Friday, March 09, 2007

THE KIDS WERE ALL RIGHT

I had a really nice time doing a show for the students at Bialik High School last Thursday night. Besides there being a fun line-up (actually the poster for the show is a couple of posts below), the show was kicked off by several students and one teacher doing a few minutes of stand-up each.

(The teacher in question was none other than Joey Elias's mother. She was charming and funny and, most notably, owned the stage just like her son, same stance, feet planted behind the mike stand; very fun to watch AND she works clean!).

I have to say it was wild watching high school kids ranging from, I'm guessing, 14 to 17 years old, doing their stand-up. They showed a lot of confidence, really delivered the stuff well, and structured the material in a way that really shows they get how it works. Most kids (and adults) would tell rambling stories or question-and-answer street jokes. These guys thought up some neat premises, set them up well, then sealed the deal with a nice punchline.

I just think back to high school and know I would never have had the stones to get up on stage in that situation. Mixing in the natural fear of bombing and factoring in an audience of classmates that you'll have to face for the rest of the year, and there is no way in Hades I'd want to risk it.

Nice testament to the courage of these students that they had the nerve to step up. And I must mention, it was cool to see the audience, made up mostly of their peers, being so supportive.

I often wonder how life would be different if I had taken that bold first step into the spotlight before the age of 25. Maybe I'd be further along in my career, maybe I would have bombed so bad I'd never set foot on a stage again. But whatever happens to these junior comics-in-waiting, whether they end up dentists or accountants or (heaven help them) professional stand-ups, at least they won't have to look back at 2007 and wonder "what if..?"

Nice job, guys. Keep carping that diem.