Your First Open Mic
- David Kousgaard
- Nov 25, 2020
- 8 min read
Your First Open Mic
Written by: David Kousgaard
This is it. The first step. You’ve thought about going up and doing comedy, you have friends and family who think you should, your coworkers think you should, and now you’ve decided to try stand-up. You’re going to sign up for that open mic and… well, you don’t quite know. Which is to be expected. You’ve never done this before, why would you know.
I had the same feeling when I decided to do my first open mic. I had no idea what to expect, what the rules were, or where to even go. It’s a strange new world that can be daunting unless you had the type of access to information comedy nerds have now. So, I wanted to throw together some helpful tips about doing your first open mic. This is in no way a how-to guide. These are just things I did and have seen others do to help make that first night as comfortable as possible.
Some of these things will probably be repeated in another post about open mic etiquette as well, but they’re good habits to get into when you first start showing up, and for that reason I included them here as well.
FIND A MIC AND WATCH IT:
When I first realized I wanted to do an open mic I had no idea where the mics were in my city. I didn’t know if there were comedy specific mics, if I would have to ask to do comedy at a music open mic, I just knew nothing about it. So, I went to Google, and Google linked me to the website BadSlava.com, which directed me towards the Barley Street Tavern Monday open mic. Turns out though, the comedy open mic was (and still is) on Wednesdays, but the information was still helpful. It got me headed in the right direction. And there are other resources that might have more current information about days and times you can use to find local mics. My suggestion is to search Facebook for local comedy scene pages or go to freemics.com.
After you find a couple of mics you are interested in checking out, go watch one or two. You don’t have to go up if you don’t want to; watching is totally fine. This will help give you a sense of what it’s like to just be there. Especially if you’ve never experienced anything like an open mic, this will help you adjust to the chaotic energy that is attached to some of them. After I found out about the Barley Street mic mentioned above, a friend and I went and we watched one start to finish. (Side note: you don’t have to watch the whole thing. That’s a lot to ask of someone even if you’re considering doing it yourself.)
If you do decide you don’t want to watch one before going up, still sit in the room and watch the mic while it’s happening. You’re likely going late on the list anyhow, so why not see what the other comedians are doing. See how the room is reacting to their jokes, what jokes the room is reacting to, see if you can pick out the vets from the new comedians and see how each person is handling it. This does a lot of things, but most importantly it shows the other comics you're supportive, and they might be inclined to show support back when you go up. It’s not guaranteed they will, so don’t hold that expectation, but it doesn’t hurt and it can make going up at 1 AM a little more bearable.
DON’T COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR SPOT ON THE LIST:
I see people do this from time to time, and I’ll be honest, I did it once when I was a new comedian. When you first start doing open mics, you’re going to be going up late a lot, unless you get to the mics super early to sign up and, even then, only if the host doesn’t shuffle the list around, which some will. That’s one of the unfortunate “dues” you have to pay in comedy. And naturally, you’re going to get sick of it. Going up late is rarely fun. The crowd is either tired or completely nonexistent or drunk and you feel that if you just go up earlier, you’ll be able to get more laughs and impress some local gatekeepers. And while maybe you’re right, don’t complain, moan, or bleat to the host and other comedians about your shitty spot. No one cares.
Now, this is not to say that you can’t talk to the host about going up sooner if you have a legitimate reason like having to work early in the morning or having an early morning class. But don’t ask to go up sooner just because you hate going late. When you do ask, be sure to take a non-demanding tone, as well. No host likes to hear, “you need to put me up early! I work in the morning!” I don’t need to do shit Jon! I don’t owe you a goddamn thing!... Sorry, flashback. Also, if the host says they can’t, accept that. If the host says you can ask to trade spots with someone, but they aren’t going to move you up just to move you up, accept that too and use that opportunity to meet someone new. As long as you don’t take a hard tone, most people will be reasonable.
Some of the places I know will also make special exceptions to first timers to make sure they don’t get buried on the list. Not all, but some. These are typically in smaller comedy scenes that are trying to be as welcoming as possible, so it might happen in cities like Chicago, New York, or LA. If the host asks if it’s your first time when you sign up, though, be honest and say yes. It could save you from telling jokes to one dude who is just waiting for his Uber at 1:30 AM. Also remember that the more you frequent a mic, the more the host will get to know you, and might give you a better spot.
PREPARE:
There’s a saying I love that goes, “Confidence comes from competence, and competence comes from preparation.” Getting ready to speak publicly can be daunting in any capacity, let alone when your goal is to elicit a specific response from a person, such as laughter.
I finally decided I wanted to try chasing my dream of being a stand-up comedian on my 21st birthday in March of 2013. I didn’t do my first open mic, however, until July of 2013 almost four full months later. In that time, I decided to live by those words and I wrote for those four months. Trying to prepare for something that I had no idea how to prepare for. I just wanted to make sure that when I went up for my first time that I felt as comfortable as I could in an uncomfortable situation. And it worked. I didn’t kill, but I also didn’t piss my pants out of nerves.
Do you have to wait and write for four months before trying stand-up? No. But having some sort of preparation isn’t a bad idea. Don’t walk into the mic with no idea what you’re going to talk about. Even if you’re just going to tell that funny story you tell at the office that takes four minutes to set up before you even get close to something resembling a joke; know what you want to say up there.
Even if the set goes bad and you fail, at least you will know that it wasn’t for a lack of trying. You are going to fail a lot in comedy, and that is fine. It gives you a roadmap to improvement. But make sure you did what you could. To quote Gary Gulman, “It’s okay to fail! Fail a lot! But don’t fail because you were being lazy.”
(Sidenote: if you didn’t follow Gary Gulman in 2019 when he was tweeting out daily comedy tips all year, do yourself a favor and check out this Vulture article [link] where they compiled them all together. It’s helped me a lot and I hope it helps you too.)
DO YOUR OWN JOKES:
Comedy is not like music. You can’t cover a joke. Write your own jokes and perform them how you want to. You’ll learn to refine your joke writing over time, so don’t worry if the first couple you write are bad. Just don’t do someone else’s jokes. Ever. Moving on.
RESPECT THE LIGHT:
Pretty much every open mic will have someone shining a light at you to let you know that you have one-minute left. Ask the host beforehand when and where the light will be coming from. Love the light, respect the light.I know this one might seem weird from someone who hosts a podcast called, “Running the Light.” I know, shut up. This will immediately separate you from most first timers, though.
When you do get the light, give the host a nod, finish your joke, and even if it falls flat, end your set. If you have other things you wanted to talk about, but ran out of time, well now you have something to talk about next time. This shows respect for the host’s time, the audience’s time, and the other comedian’s time. No one is going to throw you a parade for nailing this your first time up, but you also won’t have a bunch of people grumbling about you and getting pissed off.
BRING A FRIEND, BUT NOT A CROWD:
Every so often, someone will do their first open mic and they will invite every single person they’ve ever met to come watch them. I honestly think more people come to these open mics than will attend that person’s wedding. And as a comedian who’s been through enough shitty mics with only comics there, I don’t mind these nights at all. Thanks for the audience. However, I would still advise against this.
While it’s nice to have a large support group there, I feel it can give first timers a false sense of their ability. These folks kill in front of people who already like them, get a big head, then get a large, cold bucket of reality dumped on them when they come back and perform in front of strangers the next time, and that’s the last they are seen. I’ve seen it happen over a dozen times, and I don’t want that to be anyone’s experience; let alone the reason they quit.
My advice is to invite those people to your first booked show, but not your first-time doing comedy at a mic. Instead, bring just a friend or two. Preferably, one who won’t make it a big deal if you don’t do well. That way you have someone to help you pass the time and make you feel comfortable. Plus, they can give you feedback after your set, even if it’s lies about how well you did.
These are the tips I think will help you best as you prepare for and perform at your first open mic. Hopefully you found them helpful and maybe even learned a thing or two. I hope it goes well for you and that you grow a better love and appreciation for stand-up comedy, even if you decide you don’t want to continue performing. Always remember to be kind and to never take this too seriously.
Alright. Stay dope, ski slopes.
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