rant · moment 14 of 16
Shakers Pub Open Mic: A Long Island Horror Show
from Episode 150 - Your Thoughts Have No Value (with Luke Touma) · #150
8 min
Tim describes visiting a grim open mic at Shakers Pub in Oakdale, Long Island, detailing the miserable bartender, the depressing venue, and reflecting on the mental illness and delusion required to pursue comedy.
- Tim bought a drunk house because that's what cool people do.
- Open mic regular expresses conflicted views on sex with trans people.
- The bartender at Shakers Pub walked outside, lit a cigarette, and looked not human.
- Tim describes the open mic venue: side room with two long tables, overly lit, usually used for bands.
- Tim explains that most comedians are troubled, sensitive, anxious, depressed, and self-medicate.
- You need delusion to do comedy—you have to see yourself as something you're not yet and believe it's possible.
- Tim didn't realize intelligence mattered in comedy until recently; many talented people make wrong decisions from emotion, not logic.
- For Tim, comedy was about loving it and earning money doing something almost impossible.
- Open mic comedians aren't all doing the same thing; many use the stage like therapy to deal with life issues.
- The difference between Tim and failed comedians is he learned to get funny and build a career by treating comedy like a business.
- Tim realized many open mic performers are mentally unwell in an obvious way.
- A fight broke out during the open mic when one guy confronted a stoned performer about who he thought he was.