Yesterday, Jim Woods and I filmed a bit with MadTV. Ike and Bobby wrote a sketch outline about seeing all of the Oscar Films, and asked Jim and I to improvise the shoot with them. Ike and Bobby played theater-hoppers, Jim was a fellow theater-goer, and I was the Manager/TicketGirl/Usher/Snack Lady. The two cast members bounced from theater to theater, being assholes and disrupting the movies (with catcalling, smoking, etc). Jim was angrier each time they ran into him, and I basically played straight man. Don't know if the bit will air, but I'll keep my fingers crossed. It'll be my American Television Premiere.*
In other, more personally exciting news, I will (most likely) be attending E3 this year as a Journalist -- covering the event for The Gamer's Quarter. I'm so happy about it; it's all I've been able to think about for a few days, which makes me question my life as a comedian. If I'm so gonzo about E3, then shouldn't I make a shift in my lifestyle? Honestly, hearing about it and filming Mad on the same day was cathartic; I jumped around my apartment when I applied for E3, and then that night I skipped out on going to UCB because I Really Can't Stand Watching Comedy. It's hard for me to reconcile this, but I'm honestly beginning to think that Comedy just isn't affecting me anymore.
There was a short time during my senior year of college where comedy was all I could think about. I was obsessed with Andy Kaufman, and spent literal hours each day working on sketch or improv. I was on a team at I.O. Chicago, working with the Mee-Ow Show; my comedy was alive. It could be frustrating, sure, but I was inspired.
Now, comedy is work. I don't know why I do it; it's become a habit, like morning anime. And I don't even know if I want it to be inspiring anymore. I'm exhausted with it -- doing shows isn't rewarding anymore, and the sketches I write are lifeless or preachy. I don't know what comedy is supposed to Do.
I guess that's why I'm so hopeful about this potential G4 thing. If comedy could be married to a videogame outlet, perhaps I'd be able to find some harmony between What I Love and What I'm Good At.
*I refuse to count any commecials that I shot before I left for Amsterdam.