I used to want to be a stand up comedian

that sounded like a blah blah blahger post title :)-

my husband and i love PRX on XM radio. i usually always listen to it if i find myself alone in a car (its not always appropriate content for kiddos) - its a lot of stories and Bryan heard one the other day that he said I had to listen to...and he was right!

any of you guys have kids (or have known kids) who love that show Blue's Clues? Remember how the host switched and the new guy (Joe) just wasn't as good...well here is an episode of MOTH where the original host - Steve- shares his story about being the host of a popular kids show...its so good...you are welcome.


 


it really moved me. It is so impressive to hear someone tell a story - and tell it well. I loved going to see the MOTH in LA and we have been fortunate to see amazing story tellers live (Bill Cosby, Robin Williams). One of my favorite story tellers is Mike Birbiglia...who is happening to be performing on my birthday in Orange County...pretty cool...i plan on seeing it!

it just has me thinking...i used to want to do stand-up - try it at least once. i even carried a notebook around with me for a span writing down things i thought were funny or little tidbits of a joke...but then i started listening to PRX and hearing more amazing story tellers and knew that making someone laugh is nice, but taking someone on a journey and being able to arouse emotions that weren't there before...that is powerful. i have a new goal now...i want to speak at a MOTH - i am going to work on cultivating some stories and see where it takes me. sort of nerve racking, but also nice to put it out there in the cyberworld as a way to kickstart my gears!

MOTH

i rarely listen to music when i am in my car...unless i am with the kids, then we listen to their music most of the time, but if i am by myself its talk radio. i have XM radio, which i have had for 6 years...which i got because of the talk radio and now i have 4 channels of NPR. one of the stations....my favorite...is PRX - public radio exchange. they play stories like all the time. they broadcast the MOTH program and SALT cast.

if you are already familiar with those guys...then you know how cool it is...if you don't - try downloading a podcast...or two...or five...and checking them out - they are trying to bring back the art of storytelling and its amazing. if you enjoy, This American Life - you will dig it...I believe Ira Glass (the host) was a student at SALT.

if you know me well...you may know that i have played with the idea of doing a stand-up open mic night...since i have been listening to PRX i know want to do storytelling instead...i am still frightened to death about it, but it seems more my style. 

at MOTH - they have open mic night for storytelling set around a theme - tuesday night's was "Narrow Escape" - when i was trying to explain to people what we were doing it sounded so lame...uh...we are going to hear people tell stories...but its not like your loud uncle who tells the same stories every thanksgiving and you are bored to tears...i mean, its LA...these are actors...but its true stories...which gives them a human quality. my favorite was this sweet sweet dorky guy telling his story of constructing a potato gun and the cops coming and then him asking the cops if they wanted to see him fire it off...but you would have fallen in love with this kid - he was so sweet. 

sorry for the lame phone pic...its the best i could do...the room was packed! so if you go get there early! because apparently there are a lot of other people who think storytelling is cool.