An education on getting college gigs, college agents, and NACA

A reader asked about getting college gigs. I passed along the questions to Mr. Myq Kaplan, Sandpaper Suit commenter/devil's advocate extraordinaire and also a funny comedian, who does plenty of college shows. Myq's replies below...

how do you get work at colleges?
one, you can cold call colleges and offer your services. you can do some research to see what schools have comedy series, and offer to be a part of it, as an opening act maybe, or if you have a show you want to bring to the school, by yourself or with others, etc. call lots of schools, have DVDs or other promo to send, have a good website, etc.
two, you can get an agent.

how do you get an agent?
one, you can just do comedy long enough and get good enough that agencies start asking you to work with them
two, you can submit yourself to them. most college agencies that exist will generally just work with you when you have a good hour that you can do at colleges, so if you don't have that, then that's the first step. just keep doing comedy (and maybe along the way, number one will happen) until you feel you're ready and then come back and read this again. basically, this answer is similar to the "how do you get work at colleges" one above, wherein you just need to get your act on a DVD and get it to the agencies (some will want to see the full hour, some might want only a shorter amount of time, you can find out who wants what with professional-style inquiries, emails, phone calls, etc.). in my experience, a lot of agencies will look to expand their rosters in the spring, because early summer is when the first NACA submission dates are.

how do i get a NACA showcase? do i need an agent? what's NACA?
one, that's three questions, but i'll take them all at once. NACA is an organization that brings together school bookers and comedians (as well as magicians, musicians, and other things that don't start with "m" and end in "icians").
two, you don't need an agent but it can be costly without it. if you have the money to lay out to join NACA and get a booth, go for it. there are definitely some comics that have done this successfully. check out NACA's website for that information.
three, having an agent can be helpful because they pay most of the money, and potentially lend some legitimacy to your submission. here's the thing, they DO watch a portion of every tape they receive, and having credits doesn't necessarily translate into success in this market, so everyone's got a shot. everyone sends in a tape of 3 minutes of performance. i believe they watch 1.5 minutes, and then for some people who make the cut, they watch the rest of it, and that's how they decide who gets the 15-minute showcase spot, which then determines which schools will book who to come to perform for an hour. so again, i'll reiterate, it's best to undertake this process when you HAVE an hour that you'd be confident performing at colleges (because sure, you can get in with a killer 3 minutes, impress them with a good 15 minutes, but if you don't have the hour once you get to the school, that will hurt you more in the long run than the short-term financial benefits will be able to handle, i imagine).

so, in conclusion, to get college work, you can call colleges and offer to work there, submit yourself to NACA without an agent, or get an agent to do that and more, all starting from the baseline of having an hour-long worthwhile product to provide these people and places.

do college gigs or getting in through NACA pay enough to quit a day job?
you can do a NACA showcase and get a lot of work from it. you can do a NACA showcase and get no work from it. and even if you have an agent, that doesn't guarantee that you'll get a showcase (though good agencies will certainly do their best to get work for you regardless of whether you get showcases, but those showcases are the best shot at getting a lot of work booked at once). thus, if you book a lot of schools at a particular NACA or multiple showcases, then you've got a great shot at paying your bills from comedy and not needing a day job (depending on how extravagant your lifestyle is, which i assume is "very," if you're the average caviar-loving, yacht-traveling comic i've come to know). i personally stopped needing a day job a short time after my first big NACA showcase. but i might not be average (being vegan, i only eat soy caviar substitutes and travel on tofu yachts which cost less).

I am answering questions this week at stupidassquestions.com

All this week I am answering stupid ass questions over at stupidassquestions.com. These questions were pretty damn stupid. I answered appropriately. Here's the one that ran today:

Question: Every morning I make coffee and take it to work. However, this morning I bought a large coffee from a well know drive thru restaurant because they advertise that their coffee will wake you up to a good morning. Well, neither has it woken me up or is it a good morning. Do you think I could sue them for false advertising?

Answer: I think you could sue them. I don't think you'd win though. See, it's kinda tough to prove whether or not something has woken you up or given you a good morning. Especially in a court of law. It's not like there's some DUI-type measurement device that will report back "This guy is .14 tired still. Give him money!" Maybe you should lay off the caffeine anyway. Get some sleep. And stop trying to sue people all the time. Actually, I'd sue you if I could. We should not be friends. Unless you have a dog. I was just in the park and they let people take their dogs "off leash" after 9pm. So all the dogs can run around and sniff each other. You know they can tell a lot about each other just by sniffing each other's bums! Too bad humans can't do that. Well, maybe we can but we just don't try. So if you had a dog and maybe I'd take him to the park once in a while then I suppose we could hang out. But don't sue me if some other dog bites your dog or something. I can't be responsible for that. Do you watch Dog Whisperer? You probably should. Cesar Milan is pretty great. Wisest man on the TV if you ask me. So to answer your question: Exercise, discipline, and then affection!

Rod Stewart and We're All Friends Here agree: Tonight's the night

Reminder: Tonight = big We're All Friends Here show at The Creek. Mark's birthday. Guests: Dan Soder (just taped his Live at Gotham), Jessie Geller, and Matt Maragno. This is gonna go deep. We're gonna be starting right at 8pm so don't be late. Show will be done by 10pm. More details.

And stick around to see the fantastic Sean Patton doing a 30 min. set following us. Ya can listen to Sean's recent appearance at We're All Friends Here on this podcast.

"Holocaust jokes are never cool"

"I Need Laughs" Part 2, posted yesterday, features excerpts of my email exchange with a lady who didn't like a joke I told. Here's the rest.

On Feb 22, 2009, at 10:32 PM, [redacted] wrote:

Saw you tonight at Three of Cups... doesn't matter if you're Jewish... Holocaust jokes are never cool. They're just not. Add it to your Feng Shui list...

On Feb 23, 2009, at 1:27 AM, Matt Ruby wrote:

Hmm, too soon still ya think? Or do you think the fact that I'm pro-holocaust shows through in the joke?

Did you know that Roberto Benigni made a whole movie about the holocaust and it's a comedy? Totally uncool. You should contact him too! Even worse, he won an Oscar for that movie! That never would have happened if Jews had some influence in Hollywood. Don't you agree? The whole thing is clearly mashugana.

Thanks for taking the time to express your disappointment in me and give me a guilt trip. You really are a good Jew.

On Feb 23, 2009, at 9:43 AM, [redacted] wrote:

"Life is Beautiful' is so not a comedy.

I don't care if you talk about the Holocaust... but trying to get laughs with ovens and gas is really just tasteless. Evidence... no one laughed. Consider your audience. This is New York, not Oklahoma. I bet at least 1/4 of the room last night was Jewish.

AND... even if you were someplace with no Jewish population and the audience found your heinous 'jokes' funny... at best you'd just be an ignorance-perpetuating material-starved mercenary. Trivializing people's personal tragedies is one of the lowest forms of comedy. And no, I'm not a survivor (clearly) but my grandfather was and the rest of his family WASN'T. So haha, ovens and gas, that's really hilarious. And for those who don't have a personal connection to the Holocaust... how dare you make them think it's something to be made light of.

On Feb 23, 2009, at 3:40 PM, Matt Ruby wrote:

Sandy, I'm sorry you're so ferklempt about this. But actually, some people (maybe even Jews!?) did laugh at the joke. In fact, a few even applauded at the end of it. The chutzpah of these people for having a sense of humor. They're clearly kakameyme.

I get you didn't think it was funny. But you don't get to make the rules for everyone else. Unless you're some kinda fascist dictator. And we know how you feel about those.

Anyway, you're right that personal tragedy is nothing to base comedy on. Everyone knows the best comedians focus on topics that we can ALL agree are safe, tasteful, and inoffensive. On that note, I'm off to work on a joke about how crazy the flavors of Dentyne Ice are. Arctic Chill!? C'mon, that's not even a real thing to taste like! It's like having gum that's flavored "Ice Cube." GOLD I tell ya!!!

Video: "I Need Laughs: Angry exchange (Part 2 of 7)"

Part 2 of "I Need Laughs: One week in the trenches of the New York underground comedy scene." In this clip, a woman objects to my making a joke that's making fun of people who use Hitler as a reference point.

More of "I Need Laughs" (and details about it) here.

The Comix staff offers tips and pet peeves for comedians

Comix' Dan Wilbur recently guest posted about what it's like working at a comedy club. He also passed along this list of tips and pet peeves for comedians from the Comix staff (compiled by Kambri Crews, the head of PR at the club)...

Peeves

• Unannounced visits (don’t show up because “you’re in the neighborhood.” We have work that might even be promotion for YOUR show! Make an appointment, and be ready to tell us SPECIFICS for your show. Anything that needs to be talked out usually should take 20 minutes tops.)


• Showing up late or last minute for your scheduled spot


• Lazy comics: those who never work new material


• Having no way to contact you (you should have an e-mail and phone that work!)


• Blowing the light


• Venting on stage rather than entertaining (this includes attacking the audience in ANY way, or commenting on the size of the room. As soon as you say the crowd is small, people immediately stop having fun!)


• Calls and e-mails to the point of harassment


• Flexibility for the spot in the lineup (If you’re asked to go first, just do it)


• Overbooking your show


• Entourages in the green room


• Large, last minute comp lists.


• Long E-mails (get to the point!)

Tips

• Network with people that have the ear of the booker.


• Don’t monopolize someone’s time in conversation while they’re running a show or working at the club.


• Work with management when they’re trying to pay you (also be nice to everyone on wait staff and the techies. They are all on your side.)


• Recognize that each club has different policies. Don’t assume what works for one place, holds true for us. Ask.


• If you get rejected from a club, you should cherish it. It means you’re either not the right fit, or you need to try something different.

We're All Friends Here teams up with Breakthru Radio!

The latest edition of the We're All Friends Here podcast, featuring Danny Solomon and Claudia Cogan, is now live. You can listen here. (Pat Dixon's interview was so hot, he wouldn't let us broadcast it. It was really great though.)

And there's big news on the podcast front too: Breakthru Radio, a very cool online radio station, digs the 'casts so much that they're going to start broadcasting them (starting with the next show). And they're even going to pay us. We like that. More details when the first episode goes live.

Here's info on Friday's show:

WE'RE ALL FRIENDS HERE
The comedy chat show with boundary issues
Hosted by Matt Ruby and Mark Normand
Featuring Dan Soder, Jessie Geller, and Matt Maragno
FREE
Friday, Sept 18
8pm @ The Creek
10-93 Jackson Ave at 49th Ave
Long Island City, NY
Just one subway stop from Brooklyn and Manhattan

Marc Maron explains why he likes Andrew Dice Clay

Marc Maron was on the "Keith and the Girl" podcast and it's a really interesting interview [thanks for recommending, Myq]. At one point, Maron talks about why he's come to like Andrew Dice Clay:

Most of my life I've watched comedy. I've lived in comedy places. And it's gotten to the point where if I close my eyes, I can't tell the fucking difference between comics. They don't have a point of view. They don't take any chances. Most of it is just clever, detached, smug humor.

All of them are doing a version of Attell or Hedberg and a Todd Barry here or there. But their delivery system is half-hijacked from somebody else...I can't tell where they're coming from. I don't know who the hell they are.

And then Dice shows up just to do a drop in set and gets up onstage, and within five minutes I was so happy to be in the hands of a professional. A guy with real gravitas, a guy who has a point of view. Despite whatever you have to say about that guy, he INVENTED that guy. No one else did that guy.

He is definitely an American original...He's got a very specific point of view and it's not necessarily mysoginistic, it's not wrong, it's almost poetic. He has an original way of seeing the world. And it was a pleasure to watch him for 40 minutes.

Maron's not the type of comic you expect to hear sticking up for Dice so I thought it was really interesting. Def makes me feel I should think harder about what I'm inventing onstage vs. the things I'm saying that could also come out of another comic's mouth.

Some other Maron Stuff: The Comic's Comic posted a video of a great set he did at UCB LA about a month ago. Also, you know how comedian bios always suck? I think the one at Maron's site is prob the best/most honest one I've read.

Shows this weekend including Wards of Merkin

I'll be performing at these fine shows soon...

Thu 9/10 8:30pm The Carly Simon Comedy Hour @ Jazz On The Park Hostel

Fri 9/11 8:30pm Bobby Tisdale's WARDS OF MERKIN @ Word Bookstore (Greenpoint)

Friday, September 11th 8:30pm
WARDS OF MERKIN Post-hiatus Show!
with host Bobby Tisdale
plus People!
@ Word Bookstore
126 Franklin Street (on the corner of Milton)
Greenpoint, Brooklyn 11222

21 and up, 10 bucks
FREE WINE, FREE BEER
Those who wish to attend, please RSVP by emailing your name plus number of guests to: BobbyTisdalesMerkin:at:gmail:dot:com

Sat 9/12 8:00pm Going Steady @ Hugs (Williamsburg)

Fri 9/18 8:00pm WE’RE ALL FRIENDS HERE @ THE CREEK (LIC)

List of all my upcoming shows.

Video: "I Need Laughs: One week in the trenches of the New York underground comedy scene"

This is a seven-part documentary I filmed called "I Need Laughs: One week in the trenches of the New York underground comedy scene." It's a behind the scenes look at a single week (Feb 20-27, 2009) in the alternative/underground/whatever-you-want-to-call-it comedy scene in NYC. Over that span, I brought a camera to every show/mic I did and filmed my sets, post-show shit-shooting with other comics, how I work on new bits, the subway/pizza/show sturm und drang of doing multiple shows in a night, etc. The whole thing is edited by Matt Lament who did a great job.

The point? Jerry Seinfeld's "Comedian" is a great documentary. But the idea that it shows how tough it is to be a comic is, well, comical. When Jerry is roughing it, he's still going up at the best clubs in NYC in front of sizable crowds. I wanted to show what it's like when you're doing a real mix of shows, some decent and some where ya feel like a little piece of you is dying.

You can play all videos at YouTube and if you want to embed the whole thing, there's a link to do that via this playlist.

Here's the doc in individual episodes w/ descriptions:



Part 1. An overview of what's to come with scenes from We're All Friends Here show (and backstage recap), working on new material, taking a real life funny thing to the stage, etc.



Part 2. A woman objects to my making a joke that's making fun of people who use Hitler as a reference point.



Part 3. I riff at some good/bad shows, explain why I wear suits onstage, discuss coming up with material with Mark, etc.



Part 4. Some painful shows. Do you give up? Riff? Plow ahead with material? And some post-show deconstruction with other comics.



Part 5. After the shitty show I did in Part 4, I head to another show...with even fewer people at it. So I decide to just chat with the room and stumble across some interesting stuff. Then we discuss it afterwards in a cab on the way to another show.



Part 6. No booked shows means open mic'ing. This clip has me trying out some new bits and talking with other comics about mics. And I drop by the Cellar for a minute too. Funny thing: Josh Comers, the guy who makes the "paying your dues" joke, is now a writer for Conan.



Part 7. Wrapping up with some sex talk, more jokes, a random dude on the street who likes my tie, and the credits.

Alt shows give comics an excuse to be lazy

At an alt show the other week with a big crowd, 100 or so people there. And this comic gets up onstage and refers to notes the whole time. Not a set list, but actual sheets of paper with written material on it. And this is just for a 10 minute set.

If there's a real crowd, I think even pulling out a set list is a bit iffy. But big pages that you shuffle through trying to remember your set? Lame. This person is "on TV" so I guess there's the whole "working out new material" excuse. But it just struck me as being rude to the audience.

It's one of the things I dislike about alt shows. They give comics an excuse to be lazy. You can be unprepared and half-ass things and use "it's an alternative show" as the reason why. And since the crowds are polite, they don't call you on it.

You'd never see that at a club. At clubs, comics know they need to bring it. If they don't, the crowd tunes out and starts talking amongst themselves. Or goes to the manager and says, "I paid $20 for this?"

The experimentation you get at alt shows is great. But that "anything goes" attitude can also be a crutch for comics who aren't willing/able to bring A game.

DC shows on Saturday

Had a great time at Topaz show last night in DC and Ri Ra in Arlington on Wed night. Doing two more shows in the area on Saturday night (9/5):

8:00pm Laugh Riot at the Hyatt @ Hyatt Regency Bethesday Hotel (2 for 1 coupon)
10:30pm Stand-Up Comedy at the Old Arlington Grill @ Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse

Last night's Topaz show was super hot crowd. Some really funny, experienced comics on it but they even put up some newbies and one person who had NEVER before performed standup too. I just sat there thinking about how nice it must be to start somewhere that's not NYC. Getting exposed to a crowd like that requires a heck of a lot more "dues paying" in the Big Apple.

Six word jokes

Hemingway wrote this story in just six words: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." He's said to have called it his best work.

But how about a six word joke? Here's one I came up with (inspired by a recent Twitter post):

McCartney! Re: love. We get it.

Got a six word joke? Post it in the comments.

Patton Oswalt on love and hate in comedy

Patton Oswalt preaches love instead of hate in standup.

“Actually, I think when you’re younger, anger and comedy mesh together very, very well,” Oswalt answers, “because there are things that you feel like, ‘Am I the only person seeing this?’ But then, as you get older, I don’t think anger and comedy mesh at all. I remember Chris Rock telling me, ‘Don’t get mad, get funnier.’ Getting mad doesn’t help you as a comedian. Anger eventually cancels out comedy. I think what you have to do is find the things that delight you, and if you really push the things that delight you, then the things or people that piss you off, it just makes them angry. If people you don’t like or people that you disagree with, if they see you on stage pissed off and angry, that’s actually kind of reassuring. Because they’re like, ‘I’m getting to that guy.’ But if you’re on stage, and instead of cursing what you hate, you’re celebrating the alternative and making that seem better, that’s what drives your enemies bugfuck. That’s what just drives them into the red.”

“Pointing out that stuff sucks is not edgy or dangerous anymore,” he says. “Everyone knows what sucks. What’s better is to find the stuff that’s amazing and hold it up. Even something like the KFC bowl, in a weird way, I love it. I love that we’ve gotten to the point where [there’s] an actual manifestation of the problem and we actually have it in bowl form. Before, it was scattered amongst 50 different fast-food chains, and it was so hard to make your argument. People would go, ‘Yeah, but there’s salads, and…’ Now I’m just like, ‘Here is the top-selling fast food item.’ Thank you, KFC!”

“[The KFC Famous Bowl bit] was also from sheer exasperation,” he says. “Like, finally, what I’ve been talking about all along about what is wrong with us. And also, ultimately, what’s wrong with me, you know? I need to lose weight because I eat a lot of crappy food. I think the best anger is the stuff that you are pointing at yourself, rather than, ‘Everything sucks and I’m here to point out why.’“

Here's another example: Oswalt on the wonder of Cheetos from a 2004 bootleg.



So I get that anger directed at yourself is great fodder for standup (like CK's making fun of himself in "Everything's amazing, nobody's happy").

But I'm surprised to read someone argue that being angry/mad is bad for comedy. Especially someone who has done great bits shitting all over George Lucas, his hometown, people who celebrate birthdays, those who advocate natural births, George Bush, etc. Even his "Big Fan" director Rob Siegel called Oswalt's comedy "hateful, misanthropic, and dark" in an interview (he meant it in a good way).

In general, it feels like people talking about what they love just isn't as funny as people talking about what they hate. Maybe more pleasant and positive energy and all that, but not as funny.

I've heard it said before that every joke has a target — there's someone or something being made fun of. And I often notice how true that is. Tough to reconcile that idea with this love business.

As for "find the stuff that’s amazing and hold it up"...is the KFC Bowl really something Oswalt loves? Seems like more of a love/hate thing. Maybe that's the sweet spot, something you love but also hate at the same time. Keeps the passion in there but ya also get the mockery that gives it a juicy twist.

Any other examples out there of funny bits that discuss something the comic really loves?

Anyway, always fun to listen to Patton talk about standup. He's one of the most eloquent out there when it comes to discussing the craft. Check out this "Comedy And Everything Else" interview with him if ya haven't already.

Chevy in Fletch

Listening to Paul Simon's "Graceland." Remembering that "You Can Call Me Al" video with Chevy Chase. That got me thinking about my favorite line from Fletch (audio):

Fletch: "Give each other 20 dollars and put it on the Underhill bill."
Waiter: "Ahhh muchas gracias!"
Fletch: "Tierra del fuego."

This one not bad either:

Mrs Stanwyck: "I'm surprised to see you, what are you doing here?"
Fletch: "I ordered some lunch."
Mrs Stanwyck: "You ordered it here?"
Fletch: "Well I knew this was where my mouth would be."
Mrs Stanwyck: "Ha.... I really should change..."
Fletch: "No... I think you should stay the same wonderful person you are today."
Mrs Stanwyck: "I mean put clothes on!"

Heh.

Think Tank back episodes

Think Tank is on a brief end-of-summer break. New episodes coming soon. Meanwhile, you can check out this list of previous episodes.

Back from Boston Comedy Festival

So I competed in the first prelim round of the Boston Comedy Festival last night. Great show and very tough competition. I was pleased with my set so I don't feel bad that I didn't advance. (In retrospect, only thing I would have changed is one joke I do about coke/weed that prob wasn't the best choice considering it was an older crowd.)

Really, it seemed like about 8-9 of the 12 comics had sets that were strong enough to advance. (Strong comics like Myq Kaplan and Doogie Horner had very good sets yet also failed to make it to the next round.) Judging any art — and esp comedy — is a crapshoot, ya know? Oh well. But congrats to everyone who did make it to the next round. I think they were all deserving.

I'm still no contest vet but one thing I like about 'em is it really forces you to distill your material. I'm constantly grinding away on new material normally so it's a good stop-and-review process. A tight 5 minute set means ya hone and polish your shortest, tightest jokes and try to build a flow from 'em. Kinda like what building a late-night set must be like.

I toss out any bits that have long setups. Even there's a big payoff, it feels like you're wasting time. Also, I've got some touchy jokes that work better once I've established who I am onstage. At a contest, ya don't have much time to do that so I stay away from those bits and go for the surefire stuff. Also gone is weirder stuff that might work well at some alt room in Williamsburg but not in front of a bunch of tourists at the Hard Rock Café in Boston (where the Fest was).

What I don't like about contests (other than the inherent ridiculousness of judging art): Ya can get screwed easily if there's a certain type of crowd or if there's a bad MC and ya go first, etc. Lots of variables that are out of control.

Also, they come with a bit of an "America's Got Talent" vibe. With 12 people doing quick sets, standing out almost seems more important than delivering well-written jokes. If you're JAWGTJ (Just Another White Guy Telling Jokes), that can make it esp tough. A great comic like John Mulaney could totally lose to a beatboxing grandma in one of these things, ya know? But hey, that's part of the game.

On a side note, spent the weekend up in Boston doing other shows and I think the scene there is really cool. Feels like a real community up there. All the comics are in on this tourney pool (March Madness style) for the contest — run by Tom Dustin, great comedian aka The Mayor of Boston Comedy — and they all show up at each show to see and support each other.

One big reason for the vibe: Rick Jenkins at The Comedy Studio. It's a great hub for developing comics and Rick really has built a special thing there. Every weekend the Studio is sold out yet he still puts on lineups that nurture young comics and encourage experimentation. And he's able to do it because he doesn't charge a big cover/drink min. That small, cool, sustainable approach can really impact an entire comedy scene. Nothing like it anywhere in NYC.

Also weird in Boston: There are no midsize rooms (from what I gather). There are a bunch of 80 seat venues. And then there's a big leap to 1200 seat theaters. But nothing in between. That seems like a strange vacuum.

I'm in Boston this weekend

I'll be in Boston this weekend for the Boston Comedy Festival and some other shows:

Friday, Aug 28 - 7:30pm The Gas @ Great Scott
Saturday, Aug 29 - 8:00pm Nick's Comedy Stop
Saturday, Aug 29 - 11:30pm Nightcap @ ImprovBoston
Sunday, Aug 30 - 7:00pm Boston Comedy Festival @ Hard Rock Cafe (tickets)

Remember back when Myq Kaplan gave me advice on competing in comedy contests? Well, we're head to head in this BCF prelim round! It's like Daniel vs. Miyagi! Or Skywalker vs. Yoda! Or one of Edward James Olmos' students vs. Edward James Olmos in that one movie where Edward James Olmos plays a teacher!

Demetri on stilts

Kudos to Demetri Martin for bringing some wackiness to The Tonight Show (he was paired with Shaq and decided to come out taller):



I'm always a big fan of talk show guests that try to do something different.

My bathroom graffiti debut

Found bathroom graffiti like this...



Left it like this...

Think Tank: Bothered

Watch more "Think Tank" episodes.

Don't forget to leave a tip

Watched an interview with Billy Crystal where he talked about the importance of leaving a tip.

The backstory: Years ago, Crystal killed one night in front of a famous manager and then asked the agent what he thought. The agent told him he was effective, but not good. He said Crystal's own personality was missing — he didn't leave a tip.

You didn't do anything personal or unexpected. There was no risk taking. A comedian's job is to take risks, and you're playing it too safe. Don't be afraid to fail. And don't ever forget, 'Leave that tip.'

Interesting. My top priority is always laughs. Then, it's how much do I actually care about what I'm saying. But this "how much you is there in there?" thing is def a good factor to throw into the equation too.

Maybe it's even worth shifting priorities and going with something personal even if it's not getting huge laughs. I'm reluctant to do that (esp in shorter sets) but I can see how leaving an audience with a feeling, a piece of who you really are, can get you further than giving 'em laughs that are forgotten by the time they get home.

Plus, being memorable is key too. Anyone can get laughs. You're the only one that can deliver you.

Vacation

On vacation this week. Read the archives or check my Twitter if ya need a fix.

Polo shirts and glass houses

Note to comic on show I did the other night: Not a good idea to state that "anyone who wears a polo shirt is a douchebag" in one of your bits when BOTH hosts and the comic following you are wearing polo shirts. And also when you are wearing a jacket that looks like this. Since, y'know, people who live in glass houses shouldn't...

Actually, now that I think about it...anyone in any house shouldn't throw stones. It's just a rude thing to do. Even if it's not glass, you'll probably scuff up the walls. And who lives in a glass house anyway? Plants, I guess. But they rarely throw stones.

Actually, you know who does throw stones at glass houses? Billy Joel. What a bad ass.

Upcoming shows: SNC, DTMT, etc.

Tonight (Thursday) I'll be performing at Evan Morgenstern's SNC show:

SNC: Switzerland Neutral Comedy @ The Tank!!! w/John Mulaney!
The Tank, 354 W. 45th St btwn 8th and 9th (the 45th Street Theater)
Cost: $5

Come check out SNC’s last show at The Tank for now. What can I say? We’re like a rolling stone and moss gives us allergies. $5 admission with cheap booze and, as always, pretzels and cookies! This line up speaks for itself: Hosts: Jay Hoskins and Evan Morgenstern. Featuring: Ali Wong, Devin Sanchez, Rachel Axelrod, Daniel St. Germain, Ash Louis, Michael Lawrenece, Matt Ruby, Danny Rouhier, and special guest: John Mulaney!

And on Friday I'll be on Blaine Perry and Pat Stango's Don't Touch Me There, which is always fun.



List of other upcoming shows.

What it's like working at a comedy club

Here's a guest post from Dan Wilbur, a comedian who works in the Comix office. He has worked the past two summers with the head of PR, Kambri Crews, and currently is an assistant to Justin Gray, the head of promotions. As part of his job, he contributes to the Comix blog and Twitter account. Below, Dan writes about what it's like to be a comic working at a comedy club.

When I first arrived at Comix I wanted to gain this vague understanding of “comedy” and “the business of comedy” which is what I learned tenfold. But I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know until I worked in the office. I didn’t realize how collaborative every single show is, whether it’s a headliner or a monthly show with an external producer. Literally every show (unlike a room you would just buy out) is the entire staff’s responsibility from the general manager down to the guy in charge of sending out Tweets. With any collaboration, there will be frustrations: ideas will get repeated, your idea might get lost in the mix, and occasionally the name of a show will stick that nobody really loves, but there’s more work to be done, so you move on. Working in a club teaches you that the business and creative aspect of comedy comes with constant upkeep. There’s always a show the next week, and there’s very little time to rest on your laurels even if the last headliner sold out the room.

One other thing I’ve learned on the business end of things is that careers are not linear. People have great months, people have terrible months. If a show consistently does poorly, it doesn’t mean that the club turns its back on that comic, it means (no matter how big the comic is), as a group, we need to come up with a different show or a different way of promoting a current show, so more people come. Also, a show can become stale no matter how good it is. If you’re pitching the same show to press outlets over and over, it becomes white noise at a certain point, even if everyone loves the show. “Five for $5” which used to be “Hot Comix” was great when it started, and even though we are doing the same thing we always do, we have to change that specific show to get people interested again. You should always be working on some project, but if it doesn’t pan out, move on and keep working. Having perspective is a valuable lesson I’ve learned from working at Comix.

I think everyone learns when they first arrive in New York how slow a process becoming a club comic is. I thought as soon as I got the job I would get a guest spot on a Comix showcase, then a huge comic would see me, and ask me to write for their new sitcom. Being around working comics is THE BEST PERK because you’re listening (daily) to a successful comic. It doesn’t hurt to know those people (in fact, networking is KEY to doing well in the comedy world, and going to other people’s shows is the easiest way to stay in touch) but humility is the most important part of listening to comics like that. Even if you despise the person, there’s a reason they’re working, and you better figure it out quick if you want to work that room too.

The least interesting part is meeting huge comedians in the middle of the day. It’s one thing to say, “Oh, I shouldn’t bother this comic right after his set,” but it’s an entirely different faux pas to grab the attention of a working comedian at noon on a Wednesday. That means he or she probably got five hours of sleep, and is there to work. (Side note, if you are the comedian coming in to the office to discuss something, smiling doesn’t hurt. We’re all at work too. Julian McCullough brightens my day whenever he comes in).

The question I get the most often is: “Are you getting a lot of stage time out of the job?” That was never the point. If I were onstage every night in front of people I barked in, I wouldn’t learn anything. I’d just be onstage in front of people who didn’t have other plans. Furthermore, Comix pays me in cold hard cash (or peanuts, depending on how you look at it), and if they paid me in stage time, what would be the incentive for getting better? It would be a horribly dishonest office if my coworkers kept encouraging everything I did onstage because they want me to do a spreadsheet for them. Work is work. You should get paid for it. That said, the only reason I have my current job is because I started working there for free. That’s how most comedic jobs start. But I love my job because I am supporting good live comedy, a universe that I hopefully will be a part of in the future. The better the club does, the more opportunities there are for live comedy to thrive.

The fun part of the job, and this is true with any job that does promotional work (i.e. you don’t have to work at a club for this to happen, but it helps to not work at Starbucks), is that you end up watching clips of people you’ve never heard of, you go places you would never go (I’ve been to The Daily Show front desk, tons of hotels, and to the office of an awesome gay bar), and anything cross-promotional usually yields free stuff (Burritos, movie passes, etc.). I also am required to NEVER wear a tie.

Lastly, I find that comedians are always afraid that if they only go from work to open mics and then to sleep they won’t have any material because they don’t have lives. They are correct. But the only way to get good is to inundate yourself for awhile, and then pick times when you live your personal life. I still find time to talk to non-comics (civilians) about non-comedic things on the daily. I always feel good about that since I spend most of my day working and thinking about comedy in general.

50/50 crowds

Everyone loves a hot crowd. They're juiced and laughs come easy. All you have to do is not fuck it up. Just ride the wave and keep it going. You can even throw in extra tags that normally wouldn't work and extend the laughs.

But the best crowd for getting better as a comic is a 50/50 crowd. A 50/50 crowd laughs at good jokes but gives you nothing on lame ones. They're either on the bus or off the bus on a joke-by-joke basis. It's tough to build momentum with a crowd like that, but at least you're working with a judge you can actually trust. There's a fairness there. When a bit does work, you know it's actually got legs.

50/50 crowds won't always give you the best set in the world. But they teach you more about what's funny than a hot crowd does.

Think Tank: Bathroom attendant

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Rob Cantrell on his new album “Keep On the Grass”

Rob Cantrell's new album “Keep On the Grass” is now available. Here's a sample track: “Grapefruit” (MP3).

I love watching Rob do his hip-hop hippie thing onstage. I like how he punches certain phrases. And the subjects he talks about: weed, shrooms, the Beatles vs. the Stones, etc. How he can crush at both an urban show at a big club and also at a back of a bar alt room with a bunch of hipsters. How he'll just wander aloud onstage and stumble into epiphanies. He's one of those guys you can see do sets over and over and still not get tired of.

I asked Rob to answer a couple of questions about the record and how it came to be:

What was the most surprising thing about the whole process of  recording/releasing the album?
The most surprising thing about recording an album is how much work there is.  In the beginning I though you could knock it out one, two, three, press record BAM-Album. NOPE. First you have to find a good sounding room, clear it with the club owners, find a smart tech guy to mic it right, then there is editing, mastering, artwork, distribution, and spreading the word.  A label and management can help with getting these things done, but at the end of the day it is your name on the ALBUM and you are going to have to deal with the feedback.  My advice is to get your hands dirty in every detail of the process.  
 
What's your favorite bit on the record? Why? How did you write it?
Stand Up Bits- There are two true stories that I really enjoy listening to. One story (The Bike Story-track 9) is a detailed story about wrecking an old school banana seat chopper bicycle when I was 7 and how it almost cut my dick off.  It was one of those traumatic things that only close family knew about and laughed at, at the time it was hardcore brutal, but kids always fuck themselves up, some cousin gets a compound fracture jumping out a tree house with a cape, another puts a nail gun in his hip playing 'Outlaw of Josey Wails'. At first people would freak out, slowly I got better and better telling it. It is not the type of bit that will get you laid after the show, -doesn't matter because I am Married N Shit (track 20/music), but it does connect with people a little deeper than just a straight up joke.  That is why I enjoy telling stories now and then.  

The other is a story (track 15-The Tombs) about getting arrested in New York in the LES for smoking a joint with a professional violinist outside the Parkside Lounge.  I spent a weekend in 'The Tombs', they would pick a night to bring people in for weed and scare them by putting them in the TOMBS.  The bit most always kills because it is interesting and absurd.  I enjoy it because I get to sing a Pink Floyd song in it.

I love comedy, music and weed.  This is what KEEP ON THE GRASS is all about.     

I've heard you talking about how other comics have a "herd mentality."  What do you mean by that? Why do you think that's bad?
To keep it simple, go right when everybody is going left, break away from the pack and get fucking noticed.  That how I see it.  This type of thinking can lead to horrible bike accidents and getting arrested, but then again, you will have 20 minutes of original material for your new CD.



There will be an album release party for Rob's new record in Brooklyn on Sept. 4th, 8 PM at Coco66 at 66 Greenpoint Ave.

Setting up your own tour

Speaking of getting out of town, a reader wrote in asking for advice on getting road gigs. Aalap Patel, one of the co-producers of New Young Comedians, recently did a weeklong minitour in California so I asked him how it all happened. Here's Aalap on the tour:

I recently had the honor of going on my first comedy tour, performing about 7 shows over 5-6 days, in and around LA as part of the "Like These Guys Standup Comedy Tour". I have to give a hearty thanks to John Wells and Nick Rutherford, two comics who have roots in the west coast and were kind enough to invite me to tour with them. I also want to thank my close friend Matteson Perry, who completed our lineup and helped me tune my jokes up, night after night.

It was an amazing experience; we did a variety of shows, at famous venues like Mbar, at small theaters like The Empty Space Theatre in Bakersfield and at Moorpark College, and out of the way places like The Ranch in San Miguel (A honkey-tonk and steakhouse). We had audiences as large as 200 and each show felt like a new challenge. Even when staying for 2 shows at the same venue, like we did in Bakersfield, our later show had a very different audience than our early show.

It was one of the milestones of my young comedy career, and I was very sad to see it end. But one of the most valuable lessons I picked up from this tour is that we, as comics, can get out there and tour without having to go through the traditional gatekeepers (comedy club bookers, managers, NACA). I picked John's brain about how he set this tour up and in the end it sounded like a straightforward process.

Unless you have credits or connections with club bookers, it makes sense to target venues where you have inside connections (colleges, bars, etc.) or a bit of an installed fan base in the form of friends and family who will not only attend the show but might be of assistance in getting some seats filled. The first thing to do is create a press packet that features information about the tour, about each comedian, links to videos, and a flyer that can be used to promote each show. You want the venue to understand what you're offering and that it's of value. The artwork on the flyer and in the whole packet should be consistent and of a high quality, their decision is affected by your presentation as well as your comedy.

After booking your first few gigs, thinking geographically about where else you can go and what sort of venues are open to you and fill up a series of dates in the days leading up to your larger shows. Once the gigs and dates are set, you still have promotional work to do. Some venues handle this for you, others are only interested in getting money off the bar and rely on you to fill the place. You want to contact as many media sources as you can; newspapers, radio stations, websites, and blogs, and get as much free or cheap promotion as possible. We used facebook as a supplement for each show but as you can see from the links we got some interviews and ads into various local papers.

Just make sure you put on the best show you can, because you always want to have a chance to go back next year. Good luck.

Related: Aalap also wrote a post on how to get a crowd to come out to your comedy show a little while back.

Getting out of NYC to perform

I did Dave Walk's final Comic vs. Audience show in Philly on Monday night and had a great time. Packed house, long set, great reaction, got to meet/hang with other comics, etc. (Thanks Dave!)

In fact, nearly every time I get out of NYC and do shows in other places (Boston, D.C., Chicago), it goes great. It makes a lot of the shows I do here pale in comparison. Stage time is currency in NYC and it's tough to get. And when ya do get it, it's often for a relatively small or unenthusiastic crowd compared to other cities. (Note: That may be because I do good shows when I go to other places instead of taking whatever I can get which is what I do here.)

It'd be a no-brainer to do more of these out of town shows if I was making real cash at 'em. But it's usually just a few bucks, if anything. And there's the time and money you spend getting there too. Spending money to do a show is something I really hate out of principle.

But then again, if I'm not booked on a real show, I'll sometimes pay $5 to do a shitty mic in NYC. If I'm willing to pay $5 to do a lame mic in front of unenthusiastic comics and a few civilians, how much is it worth to me to do a great show in front of 60+ real audience members who are totally on board?

For the Philly show it was a $20 bus ride and two hours each way (I came back the same night). I wouldn't do it all the time, but once in a while seems worth it.

Boston is a longer trip (around 4 hours) which means either finding a place to stay or sucking it up with an early AM return trip. I did it once last year and had a great time. Going back end of August to do a few shows and to perform at The Boston Comedy Festival. But I'm still iffy on making the trip often because of the time/$ thing.

I travel pretty frequently to Chicago and D.C. anyway so I try to get up whenever I'm in those places. Adding shows on to a trip I'm already taking is great. It's the whole idea of paying to perform in another town that bugs me. But maybe it's something ya gotta do for a bit just to get out there and have other people see ya.

Think Tank: Wheel

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Influencers and thought leaders

This sign is trying to get advertisers for bathroom walls. I like the idea that people who piss are classified as "influencers and thought leaders." Urinaters = exclusive demographic!!

Video: Looking through an audience member's purse

Small show last week at Arlo and Esme in NYC. I joked about a girl's big purse while onstage. Then I asked her if I could look through it. Surprisingly, she said yes. Watch to see what I found. (Strange light is due to a projector that shows aerobics videos during the show. Don't ask.)

Too much stage time makes you boring

So yeah, get as much stage time as ya can. We all know that. But I do think there's something to be said for having a life too. The best way to be an interesting performer is to be an interesting person. And the best way to be an interesting person is to have an interesting life.

In NYC, you can spend all your free time bouncing around from show to show, mic to mic, getting multiple spots a night, attending shows, etc. And while that certainly helps you, it comes at a price: You stop living a normal life. You don't have normal friends. You don't have normal experiences. You're just around the same people at the same venues doing the same things all the time.

And that's bad for a comic. If your whole life becomes an insular bubble, it hurts your ability to relate to the outside world. You turn into the equivalent of a rock band that writes songs about how tough it is being on the road. Yawn.

I like to make a point of taking nights off and hanging with civilians. 1) It's fun and helps me maintain my sanity and 2) I've found it's even good fuel for my standup too.

A lot of my fave bits have come not from a writing session or experimenting onstage but from a good conversation with a close friend. One who's not a comic and doesn't feel any pressure to be "on." Have a genuine conversation with an interesting person over drinks for a couple of hours and you're bound to get some good bit ideas out of it. (Don't forget that notebook.)

In fact, it's kind of become the holy grail for me. If I can take a real topic from a real conversation and turn it into a bit that I do onstage, it feels like a real victory. You hit a sweet spot when you do that. If your conversation with an audience is like your conversation with a close friend, you're a lot more likely to get them on your side. You don't have to pretend that what you're talking about is interesting. You don't have to manufacture anything. You're onstage and you're genuinely speaking about what you also think/talk about offstage. And that brings a whole different energy, tone, and openness to a performance.

I'd argue there's also a lot of value in taking time off to do other stuff like traveling or going to see other kinds of art/performers or having a relationship or anything else that gets you out of that "my whole life is about being a comic" rut. Plus, you get to actually live a life which, ya know, is a kinda worthwhile thing to do anyhow.

Tom Scharpling and Paul F. Tompkins mocking Gathering Of The Juggalos

Mentioned in The Pocket and on Twitter already but it's worth its own post: This 2009 Gathering Of The Juggalos — those are Insane Clown Posse fans — infomercial ranks incredibly high on the unintentional comedy scale (i.e. when something or someone cracks you up even though that wasn't the original intention).



"Everybody know's what's gonna happen when ABK hits that stage!" Everybody? "Highly trained chef Shaggy2Dope!" Yum. "Lots of sex in the air. Don't doubt it!" Er, I would really doubt it. Highly. And how about those professional hosts they've got!?

Tom Scharpling and Paul F. Tompkins had a hilarious discussion about the Gathering last week on The Best Show on WFMU. Listen here starting at 1:27:10 in.

Two of my fave funny people in some glorious riffing. They can barely contain their giddiness when discussing things like "Violent J's Beach Boys BBQ Bash Blast" or the helicopter rides there. It is so so so so damn funny. Listen. (More of PFT's Best Show appearances can be found in the show archives.)

Related:
Thirty Reasons Why the Insane Clown Posse's 2009 Gathering of the Juggalos Infomercial is the Greatest YouTube Clip Ever [Paste Magazine]
Video: A Family Underground (a documentary movie "about Juggalos, by Juggalos, for Juggalos") [YouTube]

Think Tank: Rape whistle

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How to get a crowd to come out to your comedy show

A reader asks:

How can someone get a large crowd to their weekly or monthly comedy show? I've seen plenty of shows that include nationally touring headlining acts and are still empty. What are some of the less obvious secrets to building up a fanbase who will deliver solid attendance?

Aalap Patel is one of the co-producers of New Young Comedians, a hot monthly show in NYC that always has a packed house and a good lineup. I asked him to take a crack at answering this question. Here's what he said:

Filling up the seats is the perpetual challenge for any independent comedy show, especially in a city like New York that offers tons of other entertainment options on any night. If you are running a show, or starting a show, this is your first hurdle. Here's a few things I think you can do (or not do) to make it easier:

1. Advertise: A simple facebook invite the night before is not enough. You need people to know there's a show, want to go to it, and remember where and when to show up. I suggest using all possible methods (email, listing on event and comedy sites, blogs, etc.) but don't drown people in announcements every day or every couple of hours. The louder you shout, the less people will listen. I suggest using Opt In marketing, which means you are not blasting everyone. Make sure people know about the event far out enough that they can put it on their calendars, but also remind them the day of and the day before.

2. Put on a Good show: this should probably be number one, and Matt has already discussed many aspecs of this (here and here, for example). Rational and good comedians understand that their job is to put on a good show, not only because everyone has fun, but because that is what gets you a repeat customer. If your friends and family feel like they are coming to support you, that's fine, but if they can actually enjoy themselves, then they are much more likely to come back. Bringing your loved ones to a crappy show makes them associate comedy (or your comedy) with boredom and hurts all of comedy. It's simple Pavlovian psychology, bring me to 3 terrible shows, and now i associate you and live comedy with wasted time and boredom. It a comedy show is supposed to be like a good party, not a chore. Give away prizes, drinks, whatever you can do to keep it fun.

3. Book Good Comics: Maybe this falls under the last category. Most comics you'll get don't have enough of a fan base (even headlining comics) that will fill seats. The importance of booking good comics is to create a consistency of quality. At my monthly show we have friends, family, coworkers, and comics coming back on multiple occasions because they've enjoyed themselves every time. Book comics who are better than you because it will force you to rise. If your show is known to be good, then it will attract good comics, and also some comics will feel good about inviting their friends and family. As a rule if you're a comic, don't invite your loved ones to see you at a show unless you know it's going to be good.

4. Grow Your Contact Base: You should be raffling off prizes at each show, and to enter the raffle you should have people give you their email address. Regardless of how big your contact list is, you need to keep growing it because you can't count on the same people to show up each month. You want to reach everyone who has attended a show (and not opted out) because they will not remember to look for your show, they need to be reminded. Sign up with a email service like constant contact, it will help you manage large email lists and let you send pretty emails with nice graphics.

There are a few more tips I could give but frankly I'm not sure which of the tips are the most effective. The key is to do as much as you can, and keep trying to grow each month.

*Honorable mention -- charge at least a little bit for your show, often times the price and the value of an item share some correlation in a consumer's mind. Even if you only charge 5 dollars, you want people to understand that you're delivering value and sometimes free shows can carry less weight in people's minds.

(Back to Matt...) Thanks for the great answer, Aalap. Couple of things I'll add: Don't put on a me-too comedy show that's like all the others. Bring a unique idea that stands out.

Also, put on the kind of show that you would want to see if you were in the crowd. Do you want to see a show with a lazy host that does too much time along with a lineup of not that funny comics who are only there because they trade spots with the host? No, then don't put on that show.

I was mentioned on "Comedy and Everything Else"

Hey, my name got brought up on the most recent episode of one of my favorite podcasts: Comedy and Everything Else #53 (from 1:21:00 to 1:35:22 in). Unfortunately, it's about how I'm "kinda confused" with my take on political comedy.

I don't feel confused so let me try to boil it down one more time. This is what turns me off: A comedian who's like "I'm a liberal (or conservative) and the other side is dumb and my whole act will be devoted to showing you why that's so." I've seen guys like these and they don't make me laugh. Others can feel free to disagree. That's what I was trying to say.

OK, just wanted to get that out upfront.

Actually, I think the podcast's hosts (Jimmy Dore, Todd Glass, Stefane Zamorano) did a pretty fair job of reading my views and trying to see where I'm coming from. They're right that my explanations thus far were a bit muddled. A couple of reasons for that: For one thing, how you define "politics" and a "political comedian" is a big gray area. And also, I'm trying not to single people out by name. This would be easier if I just could say, "I've seen X, Y, and Z and I think they're not funny." But that's kinda lame to do so I'm trying to avoid that. (Part of why I felt ok discussing Jimmy's role in this is that I've never seen his act and know him solely via the podcast. He might not even fit into the category I'm talking about. Or he might be so hilarious he completely changes my mind on all this.)

Todd and Jimmy hacked away at me a bit so let me respond. Jimmy asks how I would define "political" and wonders if these things qualify as political topics: the war on terror, gay marriage, and health care. Yes, they totally do. And if someone was like, "The next comic going up is going to talk about the war on terror and health care and gay marriage..." I'd be predisposed to not liking that comic. If that makes me some kind of idiot, so be it. Could this comic wow me and turn me around? Sure, it's possible. But, in my experience, someone who confines themselves solely to discussing topics like these usually has a certain mindset/approach/delivery that I'm not a big fan of.

Perhaps my real problem is with the idea that someone would label themselves as a "political comedian." I don't like the idea of defining your act by just one thing. Jimmy mentions Carlin and Rock a lot to back up his case yet I don't think either of them would ever say, "I'm a political comedian." Just like I don't think you'd hear CK say, "I'm a parenting comedian." These guys all talk about a huge range of topics, not just things like the war on terror, gay marriage, and health care.

One more thing...during the previous discussions at this site, I think it's worth noting how many times I use the phrase "for me." I'm not making blanket statements that everyone should feel the same way. For example, Jimmy really emphasized the way I said, "There's no such thing as good political standup comedy." But what I wrote is: "For me, there's no such thing as good political standup comedy." Big difference between those two statements.

Anyway, fun discussion. And I look forward to seeing Jimmy live sometime and realizing how wrong I am about all this!

FYI, here's the original discussion: "Is crowd work a crutch?" You can leave any comments there.

P.S. The only time I got offended during the discussion: When Jimmy accused me of being from Long Island!? Easy with that. I live in Brooklyn.

Hitting the stage every night

Question from a reader:

What are the advantages of performing every single night? Yes, that gets a person lots of exposure and shows that s/he is in demand, but why is it better than just doing a few shows each week and spending the rest of the time developing new material or networking? Doesn't it get exhausting? When does the madness stop...where does it take you?

Mark Normand is always hustling to do spots all over town so I asked him to answer. His response:

The advantages are practice, practice, practice. The more you get up, the more experience you're getting. It's common sense. Plus, you never know what you will come up with on stage at any given moment. What are the advantages? You answered your own question in your question: "That gets a person lots of exposure and shows that s/he is in demand." What more do you want than that?

Also, you should be working on material also as well as getting up. Write before you go out. Face time is important too but not as important as being on stage. "When does the madness stop?" It never stops. If you really want to be a comic, then you'll be trying to get up every night for years to come.

Good answer. I think the "you never know what you will come up with on stage at any given moment" thing is a big part of it. Great comedy is a conversation with the audience. You can't have that conversation alone.

Sports analogy! Let's say you want to be a great tennis player. You need an opponent. You can't just hit a ball against a wall all day and become great.

And yes, it gets exhausting to constantly haul your ass to shows, watch bad comics, etc. But getting great at anything can be exhausting. You have to love it so much that it doesn't seem like work. Getting onstage should bring you enough joy to justify the effort. If it doesn't, it's gonna be tough to get very far.

We're All Friends Here: New podcast and show on Friday

Listen to the most recent edition of the We're All Friends Here podcast with Ted Alexandro, J-L Cauvin, and R.G. Daniels. We talked about suicide "attempts," a couple of abortions, and a priest-related masturbation episode. Good times.

And come on out Friday night to the next one...

WE'RE ALL FRIENDS HERE
The comedy chat show with boundary issues
Hosted by Matt Ruby and Mark Normand

FREE
Friday, July 24
8pm @ The Creek
10-93 Jackson Ave at 49th Ave
Long Island City, NY
Just one subway stop from Brooklyn and Manhattan
Map

Featuring:
Pat Dixon
Claudia Cogan
Danny Solomon

Think Tank: Barely Legal

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Roasting a friend who is going away

Cassidy Henehan is a much-loved NYC comic who is returning to his hometown of New Orleans in a couple of weeks. On Friday night, there was a roast in his honor at Coco 66. Tons of fun and a lot of love in the room (disguised as nastiness of course).

Here's a photo I took of Cass from the stage as he closed out the night:



That light came on and I reached for my phone as fast as I could. Didn't even notice the appropriate "Exit" signs in the background until later. (More of my photography here in case you're curious.)

I had never done a roast set before so it was interesting coming up with the material. You kinda have to reverse engineer jokes. Start with the list of people and figure out what things there are to make fun of them about. Then try to figure out the back door to get to it. Extra points if you're extra nasty or have a very creative approach.

Some of my lines: "X is so fat, the other day I had to convince five Japanese tourists that he was NOT actually Ground Zero." "Y has a real gambling problem. The only way we got him here tonight was by telling him Coco was a horse and the odds were 66-1." "A lot of girls think Z is very chivalrous. They don't realize he's holding the door open for them because he forgot he's not still at work." (Last one about a comic who works as a doorman. A lot of the jokes were very insidery like that.)

Also, I had one of Cassidy's set lists from a month ago. It only had two things on it: 1) Anything 2) The Rain. Yes, it actually said the word "anything." And I saw the set...he never did talk about the rain. So I ended by pulling that out.

I, along with everyone else on stage, got it pretty good too. I should spend less time writing this blog and more time writing jokes! I'm a narcissist! My suits are old and cheap! And so am I! Etc. It's actually kinda nice. All that shit that people say behind your back comes out. If you're the type who likes to know what people really think of ya, even the painful stuff can be good to hear.

These one-off shows where everyone has to come up with new/fresh material are always fun too. Feels like a real community thing as opposed to normal shows which are a bit more "look at me." Kudos to Nick Turner for doing a great job putting it together.


(Photo by Melissa Teran.)

Why I don't like political comedians

Interesting (and rambling) discussion, mostly relating to political comedy, going on in the comments of yesterday's post: Is crowd work a crutch?

Jimmy Dore showed up to provide some thoughtful commentary. (Sample: "I think we do our profession a disservice when we forget that comedians have a powerful and important role to play in shaping how we think about society and culture.")

In response, I offer up a more detailed explanation of why it is that I don't like political comedians.

(Note: I moved comments here over to the other thread so they're all in one place.)

Is crowd work a crutch?

There's plenty of lame crowdwork guys who just shit on the crowd and do stupid jokes about how some guy in the crowd must be from Jersey or Revere or whatever nearby town is a convenient target. Yawn.

But when someone's a real master at crowdwork, I love it. It's fresh and in-the-moment. It's a way different vibe than someone who does 100% written material. It's how those unique moments happen that could only take place in that room at that time with that group of people. And that's part of the magic of standup.

Thinking about this after reading this conversation over at AST where Kent Haines wrote:

Hey, can we all discuss Jimmy [Dore]'s assertion from a couple episodes back that crowd work is a crutch? I think that's pretty off the mark. Especially because part of his point was that crowd work comics never get famous. That seems, to me, to be entirely beside the point of how artistically ambitious or lazy it is.

I love crowd work. It's exhilarating to watch, but more than that, it's one of the things that separates stand-up from other forms of comedy. Where else are the performers given the option to address the reality of what's going on in the room? And there's something so attractive about the idea that I just witnessed a joke that is based on what is happening right now. It makes me, as an audience member, feel like I saw something special.

Crowd work, like almost anything else in stand-up, can be a crutch. But that doesn't make it a crutch per se. To use a touchy example, a lot of comedians use political humor as a crutch, knowing that they will get a certain level of support from a crowd that agrees with them, even if his jokes aren't terribly clever. But I wouldn't say that political humor is somehow bad because some comics use it badly. Because then I wouldn't be able to enjoy jokes like "bleeding heart conservative," which killed me.

Whaddaya think?

Jimmy Dore responded:

Note to Ken,

Thanks for your thoughts on the crowd work. I think we actually agree, but let me clarify..... I also love crowd work. I am jut saying that the comedians who make it the only thing that they do are fooling themselves into thinking that their crowd work is special. IT is not. Most funny people who are funny on stage can do crowd work well, and do it when appropriate. Making it all you do is a mistake artistically, and bizness wise. I think if you re listen to what I was said on the podcast you will see that I love crowd work and think that the people that do it exclusively do it well.

But comedy is taking an idea and relating it to strangers in a way that resonates. Doing crowd work is way way way way way way way way way way way easier than it looks. and way way easier than crafting ideas and presenting them comedically to strangers.

Kent's answer:

Thanks for clarifying, Jimmy. I still disagree with some of it, but I think I see your point better now...I'm not going to say that [Jimmy] Pardo's making a mistake by doing an act full of crowd work. His crowd work is special. He doesn't just make fun of Joe Audience's job. He weaves threads of logic through an entire crowd, constantly connecting the dots between all the individual conversations he's started. His shows at Helium this fall were some of the most fun shows I've ever seen.

It's interesting to read Dore, a guy who I believe relies heavily on political material, take a stand against guys who do a lot of crowdwork. Nothing personal against Dore since I've never seen him live, but my least favorite kind of comedians are ones who do all political material. When someone gets on stage and starts lashing out at Bush, Palin, Cheney, Limbaugh, etc., that's when I really fade.

It's not 'cuz I'm some right-winger. I get it. I read the Times, I watch The Daily Show and Real Time, I live in NYC, I know exactly what's going on. And that's why the last thing I want from a comic that goes on stage is some kinda moral lecture disguised as comedy. It doesn't surprise me and it doesn't make me laugh. I get why others might dig it, but it's just not my thing. Personally, I'd much rather listen to a good crowdwork comic than one that tells me for the 5,000th time that Cheney is evil.

Upcoming shows: Sunday Night Standup, LIVE at the SAGE THEATER, Comedy vs. Audience Show (Philadelphia), etc.

This Google calendar lists all of my upcoming spots...

Think Tank: Auschwitz

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Hack movies vs. hack comedians

Mike Lawrence is a funny comic who's a student of both comedy and movies. I know he hates hack comedians but I also know he goes to see a ton of movies, including plenty of bad ones (e.g. Transformers 2, comic book-inspired flicks, etc.). I read something that made me think about that...

Me:

saw this (link)...

"People complain about Hollywood's tendency to be unadventurous with its big-money titles, but the moviegoing masses clearly get the most excited when they are not being surprised. In other words, the multiplex really rocks when movies are served up the McDonalds way: predictably and comfortably. 'Transformers' is definitely that."

...and thought of you. question: how can you hate hack comedians so much yet still (i think) go see so many hack movies? isn't that why Hollywood makes so many bad movies? explain yourself!!? ; )

Mike:

I'm personally involved in comedy and so I demand more from it.

And I hope that great films get made, but I do have fun watching some of the bad ones. And let's be clear here: Star Trek, Iron Man, Dark Knight, and Up are all big budget summer movies that were highly marketed but are also genuinely great films. Transformers isn't a good movie. I didn't think it would be, but it was fun to watch on a sunday matinee with a buddy and make fun of it the same way I would during a [redacted] set.

Me:

Fair enough. But we all vote with our dollars. By buying a ticket, you're encouraging Hollywood to make more movies like that. Couldn't it be argued that, in effect, you're keeping the Dane Cooks/Carlos Mencias/Blue Collar Tour guys of the movie world at the top of the Hollywood heap?

(yes, I'm just being difficult)

Mike:

Yes it could. And you know what, I hope they do. I need movies like that every once in a while. I'll openly admit, that my tastes have eroded a bit since I started living here and a lot of that has to do with how much money I make and how little time I have to do anything. I used to go to independent movies all the time. I don't anymore. I want a big experience that entertains me. And there are millions of people like that.

It's very easy to shit on the Mencias and Cooks and Cable Guys (And I will continue to), but the truth is, they do stuff that's appealing to the lower class. We often don't. Go to an open mic and it's a lot of stuffy, pseudo-intellectual "look how fucking smart I am" whiny, self-indulgent bullshit. And I admit, I contribute to that whole-heartedly. What I don't do, is openly appeal to the lower classes. Those comics do. And thank god someone does.

When I'm at my job and I talk to people about pop culture it's very different than when I'm with other comics. Movies,comedy,music,etc. is just one more thing for us comics to over-analyze. To people making 8 dollars an it's just an hour they don't have to worry about how they'll take care of their kids or worry about what happens when they get sick and don't have insurance.

So basically, yes Transformers and Mencia are examples of bad art. But they do so serve a purpose that thankfully you don't have to worry about understanding.

Ah, if only I could stop myself from worrying about Transformers and Mencia. Actually, what if Mencia is really a Transformer??? That would explain so much.

"Playing games"

A guy I know was really into this girl and I asked him what happened with that. He said, "I got tired of her playing games." Fellas, I think it's important to note that when a woman doesn't like you, that's not her "playing games." She just doesn't like you. She couldn't be more serious about it. No girl is looking at her phone going, "Gah, I really want to answer his call...but then I lose at Heartbreak Jenga!"

Live at Gotham comics for 2009

New season of Comedy Central's Live at Gotham tapes in early August. (It's one of the few places for up and coming comics to get a TV credit.) Word on the street about who made the cut:

NYC: Sean Patton, Brent Sullivan, Dan Soder, Joe Mande, Taylor Williamson, Kumail Nanjiani

Chicago: Kyle Kinane

Austin: Daniel Jackson, Eric Krug, Andy Ritchie, and Chuck Watkins (via "Austin Invades Gotham!")

Philadelphia: Kent Haines (via "Kent Haines tapped for new season of 'Live at Gotham'")

Boston: Sean Sullivan (via Josh)

Congrats to all. Gotta be more too. If ya know of anyone else, add a comment.

P.S. Patton, Sullivan, Nanjiani, and Haines have all appeared on our We're All Friends Here show. Ya can find them on the podcast here.

Think Tank: Boomerang

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A comic before you hits a topic you plan to cover...

Hank writes:

a topic suggestion I'd like to see on your blog: When you're at a show and a comic before you hits a topic that you plan to cover, or uses a key phrase that you're planning to use-- do you bail on the joke or do you forge ahead? Should you point out the previous reference before your bit? How easily does one alter his set at the last minute?

How I handle it when a comic hits a topic I planned to cover: If they're making a similar point or taking the same angle that I'm taking, I usually bail on the bit. You'll just look like a chump if you repeat the same joke that someone else just did.

But if it's just a similar topic but a different take on it, I like that. In fact, I'll often riff off what the previous comic said as the opening to my set and then work into the bit I had planned. If you make it seem conversational, this is a great way to seem spontaneous and in the moment, even though it's something you've prepared. It's a little bit of trickery but it's a good way to build rapport with an audience.

When you sell a funny prepared bit as something that just came to you off the cuff, people usually dig it even more. Some of my favorite comics to watch do a great job of weaving between riffs and prepared material in a way that you can't even tell which is which. It's a whole artform in itself.

If the similar topic thing is really a big worry, ya might want to think about what you're choosing to talk about onstage. Topical stuff can be fun...but the more unique and personal your p.o.v. is, the less you have to worry about having bits that overlap with other comics.

Laughs are better than applause

A while back, I wrote about how applause breaks are analytical and laughter is primal. In this interview [thx JW], Norm Macdonald talks about why he prefers laughs to claps.

I was getting people to clap, but I reached a point where I never wanted to get people to clap, because it was, like you said, pandering. But there's a difference between a clap and a laugh. A laugh is involuntary, but the crowd is in complete control when they're clapping, they're saying, "we agree with what you're saying-proceed!" But when they're laughing, they're genuinely surprised. And when they're not laughing, they're really surprised. And sometimes I think, in my little head, that that's the best comedy of all.

He also talks about why he doesn't do the same set every night.

If you want to say the same thing every night of your life, if that's what you want to choose to do with your life, that seems completely insane to me. Like, I don't even know how singers do that shit. Plus is becomes so rote that unless you're the greatest actor in the world, you can't pretend like it's just coming off the top of your head. I'm probably the worst actor in the world, so I need something new all the time. I need stuff that makes me laugh, and old stuff doesn't make me laugh. And also I'm embarrassed. Like, you know when you tell a person a story that you've already told them before? That's embarrassing, right? So I would be embarrassed by it, but mostly I would be driven insane by the repetition.

I often thought comics that weave and bob onstage — alternating between crowdwork, riffing, and material — have more fun than guys who just go out and do mostly the same set every night. Comics who come to mind: Todd Barry, Todd Lynn, Patrice O'Neal, Jimmy Pardo, etc.

That approach prob sets ya back a bit when it comes to churning out albums and TV specials. But ya probably enjoy the ride along the way a lot more.

Hiding what you really mean

The tough part is cloaking what you're trying to say. You can't just come right out and say this or that is stupid or whatever. That's just a lecture. You need to dress it up so it's in disguise.

That way the audience gets to work for it too. They get to meet you halfway. They pull the mask off the joke in their own heads and get to feel smart for figuring it out. People like crossword puzzles a lot more than they like just reading a list of random facts. Solving things is fun.

It's kinda like symbolism in literature or poetry. It's not about saying something directly. It's about creating the caged bird or whatever other metaphor you use and then having the reader be able to deconstruct that and connect the dots on their own. By engaging them that way, you have them create the art alongside you. You do it together.

It's also like a whodunit. You need to give them enough clues to keep them engaged and make the story make sense — and yet still have the ending be a surprise.

Figuring out what to say is easy. Knowing just how much to hide it is when it gets tricky.