I’M TOO EXCITED TO PROOF, MOFOS!
Well, I did it … I performed my abortion jokes on stage. I was the third from last comedian, which isn’t the ideal position. Also, a big group of the audience left halfway through the show after the person they went to see was done1.
BUT there was this older, heavyset gentleman in the front row in bib overalls who was the MVP audience member. His laugh was infectious and he seemed to really enjoy himself. I mostly stayed focused on making him laugh, but had a great time along the way.
So here you go: Shannon’s abortion jokes.
If you read my earlier post, you know that I’ve been struggling with getting on stage after my first time up2, which inevitably leads to all those intense feelings that come with rejection sensitivity.
But tonight? All that was wiped away. I walked out of there with a big grin on my face because I had given myself a challenge (write jokes about one of the most complicated subjects out there) and I feel like I made a few people laugh with them.
In my mind, it doesn’t matter what happens going forward. I’ve at least proven that I’m capable of writing and performing. This is so validating and I can’t wait to write a completely new set and go back and do it again.
I want to thank Geraint Evans for helping me understand how to make my original versions fit into a stand-up structure. And he even gave me “that’s the only swinging”, jizz socks, and pass the barbecue sauce. The rest was all part of my original writing that he showed me how to edit.
I really felt like this was a make-it-or-break-it moment for me. Although I didn’t get the biggest laughs that night, I got a decent amount. And that feels like a victory.
Meaning the odds were stacked against me getting much of a response from a tired, thinning audience.
Which was an absolute nightmare of a bomb. The only thing I didn’t do that would have made the disaster complete was if I had broken down crying.