Warming Up

Monday 10th October 2005

I did a gig at the Comedy Store tonight (the first time I have performed at its current venue)for "Victims Support Westminster". There had been one man on the front row who I had noticed had been refusing to laugh at anything any of the comedians said. During my set he shouted out "Tell us a joke!" and I launched into him a little. The rest of the audience were quite behind me (despite me making an off colour joke about the police shooting innocent people 7 times in the head) and luckily they disliked the grumpy man and were heckling him.
I was in a bit of an aggressive mood and bolstered by the protection of my stand up cloak was pretty confrontational to the tall and strong looking young man (who I suggested might have been a policeman). I thought he looked like he wanted to hit me, so invited him to do so at the end of the act, saying it would make a good punch-line to the act adding "Ha ha punch-line, do you get it? Is that enough of a joke for you." He didn't want to hit me though, so I got away with it again.
As I was walking home I realised I could have made a great joke given that the night was for the benefit of victims of crime, saying, "Go on, hit me. It's the only way I am going to make any money from this gig." But I will keep testing out my theory that stand up makes you invulnerable to assault until it is proven wrong. So far I am unscathed.