Monday, June 13, 2011

Perform Stand Up Comedy? I'd Rather Swim with a Shark, Thanks.


The hook for My Year with Eleanor is that Noelle Hancock got fired, panicked, and got inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt, in the form of a quote written on a chalkboard at a coffee shop: "Do one thing every day that scares you."  So Hancock decided to face the things which scared her most - skydiving, swimming with sharks, working in a funeral home, interviewing ex-boyfriends, etc.

When People magazine asked what was the hardest thing she did, Hancock didn't hesitate.

"Hands down, stand-up comedy," she said.

I haven't read this one, but it caught my eye because I love standup comedy.  Done well, it's a great evening.  Done wrong, it can make you question your whole existence.  Comedians who do well are killing, while comedians who fail are dying.  Clearly the stakes are high, and you can take it from a woman who has experience, that this:

Grr.

is far less terrifying than this:

We hate your face, Chuckles.

Noelle Hancock had such an irrational fear of sharks that swimming in pools made her nervous, but she still picked performing stand-up as scarier than "going nose-to-nose" with a shark.  Which is why hecklers should be shot.  

Or at least Oswalted.

Recommended viewing: Jerry Seinfeld's documentary, Comedian.

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