Yeah, funny I'd have to remind you of this. Or write it so I'll remember it again later.
In Comedian, someone said to Jerry Seinfeld after one of his sets, "You looked like you were having fun up there." Seinfeld replied, "Then I did my job."
When you're on stage, enjoy yourself. Enjoy the audience. Enjoy your material. Enjoy reacting to what happens. Enjoy the relationship you form with them.
My two biggest bombing/dying experiences so far have come from
1. One time I had an attitude toward the audience, that they were a bad crowd. That's a bad attitude. I was like "I don't care, I don't feel like trying, I don't want to look desperate." I was just afraid of failing- that's what was really going on.
Lesson: Try to connect to them where they're at, and lead them into your weird, fun world.
2. Being so focused on my material I didn't relate to them at all. At one of my first 10 open mic's I tried to do a new 6 minute routine (which took all my time) without notes to a totally new crowd, the biggest group I had tried, and they were all comedians. I blanked out, freaked out, then delivered the memorized lines. I didn't get many laughs.
Lesson: Don't try so much new comedy at one time, or at least do it in proportion to your experience level! Do tried and true stuff in a new venue. "Security is knowing your lines," said Milton Berle, but make sure you're forming a relationship with the audience. If they aren't responding at first, do some crowd work. Listen to their reaction to your material, and if you can, incorporate it into what you're doing.
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