The night I attended open mic at John Henry’s, they were doing something that happens once a month, and it is not necessarily the same week each month, so you never know. But the night I attended the mic, they had a special happening where people in the room are asked to paint while, projected on a large screen, a video of Bob Ross (the painter from PBS) is painting a picture from a blank canvas in a period of less than a half hour. The host wears a wig to resemble Bob Ross, and he talks while the painters try to keep up with Bob Ross, painting themselves from supplies offered by the host. The two painters on stage with their backs to the audience have mics they can talk into while the host asks them questions from his own mic. After the first Bob Ross video, the host brought up a talent to perform standup, but even that was not a typical set of performing new material to gauge how good a joke is. Instead, the talent riffed with the audience then bantered with the host while they prepared for the next round of painting. I decided I did not want to do this mic, so I did not sign up. But here are the facts. Parking is on the street, and it is free. The mic is for standup only. The business seats about 72 who can see the large, elevated stage well. Beers run $5 during happy hour. There are potential distractions like one pool table and three pinball machines. The room has been going on a year. The signup sheet came out at 6:34pm. This sheet was for the comedians to sign. I don’t know where those attending with the desire to paint sign up. The evening started at 7:17pm. I counted 16 in the room; two peeps were playing pool. By 7:30pm, no comics had signed up yet. The first two painters were done by 8pm then the host, Chad, brought up the first comedian. Music played while the talent “performed”, but of the 14 people in the room only four or five were watching the stage. The next two painters went up at 8:10pm. I didn’t stay for that. Guys, I don’t know what to think. I would have preferred to have done this room when it was a regular open mic. What I saw was not really a comedy mic. And the fact that the night of painting can happen any week of the month, you don’t know when you arrive if it’s going to be a regular mic or the special painting one. I don’t even know if you can call in advance to find out. I suppose if you call you can ask if the painting mic has already happened during any month, and if so, okay, you’ll do their regular mic the week you are there till a new month begins, then it’s back to square one.
The night I attended open mic at John Henry’s, they were doing something that happens once a month, and it is not necessarily the same week each month, so you never know. But the night I attended the mic, they had a special happening where people in the room are asked to paint while, projected on a large screen, a video of Bob Ross (the painter from PBS) is painting a picture from a blank canvas in a period of less than a half hour. The host wears a wig to resemble Bob Ross, and he talks while the painters try to keep up with Bob Ross, painting themselves from supplies offered by the host. The two painters on stage with their backs to the audience have mics they can talk into while the host asks them questions from his own mic.
ReplyDeleteAfter the first Bob Ross video, the host brought up a talent to perform standup, but even that was not a typical set of performing new material to gauge how good a joke is. Instead, the talent riffed with the audience then bantered with the host while they prepared for the next round of painting. I decided I did not want to do this mic, so I did not sign up. But here are the facts.
Parking is on the street, and it is free. The mic is for standup only. The business seats about 72 who can see the large, elevated stage well. Beers run $5 during happy hour. There are potential distractions like one pool table and three pinball machines. The room has been going on a year.
The signup sheet came out at 6:34pm. This sheet was for the comedians to sign. I don’t know where those attending with the desire to paint sign up. The evening started at 7:17pm. I counted 16 in the room; two peeps were playing pool. By 7:30pm, no comics had signed up yet. The first two painters were done by 8pm then the host, Chad, brought up the first comedian. Music played while the talent “performed”, but of the 14 people in the room only four or five were watching the stage.
The next two painters went up at 8:10pm. I didn’t stay for that.
Guys, I don’t know what to think. I would have preferred to have done this room when it was a regular open mic. What I saw was not really a comedy mic. And the fact that the night of painting can happen any week of the month, you don’t know when you arrive if it’s going to be a regular mic or the special painting one. I don’t even know if you can call in advance to find out. I suppose if you call you can ask if the painting mic has already happened during any month, and if so, okay, you’ll do their regular mic the week you are there till a new month begins, then it’s back to square one.