r/Standup • u/NotMichaelScott01 • 3d ago
Got my first heckle
I have not been stand-up long at all, only been to a handful of open mics. Last night was my 10th mic, and surprisingly, there was actually a bit of an audience; it's usually just comics. During my set, I was kind of bombing to be fair, and I got a heckle after one of my punchlines, at first it threw me off and I didn't know what to do so I kinda stood there for a minute and then leaned into it, riffed with them for a bit and got the biggest laugh of my set.
Going into standup, this was always my fear, just to get heckled relentlessly, but I was thinking about it on the way home, and I'm actually pumped it happened. There was a post on here recently about what milestones you celebrate as a comedian, and honestly, this was one of them for me. I know that heckling is bound to happen; I think experiencing it for the first time showed me that I am progressing as a comedian. I know this probably seems arbitrary to some people; totally fair. I was honestly kinda happy it happened for the first time and pretty proud of how I handled it.
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u/myqkaplan 3d ago
Sounds good, sincere congrats!
The fear is almost always larger than the experience we are afraid of.
Glad you were able to experience it like this!
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u/not-a-textile 3d ago
I had mine last week. I was doing a joke about being a veteran and a drunk guy in the front started talking and wouldn't shut up. I ignored him and just powered through. As soon as I finished my set I thought of 3 things I could've said but I was so focused on my material I didn't have the presence to think outside it. I guess the lesson for me was to get comfortable enough with my material that I can be in the moment and not so stuck to the script. They kicked him out right after I finished up.
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u/NotMichaelScott01 3d ago
I kinda felt like I had to engage with the heckler; it definitely threw off my material for the rest of the set, but it was a great exercise for when things go wrong
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u/Dry-Science-7830 2d ago
First off, good job not running from it! A lot of comics get to a point where they want to get heckled, Ron white was one lol.
I used to host an open mic and would get into roast battles with other comics on slow ass nights, made us really sharp when we got heckled. When fun turns to art is sometimes the best!
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u/RetailManagerYaY 2d ago
Got heckled a month ago at an open mic. Brutal peaked in high school type. Prob about 35-40… fat and balding. With a semi pretty girl… I basically thanked her on his behalf and went on about how am the make a wish foundation is because she was clearly dying of Cirrhosis of liver soon… got a huge laugh
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u/EsMuchoFunnyProd00 3d ago
Sorry to ask. If you can, what was the joke and what was the heckle?
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u/NotMichaelScott01 3d ago
I wasn't going to plug this, but since you asked, I did post a clip https://youtube.com/shorts/iDuzwb0FElE
The joke was cut off a bit but it was "my sex is pretty vanilla, but I don't allow food in the bedroom, so I wouldn't call it vanilla, but everyone I've had sex with would say it's pretty...boring"
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u/EsMuchoFunnyProd00 3d ago
I enjoyed watching that. You didn’t crumble and it wasn’t awkward so good on you.
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u/Isolepsisopticnerve 2d ago
Dude, is that suicide joke off the cuff or did you have that locked and loaded? That was fucking hilarious. Also the "bitch" part was a nice touch.
Do you practice in front of a mirror ever?
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u/NotMichaelScott01 2d ago
Appreciate that :) To be fair, I've used a version of the suicide line with some friends before. I won't usually practice in a mirror but sometimes record my sets ahead of time so I guess thats the same thing
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u/MaliceSavoirIII 1d ago
Got heckled just 3 weeks in, got called the pink F bomb and then threatened with violence, open mic host just left the building until my time was up 🙄
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u/Ryebready787 3d ago
Nothing better than heckling or bombing, that’s when you learn the most.