I'm trying to be a person. 

I'm trying to be a person. 

I am one, sure. But honestly I don't always feel like it. A lot of the time when I'm interacting with people I just don't feel like one of you. 

I've been doing comedy since 2009, and I think I'm very good at it. I've been a person for 42 years (happy birthday to me), and I'm a lot less confident in that particular skill set. 

Last year I started trying to think practically about how to get better at comedy and advance my career. I describe myself as moderately successful, but I would like to be just regular successful at the very least.

I began writing down ways I thought I could improve as a comedian. it was a list of things like; 

Connect with people.

Make eye contact.

Ask people questions about themselves.

Don't just talk about Mr. T all the time. 

 

The more I looked at the growing list, it seemed less like shortcomings in comedy specifically and more like personality flaws.

If I was going to get better at being a comedian, I'd have to first get better at being a person, and that seems so much harder. 

I started talking about this on stage.

Around the start of 2025 instead of bringing a set list of jokes on stage, I'd just go up with a list of half affirmations:

Believe in yourself.

You are good at comedy.

No one notices your hair is getting thinner. 

 

And half reminders of things to do to appear human:

Make eye contact.

Ask someone a question.

Compliment someone.

Pity the fool. 

 

To my surprise it's been going pretty well. Audiences, it turns out, like it when you try to acknowledge their humanity and connect with them rather than just shout at them about emus or Buckaroo Banzai. 

Performing this way has helped me be more present on stage, acknowledge and connect with the people I'm performing for, and feel less like just a performer and more like a person. It has also lead to me talking a lot about my childhood hero Mr. T on stage. I haven't really figured out why yet, but if I had to guess, I'd say it's autism. 

One of the more significant revelations to come out of this much self reflection is that I'm on the aitism spectrum. The official screening process is long and daunting, but let's just say my RAADS-R numbers are almost as immersive as my Dr. Mario score.

Who'd have guessed a guy whose best skill is arranging video game pills by color real fast would be autistic?

This is all to say that my next special is called Glen Tickle Tries to Be a Person, and it's come out of this process. 

While I'll still be touring and doing "regular" standup, I'll also be doing shows specifically under the title "Glen Tickle Tries to Be a Person". 

Like when I was putting together Good Grief, sometimes it's just easier to work on high concept stuff when you're doing it as it's own thing and everyone knows what they're getting into. 

I should have mentioned earlier, but this material is all very funny and it's some of the best stuff I've ever done. 

Stay tuned for updates on tour dates and such. 

And not end on a hard sell, but supporters on here will get a look at some work-in-progress sets before anyone else. 

I'll also be doing a book club for Mr. T's autobiography, Mr. T the Man With the Gold by Mr. T just for supporters while I give the book a reread. 

(Also if you already follow me on Patreon, I'll be deactivating that soon now that I'm set up with here at Comradery because it just seems like a better company to be freaking with.