Anti-Comedy Anyone?

http://www.livestream.com/nslf/video?clipId=pla_f3f9f093-b6ad-4bd0-ba5a-dbfb82316eaf&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb
This evening I served up a raw dose of good ole Anti-Comedy. A blend of absurd randomness and behavior, seldom paid for but often observed in everything from art films to rain storms. It was all about the moment and misunderstood by many. It takes a few views to make it really matter. Once you get over the fact that it's not what you'd expect at a comedy show, or any show for that matter you realize that self-expression is always pretty. It's not about making you feel good, it's about giving you an experience you'll never have again. It's not about entertainment, but about creating a moment in time that can only exist for those people present. This is not a performance I created for the joy, or for the fame, but for a deep desire within me to express myself against all odds. When faced with a force of haters and thugs I am destined to come up with something pungeant and frothy. I don't serve up hot-cross bunds to everyone. You all get a special treat. This evening, I created a special event for my least admirable fellow-humans. Go forth, and live your lives, for the live in the past is a sad mistake. Worry not about me, but about yourself, for after all that is all you really have, and can count on. I will not stop performing, and even then their is video. But video doesn't do justice, like live performance. Never give up, never give in. Thank you to all my friends who attended tonight, and no thanks to all the rest.

Does anyone listen to National Polish Radio?

When I got up this morning I was excited. It was going to be the second time in as many weeks that I would be speaking on the radio. I was notified of my appearance just 24 hours prior. I had no idea who it was that had invited me and why I was going to be interviewed, aside from the fact that the show would be about Stand-up comedy. I arrived at the Polish National Radio Station early in the morning and notified the station that I was in the lobby. I purchased the worst cup of tea I have ever half-consumed in my life, and waited. A woman at the front desk called, "Anyone here for Channel 4?" I answered and was told to wait some more. After some time a woman finally came downstairs and asked the front desk about me. "Look for the guy with the best smile," was how the woman was supposed to recognize me among the 3 people waiting to get onto the air. She approached me and took me upstairs to the recording studio. I walked in and I was immediately introduced to the dj. After a brief moment in the engineers side I walked into the soundproof (most likely) recording booth and within a few minutes I was on the air. "Ok, welcome back everybody, we've got a guest this morning, and he's doing a one-man show in Warsaw. What is stand-up comedy anyhow?" As the dj asked me these questions I began to think too much. Instead of being in the moment I was somehow just beyond it. Within what seemed like seconds our conversation ended. I was told that the dj, "might check out one of my shows someday," and escorted out of the studio. As I left the building I anticipatedthat the interest in Laugh.pl would skyrocket. Upon checking my online stat system I was surprised to discover that only 24 people visited my main web site (laugh.pl) and as I read these numbers I came to realize that the support and interest of the media is not enough. In order to compete in the cut-throat world of entertainment you have to offer an innovative, interesting, captivating product that keeps people on the edge of their seats. In retrospect I wish I would have had more fun with the interview, and I would have garnered a bit more interest. So that makes 2 radio appearances and 1 television appearance. What does the future hold for Rich Greenfield? Only time will tell, and if I can ever get back into creating multimedia that's entertaining I'll have won half of the battle.

Friends and Comedy Don't Often Mix

In March I met a man from Belfast. He seemed like quite the violent and aggresive sort of person I needed to move my idea of a virtual comedy club along. I teamed up with him in September of 2010. At the start we had a simple idea, "to provide local comedians with a regular evening where they would be able to hone their skills in stand-up comedy." Eventually, the idea turned into something like, "let's run over everybody in town getting to our next gig." Quality went totally down the tubes and everyone was in a dog-eat-dog mood. An organization cannot survive long after the founders are less than friends. All it takes to end an inspiring project (or at least a partnership) is a drunken late-night rant directed at you by your "partner" in the organization. After our little "chat" I decided that it was time to take Laugh.pl back to it's roots. I plan on starting 2011 with a well-defined concept for Laugh.pl with only one rule in mind, my way or the highway. No more partnerships, no more boards of directors. They cliche goes that to get something done you have to do it yourself. Well it seems, that instead of looking for a "partner" I should've just gotten off my ass and talked to some venue owners on my own. However I guess I needed to be convinved by someone else first.

Happy New Year to everyone, and wish me luck as I carry Laugh.pl into a new era in 2011.

Polish Stand-Up Comics Get Demolished in Local Press

In local periodical,Poland's young and ambitious (and sometimes madly self-centered) stand-up comedians were torn a new one by Warsaw based Rzeczpospolita TV in a recent article titled, "Zacięta Walka" (fierce battle). In the article writer Julia Rzemek and Krzysztof Materna cast doubt on the current state of stand-up comedy and write that, "Among the talented [Stand-Up Comics] of Poland's young scene, there are no masters." A painful thing to hear when channels like Comedy Central and Polsat have created shows centered on showcasing the same 10 or so "top-comics" currently active in Poland. When you see the same comic on two tv shows in the USA it means he's got something special, in Poland it means he bothered to go to the audition.

Does Standing Up Make One Funny?

Telling Jokes vs. Being Funny
Getting on stage, holding a microphone, and telling jokes is all it takes for most people to consider themselves comedians. I have met many hard-working performers who have "polished" their act only to realize that they were polishing burnt rubber. It's important to have funny material, but it's more important for your funny material to matter. It's one thing to make a person laugh, but to make them think is the real challenge.
More than Entertaining Drunks
Comedy can and should be about more than striking the lowest note on the ladder of taste and waiting for the mere shockwave to destroy the audiences ability to think, and instead go for the "gut reaction". If it was more than a bit difficult to make a crowd of strangers laugh at the mere mention of orgasms, or sex, or the church, there would be far fewer operating comedy venues.
Shouting, Swearing and Others Ways to Get Laughed At
People considering careers in comedy should start by reading about what interests them, and getting a real deep perspective on their topic of choice, whether it's masturbation, broken families, or religion. When a performer has nothing to say, and is just reciting things off the top of his shallow head it's not going to get the same kind of reaction (at least not as long-lasting) as when he thinks about the issue, and really let's himself experiment. Why should comedians get to hurry through their work, while playwrites, poets, architects, and even visual artists have to put time (if even just thinking time) into their work? Comedians are not separate from the performing arts, or the arts in general. It's a myth that Stand-up comedy is "something beyond, something else" it's really just rhetoric designed to stimulate our sense of irony. Stand-up is a one-sided faux-discussion about events, issues, and people important to the comedian, and hopefully important to the audience as well. In our desire to entertain people we should strive not to educate them, but to make them think. For when people think and laugh at the same time they change, and when comedy influences change it ceases to be something "else" and begins facing up to the reality, comedy like everything else designed for an audience must be honest with itself, and look at more than just the laugh meter for feedback.
Endnote
I cannot say that I know what comedy is, after all if that was true I'd be getting paid to do it. However, I am certain that as an audience member I am almost always more satisfied when the artist (comic) makes me think, and not just react.

Surprised by an Open Mic

An Interesting SMS
I wasn't planning on doing anything that night. While sitting in the kitchen doing nothing in particular I received a text message, "Open Mic tonight. Want to go?" The message was from Stephen, a friend of mine from the United Kingdom. I responded with a request for details. I killed time surfing the web, and thinking of ways to stay calm. This would be my first solo performance since comming to Poland in May of 2009. I hadn't been doing anything like Open Mic nights for over 18 months, so I was quite rusty.

It's My Time
The host of the evening a bearded man holding a wireless microphone and standing in front of a large LCD screen introduces me, "Rich Greenfield." I fumble up to the stage and grab the mic. I was excited about the peformance not only because it was my first in a long time, but also because I could try and see how I would do performing in Polish. I decided earlier in the evening that I would use a bi-lingual blended method for getting my ideas across to the audience. The people at the show where these hipster-artist types, and probably all lived in lofts. When I spotted their funny hats, and sharp colored outfits, I knew that English would have to be used to wooh them, and Polish to put them into their place. After 10 minutes of rambling and improvisation I was finished.

Post mortem
All in all, I think it was a performance that would of been better had I been really warmed-up. When I would do shows at Thai Joes in Milwaukee I would have a good amount of time (and quiet) to get into "my zone." However, at this cafe I didn't have a place to hide. It was raining outside and I had been fighting a cold for a few days and didn't want it to get worse. I had no place to hide inside as the place was packed. So I just kind of burned myself out talking to people and getting distracted. My main issue was my lack of focus, and a distinct cohesiveness or plot in my performance. In the future I must force myself to warm-up before going on stage, and most importantly to refrain from idle chit-chat prior to performing, as it tends to melt everything in my mind together into a glob of nonsense, rather than a well-formulated tale.

Open Mic Night in Warsaw, Poland

I am going to be hosting the first "Rich & Steve's Non-Stop Laugh Factory" Open Mic Night in Warsaw Poland on September 20th 2010. We are trying to promote English language comedy in Poland and we are also interested in providing a place for comics to test their material. The location is great, we managed to work closely with the owner and got a great deal on the venue. I am excited, and will post a video when I am finished. For facebook users interested in our group visit here"