Sarah Hines

Sarah Hines is a standup AND improv comedian who also produces shows in West Kentucky.  In this episode, Sarah and Drew chat about improv comedy, skydiving, bombing on stage, and more!

Connect with Sarah Hines here!

Transcript

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SPEAKER_04 0:00

At the end of the day, what people want to see is they want to see someone up on stage who is out there being their most authentic self because that gives them permission to be their most authentic self.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Welcome back to the Clean Comedy Chats.

SPEAKER_01 0:46

I'm great. How are you today, Drew?

SPEAKER_00 0:48

I am doing really well. Last week we talked with Brad, who you might have met before, and he kept saying nice things about you. He really built he I feel like he really set the bar up for this episode. So we are just gonna have just the most amazing interview ever. And uh if anyone's listening to this, and maybe this is the first time you've ever turned on this podcast, maybe you're a fan of Sarah and you kind of want to see what what's going on in this interview. Uh I just let you know, Clean Comedy Chats. This is a weekly podcast where we interview a different comedian um from the Clean Comedy Collective, which is a virtual comedy network. Uh, we have about 230 comedians from currently 30 states right now. The goal is to have like all 50 states by 2027. We'll see. But yeah, we just the idea is to chat with a different comedian each week, and maybe you'll find your new favorite comedian this way. Uh, or maybe I'll just make another friend that uh many of the comedians uh I already know Sarah a little bit, but uh uh some of them, it's like this is the first time I talk to them, so that's that's always fun. Uh, but if you like this uh podcast episode and you want to hear more interviews with comedians, uh feel free to check out our previous episodes. Feel free to check out our website, cleancomedycollective.com, that has all of like the shows and the comedians and places that donate and former podcast episodes. So it's just it's just the and and it'll it will make all your dreams come true if you check out our website. Uh um Sarah is uh a comedian from Murray, Kentucky, also of the producer part of the the second half of the producer, but according to Brad, he he kind of made it seem like you do most of the work, I'll be honest. He's like Sarah's really the one who kind of he's like, I have this show and she does everything else. Uh so uh we're excited to uh dig more into that. Uh Sarah, we first met, um, we first met uh at one of your comedy classes, a third coast. Rhonda was your teacher, and I think I was just stepping in uh to like critique or whatever. Uh judge uh I I judge comedians. That's what I do that really well.

SPEAKER_04 2:39

So um no, Rhonda was Brad's teacher, and Evan Burke was my my teacher, and you were the student teacher.

SPEAKER_00 2:46

Yes, okay. That now I remember. Sorry, I remember correctly now. Uh yeah, so that was really helpful for me because that was I was just starting to teach at Third Coast. So before you kind of have your own class, they let you sit in on someone else's class. So watching Evan teach uh was it really helpful to help me figure out how I should teach. So okay, there we go. Thank thank I'm glad one of us remembers things. So well, cool. So so you have been doing comedy, I want to say, for two or three years. Is that yeah? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 3:16

So I've been doing stand-up for two years. Uh we started that class in February of 23 or of 24, sorry. And uh I'd done one open mic before I came to the class. So I was really uh new at the very beginning. Uh but I've been doing uh improv comedy since 2012.

SPEAKER_00 3:34

Right. So uh now would you would you consider yourself more of an improv or a stand-up, or do you do but like some people are like hardcore about one or the other, some people are like whatever I do both. Where where do you fall on all that?

SPEAKER_04 3:47

I think it's really hard to draw boundaries on anything in life, like to just like put anything in black or white, and like it's comedy, and you we're seeing a lot now of like stand-up is increasingly you know, people are bringing improvisation into that, which is it's really a different outlook. But I think that improv is really difficult. It's it's it's difficult to pursue as a solo artist, you know what I'm saying? Like improv is about being part of a team, and when you're dealing with having like, you know, five or six, seven different people, it's a lot harder to promote and move up in those things because you know you can't get everybody together to drive three hours to Memphis to go do a show for $15 in the same way that you can as a stand-up, you know? Like it's easier to to find some opportunities uh individually um and move on. But my heart is I really do love improv as well.

SPEAKER_00 4:38

That's very cool. So um that that is true though, because like in comedy in stand up, it's like yes, I it's a lot easier to find someone who's crazy enough to do that 15 like $15 seven-hour trip than it is uh to get a whole group of people like let's do this together and split the $15. So so yeah. What um what would you say um are some big key differences? Um I'll I have I'm I I want to hear some key differences between improv and stand up, but one of the kind of the first questions that uh have you noticed a big difference between like the audiences that you perform for?

SPEAKER_04 5:14

Yes. So that when you're asking me about the differences, I think the number one difference is that I in improv, the audience comes in and they want you to succeed. If you have a good improv audience, they want to be part of the magic trick of what you're creating on stage. And because it's coming from their suggestions, like they are there to have a good time and they want to be in an improv show. And there's plenty of great stand-up audiences who want the same thing. But when you come into a stand-up show, I there's a little bit more detachment, and the audience is kind of further back and they're like, okay, you up there make me laugh, versus like we're all gonna create this thing together that I think is more of the feeling that comes out of improv. So I really love the like heart and love that comes out of improv audiences. But in stand-up, it's really beautiful to be able to go in and then connect with the audience and pull them into that. Um, just you know, crowd work's one thing, but it's also just the having the intimacy and the the making them feel like you're coming up with all of this in this moment and the connection of like this is the show for you, it's not gonna be seen again this way. And I think that's something beautiful that you can take out of improv and to stand up to.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

You find it's uh like because in improv, I feel like you have to share the stage with your scene partners, right? Is that ever weird? Like, okay, I should back up. I'll I'll tell myself. Uh, I did improv, I took one improv class, so I took several weeks of improv. And then I we got to do the big show at this theater. Uh, and I loved learning about improv. I loved getting to know my improv scene partners and stuff like that. I loved learning, like it was fun during practice in the class and stuff like that. But then I realized when I had to um perform in front of people like the audience, I didn't like sharing attention with the other people on the stage. And so I'm not exaggerating when I say that was the one improv show I ever did, and I've never done it since then. So it is it weird because you do both stand-up and improv. Is it weird sharing the attention with the other people on stage? Or is that never something or are you just a better person than me?

SPEAKER_04 7:13

Honestly, when I started doing stand-up, it was hard for me because I had no one else to share that attention with. It like really freaked me out. Uh, because in improv, you can kind of go out on a limb further and trust that, like, okay, I can go out and start this, and I don't have to say something funny. I've got somebody else back here who can come in and I've got five people who can come out and support me and make it funny, even if what I start doing isn't funny. But the first time I tried to do something in stand-up and like didn't, you know, the audience wasn't reacting the way, it's like I'm almost looking behind me to be like, okay, somebody come help me. But there's no one there. So I I love staring the stage in in that aspect. But now that I've done, I think if I'd done stand-up first and then gone into improv, I think I would have had that same that same hesitation. Because now sometimes I I do feel like I'm like, oh, I have something good to say, and you know, I have to be cognizant of this scene is gonna be better if I let it be created by everyone.

SPEAKER_00 8:16

And maybe that's what it was for me, because like I believe I was about three years into stand-up before I uh because I took an improv class with the hopes that um learning improv would improve my stand-up in some kind of way, whether it's stage presence or crow. Do you uh do you find that either stand-up or improv helps you with the other? And then if so, how's that?

SPEAKER_04 8:36

So for sure. Uh so one thing that I've noticed in improv, because I've been doing improv for so long before I started stand-up, I think it's really I think it it I I had the improv skills when I came into stand-up. So I can also show how I think improv or stand-up has improved my improv, which is that when I'm hosting games, I find that that's a lot more natural for me. That used to be my my least favorite part of improv because that's the time that you have to go up and be like, okay, this is me. I need your attention on me. I'm going to give you a lot of information that's not necessarily going to be funny, but I have to give you this to proceed with the scene. So I think stand-up has really brought a lot of that uh into my ability to do improv and just to command a room and public speaking in terms of that. And then moving into improv, how it's helped me with stand-up. It's so much of like what I've learned about the timing and about being funny and all of those things. There's a lot of transferable skills. I I've also read a ton of improv books and just the ideas behind comedic structure and finding the game and finding what's funny in a scene, those are all transferable, not just to the performance aspect, but also to joke writing.

SPEAKER_00 9:52

The last improv-related question I have, because then we'll jump to other other stuff, but like um, what is your take uh as a professional improv and stand-up, or those are the exact words people use? Um, are this this this this rivalry and war between improvers and stand-up? I mean, it's like werewolves and vampires or like Marvel and DC fans. What's the why is there like and and do you fall anywhere on this? Like what's the what's the deal with the the heated tension between improv and stand-up? Or is that just from the stand-up perspective? I don't know if improvers feel I've never sat down and talked to improvers about the tension.

SPEAKER_04 10:31

Uh I mean I'll say here, I don't really feel much of that tension because I don't think our scene is established enough. And also we've done a lot of work uh in improv to bring stand-up in because it's helpful for us. We host a comedy contest as an improv troupe. We have a format where we do uh it's really fun where we bring stand-ups in and they'll do like a 10 or 12 minute set and then we improvise based on their standards.

SPEAKER_00 10:56

Oh, that's fun. I've been on shows like that before. That is a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_04 10:59

It's so fun. So uh I think we've created a lot of opportunities uh for stand-up, even prior to me getting involved in stand-up. That was some of my first connections, and stand-up was booking comics for coming on these shows. So I think that's really been helpful. But I think I think part of the issue is that there's just this there is a little bit of a difference in the just the general attitude of some improvisers versus stand-up, and there's a lot of ego involved in both. So I'm not saying that one is better than the other, but in terms of this like dynamic of teamwork versus um doing this as an individual, and also the opportunities for marketability. And so I think that you know, in improv, like there's not really that many professional improvisers that people know and recognize as household names. Now, a lot of improvisers, a lot of the comics that you know, a lot of the actors that you know have started as improvisers. There's a lot of improv background, but they're not famously known as improvisers. Of course, there are some, but I think that the like the marketability, I think that there's probably a little bit of tension there too.

SPEAKER_00 12:09

Okay, that's a that's a good take. Um, and you're right. I actually so during my day job, we had an improv comedy show a few weeks ago, and uh it was very confusing to explain to people when they're asking about the the people who had never heard of like improv comedy because part I kept on being like, you know what it is, you just don't know that you know, but that but I it it it was it was not unlike trying to explain southern food to people from overseas. They don't they we we eat a lot of weird stuff that people don't uh it's good, but uh anyway. Um and so I do remember what I was gonna say, it wasn't a question, but it was an observation because you're talking about um some of the natural how you interact with people that comes with like improv. And I do remember when I when I seen you, especially when you first started, uh you did have a natural stage presence as a stand-up comedian when you're like up there and uh and that's that's something that just experience on like stage and performing comes with. But I think especially when you're doing improv, like I think I think that's a a a benefit I saw in watching you perform is it takes if people were just starting stand-up comedy, it takes them a lot longer to get that kind of what looks like natural comfort comfort on stage. And so that's something you had always I'd I was impressed with when I was seeing you perform. You know, most I I remember mostly uh when we had the open mic at Why Not Saloon, that's where I saw you. I mean, I might have saw you like what uh in Evan's class as well, but you did you you do have a natural uh and it's not natural, it comes with stage experience. I mean, maybe it is a little natural, but like it the improv helps with that, which I thought was pretty cool.

SPEAKER_04 13:43

So yeah, thank you very much. So yeah, I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_00 13:47

So I get I guess I was as I I I guess I forgot that Mer you have uh so you have an improv you helped create an improv scene in Murray. I was just assuming you just come down and are part of the third third coast troops or something like that. But you have a you have a gang up there?

SPEAKER_04 14:01

Yeah, it's actually in Paducah. So we've been performing in Paducah. Uh Paducah Improv has been going for 13 years. I've been part of it for 12. Uh so it's really fantastic. We we stopped for a while in COVID, but otherwise we've been for performing shows once a month um for 13 years. So wow, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:20

So you guys are and and has it been is it like the same troupe, or has there's pro has there been like add-ons and like a TV show that has a rotating cast or yeah, there's definitely a rotating cast, but uh right now like three of the people that are in it have been in it with me for 12 years. So well, that's so cool. Yeah, well, that's awesome. So do do you all do you have any uh favorite places that you guys perform? Any cool, cool spots that you would like recommend to people like go check out this?

SPEAKER_04 14:46

Yeah, absolutely. We perform at Maiden Alley Cinema, which is a really cool independent theater in downtown Paducah. Um, they show really great art house films, and we perform there on Thursday nights to last Thursday night of every month.

SPEAKER_00 15:00

Okay, very cool. So that's great. What a great night. We uh here in Nashville, uh I produce a stand-up show the last Thursday night of every month. But so but if you're closer to Paducah, go to Sarah's show, go to the Improv one. So yeah. Um so now you so you uh do you produ because you also produce stand-up shows as well, right? Like that's that's that's what I learned. I earned you that, but I also we were talking about that last week. So um tell tell us about um like some of the shows you produce, or like I don't know. I uh when Brad was here, he kind of had like he talked about Corvette lanes, and and I don't know if that was like his main show, but um I I feel like you might have like multiple. You might you might be doing more than just like one main one, but I might be wrong. Tell if I'm wrong, tell us about your main one.

SPEAKER_04 15:41

But yeah, so uh I produce a couple open mics, um and I produce a show at Dry Ground Brewing in Paducah. Uh, and that's just that's a monthly show. Um, and we've had some really great people on that, and we've had like a full house every time. Uh we started that, we've done three months now, and we keep having to buy more chairs. So that's a great problem to have.

SPEAKER_00 16:05

Yeah, that well, that is wonderful. Yeah, that's really cool. Dry ground, and and is that uh you said that was a monthly show? Is that like uh like last Tuesday or last Friday?

SPEAKER_04 16:13

The last Tuesday, it's not um always the same because they also have a bunch of bands and stuff that come in, and that's a free show. Um, and we we take tips, and I've been able to give you know money to the people who are coming in from out of town, so that's great. Our next one is on May 23rd. Um, very cool. Yeah, and we've got Brent Daniels, another clean comedy collection member coming in.

SPEAKER_00 16:34

Yeah, yeah, that'll be great. Yeah, and she yeah, she's wonderful. She produces showdown and she kind of helps with our leadership. So uh big vouch for Brent. Uh so that's um that is awesome. And you know, it's it depending on the venue. Some uh when I when I work with people on like how to produce shows and like the conversations of like, you know, should you charge for tickets or sales or whatever? Um doing free shows can work depending on the venue. Like if they have an organic audience, you can do a free show and then you can do like tips and donations, and that you end up making pretty good money from that. But if it's a room that like doesn't have a big audience and you're wanting to pay the comedians, sometimes free shows are a little bit harder. But um, I've I just started a show in Columbia, Tennessee, but it has a big enough organic audience where I'm able to do a collection plate like it's church and end up getting people. So um I'm gonna back up to something you said earlier and ask a question that's been on my mind about it. Uh, you had mentioned uh before you took your comedy class, you did one open mic. Uh and and and so I was gonna ask you, do you remember your first open mic experience?

SPEAKER_04 17:38

Yeah, I actually my first open mic experience was really good. I okay, so I lied. I did not do one open mic before I took my first comedy class.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

When I was like 20 truth comes out here, it's clean comedy chats. No, I'm just kidding. So but go ahead and tell tell us the your your experience here. Either one is fine.

SPEAKER_04 17:54

So I actually did an open mic, I did two open mics when I was in college in like 2010, maybe. Um, I was 20 years old, I wasn't even old enough to drink at the comedy club, and those went awful. I I I had this like list of jokes and I thought that they were gonna be so funny, and I went up on stage and I got no laughs, and it was it was um I I had challenged myself to do one thing every day that scared me. And so like I made this list of these things that scared me, and stand-up comedy, doing stand-up comedy was one of the things that scared me, and I went on stage, and I I'm honestly surprised I went back. Um, but I I will say one thing from the experience, and I don't remember who this woman was, and this was at um this was in Lexington, Kentucky. I lived in Lexington at the time, so it was at the comedy off Broadway Club.

SPEAKER_00 18:47

Oh, I I I enjoy that. But yeah, I that was the first place I ever did comedy too, actually. Really? Uh so yeah, yeah. So it was it, and it would have been like I don't know, like 2012-ish. So not too not too far from when you did your first one. Oh, right.

SPEAKER_04 19:02

So I've been doing stand-up at comedy off Broadway for longer than you, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 19:06

I know I'm just gonna do that. Oh, for sure, for sure. I did it twice and then I moved to Nashville, but I do remember, but you said it was 2010-ish, and so yeah. Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 19:16

So I did two open mics and then I quit uh and didn't do anything again uh until two years ago. So I guess maybe I should sell people that I've been in stand-up since 2010.

SPEAKER_00 19:25

What else was on your uh bucket list of fears to that you owe and and do you still have a knockaway fears bucket list? That's a that's a cool, that's an interesting thing.

SPEAKER_04 19:37

I I don't even remember any of the other things that were on my bucket list. This is this I I honestly had a hard time finding more and more things that scared me. Uh, but I've I've done a lot of things that scared me. I've been skydiving and bungee jumping. Skydiving was really scary, but I would recommend scare that.

SPEAKER_00 19:55

You wouldn't or you didn't.

SPEAKER_04 19:57

For sure, yeah, do it.

SPEAKER_00 19:59

We'll we'll see. I haven't made that list yet.

SPEAKER_04 20:02

If you want to know the scariest thing about it, yes about skydiving for me, is um I went outside Chattanooga and I went tandem jumping. So they had a parachute, a person on a parachute behind me. So I did not have a parachute. And they made I was gonna go first, and so I was sitting on the floor next to the door, and there's not a door to the plane, it's just like a big hole. And I asked the guy, I was like, Are you gonna close the door? and he rolls down this like plastic sheet and he was like, Does that make you feel better? And I was like, No, not really. And I was like, Well, what if I fall out of the plane? I don't have a parachute. And he said, Well, a parachute wouldn't deploy from this height anyway.

SPEAKER_00 20:46

So this is not comforting at all, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 20:50

But once I got out of the plane, it was great.

SPEAKER_00 20:52

Yeah, very cool. Well, so was it when you this has now become a podcast about bungee jumping and and and and skydiving? Uh we've shifted, but but I'm interested in this right now. Uh so when you jumped out, when you finally did the plunge, literally, was it fun once you were free falling and like there's nothing you could do about it?

SPEAKER_04 21:11

It was it was like exhilarating once we were free falling, and it it went really fast. Uh, it we weren't from a super high height.

SPEAKER_03 21:20

I actually got a group on for going skydiving, which my dad was very mad about, uh, because he was like, that is not a time that you want to like skim.

SPEAKER_00 21:29

You don't want to, yeah, you don't want to skimp on money. Yeah, that makes sense. That's yeah. Wow.

SPEAKER_04 21:35

We did the lowest height, so we weren't in free fall for very long, but that part I it was really like beautiful and like it felt like time was stopping. But once the parachute deployed, I was like, Oh great, I'm fine. This is really fun now. Like that's when it was really easy to enjoy because I'm like, you know, worst case now I break a leg.

SPEAKER_00 21:53

Okay, it's good. Well, you know, um I wish I could say, like, wow, listening to you tell me about that makes it Seem less terrified. But I literally feel the nerves over on this end just from picturing the experience. So I I don't know if I'll cross that one off my fear list anytime soon. But um now, did you you said that your uh first open mic later was a better experience, right? Like what what do you remember that one?

SPEAKER_04 22:21

Oh yeah, totally. Um, so I I like had a set that kind of like it all kind of came to me naturally and organically at the same time. Uh I actually we were going to drive to Nashville and go to another open mic. We were gonna go to one at Garage Sale Vintage, and so I was prepared for that. I had this idea that I needed to do stand-up for the first time out of town where no I would know no one. And uh because I I was like, I that way if I just completely bombed, you know, it's like you'll just never go back to Nashville ever again. Yeah. Well, and these people won't remember me. They're they're not gonna place it. So uh I got my whole set ready and then that mic got canceled because of a storm. But I like had gotten it ready. I read it to my husband, and he was like, Oh yeah, that's actually good. So then I felt confident when I was going into the one um back home where I was actually gonna know some people. Uh, and one of my my friends, Jamal Gardner, was there, and you know, he's been doing stand-up for a long time. Um, and I've been friends with him since I was in high school, so it was really great to have someone there. And, you know, I got a lot of laughs actually. Um, but then I watched back the video maybe eight months later or something. Cause I had this, I don't know if people have this panic as comics, but I had this panic that was like, I'm not getting any better. I'm just as good as I was when I first started. And I watched back and I was like, oh wait, yeah, no, I'm way better now.

SPEAKER_03 23:48

That was not if I felt good about it at the time, but it was not great when I watched it back.

SPEAKER_00 23:54

I uh I frequently have that I've had that experience where like at the time I'll be like, that that was a great set. I did great. And then I I you know, sometime later, years later, I'll go back and look at it and be like, thank god I'm I tell that joke better. You know, right? That was that was rough. So um well, uh I'm wondering uh if if you have any like what your kind of big time entertainment goals or hope for kind of what you're doing with everything. Because you you got your uh I was gonna say hand and a lot of fires. That's the poker, like a lot of the saying where like you have multiple things going on. It's not hand in fire. That's what I was about to say. You have your hand and a lot of fire. Thank thank you. You have your irons and a lot of fires with improv of irons in my fire. This is this is this, yeah, this is exactly the same. Yeah, anyway. You well, between improv and stand-up and producing and just doing all kinds of so like what what what are some goals you have for yourself? Like, where do you where do you see yourself going with your entertainment and comedy and all that stuff?

SPEAKER_04 24:57

Yeah, absolutely. Um, I I kind of came into comedy. I never expected to do stand-up. I'd never wanted to do stand-up for a long time. My husband had been talking about doing stand-up, and I was like, that the life sucks. I was like, best case scenario, you know what? You're gonna be traveling 40 weeks a year for no money. Like, that's why would you want to do that? Uh and then I started it just something clicked in my head, you know. Like I I I like I had a spiritual awakening, everything's kind of shifted and changed in my life. And um, I directed a play uh that was a comedy play uh at our local community theater, and just directing myself and immersing myself in a creative project like that. I was like, this is what I want to be doing, is that I want to be completely immersed in the creativity and like this is just all that's coming out of me. So I I really see myself, you know, pursuing doing more stand-up and doing it and traveling more. I I love traveling, I've always loved traveling uh all over the country in different countries. So just opportunities to come out and make people laugh. And honestly, hopefully more uh online too. I think that's important.

SPEAKER_00 26:10

Like online comedy, like Zoom shows and stuff like that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:13

Well, I saw vif videos, films, or sketches, all kinds of comedy.

SPEAKER_00 26:18

That makes that makes sense too. Now I saw you did um and probably at this point it was a while a while back, but when I was scrolling through, uh I did I before I interviewed guests, I stalked them on social media, but I feel like it's it's it's uh appropriate. But um, but I saw you did a while back. You did uh Paula J. Newen's uh online put pain to punchline show. How was uh how was that? We had her, she was actually our second guest ever on this podcast. So we've had her on before, and she talked a little bit about the show. But that was uh uh do you remember that experience? The Zoom comedy show. How'd you feel about that?

SPEAKER_04 26:48

It was a good experience. I honestly like I I should have worked better on what of my jokes were going to translate better to a Zoom screen, you know, like this is like, oh, this is a chance to do jokes that are a little more heady, I guess, and a little less physical. And so I kind of had to reel it in on the spot, some of the physicality. I was like, oh, this isn't gonna work. Um so I but I think it's something I could get used to, honestly. Uh it's it's strange to not have an audience to respond to and connect to. But then when you think about like okay, so I feel really successful when I'm doing this show in a room for 40 people. But you know, the the availability of people able to see this online is, I mean, it's infinite. And not just I mean, I guess kind of the scary part is it's not just for now, it's for forever. You know, a YouTube video can last, you know, it can uh get a big surge in three years, and you don't remember even making it. So that that part I guess is a little nerve-wracking. But I I liked the experience, and um, all the comics were really great. The quality of the comics was great, and everyone was really nice, and it went well, and I would definitely recommend watching it.

SPEAKER_00 28:04

Yeah, that that that was that was a fun show. But you're right about uh it it it it like in any any I guess the more you do comedy, the more you realize like different rooms have kind of different vibes, and you kind of learn how to which jokes work or which style or kind of which parts of your personality turn up a little bit in different rooms and stuff like that. But with the Zoom shows, sometimes it's like what jokes work, you know. You you can it's just kind of a different style, and uh you adapt to it. It for a lot of I mean it's it's not one of my personal favorite styles, but I I do think it's important because uh you do have an audience if you have even if you don't hear them laughing because they're in the same room as you. Uh but oftentimes you do see the laughing emojis or the you know comments of people laughing. So that that's good enough. So so now what would you say um challenge-wise, uh and and you can take this in uh edit because I mean you do you do so much uh is you're just creative, you do so much creative stuff. What's uh what's one of like the biggest challenges of doing what you do?

SPEAKER_04 29:06

Oh, for creative stuff, um I mean I think for creative stuff, I don't know. They say like sculptors will there's a famous thing that a sculptor is saying that the statues already in the sculpture, it's just getting the rest of it out. I'm really butchering that and I don't even remember who said it.

SPEAKER_00 29:22

It was probably it's no hands in the fire, iron in the fire, but it you're you're it's I I appreciate the attempt of butchering.

SPEAKER_03 29:30

I was honestly just trying to make you feel better. I know exactly what I'm talking about.

SPEAKER_04 29:35

I'm very smart. Um, I'm just kidding. Uh, but it it's the removal of the blockages in in whatever aspect of creativity you're talking about. And creativity is really important to me as an artist. Um I when I was starting stand-up, I also went through the artist's way, which is like a program that's about uh connecting through creativity um and a higher power, um using higher power and connecting to creativity. And it's really important and to remove the blockages, and a lot of that's just like resistance to being seen. Sometimes it's like resistance to um visibility, like be but it's also resistance to like thinking that you deserve an opportunity or thinking that you deserve a connection or thinking that you deserve all of these things. So it's like removing the blockages of self-worth to get to what's really authentically you under that. Because at the end of the day, what people want to see is they want to see someone up on stage who is out there being their most authentic self because that gives them permission to be their most authentic self. So it's the it's the letting go of everything that I don't think I should be in my head in all aspects of my life, and that translates to all aspects of creativity.

SPEAKER_00 30:54

Yeah, that's really deep and very applicable for stand-up comedy. I feel like, well, I just in working with newer comics, it just interacting with newer comics, um, you know, through like open mics and stuff like that, or like the ones that hire me for consulting. Like there's um we all, because I and I can say this because when I was newer, I absolutely this was me just as much as been anyone, but there's just this the ego of like that you um I I mean what I tell people now is like nobody owes you anything. Like it's you know, you're not any of the opportunities or shows are like it's not like there's a like that you have something that people should be like, well, I have to book this person. Like realize that the way to succeed in comedy is recognizing that like you're not owed any opportunity. You kind of have to earn it or you know, find people that value what you're bringing to the table, but like you know, we all we're all equally equally as important and also equally as unimportant. That's really kind of what it is. I mean, I do think we all have basic human value, but in the grand scheme of entertainment, comedy is not fair, and it's not like you get owed anything.

SPEAKER_04 32:00

So totally, yeah. And comedy is crazy because it's also so fleeting, you know. It's like you'll do a show and it's like this is such a huge opportunity for me, you know. And I have this idea of like I'll build something up in my head, and then I get booked on a seven-minute set on this, and I'm like, this is the biggest deal to me in the world, but uh, you know, the producer's not gonna remember me a year from now. You know what I'm saying? Like it's it's such a small, such a small scale. Um, but it's really cool in that terms because then I you get to interact with some people who are doing such great amazing things. Yeah. And you get so many more opportunities because it's not like someone's having to book you for a six-month gig, you know, like there you can you can take a little bit more of a risk on someone.

SPEAKER_00 32:48

Absolutely. And each of those seven-minute gigs, while they may not seem like the it, I feel like you're always looking for the bigger and better. And something you do now can lead to that next thing. Um, and so which makes it fun because then you can kind of like like just like you were looking at that video from months ago, and like, wow, I've improved. You can look at what the things that you're like, wow, this is so cool that I get to do it today. When you look back later, you'll be you'll be further along and you're like, Well, that led to this opportunity, which led to this opportunity. Uh, sometimes it uh but if left unchecked, it can also give us uh some unneeded pressure of like, oh my gosh, I what I have what's this gonna lead? What doors is gonna open? I need, you know, so but I don't know. Um it's hard.

SPEAKER_04 33:30

It's hard. And that's that's why uh this this is a saying I do know is that we watched a masterclass where Steve Martin was talking, and he said, being alone on stage is the ego's last stand. And that's that's really I think a beautiful way to sum up stand-up comedy, is that it's it is this confrontation with the ego and it can make it stronger in some ways. Because sometimes you're getting these opportunities, and then it's building into the I think I can create a plan that's going to go exactly this way, and I'm going to force these other people to do what I want them to do, and that's not gonna work, unfortunately. Yeah, or fortunately, because the real plan can be way better than anything you could try to create.

SPEAKER_00 34:10

Absolutely. I mean, I think it's with with any kind of entertainment-related thing, whether it's stand-up or or improv or any even like a show or production, it's like there's a lot that's you can't account for, right? You know, yeah, and uh which makes it exciting and beautiful and awesome, um, but sometimes scary and oof, we'll see. Do you have any um uh do you have any stories of like um stories of bombing that like are kind of fun though? Like kind of look now that you look back, it's like it makes for a funny story, but man, and it can be in any realm of production, but like where this is what we hope for, and then it didn't happen at all like that. And last with Brad, I shared about how a month into comedy I booked myself for a 45-minute spot. I didn't, I didn't say it, I didn't give the whole story, but it was at a wedding, it was someone's wedding reception. And uh I was so confident, I was like, they asked for 30 minutes, and I was like, I'll do 45. Um, I know it's it's terrible. And I recorded it thinking like this is gonna be what I send in to Netflix. This is gonna be the and uh 45 minutes I did speak into a microphone for 45 minutes. Um, I got one laugh in 45 minutes, so uh it's a miracle that I kept doing comedy. Uh and now it makes for a funny story, but it was it was a bit traumatic.

SPEAKER_03 35:38

Uh how much how much would someone have to give on Patreon for you to release the entire 45 minutes set of you doing comedy at this wedding?

SPEAKER_00 35:47

Oh my gosh, I wish I still had it. Uh I would I yeah, that I I don't have it, and that's I know that's exactly what I'd say if I did have it.

SPEAKER_03 35:54

Yeah, but like, but I'm gonna search your hard drive.

SPEAKER_00 35:57

Yeah, that yeah, that would be uh and it's funny is those people followed my comedy career for a while. Like occasionally they I see like likes and stuff. Um, but you know what? Uh I like to think they saw me improve, uh, but I haven't seen any likes from them recently, so I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 36:12

So that is so funny. Um okay. Yeah, but what you think you can do it, you know. In the beginning, you're like, oh yeah, of course. I can I can I can do 45 minutes, and then you quickly find out you can't. Not usually that dramatically. Usually people don't let you do the 45 minutes at a wedding reception.

SPEAKER_03 36:32

Which even for a seasoned comic, a wedding reception doesn't seem like a no, it I I can say now I'll still do if someone hires me to perform at their wedding, I'll still do it.

SPEAKER_00 36:43

But uh well, if so, I mean I you know I get those gigs sometimes. If someone hires me, I'll do it. But like for anyone thinking about entertainment for a wedding, don't hire a comedian.

SPEAKER_04 36:52

That is both a magician or a band.

SPEAKER_00 36:54

Yeah, yeah. It's just because the wedding, the whole point of the wedding is to look at the bride and groom like it's their day. All the attention should be on that. And for those little 45 minutes or less, I'm like, oh, instead, look at me. Like nobody wants to look at the comedian. It's just it's anyway.

SPEAKER_04 37:11

Okay, so my story about bombing. Um, so I was doing my second level class at Third Coast, and I was practicing for the showcase set, and this story is really prescient because I was in the same theater. So we were the second level class was in the third coast room, and we did a panel. Um, and so I had Courtney Warner come in and Drew Harrison came in for my panel. Yeah, they're great.

SPEAKER_00 37:36

And I love them, they're cool people. They were great.

SPEAKER_04 37:39

Oh no, you're fine. They were great. Um, and Sydney Davis Jr. Jr. was my teacher. And she really she was a really great teacher in that she pushed me really far, like outside the boundaries, and it's something that I'm really grateful for. And I was doing all this material about how I learned how to speak ghost and like how um, yeah, basically, like that I was a foreign exchange student, and I went um to the astral plane and learned how to speak ghosts. Yeah, it was great. And I did it for the panel, um, and it was a great set, and it we were practicing for our show, and I got compliments, I got laughs, it was it was all good. And then I went to the Third Coast open mic and I did the exact same set on the exact same stage an hour and a half later and just completely bomb. Uh and it was so bizarre because it was like, this is the same thing that worked before, and it was so bad, no one laughed, and then at the end, somebody went up and roasted me, and they were like, and what was with that girl? This this has been a weird night. What was that with that girl who learned how to speak ghost? Um, but it's okay, we can talk about it. She's gone, but I wasn't gone.

SPEAKER_01 38:46

I'm right here.

SPEAKER_04 38:47

I did, I said I'm right here, and then he like walked out of the room without making eye contact with me. Um so I'm sorry. No, it's fine.

SPEAKER_00 38:57

No, I was that was that was I was that comic. I'm sorry that I said maybe it was you.

SPEAKER_04 39:03

I don't remember who it was. Um, no, honestly, it was great. And because like I was like, first of all, it can't get worse than this because this wasn't a dead room. This wasn't no one was here, because those kinds of bombs you can like you can like rationalize.

SPEAKER_00 39:20

Justify, yeah, yeah. Well, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 39:22

Yeah, they didn't want to laugh at anything, or like, yeah, there were six people here. Of course I didn't get laughs, no worries. Um, but no, this this was like a there were a lot of people there and they were laughing at other things, they just were not having me. Um but it made me realize like I can do this even when it doesn't go well, you know what I'm saying? And to do the same thing, especially in the same space, that's such a weird I but I guess that happens um sometimes with comics, you'll do a seven o'clock show and the nine o'clock show, and you might be fine at one and just bomb the other. So it's like it made me realize like, oh, I can't take this personally.

SPEAKER_00 40:00

That's and that's a that's a great lesson in in stand up in general, because even beyond the your performance on stage, uh, you learn not to take personally, like when you're shooting a veil emails out to all the different bookers or whatever, uh, whether they you know, and it it it feels like it's if you let it, it feels like when people don't like your comedy or don't book you for something, it feels like they're saying like a personal attack to you because our jokes are you know, they're part of us. They're like we're sharing this part of us. And if someone's like, I'm not, you know, we feel like they like saying, and you're terrible as a person, you know, like and and they're really not though. They're really not, and uh, but it's easy. But uh yeah, that is interesting because you do when you're working a weekend, you got you know, you have four four shows on Friday and Saturday, and um sometimes it's four great audiences, sometimes it's three great audiences, and one terrible audience. And the weirdest is this is something we were talking about last night at a show, is when you have a full room but still not a great audience.

SPEAKER_05 40:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:59

Because like ideally, what happens is as they're laughing at the jokes, it kind of gets easier as the night goes on. But like some audiences, for whatever reason, um it's like they laugh and then like they reset. And so it feels like you have to like keep and I I've walked, I've left routines before, like turn to the next community, like, man, I feel like I feel like I had that was a workout. Like I had to get I had to fight for every single laugh there, you know. Um, and then what's even weirder is sometimes you have audiences like that where you think, like, man, I don't know if they like joy in their lives, I don't know if they like comedy. Uh and then they come up to you after the show and they're like, that was so much fun. Thank you. And some people are just quiet laughers, like some people were just they smile. And so that's the interest, it's just that's the interesting thing about live entertainment, is there's so many variables is with the people that you're entertaining. So um there's a lot of metrics for success in comedy. Some the big the most clear one is laughter. Like, if you're getting laughter, then that's a metric, like you're like that's doing well. But I've learned there are other metrics, you know, after the show, if they come up and talk to you, they usually only do that if they like you and thought you're funny. If they buy your merch, if they follow you on social media, if you get rebooked, like those are other ways you can you could you could I've felt terrible about a show before, and then like the booker contacted me the next day and like, hey, do you want to come back next year? And it's like I don't know if he gave me the year to get better, but like I was like, all right.

SPEAKER_04 42:22

But um well, and the booker knows their show and they know their room, and they know what kind of reaction other comics get in that room, and they can tell, like they they have an idea of like, oh yeah, this was kind of the audience was kind of a little off and weird tonight, but Drew did a great job with them, you know, and being able to uh just not there is sort of a thing that sometimes people go up there and be like, oh, this doesn't seem like a it's going great. I'm just gonna go up there and go off the rails and do whatever. And that's a gamble that sometimes can work, but sometimes you're like that detachment. If it's done out of malice, the audience knows that, and then they start to they disconnect anymore.

SPEAKER_00 43:02

But like the real magic trick is to go up there and to take an audience like that and then to bring them back in, and that feels incredible to be able to that is that is a good feeling to it, and yeah, there's that you you kind of learn to uh because I guess I guess when I teach, I talk about how we do we're doing comedy with the audience, not at the audience, you know, like and you there's a there's like an organicness to it, uh, and that's a hard I don't actually know how to teach that, but I think the more you do it, the more you figure it out kind of thing. Um, and and yeah, there's some sometimes sometimes you you work them into liking how you do comedy, but sometimes you get up there and you're like, I'm gonna do things completely different because that's what it feels like this rooms, and it you're like it you're like like you said, it's a gamble. Um, but if done correctly, it can really pay off. What this is a non comedy related question. What are you like what are you geeking out on right now? Like what's what's exciting and fun, whether it's media or life or whatever, TV? What's what's no, what am I geeking out?

SPEAKER_04 43:59

I'm playing. The Sims a lot still.

SPEAKER_00 44:02

Is there a new one or are we going like old school?

SPEAKER_03 44:05

It's the Sims 4. It's the same one that's been out for a long time. But uh I got a new computer uh in December. So I my old computer like wasn't capable of playing it anymore.

SPEAKER_04 44:16

So that's kind of why I've been going back there. And I I find myself a lot of times I'm like out somewhere and I'm like, oh I just wish I could go home and play The Sims right now.

SPEAKER_03 44:24

Like I'm like, I want to leave where I am to go play The Sims.

SPEAKER_00 44:29

That that's the mark of a great game. I I I that's the end the Sims great because it's like I don't want to be in this reality. I want to be a good one. I want to be in the one I made. Yeah, absolutely. I there's nothing wrong with that. Yeah, we're all like that. Uh we don't all play the Sims. We everyone thinks that I don't want to be in this reality. I wish I could make my own.

SPEAKER_05 44:49

So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:50

Um yeah. Well, um, let me um I'm gonna ask you some questions from uh other people. Um so so here's the way it works. Uh I am I have uh I update it since the last one. We have 27 27 questions. So and I'm gonna ask each you all 27. No, I'm just kidding. Okay, great. So so give me yep, give me three uh numbers between one and twenty seven, and that will dictate which questions I ask you.

SPEAKER_02 45:19

Let's do four seventeen twenty-three.

SPEAKER_00 45:25

Four seventeen and twenty three.

SPEAKER_02 45:31

I feel like I should have a dice, a die.

SPEAKER_00 45:33

Right, right, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 45:34

27-sided die.

SPEAKER_00 45:36

Yeah, you dodged and but you did get dysentery. So uh um, and just a friendly reminder to everyone um uh listening or watching, uh, you can always send us in questions, Instagram, Facebook threads, Drew Davis comedy. If you're watching on YouTube, you can drop a comment with a question. If you're uh you could just I've had people just shoot me emails with questions. You can just if you see me on the side of the road, you can just ask tell me a question. If I have my phone on, I'll write it in and add it to our list. Uh, but this is our ask a comedian section. So we have a comedian, and so here are the three questions we're gonna ask. Uh starting with this one, uh, which came from Facebook from Kristen Carnes. Nope, well, not that it matters, it came from it's not Facebook. I like um um I like this one. This is a fun one. Uh, if your life was a movie title, what would it be?

SPEAKER_04 46:25

Twisted, maybe I don't know. Um it feels like everything's crazy right now. Twisted, that's what we're gonna go with.

SPEAKER_00 46:32

Twisted, right? I I think that would and I think the uh art would like it could be a fun take on twister movies, but twisted and the yeah, like a like a yeah, similar, but cool. That's a that that I think mine would just be like, we'll see. Just whatever image emotes a shrug is is is of uncertainty. That would be it. So next question. You might uh this actually comes from Craig Irwin uh from uh um and yeah, yeah, this came from Threads, and it the question is when is it time to ditch a joke you're working on?

SPEAKER_04 47:10

Oh, that's hard. I think it depends how how attached you are to it, you know, because sometimes I think sometimes there's a reason you can't let go of it, but you have to be completely willing to rework it to the point that it looks completely different than the original. Like if there is something inside of it that like you're like, this is I know something about this is funny. Maybe the perspective is completely wrong. Maybe you started at the beginning and you needed to start in a completely different place. Maybe you need to shorten things, or maybe you need to find corollaries, maybe it's not relatable to the audience because of the setting you're using. But I I think if there's something that's really in there, um then I think you can hold on to it. And but the other thing is is uh you can also always put jokes away. I've had jokes that I thought were really funny, um, and they just weren't getting the response that I wanted. But then later I wrote something else and there was a line from that joke that I was like, this was the only good part of that joke. This and it works in the new joke. So I think sometimes you're just not ready for the joke yet. So don't be so be willing to like be like, okay, I know that there's something funny in this joke. I think if you do it three or four times for a couple different audiences and it's just not working, then you're either have to put it down or completely, completely rework it. Like don't keep doing a joke that's not funny across across audiences, but yeah, you you can sometimes you can just leave it and then come back six months later and it goes in a completely different joke, and you didn't even know it was supposed to go in that joke.

SPEAKER_00 48:50

Yeah, uh that is so true. I've I've I've experienced all that to be true. Um, I think and the starting of that is being objective with your material. If you keep doing it, like you said, in three different rooms and it's not getting a laugh, don't take it personally, but also acknowledge this joke isn't it yet. It's not it's not there. Yeah, totally. So okay. This is this is a the maybe one of the weirdest questions I've read in this podcast. Uh so yeah, I was and I just want to remind you that you picked this one when you said the number so this is more on you than on me. Okay. This one, um, this one comes from John Ordover from Facebook. Um when you're making out, do you ever think when you're making out, do you ever think of a joke and ruin the moment?

SPEAKER_03 49:36

I wouldn't say it, I don't think. I might think of it. I would I I think I would not say it.

SPEAKER_04 49:41

And I but I would maybe like make an excuse to go write it down if I was ever.

SPEAKER_00 49:45

Write it down real quick and then yeah, so okay, there we go. That's yeah, don't ruin the moment, but you know, don't forget it. Maybe have your phone nearby. Right. So there we go. That was that was random. I was like, all right, I forgot that made it to the list. So uh yeah, that that's the point of these questions. We can we're asking comedians anything. So let us know if you have any questions. They don't all have to do with making out though. You can ask us non-make out related questions and we'll pass them along to the comedians. So um well, Sarah, uh first of all, thank you so much for podcasting with us and jumping and chatting. And um, um, I I I'm a big fan of what you do, and I always enjoy. We gotta uh we gotta get you back down here in Nashville sometime soon.

SPEAKER_04 50:28

Yeah, I'd love to come to that. I'd love to come to Nashville anytime.

SPEAKER_00 50:31

Um but do you have any uh of course uh sh share with us where we can find you and how we can connect with you, but do you have anything you'd like to promote in general?

SPEAKER_04 50:38

Yeah, so on May 22nd, I've got a show at Breaktime Bar and Grill at 9 p.m. And that's in Benton. Uh Carl Burrell's putting that one on. He's great. Cool. Um then the next day I'm at Dry Ground Brewing in Paducah. That's the one we were talking about earlier, and that's at eight o'clock. And then you can come see me with Paducah Improv on May 28th at Maiden Alley Cinema. And we're gonna have three comics on that one as well. Um, and then uh May 30th at Spellbound Bookery in Paducah.

SPEAKER_05 51:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 51:08

And you can find me at Sarah Heinz Comedy on Facebook and Instagram.

SPEAKER_00 51:12

Hey, well, and that's like it sounds like a that's like a full week. Like that's like a good that's a lot. We get that's a lot of Sarah for a week. We can you guys can just get your Sarah. That's cool. That's those are all sound like great shows. Um, and of course, everyone listening, you can find us uh cleancomedycollective.com, previous episodes, current episodes, later episodes. You can Sarah's uh you can see Sarah in our Kentucky part of the Clean Comedy Collective Comedians. I'm in the Tennessee part. Uh we can you can check out what shows we have coming up. There's an uh opportunity to donate uh and join the Patreon where you can see my uh 45-minute bomb at someone's wedding. Uh once we f once we find that video, we'll put up there for only three thousand dollars. You can see it. Um and uh that sounds good. Uh but uh thank thank you so much for being on this episode, Sarah, and chatting. And uh we'll we'll see you. I I might see you next week. I don't actually know, but this is still like past tense. So uh Murray next week.

SPEAKER_04 52:08

But then I'll be in Smith's Grove next weekend. But okay, so you won't hear this before the show's out, so you can't come see me unless you already just happen to know.

SPEAKER_00 52:17

Yeah, yeah. Uh well I don't know how to end this podcast ever. Like I my old podcast had a catchphrase that I would say. This one's like, well, thanks for coming. I'll see you all later.

SPEAKER_03 52:26

So except you won't.

SPEAKER_00 52:29

Except I won't. Uh Sarah, have a great life. We'll see you, you know, enjoy prosperity and such.

SPEAKER_03 52:37

Thank you, my drew. See you later. You're welcome.