Comedy I Say!

I’ve been performing stand up comedy for a while now. And man does that shit feel goooood!  But over the last few months I’ve discovered how bloody hard it is to be a comic. I find myself carrying a book around, writing down jokes whenever they happen. I find myself practicing in front of the mirror. Making sure every facial expression is just right. Every pause is just long enough and every word is said clearly so as to minimize the risk of the audience missing the joke. I find myself watching documentary after documentary on comedy. Watching a lot of Stand Up Comedy. Talking to a lot of comics and performing every chance I get. Hell! I even started organising my own shows! I got tired of the fact that there weren’t enough ‘comedic opportunities’ around.

It’s challenging on a number of levels because it’s so different from what I’m used to performing. Music. You can’t cover someone else’s jokes. You can’t hide behind an instrument. You can’t have the same 6 songs and perform them show after show. Hell! Both the audiences and I got tired of the damn old set in 3 months and I had to scrap the whole thing.

But it’s alright. It’s worth it. Every single moment of it is worth it. The innate joy of bringing such happiness to someone’s life is far beyond anything I’ve felt. It brings into further perspective that Creating and Performing are two things that resonate with me on levels far deeper than anything else.

I debut at the Comedy Store Open Mic on the 11^th of April. I’m already nervous as hell trying to prepare. I hope that bird lands safely!

Jai Hind!

Mehta.