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When on the road with comedy, whether I am a headliner or an opener, there is always a need to do your best material. It's always hard to try new unproven material on a "real" show for me, because it messed up the rhythm of what you are used to and also, sometimes doesn't work. When you are at a new club too, you want to crush with proven material and you never know what part of the show the bookers are watching. So its hard not to always feel like its an audition. New material is exciting for comedians and sometimes that excitement helps sell the joke while the "proven hits" are stale sometimes and an audience can often feel when you are not into it either. Then, sometimes I see people who saw me last time I was in that city and you want to do a different set too. Its a real mind job. Recently, I was at opening at a venue I am trying to headline in the future and I didn't want to do the stuff I did last time I was there, which did very well. At the same time, I was afraid of doing newer stuff that was hit or miss. I ended up doing the newer stuff and a little of the old hits and did well. Not amazing but "well." Who knows if I will be asked back. Speaking of asks, people who often ask me when I will be in Chicago next, since I have been on the road so much. Here is the announcement. I am headlining Zanies Comedy Night Club in Chicago Tuesday April 2nd. Please get your tickets in advance as I am hoping to sell this show out. If you have friends in Nashville or Detroit or you are in Nashville or Detroit, some see me this week at Zanies in Nashville (Wednesday) and One Night Stan's in Waterford Township Thurs-Saturday. 
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I am of Generation X. I grew up in a time of pay phones and no internet, well not 'til college at least. We had metal bars at the gym and were taught that working hard leads to sucess and drugs fry your brain, literally. We were tougher, not as tough as the boomers. If there is a problem, we solved it. Thats what Vanilla Ice taught us at least. I approach my comedy career with these same values; I work hard, I solve problems when I see them, or at least confront them instead of passively addressing them via texts (and I say no drugs). For better or worse, the generation gap with other comedians shows itself with younger comedians who often find shortcuts instead of putting in the time. Conventional wisdom teaches us that you reach a certain amount of time to perfect your craft and then reap the benefits. But recent success has shown many talented comedians jumping the line and finding success much faster with social media and other ways of getting their work to the masses. Older often more talented comics with far more experience are left to fend for themselves and often lose out on opportunities to newer comedians who figure out the algorithm. And thats not a judgment on work ethic because often times what we were taught as Gen X'ers ultimately was wrong. There is a difference between working hard and working smart and sometimes putting in the hours is not the smartest move. You can probably get more mileage out of a great comedy clip than driving 4 hours to do 30 minutes in front of a crowded drunken bar in small town, Indiana. The same holds true with conflict. We were taught to address the conflicts head on but younger generations don't necessarily do that. They can address conflict on their own time, behind a screen or sometimes just ghosting the issue altogether. There is a power in that, being done when you are personally done. We see that with people just ghosting dates or even employers. I can respect the power to simply walk away from a conflict instead of addressing it or resolving it, but sadly, I can't do that myself. I guess I am a lawyer at heart. #standup #comedy #formerlawyer #generationx #throwback  Saturday is my birthday. I am not looking forward to it. It's a reminder of how much older I am than most of my peers who started comedy in their 20s (whereas I started at 38). I think I have accomplished a lot with comedy but I do feel at times that my age holds me back in the eyes of the gatekeepers. Like why would they take me for a show or a project when there is a comedian just as funny as me who is in his or her 20s? Its frustrating and it eats at me often. On the other hand, age has its advantages. Like most people at comedy clubs are closer in age to me than most of the comedians on the show and I provide more relatable situations on stage. And when I say I hate getting older, it resonates better than a comedian who is saying that and is 29. I always love seeing other creators find their lane later in life because it gives me hope that maybe I can do that same and create an audience that can appreciate what I am doing. Speaking of age, me and my MUCH elder peer Paul Ollinger (jk jk jk) are doing some amazing shows in San Francisco at Cobbs Comedy Club (the 22nd) and Zanies Comedy Club in Nashville (the 28th) this month so if you can make it or spread the word, it would be greatly appreciated. In the meantime, go watch this week's WHY ARE YOU AWAKE Podcast with comedian Blake Burkhart on my youtube channel #birthday #gettingolder #careerchange #standup #podcast  It's important to celebrate wins, when we get them, especially as so called creatives. Someone asked me if I have seen a difference in the last year with my comedy and if its an upswing, then I should be happy. And it has been, for the most part. I am headlining more shows than I am opening. I am selling out rooms in new markets even though less of my followers are seeing my content. Yes, although my follower growth has risen, less people are seeing my content on Instagram. I don't know why and its my biggest concern right now. Help if you can, Instagram! That being said, The wins are coming in and I need to work on stopping and smelling the flowers. I recently forced myself to slow down after a show and not rush to get off stage and instead look at the crowd and accept the positve feedback. I did it once recently and it was great (then I went back to rushing off stage). One thing I am most proud of is my new podcast and the growth it has led to on youtube. I surpassed 1 million views of my content last week on Instagram, which is a huge win for me. If you don't follow me there, please to (link in comments) so I can continue to grow and hit 2 million this year? LINK--> youtube.com/paulfcomedy Also thank you all for sharing my content and show dates. Hope to see you in San Francisco and Nashville and Detroit next! hashtag#growth hashtag#win hashtag#standupcomedy  |
AuthorPaul Farahvar is a comedian hailing from Chicago, Ill. Archives
August 2024
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