The Philosophy of Modern Standup Lesson 8:
Success at crowd work lies in remaining curious and staying present
Crowd work requires a Taoist’s understanding that force creates resistance, while openness creates possibility.
“If the eye is unobstructed, the result is sight. If the ear is unobstructed, the result is hearing… If the mind is unobstructed, the result is wisdom.”
- attributed to Zhuangzhi, Taoist philosopher
Most comedians enter the stage beset by three devils:
The devil of pressure to succeed: You are paid to get the audience to laugh.
The devil of control: To give over the show to the audience is to allow chaos is to give a platform to failure.
The devil of ego: To succeed onstage is to prove oneself.
