BUMMER [stand up comedy BLOGRMAGE: DAY 28]

This is the second week in a row I did not make the stand up comedy list. The frustrating thing is that there is no system or communication in place to inform me on what the problem is. Did I not perform well enough? Is their a process to earn a second spot? Did I do something wrong? These are the kind of questions I am asking. The manager, from what people have told me, is not friendly with comedians so that puts a stop to aggressively gaining a timeslot.

Oh well. This just means I should focus on other comedy spots. There is an open mike everyday of the week in Minnesota. Not all of them are ideal venues like the one I've been weekly attending, but I can't be pick when it comes to experience. The simple act of practicing, performing and writing material will grow me into a better comedian. Simply waiting for the best opportunities will deny me of the exponential growth of regular practice.

A copy of what my set would have been is posted above.

-Pradeepan

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FASHION [stand up comedy BLOGRMAGE: DAY 24-27]

HELLO!

Sorry I haven't blogged about comedy the last few days. I've been busy with fashion photography and some other side pilgrimages (a blogrimage without the blog) I've been doing!

I'm doing an open mike tomorrow (hopefully)!

Saturday was a big photography day. I worked with the Former Miss Teen USA MN (pictures posted below) and then did runway photography for a magazine later that night (video above).

All in all, it was a bunch of new experiences for me. I've never been to a runway show, and like with comedy, got introduced to a whole new subculture. I love new experiences like that.

There are whole worlds of society I have no idea about.

Seeing fresh experiences like this gives me a lot of material for comedy, so I also welcome these new events for tangible reasons as well. Plus, I got to meet a ton of new photographers. They were very nice, inviting and had way better equipment than me. Oh well. I'll just keep growing with what I have.

Peace!

LIFEDY [stand up comedy BLOGRMAGE: DAY 23]

What do you call a girl postal worker? A femail man?

DIFFERENT LOOKS [stand up comedy BLOGRMAGE: DAY 21]

At the end of work, I sat in an office with my co-worker guys, and talked about comedy. There are so many different styles of comedy that I'm unaware of. The subculture within stand up is amazing. If you have not been to an open mike or a comedy club, please try it. You might have to endure language and crude comments, but you'll get a social commentary into your neighbors hearts.

We are often disconnected from the society around us these days. Between garages and facebook, it is so easy to isolate oneself. This stand up comedy subculture is a unique insight into what people think is funny or offensive.

-Pradeepan

DENIED [stand up comedy BLOGRMAGE: DAY 20]

Went to the open mike today, and didn't make the list. More than 50 people signed up to perform, and only 20 made it to the stage. Tonight a documentary crew came to film some amateur comedians, so the club pulled out a lot of the regulars.

They do, however, always incorporate first time comedians into the show. So the first 5 or 10 comedians absolutely bombed their sets. Since I've been watching stand up comedy, tonight was probably the worst set I've ever seen. It made me especially upset because I didn't get to perform. Even though it was a bummer, I was a little encouraged by the lack of quality I saw by first timers. Hopefully this doesn't sound arrogant, but I saw the difference in talent. Some people will have to work much harder to become stand ups than others.

On an encouraging note, a different club owner approached me and said that he remembered me performing last week and that I should perform at his venue. He'd give me more time and a guaranteed spot. I might do this just to get more experience. The venue won't have as many people or be as prestigious though.

Oh well. The experience will be well worth it if I choose to go ahead with it.

-Pradeepan

BACK [stand up comedy BLOGRMAGE: DAY 19]

Hello, thanks for excusing my posting hiatus. Sri Lanka played against India, and, unfortunately, lost in the World Cup. Since the games were in Asia, I woke up at 4am to watch the matches, and took my schedule, and posting, on a spin.

Anyways, I thought of another cool BLOGRIMAGE idea today. Make a short film every week. Shoot the raw footage, and edit a little bit a each day. You could even make a month long show with a daily episode. Shoot a bunch on the weekend, and then edit that raw footage each night.

Tomorrow is Monday, so I'm going to to an open Mike again. I haven't written anything yet, so I hope I can come up with something good. Last week, I tried so hard to write something and I didn't end up putting anything in stone until right before the show. I shouldn't be as nervous this time, but I am--it sucks not having  a ton of material. Writing is still the hardest part of this whole game.

A lot of the other comics repeat the same material week after week. I want to write new material each time I do an open mike. It's a challenge, but that's what this is all about.