“Don't mention it's your first time and don’t mention you're nervous. And whatever you do, don’t make a joke comparing this to your first time having sex — I’ve heard it a million times before.”
Comedian B.J. Fox reels off his advice and I nod as I eagerly jot it down. I wish I could chalk up my enthusiasm to pure journalistic rigor but, in fact, I’m interviewing Fox just half an hour before I subject myself to an open mic — my very first.
It’s a situation that probably qualifies as a quarter-life crisis or, perhaps, just a crisis. I’ve walked away from a career in broadcast journalism to pursue big, creative dreams that have somehow led me to delusions of grandeur and humor.