Issue #1126 - June 2026
- Mar 19
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 20
In this issue:
Mr. Mic’s Hot Takes.
Open Mics In Memphis
HOSTING 101 - IT DOESN’T NEED TO HURT
How To Make A Decent Set
Good Vibes Comedy Festival
Mr. Mic Hot Takes
Listen up, clowns: It doesn’t take a genius to know that without promotion, no one will come to your show/open mic/that thing you do every week! I am tired of telling you the obvious: YOU NEED TO PROMOTE IT! There are ways of fucking promoting without having to use your own money: You could ask your host and a couple of regulars at your open mic to share it on their social media. For that, you’d need to create ads and distribute them in advance. Again, I forget I’m talking to you, lazy bastards, and you only do things when push comes to shove... You can also organize what is called in the industry of stand up comedy as a Bringer Open Mic. I’ll explain: “Industry” refers to a concerted activity to create something. In this case: Comedy. “Bringer” is a modality for shows in which the comics are required to bring people to the event. The more people they bring, the better their spot in the list, and the more time on stage. Also, take fucking pictures during the open mic/show and post them to social media! If you can’t do this, quit comedy and go fuck yourself!
Open Mics In Memphis - The List Scoured From Instagram
This is a list of the open mics I found while killing time at the office. It is not a comprehensive list, nor an exhaustive list. Fuck, for all I know it is not even an accurate list!
This info comes from Instagram, and has not been verified or confirmed.
You have an open mic but it’s not in this list?
With love, Mr. Mic.
Monday Open Mic Comedy @ The Cove
Venue: The Cove (Cocktail & Oyster Bar)
Day: Mondays - Signup ~7:45 PM, show ~8:00 PM
Address: 2559 Broad Ave, Memphis, TN 38112
Venue IG: @covebar (also seen as @thecoveonbroad)
Open Mic Comedy @ B-Side Bar (listed as a Monday mic)
Venue: B-Side Bar (B-SIDE Memphis)
Day: Mondays - Time: 7:30 PM (listed)
Address: 1553 Madison Ave Suite 101, Memphis, TN 38104
Venue IG: @bsidememphis
Open Mic Comedy Night @ Hi Tone (John Andrew Miller’s mic)
Venue: Hi Tone
Day: Tuesdays - Signups ~7:00 PM, show ~8:00 PM
Address: 282–284 N Cleveland St, Memphis, TN 38104
Producer/Creator: John Andrew Miller
Venue IG: @hitonecafe
Wednesday Night Live: Comedy Open Mic @ The Artist Table Venue: The Artist Table
Day: Wednesdays - Time: 6:00 PM
Address: 412 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103
Venue IG: @theartisttablememphis
HOSTING 101 - It Doesn't Have To Hurt
IT DOESNíT HAVE TO HURT...
Every open mic needs comedians. It also needs an audience. and, believe it or not, it needs a FUCKING HOST!
Comedians are easy to get, every-fucking-body who set foot once on a stand up comedy stage feels s/he is a comedian. A GREAT comedian they think they are... They are not, but they are everywhere, and it is not difficult to fill a room with comedian wannabes.
Filling a room with an audience is a bit trickier: You need to - What do you need to do?
FUCKING PROMOTE! That’s what you need to do! Are you even reading what I write for you? Do you see now that you are one of the knuckleheads who believe they are comedians, but you are not even paying fucking attention?
Back to filling a room with an audience: You are going to have to bring people in. To do this you can give away free tickets to your show, ask performing comics to bring their friends and family (that makes comedians depressed; they don’t have many friends, and their families usually can’t stand them) or, and this is what separates the amateurs from the real deal, you can have a great host that makes your open mic look like you know what you are doing!
Here are the things that separates a good host from the riff raff you are part of:
Firstly, a good host is ALL THE TIME in the room. ALL THE TIME! All the Fucking Time!
S/he does not go out for a smoke. Does not go out for a beer. does not go out to see if s/he can get in the pants of another comedian or audience member. The Host (yes, capitalized) stays by the stage ALL the fucking time!
Secondly, the Host PAYS FUCKING ATTENTION to the comedians and their jokes, and their interactions with the audience. Why would a Host do that, you ask?
Because, you nitwit, a good Host will use his observations to craft new jokes when introducing the comedians. Some people call it crowd work, I call it being fucking professional.
The Host will also make call backs, mentions, and jokes about what just happened, and the audience will love s/he for that!
Paying attention, observing, and using these observations will make the open mic flow, make the audience happy, and elevate your pathetic, little open mic to the stuff of legends!
Finally, or thirdly, as you may have noticed if you were paying attention, a good Host will take it as good as s/he dishes it. An open mic is not a two-way communication between the comedians and the audience; it’s a threesome, a fucking orgy between the comedians, the audience and the host.
Hosting doesn’t need to be painful for the Host, the comedians, or the audience. Be a good Host, or go fuck yourself!
With love, Mr. Mic.
How To Make A Decent Set
A decent set, we are talking about a decent set. Not a great one, not even a good one, but a decent set. Why a decent set? Because most of your sets stink!
A decent set has jokes and a theme. It also has punchlines. And pauses after the punchlines for people to laugh. And transitions in between jokes. And a comeback at the end, to close it perfectly with a bow and send the audience off laughing. The two most important jokes in your set are the first one and the last one. The first one is the joke that will capture the audience’s attention. This joke needs to be your second-best joke. It’s the joke that tells the audience members, “Hey, I’m good, you better pay attention, or you’ll miss the jokes, my good jokes! The last one is the one that people will remember you for. Yep, you can work your ass off on that stage and deliver the greatest material, yet people are going to drive home talking about that guy who told that joke. That joke they are talking about? Your last joke... People have short attention spans. Also, there is a phenomenon called the Recency Effect: people best remember the last thing they heard, particularly in a series like the Super Bowl commercials or a stand-up comedy set. Believe it or not, that’s how it works. That’s why the cost of Super Bowl ads varies significantly based on their position in the commercial sequence: Generally, commercials placed at the very beginning or end of a commercial break get more attention. (Source: Google Gemini) That makes your life as a comedian simpler, because you only have to have two good jokes, and you only have two good jokes... Now... to find good material to fill the other 4 minutes... These jokes can’t be bad, but don’t need to be great either. I’m sure you have a lot of jokes like this... To recap: Find a theme for your set. Select the best and second best jokes for first and last. Organize other jokes that fit the theme in an order that flows. Find transitions to go from joke to joke. If you can, close with a joke that calls to the first one - a comeback. That’s it, now you have a decent set to show your mom. Don’t agree? Well, you know where you can go and what to do with yourself!
Mr. Mic.
Good Vibes Comedy Festival
The Good Vibes Comedy Festival is coming soon! Don’t miss this year’s best - and only - Comedy Festival in Memphis! Like every year, John Andrew Miller and Nathan Jackson bring to you one of the best stand-up comedy shows in Memphis.
With a great lineup of comedians from Memphis and the surrounding areas, it is worth buying a pass for the three days!
The festival will take place at The Hi-Tone Cafe from April 16th to the 18th.
Check it out at
Go Get Your Tickets NOW!
PSA
Wanna tell me to go fuck myself?
Or email me at:
Thanks, sweetie.
You Can, Too.
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