Nerves

I need help!

I've got big problems with my stand up (3 if you count not being funny but I don't want to) and while I've got an idea how to combat one of them, another leaves me stuck.

I really struggle with nerves, to the point where when I'm on stage I talk far too quickly and make mistakes with my timing and forget things. My friends often video me at open mic nights (because they're evil) and I realised how bad my nerves are because of that.

I've been trying to cut down the waffle between jokes, and so was watching back earlier videos to see what I can cut out, what bits have the best reaction etc, and I noticed that just watching something that I'd done months ago, I started feeling proper stage fright again. Having stopped the video 10 minutes ago, I'm still shaking!

I watched the video of my most recent one, and my voice is really weird. I don't know how noticeable that is to people who don't know me, but I sound a bit like Jessica Rabbit, only not in a good way.

What's the best way to deal with that? A part of me says to just keep doing it and stop avoiding potentially scary gigs, in the hope that the nerves will go away. I don't know if that's sensible though. I tried to do that by doing gigs that I wasn't ready for so that the ordinary ones would scare me less, but that means performing at a lower standard than I'm potentially capable of in front of a lot of people. Is there a quicker way?

I don't want to be visualising anybody naked, they'll all just look better than me and then make me want to kill myself.

Hmm hints?

1 Memorise your act completely, I find this hard but not worrying about lines helps hugely.

2 Rehearse as much as possible with others.

3 Rehearse with a mirror and maintain eye contact with yourself(I find this well hard)

4 Time yourself so you know how long you've got.

5 Keep your actual act simple.

6 Keep going it's the practise to deals with nerves and it'll take time. No one starts well.

7 Practise acting/voice projection etc they all build those core skills.

8 Do what I do and don't bother.

9 ID your jokes and practise the timing etc for them, don't get to hooked into perfecting the filler bits.

Quote: sootyj @ January 13 2011, 1:01 PM GMT

Hmm hints?

1 Memorise your act completely, I find this hard but not worrying about lines helps hugely.

2 Rehearse as much as possible with others.

3 Rehearse with a mirror and maintain eye contact with yourself(I find this well hard)

4 Time yourself so you know how long you've got.

5 Keep your actual act simple.

6 Keep going it's the practise to deals with nerves and it'll take time. No one starts well.

7 Practise acting/voice projection etc they all build those core skills.

8 Do what I do and don't bother.

9 ID your jokes and practise the timing etc for them, don't get to hooked into perfecting the filler bits.

View original

Thank you!

1. I think I really need to work on that. I change things at the last minute, which is a stupid compulsion. I think if I practice something too much, I get bored of it. I'm also stupid enough that I feel the need to do completely new material every time. Partly because when I drag friends along, I'd feel bad if they had to listen to the same crap. It's also why I never practice in front of people. I think I should definitely do that. The idea of doing stand up in my living room to my friends terrifies me more, so perhaps that will be a good idea?

I do the rehearsing in a mirror bit, weird but less scary than doing it to other people.

Timings, I'm useless at. Last Saturday my set was a minute shorter than when I'd pratcised, because of the nerves making me get through it quicker. I'd had to cut bits out to get it down to 5 minutes. If I hadn't cut stuff I would've had more jokes.

My act is already very simple. I don't do many structured jokes, it's more humiliating and true stories from my pathetic excuse for a life. I've noticed that there's two things that have gone well. One is when I'm improvising (I don't do that very often, admittedly) and another is when I do a joke that scares me. I've had a couple that have really, really terrified me, but they're the ones that were received the best. I think that might mean I feel a tendency to play it safe for the rest of it, which is ever going to end well.

I'm tempted to post a link to my most recent one to show you what I mean, but I'm too nervous >_<

Ah now there is your problem! You are doing structured gags.

Everyone thinks a structured joke is

My dog's got no nose. How does he smell? Disgusting

But.

I my dog lost it's nose in a traffic accident, I took him to the vets I was crying, he was whimpering. I said will he smell anything again?
And the vet said "he smells pretty bad right now"

is seen as an annecdobte.

ID your jokes!

I only ever, ever add new material at the beginning or end of my act. And even then it's rarely worth it (maybe one or 2 gags from the press)

I am how ever a horribly awful standup.

Remember an audience can't see as much of your nerves as you feel. If you still feel they're letting you down you could turn it into part of your act. Play up the nervy, edgy character.

I also agree with Sooty about the memorising your routine. Learn every word and pause and then make it look convincingly natural.

You're also making it really hard for yourself by coming up with new material. In effect you're trying out new material at each gig, which is pretty scary in itself. Use your best tried and tested stuff. Your friends will probably still laugh.

Have you tried doing a gig without any friends or family in the audience? They might be making you more nervous. It's liberating to go on stage and know you'll never see these f**kers ever again, and you'll feel less nervous.

Good luck anyway, you've still done something that terrifies most of the population.

I hate memorising my routine, along with finding gigs and having to watch other standups it's what keeps me off the stage so much.

But it makes such a diference.

But at one stage when I'd had about 10 gigs in a row I was riffing it. Making it up off the cuff, but I only got there by having a bunch of succesful gigs before hand.

You gotta build the muscles.

Unfortunately there's no easy solution to this. Practice, determination and patience are the things that quell nerves, which means (initially at least) having to put yourself in uncomfortable situations time and time again. It also helps when you've done certain jokes enough times that they've proven themselves funny. Once you know it's a banker you finally find yourself delivering the joke with the confidence it deserves.

Also, if you have a particular weakness, don't feel bad about giving yourself with a crutch. I have almost zero power of memory, so I craft my sets in such a way that I'm not called upon to remember anything - either I read from lists or present slideshows or tell one gigantic story from my own life I've told a hundred times before. I could never be a one-liner comic so what's the point in beating myself up about it? Likewise, if improv isn't your skill don't force it. Maybe one day once you're more comfortable on stage you'll be able to riff but for now just concentrate on what you're good at.

But even if you don't memorise it, you're pretty damn familiar with your act?

Quote: sootyj @ January 13 2011, 1:48 PM GMT

But even if you don't memorise it, you're pretty damn familiar with your act?

View original

I don't really have a set act as I'm still trying out different styles, so no. And to be honest, even if I were to have done a single act a hundred times, I still wouldn't trust my memory as it's so seriously flawed.

Ok then bits of it?

You know the individual component jokes work? You're comfortable with timing them and wording them?

C'mon chuck usa frickin' bone?

Quote: sootyj @ January 13 2011, 1:58 PM GMT

Ok then bits of it?

You know the individual component jokes work? You're comfortable with timing them and wording them?

C'mon chuck usa frickin' bone?

View original

It's not really about whether or not an individual joke works, it's about remembering the one that follows it. The most I can manage is to string maybe three jokes together without a prompt, so I tailor my sets to that handicap.

This has made for interesting reading! I did my first five minutes of stand up last weekend. I had no idea how it was going to pan out, whilst my friends think I am funny, was an audience of strangers going to think the same?

Basically, I trekked from Plymouth to London with a few friends and family in tow thus forcing me to go on stage- I couldn't drag them all that way and wimp out! I was pretty confident with my material as I had emailed it to several friends beforehand and they had enjoyed it, so I knew it was down to whether I could deliver. However, Dolly- the thought of actually performing it in front of just my friends, I would find that even more frightening! Perhaps because I would have to see them again!

I had pretty much learned my material word for word and I felt good about it (actually went off script and dabbled with some improv which, to my surprise, worked!). I was nervous, but not as bad as I thought I would be, my mindset was f**k it, I'm doing this for myself, what's the worst that can happen? and then I visualised the worst that could happen and thought, well, I can cope with public humiliation! Because, that is the worst that can happen right? And even if it does, you have done a lot more than what most people could do. It takes balls to get up in front of people!

You travelled from Plymouth.

For your first gig?

Yes, I know, a bit mental. It was kind of on a whim, I entered a parody into an FHM competition last year and didn't get anywhere (I think it may have been a little controversial, even for Babycow), so, wallowing in self pity for all of 15 minutes, I Googled competitions and the Laughing Horse one popped up. I thought that I was just registering for details but they sent me an email back offering me a slot. So I thought, well, got to start somewhere, might as well plummet my derriere into the deep end.

It went well though.

Good stuff

How close are you Exeter? I think there maybe more of a comedy scene there?