Answer: Being an MC, or opener is the most difficult job a comic can have. You are biting the bullet. The audience is ice cold and it is your job to get them going. It is the last place any comic wants to be, but I think it is the best way to become a great comic. If you can learn to kill as an opener then you can kill at any position. It is not easy and that is the point. Usually the opener is the newest to the game, and that is why you get the shit position. There are a few technical things that can really make being the MC a lot easier. First of all, as soon as you start talking, welcome the crowd to the show. Then have the audience give a round of applause to the comics coming up. If it is a standard show have them give a round for the feature . . . wait. . . wait. . . then the headliner. Once you start diving into your material, you may find it to be a difficult transition. While I had some solid material when I would do a set, I found it hard to dive into my routine when I was a MC. There has to be a smooth transition between the welcoming everyone to the show, and then to your actual material. I cannot tell you what to say that is up to you. You have to discover that for yourself. A good tip is to always have a drink in your had. Kris Tinkle another Cringe Humor member and comic, gave me a great tip when he told me MC-ing is all about the drink. Tell a joke . . . take a drink. Tell another bit. . . take a drink. The point of this is to take your time and go slow. You have to ease into your material, and sipping the drink is a way to keep the show going slow. The crowd is freezing and you want to warm them up, not burn them out. After your time is up thank the crowd and tell them to tip the bar and wait staff. I recently performed with Al Madrigal, another great comic on the rise, and he suggested mentioning the tipping at the end of my set. If you tell the audience to tip in the beginning a lot of members of the audience have not had their order taken yet, so why the fuck should they tip. They may actually boo or yell out something like, “I would tip if the Bitch would wait on me.” So you have to give the wait staff time to wait on the audience, and by the end of your set that should have happen. One of the biggest mistakes I see openers make is to telephone their act in . They think, “Well I’m just opening, so I’m not going to try that hard. No one expects it.” That is the wrong attitude to have. Think about guy who pays 40 bucks for tickets, 40 bucks for dinner, and another 40 on drinks. He takes a girl out on his one day off hoping to show her a good time, and they have to watch a comic who does not give a damn. It makes me want to throw a bar stool across the room. Instead of looking at it as your chance to just get the show going, look at it like it as your chance to shine. Nobody expects the opener to do well, so that is why you fucking destroy. Steal the show. Let them know, “Yeah I’m the opener, but I should be fucking headlining.” In the movie Great Balls of Fire, which is the Jerry Lee Lewis story, there is a great scene where Jerry Lee is working with Chuck Berry. Jerry Lee is an up and comer, while Chuck Berry is the headliner. Jerry Lee wants to go on last, but Chuck Berry has it in his contract that he has to headline. Jerry Lee says, “All right then.” Jerry Lee takes the stage and tears the show apart. He has the crowd rocking with energy and a level of showmanship that can be unmatched. Just when the crowd cannot get anymore excited, Jerry Lee pours whisky on the piano and lights it on fire. The crowd explodes with applause while Jerry Lee finishes his last song. As the crowd is worked into a frenzy Jerry Lee walks off stage, passes Chuck Berry, and says, “All yours.” That is what opening is all about. Go on stage first and destroying. Your attitude has to be, “Yeah I’m opening, but I do not give a fuck. You’re here to see me.” The point of this is to not put down the other comics, but to raise the overall standard of comedy. If everyone constantly wants to top each other then the show can only get better. As you walk off stage, in your head you should be thinking, “follow that bitches.”

Jason Downs is willing to take your questions! Have anything good you'd like to know concerning the world of standup comedy? Send them to Jason, and he will choose the best ones to post on the site.

askjasondowns@hotmail.com

Jason will be at the Sacramento Punchline March 3rd - 7th, opening for the Last Comic Standing Tour (Rich Vos, Dave Mordal & Cory Kahaney)