The year was 2006. One of my good friends took me to a bar for an open mic night he had been going to for a few months. “You’re funny Andrew, you should try doing stand-up” people told me. That to me was always a rad thing to hear. I always enjoyed making people laugh. I had always done whatever it took to get a laugh. I rolled down a steep hill in the dead of winter after a blizzard in a t-shirt and shorts for a laugh. I licked the bottom of my shoe in high school for a laugh (and $8). So, naive and maybe even a little bit cocky, I went to this open mic thinking I had an arsenal of jokes and a crowd I could win over, and did it all in a few short days.
I was wrong.
I failed. I failed miserably. I told four total jokes, got one laugh, wasn’t even on stage for two minutes, and felt like an idiot. I left with my tail between my legs and a bruised ego.
For the next five years, people continued to tell me they thought I was funny and should do stand-up. I kept thinking back to the embarrassment I felt from my previous outing and would make excuses. “I don’t really have the time” I would say. That was bullshit though. Pursuing a dream is all about making time. Maybe I didn’t know then that it was a dream. I finally decided to stop being a quote-unquote “vagina” and step up. So in January 2011, I signed up to be in a “Bring It On!” competition at Comedy Works downtown. For those not familiar with this competition, you pay $10 and compete against other comics. The crowd judges the comics’ performance and the winner gets all the money. As soon as I received an email giving me my night to perform, I started preparing. I wrote joke after joke after joke, finally picking the best ones to make up my three minute set. I practiced every morning in my car on the way to work and every night coming home. I had my three minutes down, and when Sunday, February 27th, 2011 finally came, I was ready. I remember waking up at 6am and feeling nervous. I thought back to that open mic five years prior and told myself this was going to be different.
I felt good the whole trip downtown, and felt even better when I walked in and saw all the support I had there. Friends, family, and co-workers all came to cheer me on. It was an absolutely fantastic feeling to have that kind of support system. I went to the back, introduced myself to the other comics, and eagerly awaited my opportunity to perform. The emcee for that night was Denver comedy great Chuck Roy. It amazed me how great Chuck was at interacting with the audience through the entire show. To hear how energetic and enthusiastic the crowd was made me that much more excited. Chuck came and told me I was next, and that’s when my stomach dropped. That’s when I realized I was about to get on stage in front of 100+ people in one of the best comedy clubs in the country and hope that my jokes were funny.
“This is his first time performing, so don’t be too hard. Give it up for Andrew Raschke.”
I walked onto the stage feeling like a nervous wreck, but as soon as I got my first joke out and the place erupted, I felt like I’d been doing comedy for years. It was an amazing feeling. To sound overly cliche, it was a high no drug could offer (BOOM! I said it and have no qualms about it either!). I walked off and the applause kept going. I walked backstage to be greeted by one of my now favorite Denver comedians, Vic Alejandro. “Nice set” Vic told me. All the comics finished, Chuck told the audience he would go over everything and decide who comes back for judging, and Vic went out to do his set.
The moment of truth finally arrived. Chuck went back out on stage and announced he would be bringing out six comics for judging. The nerves were back. I was the fourth out of six he brought back out. The audience judged by applause, and when it was time for me to be judged, I was shocked by the outcome. People were on their feet screaming and applauding for me. Chuck then chose two comics to be judged for a final time: my now friend and hilarious comic Derek Bolton, and me. I edged Derek out and won the competition.
I don’t think there could have been a better way for my comedy career to start. I am more thankful than I can even describe that I found something that I love doing and the opportunities I’ve been given. I’ve met some amazing pro comics who have helped me and given me great pieces of advice, like Chuck Roy, Deacon Gray, Ben Roy, Lori Callahan, Vic Alejandro, Hippie Man, and many more. I’ve also made a lot of friends along the way. More than I can even name. I made it to the Wild Card round of Comedy Works’ New Faces contest, which was a lot further than I expected in my first year. I’ve been given opportunities to appear on a comedy podcast twice, host shows, and produce a show by the great Michael Powell from The Comedy Buffet.
But most importantly, it opened up the door for me to finally get my comedy group, Red Rocket Productions, off the ground, and I owe a big thanks with that to my two comedy brothers, Derrick Rush and Aaron Maslow.
This last year has been exciting, and I can only imagine what the next year holds for me.
-AR
