Hi, I'm new here, nice to meet you all. Little help?

[Maximo]

Hi everyone,

I've been a lurker here for a while before joining, and really love the site. Great comics offering great advice, and I've read as much as I can.

I've been doing comedy about a year and a half now, in Montreal, and it's gone really well. My question that I have, though, is when I'm at a show and the host doesn't know me very well (or at all), what do I tell them when they ask me how to introduce me? I'm not exactly a first-timer going out there, I'm if nothing else a credible open mic'er, but I don't exactly have any credits.

Any tips? Thanks in advance.

Mo

[nixonjames]

I think at this stage I'd shoot for some interesting facts about you (a couple) or your next show. Or just that he plays all over Montreal and is gracing us with his presence. Usually I've found few hosts at shows at this stage that will ask what to say for your intro.

I can say what I do for mine if they ask *I really hate the 'plays clubs and colleges all over' line.

"Our next performer studied sword karate while living in a Zen temple, and he's from Texas."

Short, sweet, intriguing.

[Maximo]

Thanks for the tip. Yeah, I think that's pretty much the way to go - plays all over Montreal, and has ridden on the back of a black bear.

It's usually only an issue when the host is someone who doesn't know me. If a friend is hosting the show, he/she has nice things to say about me, and it's no problem. But 'how do you want me to introduce you?' is a tough question to answer because, as I said, I have no credits. 'Give it up for someone whom I can almost promise won't be the worst open-mic'er you see tonight!'

[Cameron]

In general, I hate joke/irrelevant intros. I don't exactly know why, but they rub me the wrong way. If it's the emcee screwing around that's one thing, but if it's clearly something the comic has requested to be brought up with, I'm inclined to dislike that comic immediately.

I have a few "credits" I could be brought up with, but I still always just tell the host to say whatever they want, which normally amounts to something vague like "the very funny..." or "a local favorite..." which is fine by me. I want people to focus on who I am and what I'm saying, not how I was brought to the stage.

Part of that also probably comes from hosting at clubs and being annoyed at headliners/features for having really long intros and being particular about them.

[Travesty.]

In general, I hate joke/irrelevant intros. I don't exactly know why, but they rub me the wrong way. If it's the emcee screwing around that's one thing, but if it's clearly something the comic has requested to be brought up with, I'm inclined to dislike that comic immediately.

I have a few "credits" I could be brought up with, but I still always just tell the host to say whatever they want, which normally amounts to something vague like "the very funny..." or "a local favorite..." which is fine by me. I want people to focus on who I am and what I'm saying, not how I was brought to the stage.

Part of that also probably comes from hosting at clubs and being annoyed at headliners/features for having really long intros and being particular about them.

Yeah, I hate it too. I just tell them to say my name, and that's it. "Up next is Travis". Nice and simple.....

[Maximo]

I just find an intro referring to the next as funny is a bit redundant, because he/she is supposed to be funny, as is everyone else up there. My question was really just in how to answer the question 'how do you want to be introduced?', asked by a host who doesn't know me.

I'm a pretty comfortable regular in a local scene where everyone comes to know each other, but we get acts in from Toronto and other, bigger cities, who end up hosting the open mics and small shows I play. I guess it was just a question off the top of my head, to avoid the 'this next guy is relatively new on the scene...and I'm just going to bring him right up' I've gotten a couple times.

[Travesty.]

I just find an intro referring to the next as funny is a bit redundant, because he/she is supposed to be funny, as is everyone else up there. My question was really just in how to answer the question 'how do you want to be introduced?', asked by a host who doesn't know me.

I'm a pretty comfortable regular in a local scene where everyone comes to know each other, but we get acts in from Toronto and other, bigger cities, who end up hosting the open mics and small shows I play. I guess it was just a question off the top of my head, to avoid the 'this next guy is relatively new on the scene...and I'm just going to bring him right up' I've gotten a couple times.

Yeah, the first few times I went up, they would reference that I was new, or it was my first time on stage, even if I didn't ask, that's just what they did. After a good 10+ times, they couldn't really say that, and I kept telling them to just say my name, and that's it. I'm not a fan of when people try to be "clever" or crazy like in the Tenacious D series. It was funny on that show, and still is, but I find it kinda strange when people do it. Plus, I'm there to work out bits, I don't need a WWE intro. Say my name, and let me just get on stage.

Although, now that I think about it, I do see people who use the intro into their opening line....but again, 99% of the time, it fails when that happens.

[nixonjames]

Hidden tip from this thread:
How would you handle this conundrum if you were the host and you wanted to keep it interesting, engaging, funny, and respectful to give each comic a fresh start to the room...

If they ask I'll generally just say something about being from texas. Which is sort of a good subtle way of signaling that my perspectives might be different. Which i like to set that tone. But i don't have real credits nor have i hosted at clubs with annoying credit people sooooooo grain of salt.

[drieux]

-Nobody watching at an open mic is coming to your next shows. Don't bother.
-Nobody hanging out at an open mic cares about your credits.
-As time goes on, your intro should be less and less important.

Whenever I host shows, it is a pretty standard rule that the person who is the most nitpicky about their intro and credits will always, ALWAYS be the least funny comic I'll be bringing up all night long. Yes, a shitty intro can set a bad tone, but if you're funny you can recover.

As a host I think your best bet is to keep things short between comics. It helps to have a general working knowledge of people within your local scene, which is to say others will appreciate it if you clearly aren't just worried about yourself. But a great way to look like a tool is to come at the host with a long list of things for them to say before they bring you up at the coffee house open mic at 6 p.m. on a Wednesday in the terrible neighborhood. Worry about your jokes instead.

[Maximo]

I guess I should clarify, even the open mics at the local comedy clubs are booked in advance, and they're more like pro-am shows. There is only one truly open mic I ever attend, and most of the shows I perform at are booked unpaid gigs. I guess everyone in Montreal uses "unpaid" and "open mic" interchangeably, which doesn't seem very accurate.

So the situation I described is mostly for those pro-am shows at the clubs, where the host might be someone just having some fun a few days before his weekend shows. I think if the host asks how I should be brought up, I'd just tell them to say that I perform all around town, or something like that.

[ErikNielsen]

I guess everyone in Montreal uses "unpaid" and "open mic" interchangeably, which doesn't seem very accurate.

Be thankful for that inaccuracy -- anything that keeps open mics more civilized and more resembling actual shows is a good thing. Boston was the same way -- I'm told there's more sign-up sheet stuff going on now -- and it was very rare I was depressed leaving an open mic there.

As for credits -- bleh. They slow the host down, mostly. Until I got a credit that might actually mean something to the audience (in my case, a recurring role on a TV series, but an appearance on a late-night show, Comedy Central, etc. might also be worth mentioning), I usually requested no intro. (There was a year or so where I asked them to bring me up at the Improv with "the next comedian has no credits" -- which was fun but a little cheap.) Nobody wants to hear about how you were in some no-name comedy festival pyramid scheme, or even in an actual comedy festival -- if they went to it, they know, and if they didn't, they don't care. Same thing with credits about how you run a show across town, or you're a regular at a club that is not the club where they are seeing you. Audiences don't know what most of that stuff means, and even if they did, they wouldn't care. They care about the show they're at.

One thing I don't mind is if the performer is from out of town, that can be nice to know.

Other than that, though? The best gift you can get from the host is to get on stage 10 seconds earlier.

[Maximo]

I had a show last night, and once again the host asked all of us if we'd like anything said about ourselves. I think I arrived at my go-to response when a host asks me from now on, 'Just make me sound competent'.

[scamboogah]

Now that that's settled, I guess there's nothing to do but sit back and watch the money roll in...

[MikThrontveit]

Yeah! Fuck people for trying!

[AynBannd]

Yeah I did a show (that was technically a bringer, but i showed up with nobody pissing off the producer) and the host asked me before i went up, you want anything specfic when i introduce you? and i said, nah i dont mind. so his intro for me was, "your next comic can't drink on st patrick's day, because if he drove afterwards it'd be ten times worse since he's also Asian, give it up for-!" and im like, wow really. then that intro gave me an epiphany to get rid of ANY asian-specific jokes from my act ever again.

[nixonjames]

I have a set intro now. 2 pieces of information that give the audience an idea of where I'm coming from and what they might be getting in to. Also it's pretty funny without feeling forced.