The Comedian

Subject 1: The Comedian

• The Meeting: When I’m not huddled in the back seat of a classroom or buried under paperwork at my day job you can always find me living the dream: as a server. I’ll pause for comedic effect. But for what it’s worth, the serving world has introduced me to plenty of interesting people. Add “The Comedian” to that list. I wish I could tell that our meeting was unique, but that wasn’t the case. This guy did what so many had done before him. He waited for the opportune moment to strike: when singled out, I was rolling silverware. If you’ve ever worked in the service industry you know the tedious task of rolling silverware all too well, but this guy slid to my right, requested a handful of knives-forks-napkins and started to roll. Charming? Try déjà vu.

• Memorable Moments: Soon after our utensil-rolling first encounter I learned that this guy was a comedian. A full-blown stand-up comic, fearless of the spotlight and writer of his own material. As a writer myself, I can not only appreciate that, I can respect it. Our memorable moments came in the form of comedy shows where I could watch this guy plus a variety of other stand-up displays.

• Pros: Obvious answer - he was hysterical.

• Cons: There was a good reason this guy has resorted to humor his entire life. Of course not all comedians can be as adorable as Daniel Tosh or Dane Cook, if that were the case comedy shows could be the new gym for single women. This pale, freckled red-head was rooted in one big lack of self-esteem, and his comedy thrived inside self-deprecation. Not only was his routine, which by now I had heard around 30+ times, so self-loathing it was uncomfortable to watch, but this guy played every vulgar card in the book. It was painful to witness. For every joke this guy made regarding his constant masturbation habits, I had the satisfying visual of punting him off stage.

• Raw Score: 5/10. After all, laughter is the way to my heart.

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