day 74 | ‘coming to grips’

December 11, 2002. San Francisco, CA

the first time i tried doing stand-up comedy was at the luggage store on market street in sf.
i did it on a dare. a dare i had with myself. i was in one of my “face your fears” phases. i
made a list of the scariest things i could imagine, and doing stand-up comedy was at the top.

my strategy was to not try to be funny. the “routine” i came up with was to say that a friend
had bet me a hundred bucks that i wouldn’t do it. so i told the audience i didn’t actually have
anything funny to say, i just needed the money. then i said “if you have to use the restroom,
or just feel like stretching your legs now would be a good time”

then i pretended to call my “friend” and tell him i was on stage and that he owed me a
hundred bucks

it didn’t go horribly – i got some laughs. it was very scary, so i decided to do it again.
i signed up for a class. did three or four more performances. i never let anyone who knew me
come see me perform.

it got slightly less scary. i never got to the point of being comfortable, or particularly funny,
but now it’s easier for me to talk in front of an audience.