More Rory on standup. (wild applause break)

I went to the DC Improv last night to see the very ending of the DC Comedy Showcase. I want to give a big congratulations to Brandon Ivey for taking first place in the competition. I think Brandon is a great comic, probably the most innovative comic on the open mic scene right now and if you haven't heard or seen him yet, you definitely will soon. If you are interested in seeing someone truly take what they think is funny and show you why its absolutely funny, Brandon is the perfect example. I have seen him perform 3 times now and every single time was a different 10 minute performance with a different approach to a comedic situation. There really is comedy in the smallest of things. You don't have to have the funniest opinion about the most recent event. It takes courage to actually perform the way Brandon does and he is very new to the comedy scene in DC. I hardly know Brandon and have only talked to him briefly. I won't forget his name or how he stands on stage or how he speaks on stage or what he wears on stage or how he approaches a crowd. That is all etched in my brain because of HOW he performs. I can't word for word tell you one of his jokes or even the idea of his jokes, but I can tell you he has a lot of confidence on stage and he is very entertaining. It branches off of the idea of performing what you think is funny. Those are the comics that become special and memorable, long after they are gone. They don't give the audience what the audience thinks they are going to get. They simply make them laugh. The audience remembers them because they made them laugh in the most unpredictable way. Despite what ANYONE tells you (me included), compromise nothing. Just be a comedian and do it the way you want to do it. I don't suggest wasting peoples time at open mics by any means. But it is just an open mic, an arena for you to get better, and if you are hammering out your bits in the writing process, you aren't truly learning anything. Open mics are practice, so practice. Don't be afraid to fail and don't be afraid to try something different or new. If you enjoy testing yourself, get on stage with only a premise and talk about it for 7 minutes. Don't ever assume you HAVE to have a bit hammered out and polished before you introduce it. Put yourself in really vulnerable positions on stage and speak honestly. Don’t assume that you HAVE to talk about any topic that the audience might want to hear about. Talk about what you want to talk about. If you are true and honest, they will listen because you are interesting. Don’t worry about being funny right now. Its an open mic… You owe the audience NOTHING.