Staying In The Moment

I've been a comedian for way longer than I've been playing poker. My strength as a comedian was always dealing with adversity. Whether or not there was any. Throw me in front of a hostile crowd and I'll save the day.

However I'm not always the best comic when the sound is good and the lights are fine and the audience is happy. At these times, I sometimes get myself into trouble. Maybe because there isn't any. Maybe I get bored easily.

But if there's a flood in your basement, a loud band upstairs, or a room full of people throwing stuff towards the stage then for Pete's sake give me the mic already!

This past Monday night I was doing comedy at the Second City. There was a baby crying in the audience and the lights went out in the middle of the show. It was perfect.

If I were a novice I would think these things were problems. But I know how lucky I am to have all this stuff to work off of. I can turn it into an advantage. By staying in the moment, I can make fun of it.

When you do comedy for a long time you learn to always address what's going on directly in front of you. You have to. The audience sees it. The audience hears it. So must you.