I bombed the hardest I have ever bombed at an open mic yesterday. Even the crickets were silent. This was the sequence of my set:

My opening joke.

Silence.

Next joke.

Silence.

Next joke.

Silence.

I said this: “I don’t like when comedians say that’s a new joke or i’m still working on that one. That’s a cop out. Be a man. Accept the Silence. “

Silence.

More of the same.

Ending line: “Well fuck me. I’m Harris Alterman and I’m on Pinterest.”

Here’s my point. I got no laughs, but I was talking about things I cared about. Not things I’m interested in. Things I really do care about. Sure I could probably tell some jokey jokes and get a few laughs, but how does that help me grow? I don’t want to tell jokes that sound like they could be told by 1,000 different comics. I want to tell jokes that only sound right coming out of my mouth. Even if they suck for now.

I believe it’s a faster track in comedy to focus on finding your voice before you focus on being funny. You can be pretty funny for 15 years and then find your voice or you can be horrendous for 7 years and then find your voice. I’m planning on doing the latter. Find your voice first and the funny will follow. I have no idea what the fuck I’m talking about, but I’m sticking to it.