In a personal best, comic Patrick Hemsler has completed his first 5 minute set without any visual aids to help him. “I usually do most of the same jokes for every set, so I probably should be able to remember them,” Hemsler conceded. “But seeing them written on my hand, my notebook, or my phone really puts me at ease. It’s like if you had a really big test in school, why wouldn’t you have a cheat sheet?”
A brief moment of panic set in when Hemsler realized he had left his notebook in his car. His buddy Jim Everett was in the audience and upon seeing what was happening, Everett made a hand gesture meant to symbolize masturbation. “Once Jim sent me the jerking-off hand signal, I knew that it was time to tell my joke about self-pleasure. Having someone in the audience to give me hand signals is going to open up a whole new world of possibilities for my comedy career. I think it’ll make me look more professional than checking my notes after every joke.”
(I originally wrote this article for the website The Guest Spot, but since that doesn’t exist anymore, I’m posting it here.)