If you don't ask, you don't get !
- Paul Speirs
- Nov 29, 2024
- 2 min read
Gig Reflections #001 The Godalming Deli
This gig was a kind of pinch-me moment. Me, a non-descript guy with 25-ish gigs under his belt (still at that “working on my tight-five” stage), warming up the crowd for Patrick Monahan, a true heavyweight on the comedy circuit. Yes, that Patrick—the guy who’s been on the scene for 20+ years, cracking up audiences at clubs and festivals all over.
But here’s the kicker: he was headlining at… wait for it… The Godalming Deli !!
The whole thing came together in the most random, “if you don’t ask, you don’t get” kind of way. Three weeks earlier, I was sat in the audience at a comedy night with my wife. Patrick was the MC, and I thought, “Wow, I'm sure he was at the Edinburgh Fringe!”
We got chatting afterwards.
Turns out we both did the Fringe that summer.
Me for the first time, him for the I-don’t-know-how-many-eth.
We swapped war stories, him about audiences leaving to “catch the last train” and me wondering if three people count as an audience?
Anyway, later that night, my wife was like, “You should ask Patrick to headline the gig at the deli.” I laughed, mostly because it sounded insane. A legend like Patrick, coming to the deli, to do stand-up, because I asked him? But the thought kind of stuck.
The next day, I found him on Instagram, slid into his DMs (as you do) and sent a message. I kept it casual, just, “Hey, any chance you’d want to come down and headline this gig at the deli?” And you know what? He actually bloody well replied...
“Sounds fun. I’m in!”
I nearly dropped my phone.
Fast forward to gig night, and there he was. Patrick—the pro, the guy who’s seen every weird crowd reaction possible — headlining at The Godalming Deli’s 10-year anniversary party, right after my set. That makes me the warm-up guy, right? It was the kind of surreal where you’re half-waiting for someone to jump out and say, “Gotcha!”
My set went tête-à-tête with the hecklers - let's call it a draw.
And then Patrick came on and totally owned the room. Watching him work a crowd in such an intimate, unlikely setting was like getting a masterclass.
The guy’s timing is unreal.
And that's the point. Timing... unreal.... The whole thing taught me a lesson: what seems unreal, what seems unreachable… well, it isn’t. Because....
Sometimes, all you have to do.... is ask !
Walking the Walk: Here at IMPROV Inc. we strongly believe in "doing the do". Gigging is a part of that.
Being on-stage, living the experience we coach to our clients, drawing on those experiences to build empathy with our clients, to be able to stand-in-their-shoes, to know what it feels to be vulnerable when performing - whatever that performance actually is. Stand-up, improv to entertain shows, professional speaking gigs, MC'ing, hosting virtual events.... this is what we do. This is why we do. The IMPROV Inc. Gig Reflection blogs is our way of sharing the experience with you.
#standup #AppliedImprovisation #YesAnd #BusinessSkills #ProfessionalMobility #HR #PresentationsSkills
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