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THE ART OF STAND UP COMEDY

Maverick Artist Victor-Hugo Reflects Upon His Unique Experience As A Finalist, In “The Best Comic Standing Competition”, At The New York Comedy Club.

As an artist, I see no limitations, only challenges. Therefore, when I heard from friends in the entertainment industry that doing stand up comedy, in front of a live audience, is one of the most challenging things to do, if not the most difficult, in the business of entertainment, I realized I had to find out for myself, if this was, in fact, true. So, I convinced the owner of the New York Comedy Club, to let me enter “The Best Comic Standing Competition” in spite of warnings from the owners and seasoned stand-up comic professionals, that the audience would literally, eat me alive and throw me off stage, if my inexperience showed, in the least bit, during my performance as a comedian.

DETAIL FROM, “THE VIRGIN MARY AND LAMBCHOP VISIT AMSTERDAM”, MODERN-ART-GONZO-JOURNALISM BY MAVERICK ARTIST VICTOR-HUGO VACA II.

Part of being an artist is learning how to fail, because failure comes with risk and without risk, there is no progress and progress comes from learning to cope with the experience of disappointment and without disappointment, an artist can never experience success.

An artist, should always be smart enough to fear failure but strong enough to realize, that hard work and study of craft can minimize the risk. Therefore, as an artist, I listened to the sound advice of modern masters I have met, in my curious passage through this blessed, spectacular lifetime.

When I lived in Beverly Hills, California, I met “The Diceman”, Andrew Dice Clay, and at first I thought he was being insulting when, in front of his manager at a pizza shop on Rodeo Drive, he told me, “If you want to be Hollywood, Victor-Hugo, you have to act Hollywood.”

As a wayward artist, living in the 90210 zip code, The Diceman’s words threw me into a brief but deep depression, that caused me to soul search, while walking the streets of Hollywood alone. Eventually, I ended up at The Backstage Cafe, in Beverly Hills; Ian Copeland’s legendary, hole-in-the-wall club, frequented by the likes of Herbie Hancock, Slash, Sting, Elizabeth Hurley, Sharon Stone, Dr. Dre and Tom Hanks, where L.A.’s top musicians often show up, to jam on their off nights. While trying to make sense of what I perceived to be, Andrew Dice Clay’s insult to my face, Bill Maher, the celebrated comic, spilled a drink on me, while walking upstairs, to the VIP section, at The Backstage Cafe. Mr. Maher immediately apologized and graciously offered to by me a drink. I accepted his offer and joined Bill Maher at his table for an unforgettable learning experience, surrounded by Hollywood aristocracy, that would forever change my worldview and life, as a maverick artist.

At the end of the day, upon reflection, I realized The Diceman had done me a huge favor, because the meaning of what he said sunk in to the fiber of my being and opened my eyes to the reality that there are no rules in art. I learned that Hollywood is an illusion that exists within reality and to be a true artist, I must convey the tangible reality of illusions to audiences clearly and succinctly.

I never thought I would make it to the finals of a stand-up comedy competition but then again, I never thought I would earn my living as an artist, either. I was supposed to be a Doctor, dutifully serving my country and Brothers In Arms, in the United States Navy, after graduating from the prestigious, world famous, leadership laboratory in Annapolis, Maryland known as, the U.S. Naval Academy.

UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY MIDSHIPMAN OFFICER VICTOR-HUGO VACA II (USNA CLASS OF 93)

Alas, life has a funny way of happening when you least expect it and so I found myself, alone, on a beautiful beach in Florida, practicing my stand-up comedy routine, in front of an audience of sharks and fish, in the ocean.

JANUARY 2012 HAPPY HERALD FEATURING COVER STORY ON BEACHFRONT PROPERTY OF THE MAVERICK ARTIST VICTOR- HUGO VACA II

For six years, God blessed me with the opportunity to live on a pristine beachfront property on Millionaires Row in Florida.

HAPPY HERALD ARTICLE DESCRIBING THE LABYRINTH OF CREATIVITY ON THE BEACH, WHERE THE MAVERICK ARTIST VICTOR-HUGO VACA II LIVED AND BREATHED ART, IN NATURE.

The surrounding, undeveloped area, afforded me the unique opportunity to soak in the inspiration of my natural environment, without the clutter of distractions, chaos and noise from the outside world.

OASIS THAT PROVIDED SERENITY AND INSPIRATION FOR THE MAVERICK ARTIST VICTOR-HUGO VACA II TO MATURE AS AN ARTIST.

I created masterpieces and developed my stature as a modern-art-gonzo-journalist reflecting on the human condition through the Modern Art Music Movement (MAMM).™

ARTICLE DESCRIBING THE LIFESTYLE OF MAVERICK ARTIST VICTOR-HUGO VACA  II.

For hours and days before my performances, I studied comics at home, on tv and practiced the timing and nuances of my carefully crafted routine, in front of the flying fish and circling nurse sharks, that served as my captive audience, in the ocean. I figured, if the sharks didn’t bite and the fish were jumping, it meant my comedy routine wasn’t half bad.

BEACH WHERE THE MAVERICK ARTIST VICTOR-HUGO VACA II PRACTICED HIS STAND UP COMEDY ROUTINES CAN BE SEEN IN THIS REAL ESTATE AD.

To my amazement, I made it past the first couple of rounds and into the finals of “The Best Comic Standing” competition. It’s not that I doubted myself, because I had practiced and was sure of my ability, at least in front of the fish and sharks, but the New York Comedy Club competition was full of lifelong talent, that graciously embraced me as a newcomer on the comedy circuit and I didn’t think I could compete against such seasoned professionals, all I was looking for was the experience, to be quite honest.

Winning posed a new set of problems, because it meant having to come up with seven minutes of new material every week, to move on to the next round and I wasn’t sure the fish and sharks could take any more of my nonsensical babbling every day in practice. The secret of stand up comedy is making the scripted material seem off-the-cuff. That, and winning the audience over immediately, for if you don’t have the audience in the palm of your hand, within the first fifteen seconds of your performance, the remaining time on stage will seem like an eternity in hell, for anyone attempting to do stand up comedy.

An angry audience can make a great white shark seem like Santa Clause and scar an artist for life, if one is not prepared to fall hard, on the sharp knife of failure, without a safety net. Stand up comedy is not for the insecure, timid or faint of heart but I can honestly say it was one of the most thrilling and rewarding experiences of my remarkable life. In closing, I will say this, when people laugh at you, it hurts to the very core of ones soul, which is why bullying is so dangerous and unacceptable in any civil society; on the flip side, one of the most satisfying things in life is to witness people laughing with you, it warms my heart to see people smile.

The following is footage from one of my performances at The New York Comedy Club during “The Best Comic Standing Competition”. I understand there is footage of my other stand up performances, floating around somewhere, in the ether of the internet, and if I ever find those clips, I will gladly share them with you as well, if you wish.