Checking In

[thehefner]

Back safe. Exhausted from hardy partying and four hours of sleep. Full Boulder thoughts tomorrow. It'll be a long post, touching on the following topics:

--Overall impressions of Boulder and the Fringe Festival
--How my shows went
--People I met and how they influenced me, for good or ill
--Crushing depression and creeping disillusionment
--The horrible recurring question, when it comes to the Hefner name: To Exploit or Not to Exploit?
--The dread beast known as marketing (or: finding the guts to not be utterly terrified of handing out fliers)
--Facing the fact that some people really don't fucking like nor get solo performances.
--Finding dignity and grace in the best way that I--and only I--can.
--One of the most purely Hefnerian moments I dare say I've ever experienced. I'm still reeling (in that, "remember to see the humor in the situation" kind of way).

So, yeah, lots of thoughts to get out. If you're interested, huzzah, I look forward to your thoughts. And if not, well, I'll just leave you with this observation from my connecting flight in San Antonio, Texas. I'm not three steps off the plane, and what oh what do I see?

A goth cowgirl.

I fucking love it.

Much-deserved sleep now.

Comments

[badmagic.livejournal.com]

Exploit! You're in a viciously competitive business; you need every edge you can get. Besides, you worked that into your show in a fairly classy manner, pointing out that the name came with its own narrative, and contrasting that with your own story. You worked it into your theme without letting it dominate. That was probably hard enough that you deserve a little exploitation for your work.

Handing out flyers is teh suck. At least you weren't also asking for money. No matter how worthy the cause, fundraising is an awful experience.

Some people don't get solo performances? After comedy clubs have been big for decades, you'd think they'd grok the idea of one guy on stage, being amusing. Yeah, I know, your show is not comedy, more like "stand up tragedy," But a lot of it is funny, and you'd think they'd get the idea. It's not like you're doing "Waiting for Godot." Your stuff is hard not to relate to.

Red says hi. Tiny planet.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Let me first state my case in the next post on the matter.

In a way, though, aren't I asking for money? I'm asking them to go out of their way to see a show (at another venue!) and asking them to pay for it. Of course, right there I see one of my major problems, right there in the way I wrote the sentence, but that's another thing I'll get to in greater detail and thought.

"Stand up tragedy." Good fucking lord, I need to remember that. Yeah, this girl was... well, clearly wrong and bizarre, but I know she's hardly the only person who feels that way. At CapFringe this year, I learned that many solo performers label their shows "comedy" or "stand-up comedy" or "drama" before they'd actually list it as "solo performance," as that scares away some people. And yeah, I pride myself on having relatability, thank you, but when I told this girl that, "We're telling stories about our experiences and lives," she said, "Yeah, but everyone can get that just by living."

Red?

[badmagic.livejournal.com]

aren't I asking for money?

I suppose, but you're also offering them something concrete: an hour and a half worth of show.

"Stand up tragedy." Good fucking lord, I need to remember that.

That was my tagline when I was still doing standup. Fits your stuff better.

Red?

Carolyn, your PT. "Red" was the name you gave her in the monologues.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

This is true! Of course, I just need to get it down to an hour and we'll be solid.

OH FUCK, you met her?! Ha, where? What did you tell her about the show? I don't know if she knows about my ogling. Oh fuck it, of course she probably does.

[badmagic.livejournal.com]

Met her at a photoshoot a few weeks ago. Mentioned that you were in Boulder doing the show, but opted not to bring up her part in it.