Even though he is relatively new to the genre, he loves performing. He said he is more of an introvert, “an indoor cat,” but being a stand-up comedian always has been a dream of his, since he was young.

“I love being on stage. I love the act of performing,” Shanks said.

He also likes the fact that he is on stage and the audience is watching and listening to him, but being an introvert, Shanks is first to admit that he does not know where he gets the courage on get on stage. Shanks said it has always been a New Year’s Resolution to be a stand-up comedian.

And not like in other years, this year he made good on his resolution.

Michael Shanks said his joke can be told to any audience. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

“I did it,” Shanks said.

The important thing, he added, is to not let fear become your enemy, but rather, use fear to your advantage. Because of stand-up comedy, Shanks comes out of his shell and has the chance to become a brand new person. Shanks also will tell you that of the performance careers, stand-up comedy is probably one of the hardest. He said that in order to perfect and hone one’s craft, an audience is needed. He said that practicing in front of a mirror doesn’t really prepare one for the stage. Also, one’s friends want to be supportive, so they will laugh, even if the material is not funny.

Shanks added that open mic nights at comedy clubs or other venues are chances for comedians to get their 5 minutes to practice to see if their material is funny. Shanks, who works for an insurance company, said he lives in Fredonia, but the only open mic nights he has attended have been in Buffalo. In May, he did participate in Chautauqua’s Got Talent at the Spire Theater, in Jamestown. Other than CGT, venues in Chautauqua County are hard to find.

“At home, I can write as many jokes as I want, and I can practice in front of an empty room, but it doesn’t mean anything until you are on stage and they call your name, and it’s time to perform,” Shanks said.

With that, he added, a comedian doesn’t know what will happen once he or she is on stage. The audience can throw a curve ball, maybe the comedian has to work the audience a different way. “You may have to shuffle some things up,” Shanks said.

Shanks also will say that he is a little “old school” when it comes finding material for his act. The newspaper is where Shanks gets his ideas. He said his best jokes come organically from life experiences.

His comedy is clean. He will tell you that. He said he has taken advice from other comedians who have been successful and what he gleened from watching their videos was to be marketable in the world of entertainment that a comedian’s material has to be transcendent. He tells edgy, dark jokes, “but they are still clean,” so, he said, he can tell them to any audience, and he doesn’t tell jokes about sex or drugs.