1/26/10

Thoughts about LA trip

Last week was my first time in LA. Some reactions:

It sure is nice to swoop into town for a few days and do a bunch of good shows somewhere. Whether it's LA, Chicago, or Boston, I always feel reinvigorated after doing that.

As expected, I'm not really a fan of the car culture thing. Plus everywhere closes at 2am. Your options: drink and drive, don't drink, or figure out a carpool situation. All of which are kinda lame. Guess that leads to a healthier lifestyle in a way.

I knew Tiger Lily and CDR were great shows but I had no idea how much fun that Josh and Josh Show would be. Show was packed out and that room is amazing. Also, I didn't perform on it but ComedyJuice at the Improv looked like a great spot to perform at too (clubbier vibe there).

I wouldn't want to start out (or start over) in LA. Easier to bounce around from show to show in NYC at least. In LA, it seems pretty common that you just pick one destination per evening and that's it. Plus, I think there are more good shows in NYC.

If you want industry attention, LA seems like a better bet than NYC. I heard tales of people killing at a show and then being invited to meet with multiple agents/managers the following week. Never heard of anything like that happening in NYC. Plus, there's just more work if you're looking to do TV/film stuff.

Shows seem to run longer out there. Like 2+ hours. Guess that's better when people are doing the one location per night thing but it's tough to keep a comedy audience engaged for that long.

Stuff you know already: It sure is nice to be able to hike or go to the beach all year round. There are fewer neurotic, writer types and more performy, actor types on shows. Taco trucks and In 'N Out Burger = yum.

Anyway, was a good time. But glad to be back.

4 comments:

Abbi Crutchfield said...

Yeah, welcome back! 2+ hour show sounds ridiculous. Are bars all spread out or something? I'm picturing trios of Red Lobster - Olive Garden - and Outback Steakhouse along a stretch of highway like in the Midwest.

Matt Ruby said...

"Are bars all spread out or something?" EVERYTHING is all spread out there (relatively).

Cody Hess said...

I'm keeping my show to a 90 minute length because to do otherwise feels to me like I'm being rude to the audience. Maybe if a comedy show were to represent an entire evening's entertainment they would expect more length. I doubt it though. Do you think the shows are long because there are more comics with fewer options?

I also cannot imagine an environment where the majority of people are not drinking. It might be nice. Again, I'm skeptical.

Re: "There are fewer neurotic, writer types and more performy, actor types on shows."

Skeptical Cody calls this LA strike-three, but I read "performy, actor types" as "not as funny."

Hopeful Cody would like to be wrong on at least one of these three points.

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