September was a strange month. It was like a rollercoaster, but without the extortionate pricing and ridiculously long queues. Two examples encapsulate this:
September 4th
I had my first gig of the month booked. On the way to the gig, I checked my e-mails; one of these e-mails informed me that I had not got through to the interview stage for a job I applied for. It was a job at a well-respected firm. It wouldn't be my dream job - it would probably be quite mundane and simple - but it would be at the very least working for a company who care for their employees. I was frustrated to have fallen at the first hurdle.
The gig, however, was brilliant, for numerous reasons. Firstly, it was a night organised by David Earl, the man behind one of my favourite comedians: the brilliant Brian Gittins. A few months ago, "Brian" had posted on Facebook, asking if any new comedians wanted an open spot at his night. I jumped at the chance, and was lucky enough to be one of the first 3 to respond, meaning I got a spot at the first Gittins to Know You show. I was delighted enough to be on the same bill as Brian, but the rest of bill was made up of Adam Hess, Holly Burn and Harry Hill. Anyone who knows comedy, and knows what sort of comedians I love, knows how highly I rate these names. Not only was I on the same bill as bloody brilliant comics who I really admire and respect, but it was the biggest audience I'd performed in front of. 110 people. My previous best was the 70-ish who gonged me off after 2 minutes 20 seconds at Up the Creek back in May. This gig was far more successful for me, however. It was a great gig, that I really enjoyed. Any demons telling me "you can't gig to an audience of more than 60 people" were exorcised in those 5 minutes. Not to mention the fact I got to see properly brilliant comedians for free. It's one of the most beautiful perks of being an open spot.
Wednesday 24th
I was due to have an interview at my local Tesco, a job I thought I'd have a good chance at getting, because my brother works there. However, I couldn't sleep until 7am, meaning I overslept - my interview was due to be at 11am. I woke up at 11:07, and immediately phoned the lady who arranged the interview. I was very annoyed at myself, even though my good friend PDT correctly pointed out that it wasn't my fault that I couldn't sleep. I even put across the point in my rearranged interview the next day that two of the reasons I couldn't sleep were due to unemployment and money troubles, which getting a job would fix.
That night, I took part in a Laughing Horse New Act of the Year heat. The only other time I had entered this competition was for my very first gig, and since then it has been one of my biggest personal goals to do well in this particular competition. My set was well received, and I felt very happy leaving the stage; this didn't stop my heart from racing while I was waiting for the results to be released. If the top 5 went through, I'd have felt more relaxed, but only the top 2 - out of 14 comedians - were to go through. I've set this up to show how contrasting my days have been, so you know that, yes, I managed to get through, finishing 2nd to Gary Knightley, who fully deserved his place in the semi-finals. It is the most proud I've ever felt of myself.
For a long time, I've not felt fully comfortable referring to myself as a stand-up comedian. I've always leaned towards "I gig a bit", "I've done a few gigs", things like that. But now, I feel happy calling myself that, because I've proven to myself that I can do it. Only on a relatively tiny scale, sure, but I can still do it on that scale. Which is fantastic.
Ultimately, though, the money and job troubles are still there. It's a very strange feeling; one night, you're on top of the world, with a room full of people saying "well done", with most of the comedians probably thinking "I wish I was him (purely because I got through)"; the next morning, you're struggling through an interview for a job working the minimum wage - a minimum wage job you fail to get.
Anyway, onto October. October sees the return of Vlogtober from last year, so keep your eye on my Twitter for links to videos and all that jazz. I also have a ton of gigs booked in. It should be knackering, but fun.
Thanks for reading,
Tom.
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