"Gong!" at the Blue Banana's Comedy Night

Tuesday night I ventured into the city to experience standup comedy. My friend did her best to rally her friends downtown to the Blue Banana to support her boyfriend's debut on stage. Watching my friend during his performance was almost more entertaining than his bit. The whole time her eyes were glued on him, and her hands covered her mouth. She was nervous for him.

Awww. That was cute.

Know what wasn't cute? Most of the comedy. Now take this with a bucket of salt. I mean, I realize I can be a bit naive and act kinda innocent at times, so my ignorance of stereotypes really puts me at a disadvantage. Meaning, I didn't get a lot of the jokes. Then there were the jokes that I got, but I still wasn't laughing. That's because they just weren't funny.  Offensive. Not funny. No good.

Ok, so I didn't walk away thinking about the jokes people told. However, I am still thinking about this little oddity that I learned that night. Most comedians seem to dress like Jerry Seinfeld. You know what I'm talking about. They wear the standard issued white sneakers to coordinate with their jeans. To me, this is like one of those chicken/egg questions. Did Jerry just dress in the standup comedian uniform, or have all standups decided to forever give a nod to the Great Jerry?

However, these Jerry Seinfeld impersonators take themselves way too seriously. Do they forget that they are comics?  Figuring that I went to a bar to watch the show, I didn't really see what the big deal was if I talked during the set. I mean, hey, if the comic isn't funny, then I'm gonna make fun with my fellow patrons. This is not recommended. Any audience member caught talking will be berated with the MC yelling, "Shut! The Fuck! Up!" (Just like that. Put the pauses with the exclamation points.)

As you can see, I'm the comic's worst nightmare. Unlike my cute, little friend that laughed at every joke or my other buxom friend that was flattered by the MC from on stage, I'm a cynic. I will not give the comic the benefit of the doubt. I will not presume the comic funny until proven disastrous. Instead I will listen with a mental mallet poised to strike that gong in my head.