Hi, I’m Julie Raizes, a Danville resident, Sales Recruiter, and a single mom in my 50s, lucky me! What a perfect life combo for a stand-up comedian in the making. Fortunately, ALIVE Magazine continues to support the locals. This month they are supporting my ambition to become a seasoned Stand-up comedian at local venues. That said, they have asked me to write an article on my recent experience auditioning for America’s Got Talent (AGT).
Let’s start with the exciting part first. I decided to send in a two-minute video to AGT. Sending in a video is much safer. It allows you to start over a few times if you mess up. Once perfected-ish, I uploaded and hit send. To my surprise, I got an email for a “2nd” audition. This time it would be in front of producers and the other people auditioning. This rattled the nerves. I knew I had to practice and then practice some more. I wanted raw feedback from friends and family to sharpen my act, so I set up a virtual show for 25 friends and family the night before I auditioned. It was so much fun. All of them were very engaged. They were suggesting different punchlines. Re-writing my jokes. Some even rewrote my whole act!
Deep down, I think there are more people than you imagine, who would love to try Stand-up—especially if they are naturally witty, like those who are quick on their feet and can make any story funny. But…does that qualify one to do stand-up? I say abso-flippin-lutely. Oh, did I mention, one of the feedback comments I received was, “you realize you could end up being on the blooper reel, right?”
My resume hardly qualifies me as a stand-up comedian. But I am lucky to have spent the last few years on the Golf Course with two local comedians, David Van Avermaete, and Mike Copeland. The only language they speak is “banter.” Boy, were they surprised to find out, I was bi-lingual. I speak in banter and in pun.
One day, I slipped and rolled down a muddy hill after I tee’d off on the first hole. There wasn’t a part of me that wasn’t covered in mud and twigs. But, golfing with comedians, you learn it’s all about dry wit and not sometimes not going for the obvious joke. So, I just got back in the golf cart as if nothing happened. The fun part was knowing we were all witnesses to the train wreck that was me, however no one said a word. It’s like it became a game: Who was going to be the first one to break? After playing 18 holes, with a straight look on his face, David, who I rode to the golf course with finally said, “You should probably Uber home.”
That was the turning point. They experienced that I don’t get embarrassed. I can have a sense of humor when things go mud. I had the wit to keep up the quiet humor. This is when they encouraged me to try stand-up. I had all the ingredients.
So I did. I played around with stories I could make funny and started to write material. Then they suggested performing at Open Mic Nights on Tuesdays at Tommy T’s Comedy Club in Pleasanton. That extrapolated into performing at work events, friend’s parties, family holiday gatherings and an occasional, yet unintentional, funeral. I even entered Stand Up to the Mic at Tommy T’s in early 2020. I placed well.
Then Covid hit. I would like to take this opportunity to point something out. I become so present the minute I start performing. It’s like the world goes quiet, Adderall schmadderll.
Prior to beginning my stand-up experiment, I wanted to figure out a way to share my experiences of addiction, recovery, depression, anorexia, death of a sibling, having a stroke, shingles, Covid (twice), and the list goes on and on with people struggling with similar afflictions. I wanted people to know that there are solutions out there and you can still become the best version of yourself despite the obstacles. These obstacles can be triggers for depression, suicide, anger, or target you for verbal and physical abuse, but you can take the power out of them. I thought maybe I could convey this message, especially to teenagers, in a way that would help them see that they weren’t weird or damaged.
Originally, I thought maybe I could speak at high schools, where I could share my story of depression at 17. I won the “most popular” senior award out of 4000 students, but never felt more alone. Maybe I could do a TED talk? Which may be my fallback if my stand-up flutters. My TED talks will surely have humor in them. Would I write a book? Well, failing English three times might make that a challenge.
Finally, the light came on! I want to take my real-life experiences and make people laugh. It’s said that laughter is the best medicine and laughter can also be contagious. I learned that laughter is the release of endorphins that causes euphoria. If that’s true, then sign me up! So maybe, just maybe, someone in the audience who might be struggling with some challenge in life, could find humor in my relatable set and be reminded they are just human. My promotional t-shirts could say, “Don’t let this sh*t define you.”
My God, that was so heavy. Enough of that!
By now you’re wondering where it all stands with AGT. I did very well in my 2nd audition and I am now at phase three, which is the last phase before getting on the show. Did I mention I am a single lady in my 50s?
Okay so get this; AGT tells me to “continue” uploading new material to my YouTube Channel—like I even have one of those. Now, I have to watch a YouTube tutorial video on how to create a YouTube channel. This is apparently a critical part of the auditions. AGT will monitor our YouTube channels over the next four months to determine who are the fan favorites. I want to be a fan favorite. In March of 2022, we will find out if we make it onto the live shows.
I will have you know, after several long hours, I did finally figure out how to create my very own YouTube channel, GottagotoJules. I just generated my first report, and I am already up to two—that’s TWO subscribers. Ok, who just said maybe it’s time to do that TED talk video?
Before you judge me or my material, come subscribe to GottagotoJules so you can see just how funny I am. At the very least, you’ll find I am very animated, and I have been told that there is some charm in my act. Who knows, it might inspire you to feel better about yourself and maybe even try something new. If I can do it, you can do it.