teenager in us.

I then turn to Robin Williams live on Broadway. This fatherly looking guy has a foul mouth. This guy is talented, funny, and I adore him, but this show sucks! It's the gift of success in comedy. Good comedy comes from true feedback. As an unknown comic I am only the worth of my jokes. If my joke is funny, people laugh, otherwise I get bored stares. Known comics or celebrities don't get that honest feedback. No wonder comics peak with their first great headline set. The rest of the career is on the coattails of that initial break.

In the middle of all this DVD-watching I get called for a set at the local San Francisco comedy club. I was going to try out at an open mic and a scheduled set in a club is always much better.

At 8PM I show up at the club. It is Thursday before Easter and it is jinxed. Everyone's waiting for the resurrection. On top of that it is Spring Break. The Feds are not helping, Monday is tax day. Even with free tickets, only 2 people show up to see the show. There are 5 comics in the green room. The show is canceled.

Since my family is out of town and time is not a constraint, I decide to explore more of the San Francisco Comedy world. I walk over to the "Little Theater" two blocks away. I have never been to this room and on the way I pass a young comic. He tells me not to waste my time going there. They only have two people in the audience.

I go anyway. The Little Theater is LITTLE. It barely holds a stage. The audience is cramped into a single row between the stage and the wall. The stage is nice. It is wide and decorated with plastic flowers on the black background curtain.

There are only 2 people in the audience, and at least 5 comics. It makes for a weird setting. I decline to perform and sit down to watch.

With this intimate environment, the comics talk to the audience. The two members are fun and involved. I change my mind and sign up to go on.

It is fun being on stage even with 2 people. I realize that all the comics I perform with are fun and have interesting things to say. Especially today the comics don't feel the pressure of performance and some don't even do comedy but talk about their experiences.

The 2 audience members are enjoying it, so who cares.

The Indian Private Party

Nitin — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 16:43:00 +0000

Tapan (the Indian Comedian) asks if I am up for doing a birthday gig for an Indian family. They will pay. I have never worked with Tapan before but I have heard he is very funny and I want to work with him. I am a little weary of Indian birthday gigs in restaurants. I did one last year and had kids screaming around the stage the entire time. On top of that I had to follow a belly dancer! Guess who the audience remembered. The consolation was the money.

Tapan is persuasive and the money is good, so I agree to make the trip down to Milpitas, CA. My poor Ford Focus! The entire way down it rains and I get lost, but I finally find the small plaza in Milpitas that has been taken over by Indian restaurants and shops. The shopping plaza concept is great, you can setup little India, little Italy, little China in plazas. Commercial segregation and variety. Such is America.

In little India the audience is all Indian, but very attentive. There are kids but they are either listening or playing with their balloons. My routine is supposed to be PG, so I strip out every single sex joke. There is a baby poo joke, and I leave that in.

The show is a blast. I set it up well and then Tapan takes it home. Afterwards some of the audience talks to us. I collect my paycheck and drive home, satisfied!

I reflect back and realize that if I write for the Indian audience, my experience in America is a Goldmine. It's because I have the same viewpoint as they do. When an American comic makes fun of an Indian accent and people laugh, it's because they share an experience of the Indian accent. But I can't go to an American audience and make fun of an American accent. There is no shared experience. With an Indian audience, sky's the limit.

Finally the Mock is humming

Nitin — Sun, 02 Apr 2006 17:04:00 +0000

Last night we ran a packed room, 3 weekends in a row. The comics were great. Even the ones who didn' t have a great set were entertaining. We have gone 4 months with sizeable shows every Saturday. Some days it is standing room only. Some days we turn away an audience because we are packed. The Mock has momentum, and it is humming. Mr. Robin Williams we are ready for you to come by.

It wasn't always like this...
I have been hosting the Mock Comedy Cafe since October 2005. My first night of hosting was a disaster. The Mock is a barebones facility, small stage, small room, no mic! Provided the comics are good, it is the audience that makes it a great show. The audience had already been declining before I took over. The show was barked in(meaning getting people to come in off the street for free) by a comic, Mr. Ass. Since Mr. Ass barked in a free audience to the show, Mr. Ass did whatever he liked, whether the audience liked it or not. Mr. Ass called the audience "bitches." Mr. Ass got in the face of audiences. Mr. Ass dropped his pants. Since it was a free audience, they didn't give a hoot.

I tried to leave Mr. Ass out of the show one night. He stood aside and said "Go ahead, give it a shot, I am the one who barks in the audience, you won't have a show." He was right. So I put Mr. Ass back into the show.

Over the next two months, I set about figuring out the advertising end of things for the local market. I walked around distributing flyers. I went to different neighborhoods and put up posters. I gave out coupons. It came to nothing. I went online: Craigslist, SFStation, The SF Guardian, The SF Weekly, Zvents, Backpages, Evite. Citysearch would have been great, but they wanted big moolah. I got a handful of reservations.

I was beginning to rely upon Mr. Ass until one day he called to inform that he could not come down to bark the show, that he wished me well, that he cared about the room, and that he'll be back in the New Year.

That night I had my first full show. The online engines were finally cranking. Once an ad is in "the bit universe" of the Internet, it shows up everywhere. Sometimes in the strangest places. One of my ads showed up on a community cooking website! I had finally found the advertising sauce for the room. Advertise widely, advertise true, deliver the promise. It was the right time for the divorce with Mr. Ass.

Mr. Ass still comes by and does his set once in a while. Now he is actually funny.

The Good Moments

Nitin — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 06:54:00 +0000

Wednesday nights are not exactly the hottest for 50 Mason, San Francisco's boutique comedy club. But with a beer and wine license, the club is finally getting traction.

I showed up half-expecting the show to get cancelled because of a small audience. It has happened before and in fact even the big professional clubs have a difficult time running comedy on Wednesdays.

I had several pleasant surprises:

First I got nominated the headliner,

Second people showed up to see the show despite the rain,

Finally I had one of my best headline sets in a long time.

It is an amazing feeling to be in front of an audience and to hear them laugh and appreciate your humor.

That is why I still do it.