Why do we do comedy? For the money, of course!! Well, maybe not.

Obviously we love the attention and the validation of performing to a crowd, and this is true of all live performers. The feedback is right there in real time. It’s undeniable and addictive as hell. But there is also something more. There are other positive feelings associated with the thrill of doing live comedy.

I’ve got this theory that there’s two types of performers, the ones who want to be seen and the ones who want to be heard. I’ve been both; I once sought the adulation and attention as a young musician, but now I’m less comfortable being seen and what seek is validation for the ideas I share.

Either way, there’s good feelings from performing that comes from the audience. (when it goes well, at least). As an electronic musician, being able to make people’s bodies move with the sounds I produced was an incredible feeling of visceral power, but with comedy it’s more like the satisfaction of having a roomful of strangers approve of your ideas.

It’s satisying to do crafts, to manufacture something pleasing or useful from something else… but with writing and music and comedy, you’re making something literally from nothing. All the ingredients in the final product previously only had life in my head. There’s a special satisfaction in making something from nothing.

It’s even better when you get to present something newly created to an audience and see it well received, to discover that your ideas actually work. Some of it’s the release after the tension of not knowing, having stressed about whether you’ll be rewarded or punished for your new material. Most it, though, is the thrill of making a connection with your audience in an entirely new way.

Honestly, though, some of my favourite parts of a gig have nothing to do with the audience. That brief handshake that a comedian and an MC do as they pass, one heading to the mic and the orther exiting the stage, is really satisfying. It’s cameraderie, well-wishing from someone who’s “in the trenches” with you. It’s a special peer connection as the baton is passed that happens again after the gig. That second one is especially satisfying if the gig went well because the MC communicates it wordlessly as we pass.

Another great feeling is the one I’m experiencing now as I write this. It’s basking in the afterglow of it the next day. I had a great gig last night. I killed with a completely new set and today I’m smiling and feeling good about everything as I replay it in my mind.

I can recommend a lot about stand up comedy, which I’ll always be glad I finally found the courage to start doing, and when I’m still enjoying a performance the next day I really feel like comedy is the gift that keeps giving.

I love creating bits, working through the ideas. Lots of comics describe writing as “work” and avoid it but if feels more like “play” to me. Of course I don’t pay my rent with comedy, so it’s all play to me.

There’s so much feel-good value I get out of new material and it starts with the writing, where I get to go crazy with literally any idea because I don’t yet have to worry about whether it’s impractical, offensive or unfunny. And when I get more serious and start shaping and working material into something resembling a set… I enjoy that too.

It feels good to do perform something I’ve done before and know will work. Not stressing about whether my new jokes will work or whether my memory will fail me feels like a holiday. But there’s something exhilarating about trying something new and bringing something fresh into the mix. Also, I suspect that the increased risk of failure creates the same excitement that gamblers feel.

The feedback is great too. It’s always good when people come up to me after a gig and tell me how much they enjoyed it, and that happens three times as much when I kill with a brand new set. I might not know what to say when fans approach with positive feedback (I must find out what you’re supposed to say) but feel relieved and validated and generally happy that it all worked and people liked it. I also like being able to add new tested material to my reportoire. It feels good knowing I now have more weapons in my arsenal.

I love writing comedy as much as I love performing it, and my favourite comedy to perform is newly written. I tell you this partially because I’ve been writing less for the website lately. This is because I’m actually trying to write a book, and it’s taking both my time and all the mental bandwidth I have for writing, but you can rest assured and know that I still care about comedy. I’m still committed to writing and performing it, even if the site updates have been getting further apart.