tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938448068751972875.post3233136983885175883..comments2023-05-30T04:25:37.367-04:00Comments on Sandpaper Suit | Matt Ruby's comedy blog: Killing with old vs. taking a chance on newUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938448068751972875.post-52183063883145129522010-06-22T17:39:19.481-04:002010-06-22T17:39:19.481-04:00Yeah, people say that. But I also feel like a lot ...Yeah, people say that. But I also feel like a lot of people -- including some good comics -- bring up a lot of stuff that obviously isn't going to work, and give it stage time. <br /><br />This may be one of those things where the third-party observer has a better notion of what's going on than the comic does. I guess that's fine. <br /><br />I mean, I guess the crucial thing is to be able to perform the new thing as though it's a trusted thing, which is a skill I suppose one has to develop. Harrumph.ECNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938448068751972875.post-74833473964196929862010-06-22T14:47:29.775-04:002010-06-22T14:47:29.775-04:00@ECN: Sometimes the only way to know how a bit wil...@ECN: Sometimes the only way to know how a bit will do is to do it. I often need to tell a joke a few times in front of real people to see if it has legs and how it evolves. If only I could say it in front of the mirror and know for sure how "polished" it is, that'd be great. But alas...Matt Rubyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15042748088506030894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938448068751972875.post-65922568981122722412010-06-21T23:45:51.391-04:002010-06-21T23:45:51.391-04:00Hell, if your new stuff's going to bomb, don&#...Hell, if your new stuff's going to bomb, don't do it. Wait until the idea's polished enough, and you're enthusiastic enough about it, that it's going to kill. <br /><br />If it never gets that polished, why are you doing it anyway? To feel like you're Making Progress? You don't make progress by throwing time and energy into bits without the potential to go anywhere.ECNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938448068751972875.post-22138501807730789582010-06-14T13:32:12.004-04:002010-06-14T13:32:12.004-04:00Or like tofu egg white substitutes into a soy lobs...Or like tofu egg white substitutes into a soy lobster soufflee. (Soyfflee?)<br /><br />I think that's more relatable.myqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00772814671528097421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938448068751972875.post-47753443615961916682010-06-14T10:03:16.867-04:002010-06-14T10:03:16.867-04:00Sometimes you can trick people with a combination
...<i>Sometimes you can trick people with a combination</i><br /><br />This is the safest maneuver to preserve creative integrity while maintaining the outward appearance of a flawless professional. Integrate some new material into old, or, if I may use an analogy familiar to most of you, fold it like egg whites into a lobster soufflee.Abbi Crutchfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04984255030758291096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938448068751972875.post-12175643670876139682010-06-12T19:58:55.717-04:002010-06-12T19:58:55.717-04:00Destroying all the time sounds great.
Not ever doi...Destroying all the time sounds great.<br />Not ever doing anything new sounds the opposite of great.<br /><br />Does it have to be one or the other?<br /><br />Can't there be places that you perform new stuff, where you feel safe and comfortable and not worried about being judged for not destroying, because growth is important?<br />And then can't there be other places that you perform and aim to destroy all the time, so you can reap the benefits of said destruction?<br />(I think the answer to both questions is yes.)<br /><br />Also, it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing thing, where you either do all new stuff or all old stuff. Sometimes you can trick people with a combination.<br /><br />(And if you don't agree with everything in this blog comment, my apologies; I'm just working out some new ideas that I hope will destroy someday.)myqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00772814671528097421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938448068751972875.post-64009734132810712262010-06-11T17:08:30.788-04:002010-06-11T17:08:30.788-04:00When you are a well-beloved, supremely respected c...When you are a well-beloved, supremely respected comedian, people will still be into you even if you try new material and it sometimes bombs. All I request is that you don't just get up on stage and not try at all, because you are so famous that people will simply say you are being "wonderfully subversive" instead of "extremely lazy".<br /><br />Basically if you attempt too much new material and you're pitching bomb after bomb, then you may want to fall back on the old stand-bys just to show the audience that you deserve all the accolades.<br /><br />When you're just starting out and still proving yourself, then it's much more important to kill constantly at the shows around town, so that hopefully people will see you doing a good job and become fans and decide to book you at their own shows. You still need time to work out new material, but you can do that at open mics or your own rooms.socehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01093354866114461001noreply@blogger.com