I have written tons of stuff and performed at parties, but I still haven't gone to an open mike. Probably for the same reason that I still don't blog. Once I bust either of those cherries, I'll probably become addicted and never want to do anything else.

I learned a little about the stand-up business and it ain't pretty. Most shows have 3 acts, opener (~15 min.), feature (~30 min.) and headliner (~60 min.). The pay is horrible ($50 to $300 for the night), you have to work your way up from opener to feature to headliner, and the hours suck. Also, it would be hard to do much else because you're always driving from gig to gig. Oddly, the feature may be the best gig because the opener (who is usually also the mc) and the headliner have to stay til the end of the night.

It's also a tough life. No matter how good you are, there are always plenty who are better. Your material will probably get stolen, you'll survive on bar food and alchohol, and you'll have as many highs and lows as a startup, but with (believe it or not) a lower probability of big success.

But it still sounds like fun and feels compelling. Maybe one of these days I'll go to an open mike.

My favorites have always been the "joke tellers", Rodney Dangerfield and Joan Rivers.