I Should've Been A Nun...

This should’ve been a journal entry. Or at the very least “diner talk” as one of my comedian friends calls it. “Diner talk” is used for conversations or topics that, if made public through any kind of publishing, could crush potential career opportunities. You know, like “so-and-so only got booked because the booker wants to fuck them or be them” - that sort of thing. It’s usually coming from a place of hurt ego, but it’s also coming from someone who can read rooms/audiences/people within seconds.

I don't know whether I should have a podcast or not. I also don’t know whether I should do a one-woman-show or record a comedy special and put it on YouTube or both. I know this is wildly specific for stand-up comedians but my friend Luci is a chef, and my friend Alicia is a musician and they both seem to deal with similar shit so maybe this will resonate for you too. (Please check out Luci’s restaurant Boia De in Miami, Florida, they just won a Michelin Star and their new spot Walrus Rodeo rules. Alicia’s band Bully is incredible, their new song featuring Soccer Mommy, Lose You is always in the background of my mind.)

I’ll address each pickle in the order I brought it up: having a podcast. It seems like it’s an absolute requirement for stand-up comedians these days. An essential part of building a fanbase so you can sell out shows and pay rent. The underbelly is the editing of each episode, posting and promoting clips from each episode, and then actually scheduling and recording each episode. I have friends who have been able to make their podcast their full-time jobs and I’m super happy for them. I just don’t know how to make that jump yet because already have a full-time job, I’m in acting classes which are super consuming (absolutely roll your eyes, I do) and I still have to do my chores and hang out with my boyfriend, dog and friends if I have any time or energy left. The bummer is that I genuinely enjoy recording and then releasing episodes out into the world. I’m friends with so many cool people it feels like a crime not to… Wait, you’re telling me you had an extra pair of gloves this whole time? You’re telling me, I already have a podcast? Yes, of course. It’s called Dear Nana: Advice From An Idiot please rate, review and subscribe, and then shoot me. But it’s almost law that the only way to have a successful podcast is to be consistent and release it weekly, with additional episodes on Patreon or behind some paywall so you can actually make money and not solely rely on ad revenue - see how much fun this is? I’m not even consistent with my substack and I’m constantly kicking myself for that even though, like my podcast, I genuinely enjoy writing and releasing them each week, or every other week, whenever I have a damn minute to myself. I’ve been less consistent with my podcast than with this substack because with this substack, Thank GOD, I can write it on the train, re-read it a few times/edit, and then release it out into the world. With the podcast its schedule and then record with someone, edit - which is an absolute nightmare, and then release and promote, you remember from earlier, yeah? “Irene, if it really means so much to you, you should wake up earlier and do it” I guess I’m trying to figure out if releasing a podcast each week means more to me than 6-7 hours of sleep I get so I can function the next day. In the two years that I had my podcast on pause, a week didn’t go by that I didn’t think about it. When I started it up again this year it felt good initially, but then immediately became another weekly chore. “Irene, you should just be grateful that people even give a shit enough about you to listen.” You’re right, Nana is just tired (I’m Nana.) Maybe I should take more of the adderall I’m actually prescribed.

I know I still need to address the next two pickles: whether or not I should do a one-woman-show or record a comedy special and put it on YouTube or both, but I’m deciding to be cheeky and post about that next week. I also have a big pile of laundry giving me the stink eye because it needs to be put away.

Regarding the whole nun thing: my senior year of high school I sincerely thought about becoming a nun, but then I would think “but you also want to be an actor/comedian and maybe start a family someday.” Woof. Where was the ghost of Christmas future then? About once a month still I think about how I should’ve been a nun. Helping people, a uniform, and no need to remove body hair? A girl can dream.