Another Q&A with Myq Kaplan.
Me:
So was talking with another comic last night about the other stuff you "should" have ready to go, other than standup skills, once you get some buzz. This comic's view: You only get the heat of Gotham/Montreal for a limited time and you should be ready to strike while the iron is hot. Scripts, treatments, show ideas, book ideas, etc.
Is this something that comics should think about? What if you just want to do standup? Should you still work on other things in order to diversify? Is it tough to get management if all you want to do is standup? Do managers want you to work on this stuff? Do they make suggestions on what route is best to take? Is it unwise to shoot for, say, Montreal if you don't have any of this stuff ready to go?
Myq:
I will answer this question, and maybe I am already doing it (depending if you want to include this as part of the answer). However, I will add a disclaimer or two:
1) I do not know if I am the ideal person to BE answering this question. That is to say, I only have my experience. I am not a manager or an industry whoever, so I certainly don't know what they all think.
2) Even though I have my own experience, I only have it up until this point, and I don't know what will happen in the rest of my life and career, as far as learning whether I've made horrible mistakes or used the information I had all wrong.
3) This is all coming from a person who mainly wants to do standup. Standup is what I know and love doing. Sure, if I was offered a job writing monologue jokes for a late night show, I certainly would be happy to do so, and I have in fact created packets to submit for such jobs, but it's not my main focus. I spend most of my creative energies writing and performing standup, because that's what I enjoy most and know how to do.
Disclaimers out of the way. Still reading? All right.
I will continue by saying that there are very few "shoulds" about this business. I mean, you SHOULD do the amount of time you're booked to do, you SHOULD not do other people's material, and you MAYBE should come up with a third example for situations like this because 3's are funny (also K's, and 3 K's equals the KKK, which is super funny). See?
That said, I think the real answer depends on what your goals are, and how much you enjoy doing things that are not your goals. Certainly, writing spec scripts or monologue jokes or screenplay treatments can be beneficial if you want to be a writer. And taking improv or acting workshops or audition classes and building up that kind of resume can be beneficial if you want to be an actor. And shooting videos or making internet clips or some third relevant thing (see, should have had something here) can be beneficial as well.
ALSO, all of those things can be beneficial to your standup career as well, if you're doing them in addition to doing the work of a standup. If you become a better actor, your standup can improve. If you get more experience writing different kinds of jokes or sketches or scenes or bits, your standup can improve. So certainly, there's no real downside to such endeavors.
Unless you don't enjoy them. Or if they take up too much time or creative energy such that it detracts from your standup (if your standup is something you don't want detracted from). I know people who have written for late night shows who have felt the need to put their standup on the back burner. But that's after they GOT the job, so maybe I'm getting off topic. Or maybe it is still on topic, in that if you can get burnt out doing that kind of work for a paycheck, imagine doing that much work on spec, before you've even GOTTEN the job. If imagining that doesn't bother you, then do it. Or even if it does bother you, maybe do it anyway. Sometimes things will be hard and take work.
So, is a standup who has these other things in their back pocket more desirable to a manager or the industry than one who doesn't, all other things being equal? Seems like that would be the case. But if you're talented and passionate about what you do, and all you do is standup, but you're amazing at it, there are certainly people out there who can and will want to respond to that. Will some managers want you to work on certain things? Sure. Is that good or bad? Sure. If a manager is telling you to do things you aren't interested in doing, that's no good. If they're encouraging you to work on things that you think will help you, that's yes good.
I really believe that an individual's route to success depends heavily on what that individual personally considers success to be. If it's just a boatload of money from whatever? Then sure, diversify as much as possible. Work on everything you can that can lead to that boat. Join the Navy. Whatever. If your goal is to create a certain kind of art, create that art.
Sincerely (and I don't know how helpful or profound this may be), you should do what you want to do, or what you think you might want to do later. Certainly, if you want to write books, then start writing. If you want to be a TV writer, start writing the kinds of things you will want to be writing later. If you just want to be a standup, focus on becoming the best standup that you can be. And if you have extra time, it certainly couldn't hurt to do any of the other stuff we're talking about here. Or other things, like a blog about comedy.
PS I honestly don't think it can be "too late" to capitalize on having created something. Sure, if you have something ready to go when your heat or buzz hits, that's all to your advantage. But, there are plenty of people who continue to create, develop, pitch, and work on projects after that first wave of success hits. Maybe you don't hear about everyone and everything they're doing, but I don't believe that it's an all-or-nothing issue of timing. If you are working hard on whatever you're doing, whenever you're doing it, I think that's key. Do what you like, do what you want to do, and try to get what you're doing out in front of people that you want to get it in front of.
Continued in Part 2.
7/7/10
NYC shows to catch for good newer comics
BTR's comedy guru Marcus Parks gave this advice on Facebook to a friend about NYC shows you can find good newer comics at:
Def a good lineup of shows to check out if you wanna see the next wave. Also, they're all free.
You oughta start going to shows like Comedy as a Second Language at Kabin on Thursdays, Too Cool for School at Coco 66 every other Friday, Hot Soup at O'Hanlon's on Fridays, Dog Shit (my favorite) at Legion Bar the first Thursday of every month, The MacGyver Show again at Legion the first and fourth Thursday of every month, Little Seany Boy at Ochi's on Saturdays, and many, many more.
Def a good lineup of shows to check out if you wanna see the next wave. Also, they're all free.
7/2/10
The "south"
I heard this convo the other night:
1: Are you from the south?
2: Yeah.
1: Where?
2: Florida.
1: Oh, northern Florida?
2: No. Near Miami.
1: Well that doesn't really count.
Florida's a weird place like that. The northern part of the state, the panhandle and Jacksonville and all that, feels like Alabama – like the deep south (grits, bibles, etc.). But the southern part of the state has Miami and Boca and Cubans and is not at all like what we typically consider "the south."
So the northern part of the state is more like "the south" than the southern part of the state. Which means that if you live in, say, Palm Beach, and someone asks you, "What's the south like?" You'd have to answer, "You need to go north to know what the south is like."
Which, in a way, is always the truth.
1: Are you from the south?
2: Yeah.
1: Where?
2: Florida.
1: Oh, northern Florida?
2: No. Near Miami.
1: Well that doesn't really count.
Florida's a weird place like that. The northern part of the state, the panhandle and Jacksonville and all that, feels like Alabama – like the deep south (grits, bibles, etc.). But the southern part of the state has Miami and Boca and Cubans and is not at all like what we typically consider "the south."
So the northern part of the state is more like "the south" than the southern part of the state. Which means that if you live in, say, Palm Beach, and someone asks you, "What's the south like?" You'd have to answer, "You need to go north to know what the south is like."
Which, in a way, is always the truth.
7/1/10
Hot Soup with Logan and Patton
FRI 7/2: HOT SOUP!!! Sachi's Bday Edition!!!!!!! (for real this time). (Sachi is the booker for the show and does a great job and thank ya Sachi and happy bday!)
I'm outta town but it'll be grand.
Hot Soup is a FREE weekly standup comedy showcase every Friday in the East Village. Doors at 7:30pm and showtime at 8pm. It's produced by David Cope, Andy Haynes, Mark Normand, and Matt Ruby.
These are the jews we got this week:
Jared Logan
Sean Patton
Scott Moran
Dan St. Germain
and Sach-bag is doing the boo off!!!
Soups on....
I'm outta town but it'll be grand.
6/30/10
Processing your love life onstage
I wrote this a while back: When a one-liner guy drops the script.
Well, saw it again a week ago. Comic split with his long-term gf and got on stage to rant about it. And man, it was really great. Just a raw, fresh, honest opening up of emotion in joke form. Whole crowd on the edge of their seats. Pain → vulnerability → big laughs. And then if one joke didn't do well he'd just follow up with the truth and get a laugh off that. The pauses and authenticity of what was happening made the whole thing sing.
The challenge: Bottling that up. Keeping those jokes alive as the pain recedes. How do you keep that same energy going after you do those jokes for months? Or is it even possible? Maybe if you're a great actor. But otherwise...
Also, it was interesting that he threw in a couple of older jokes he had about his gf. And they fell flat. Just seemed way outta place with the rawness of the current stuff he was talking about. Those other jokes seemed like playing with legos and the REAL stuff he was talking about seemed like building a bridge.
Was also talking about this with Emily Gordon. She wrote a post about ladies in comedy which mentions some similar stuff. Here's an excerpt:
Good points. Plus that last thing made me think of Richard Lewis as the Korn of comedy. Which I guess he kinda is.
Got to see a comic who's normally a one-liner guy break out of his shell the other night. His gf had just broken up with him and it seemed like he was taking it rough and needed to talk about it.
Well, saw it again a week ago. Comic split with his long-term gf and got on stage to rant about it. And man, it was really great. Just a raw, fresh, honest opening up of emotion in joke form. Whole crowd on the edge of their seats. Pain → vulnerability → big laughs. And then if one joke didn't do well he'd just follow up with the truth and get a laugh off that. The pauses and authenticity of what was happening made the whole thing sing.
The challenge: Bottling that up. Keeping those jokes alive as the pain recedes. How do you keep that same energy going after you do those jokes for months? Or is it even possible? Maybe if you're a great actor. But otherwise...
Also, it was interesting that he threw in a couple of older jokes he had about his gf. And they fell flat. Just seemed way outta place with the rawness of the current stuff he was talking about. Those other jokes seemed like playing with legos and the REAL stuff he was talking about seemed like building a bridge.
Was also talking about this with Emily Gordon. She wrote a post about ladies in comedy which mentions some similar stuff. Here's an excerpt:
The difference I see between funny and not funny dating bits is that the comics I like a) aren’t trying to shock the crowd with how vulgar they can be (hey look, she’s just like a man!), and b) are NOT actively processing their love lives onstage.
This means that rather than being like “oh god I had this date with this guy and ended up on the floor of his apartment half naked and he won’t call me but I need to get my shirt back ha ha ha my life is a mess”, the female comics I prefer have had the experience of a messy hookup, processed it with their friends/therapist/whatever, and are now just commenting on their own situation from a safe distance. Watching someone process their own lives onstage is uncomfortable. Men, sadly, often have their processors turned off, so they can skip straight to the terrible rationalizing from a safe distance. This makes for easier joke writing but miserable emotional stability.
Matt Ruby, who I talked to about this, mentioned that he thinks watching someone process something painful onstage can be extremely hilarious, and I do agree with him. To me though, onstage processing of trauma is a heavy, tricky tool that should be wielded carefully, lest you chop your own arms off with it. For me, I need to feel like whatever trauma you’re actively going through onstage is out of character for you, not just another week in your life. And I need to feel like it’s your first time talking about it. Fake, rehashed processing feels a bit like when I saw Korn in 10th grade and had the realization that he writhes on the floor in supposed agony and torment every single night.
Good points. Plus that last thing made me think of Richard Lewis as the Korn of comedy. Which I guess he kinda is.
6/29/10
6/28/10
"The finish didn't match the run"
Watching the World Cup the other day. Guy on Japanese team brought the ball all the way up the field with a bunch of nifty moves, faking out defenders left and right. Finally gets to the penalty box and finds an open space — but then hits a weak shot that goes wide. I liked how the announcer described it: "The finish didn't match the run."
Totally wanna use that as a comedy term. Y'know, for when there's a great setup/premise that seems like it's a real winner but then fizzles at the end with a lame punchline or some other ending that doesn't deliver on the premise's promise. The finish doesn't match the run.
Of course, this will prob work about as well as my attempt to use "on the crab" to describe a comic who keeps coming up with great new bits.
Oh, and reminds me of another phrase I wind up using a lot: a long walk. (Think I first heard Jon Stewart say it.) Basically that's when a setup requires a lot of explanation/time. OK if there's a big payoff. But if not, it's a waste. Then it's just a long walk for not a lot of laughs.
Totally wanna use that as a comedy term. Y'know, for when there's a great setup/premise that seems like it's a real winner but then fizzles at the end with a lame punchline or some other ending that doesn't deliver on the premise's promise. The finish doesn't match the run.
Of course, this will prob work about as well as my attempt to use "on the crab" to describe a comic who keeps coming up with great new bits.
Oh, and reminds me of another phrase I wind up using a lot: a long walk. (Think I first heard Jon Stewart say it.) Basically that's when a setup requires a lot of explanation/time. OK if there's a big payoff. But if not, it's a waste. Then it's just a long walk for not a lot of laughs.
6/25/10
Jury duty
I'm at Brooklyn courthouse right now. Jury duty. It's an "adventure." Follow along at my Twitter if you like.
It's sure to get all Law and Order-y soon, right?
Trying to get out of jury duty. Wearing clown wig, bathed in Old Spice, saying I hate everyone...Y'know, my normal first date routine.
How it works at Brooklyn courthouse: Defendants = presumed innocent. Jurors = presumed idiotic.
Jury duty should be renamed New Adventures in Body Odor. This room smells like a Best Buy with a top note of Coney Island.
Guy next to me 1) talking about yoga & 2) wearing skull and crossbone socks. Flexible AND dangerous! A regular bikram pirate!!
It's sure to get all Law and Order-y soon, right?
6/24/10
Hot Soup with Adomian and Team Submarine
Friday's (6/25) lineup:
James Adomian
Team Submarine
Lisa Delarios
Streeter Seidell
Normand hosts, I'm doing a spot.
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Showtime at 8pm
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
James Adomian
Team Submarine
Lisa Delarios
Streeter Seidell
Normand hosts, I'm doing a spot.
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Showtime at 8pm
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
6/23/10
Misdirection
While I'm bitching about types of jokes I don't like, add misdirection-without-a-point jokes to the list.
I know, misdirection is a key tool in the comedy toolbox. Any good comic will use it once in a while. But when a comic's entire arsenal is misdirection jokes, it's a snooze.
These jokes always remind me of a shell game. The guy moves around the shells and you pick one but hey, guess what, the ball's actually underneath a different shell!
Yeah, it can be an easy way to get laughs, but you're not really saying anything. The whole joke is that you managed to fool people. Um, congrats?
(Just kidding, misdirection jokes are the best! Can't believe you fell for that!!)
I know, misdirection is a key tool in the comedy toolbox. Any good comic will use it once in a while. But when a comic's entire arsenal is misdirection jokes, it's a snooze.
These jokes always remind me of a shell game. The guy moves around the shells and you pick one but hey, guess what, the ball's actually underneath a different shell!
Yeah, it can be an easy way to get laughs, but you're not really saying anything. The whole joke is that you managed to fool people. Um, congrats?
(Just kidding, misdirection jokes are the best! Can't believe you fell for that!!)
6/22/10
Jokes about pop culture are for passive and sluggish comics
From a review of the new Eminem record:
Stuck with me 'cuz that's how I feel about comics who rely too much on pop culture topics.
If someone gets up onstage and talks solely about stuff that's on E! and Us Weekly, it just seems passive and sluggish. You're not initiating topics or coming up with something interesting on your own. You're just regurgitating what the Viacom/Time Warner/entertainment industry PR machine wants you to swallow.
Plus, the shelf life on that stuff is so quick. It's all completely disposable. That joke about the Kardashians is gonna seem just as worthless/dated as Eminem's Brooke Hogan reference in a couple of years. Personally, I'd rather work on something a bit more evergreen.
Thankfully, there are just a handful of his quickly outmoded pop-culture references on this album: — Michael Vick, Brooke Hogan, David Carradine, David Cook. (What, nothing rhymed with Kris Allen?) A decade ago they marked Eminem as a provocateur willing to take on enemies. Now they suggest he’s become a passive and sluggish consumer of pop culture.
Stuck with me 'cuz that's how I feel about comics who rely too much on pop culture topics.
If someone gets up onstage and talks solely about stuff that's on E! and Us Weekly, it just seems passive and sluggish. You're not initiating topics or coming up with something interesting on your own. You're just regurgitating what the Viacom/Time Warner/entertainment industry PR machine wants you to swallow.
Plus, the shelf life on that stuff is so quick. It's all completely disposable. That joke about the Kardashians is gonna seem just as worthless/dated as Eminem's Brooke Hogan reference in a couple of years. Personally, I'd rather work on something a bit more evergreen.
6/21/10
The impact of clarity on comedic development
A reader asks:
Interestingly, I wasn't completely clear on what this question was asking. So I asked him what he meant by "clarity" exactly. His answer, "I mean a joke that is clear to the audience. The set-up serves the punchline and vice-versa. The audience has to know what the fuck you are talking about. In other words, don't babble."
Which seems like he kinda answered his own question. I agree. Don't babble.
In fact, editing seems to me perhaps a bigger issue than clarity. Any word that's not the funny part or leading to the funny part is a waste of time. As soon as someone goes onstage and enters storyteller-without-jokes mode or just seems to be talking without making any point, I tune out. Get in, get out, and move on.
Also, I don't think clarity is the main problem for most people starting out. I think it's that they're not interesting. They don't have interesting views. They don't have anything they really need to get off their chest. They're not saying anything surprising. They're not compelling. They just want to be on a stage. Yawn.
In my experience it seems like there's an iceberg of shitty comedy. At the top of that iceberg is the hacks; beneath the surface are open mikers that have jokes that are not funny mainly because their jokes lack clarity. Most comedians when they start out struggle with clarity. Truthfully, I feel this is what separates the successful comics from the unsuccessful ones.
Paul F. Tompkins has a six minute joke about peanut brittle. Since he is a master, he focuses specifically on the unlikelihood of someone opening a can of peanut brittle and not expecting it to be snakes in a can. A lesser comic would have gone off on a tangent regarding how bad it tastes or they would have thrown in some lazy non sequitur about robots or ninjas.
So what are your thoughts on how clarity affects comedic development?
Interestingly, I wasn't completely clear on what this question was asking. So I asked him what he meant by "clarity" exactly. His answer, "I mean a joke that is clear to the audience. The set-up serves the punchline and vice-versa. The audience has to know what the fuck you are talking about. In other words, don't babble."
Which seems like he kinda answered his own question. I agree. Don't babble.
In fact, editing seems to me perhaps a bigger issue than clarity. Any word that's not the funny part or leading to the funny part is a waste of time. As soon as someone goes onstage and enters storyteller-without-jokes mode or just seems to be talking without making any point, I tune out. Get in, get out, and move on.
Also, I don't think clarity is the main problem for most people starting out. I think it's that they're not interesting. They don't have interesting views. They don't have anything they really need to get off their chest. They're not saying anything surprising. They're not compelling. They just want to be on a stage. Yawn.
6/18/10
Video: A trio of drunk veterinarians escape from their cage
Beware of veterinarians who do shots and then come to a comedy show. Afterwards, Ray Combs Jr. kissed 'em all on the lips as he went onstage. (From Bar 13 show the other night.)
6/17/10
"Nailed it" jokes
A while back I talked about what makes a bit great.
There's another class of jokes that I come back to though: "nailed it" jokes. These aren't necessarily long or deep or anything like that. But whenever I encounter that person/thing/whatever in real life, I think of the joke. Some examples...
Mitch Hedberg on flyers: "When someone tries to hand me a flyer, it’s kinda like they’re saying, 'Here, you throw this away.'"
Daniel Tosh on "spiritual" people: "You ever hear girls say that? 'I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual.' I like to reply with 'I'm not honest, but you're interesting!'"
The Onion: "I Think That Stripper Really Liked Me"
Todd Barry on guys with neck tattoos: "Hey man, you forgot to not do that."
Pat Dixon: "I married my high school sweetheart which was a big moment for me. If you marry your high school sweetheart, it's like saying, 'You know what? I looked all over the school and you...'"
All simple jokes, yet I still think about 'em months/years after hearing 'em. That's something special.
There's another class of jokes that I come back to though: "nailed it" jokes. These aren't necessarily long or deep or anything like that. But whenever I encounter that person/thing/whatever in real life, I think of the joke. Some examples...
Mitch Hedberg on flyers: "When someone tries to hand me a flyer, it’s kinda like they’re saying, 'Here, you throw this away.'"
Daniel Tosh on "spiritual" people: "You ever hear girls say that? 'I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual.' I like to reply with 'I'm not honest, but you're interesting!'"
The Onion: "I Think That Stripper Really Liked Me"
Todd Barry on guys with neck tattoos: "Hey man, you forgot to not do that."
Pat Dixon: "I married my high school sweetheart which was a big moment for me. If you marry your high school sweetheart, it's like saying, 'You know what? I looked all over the school and you...'"
All simple jokes, yet I still think about 'em months/years after hearing 'em. That's something special.
6/16/10
Upcoming shows: Bar 13, Cornelia Street Cafe, and 92Y Tribeca
Friday's (6/18) Hot Soup lineup:
Miguel Dalmau
Louis Katz
Nate Bargatze
Katie Crown
Jackie Kashian
I'm off again this week (at a show in LIC) so Cope/Haynes will be on the case again.
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Showtime at 8pm
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
Here are my other upcoming dates...
Wednesday, June 16 - 9:00pm
Comedy at Bar 13 @ Bar 13
Friday, June 18 - 8:30pm
Hard, Lonely, and Vicious @ The Creek
Monday, June 21 - 9:00pm
Morrison Motel @ Cornelia Street Cafe
Wednesday, June 23 - 9:00pm
Gandhi, Is That You? @ Lucky Jacks
Thursday, June 24 - 9:00pm
Fifty Best Jokes @ 92Y Tribeca
Friday, June 25 - 8:00pm
Hot Soup @ O'Hanlon's
Sunday, June 27 - 7:00pm
Crappy Cinema Council @ Coco 66
Tuesday, June 29 - 8:00pm
Stephen King High School: The Musical @ The Ace of Clubs
Miguel Dalmau
Louis Katz
Nate Bargatze
Katie Crown
Jackie Kashian
I'm off again this week (at a show in LIC) so Cope/Haynes will be on the case again.
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Showtime at 8pm
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
Here are my other upcoming dates...
Wednesday, June 16 - 9:00pm
Comedy at Bar 13 @ Bar 13
Friday, June 18 - 8:30pm
Hard, Lonely, and Vicious @ The Creek
Monday, June 21 - 9:00pm
Morrison Motel @ Cornelia Street Cafe
Wednesday, June 23 - 9:00pm
Gandhi, Is That You? @ Lucky Jacks
Thursday, June 24 - 9:00pm
Fifty Best Jokes @ 92Y Tribeca
Friday, June 25 - 8:00pm
Hot Soup @ O'Hanlon's
Sunday, June 27 - 7:00pm
Crappy Cinema Council @ Coco 66
Tuesday, June 29 - 8:00pm
Stephen King High School: The Musical @ The Ace of Clubs
6/15/10
Ungracious acceptance speeches
A few months back, Morgan Murphy won the award for Best Female Comic at the ECNY awards. When she accepted her award, she made a crack about the crowd of performers. Can't recall exactly but something like: "There are seven comedians in this room that I know. And the rest of you are the 150 reasons why I quit theater class in college." I thought it was hilarious. Rest of crowd = not so much. Actually felt a bit tense in the room after that.
Talked with someone afterward who thought it was in bad taste. My .02: If you're a comedian, you should be ok with getting made fun of. Thick skin is part of the deal. Don't like it? Start a book club instead.
The whole thing reminded me of Seinfeld's speech when he accepted "The Comedian Award" from HBO:
Talked with someone afterward who thought it was in bad taste. My .02: If you're a comedian, you should be ok with getting made fun of. Thick skin is part of the deal. Don't like it? Start a book club instead.
The whole thing reminded me of Seinfeld's speech when he accepted "The Comedian Award" from HBO:
Your whole career as a comedian is about making fun of pretentious, high-minded, self-congratulatory, BS events like this one. The whole feeling in this room of reverence and honoring is the exact opposite of everything I have wanted my life to be about. I really don’t want to be up here. I want to be in the back over there somewhere, or over there, saying something funny to somebody about what a crock this whole thing is.
6/14/10
Apocalyptic lo-fi murk-pop aesthetic
Oh indie rock, you are so delightfully silly sometimes.
This Pitchfork review discusses indie buzz band Salem's "apocalyptic lo-fi murk-pop aesthetic." It calls 'em "a group with a distinctive style and a couple of should-be indie hits." Hey, sounds promising! Let's check 'em out (clip from SXSW show)...
Wow. I actually think the drums here are WORSE than the vocals. Which seems barely even possible.
Here's another live track from 'em, with more of an "urban flava":
Apparently they got booed offstage after that.
This Pitchfork review discusses indie buzz band Salem's "apocalyptic lo-fi murk-pop aesthetic." It calls 'em "a group with a distinctive style and a couple of should-be indie hits." Hey, sounds promising! Let's check 'em out (clip from SXSW show)...
Wow. I actually think the drums here are WORSE than the vocals. Which seems barely even possible.
Here's another live track from 'em, with more of an "urban flava":
Apparently they got booed offstage after that.
6/11/10
Killing with old vs. taking a chance on new
Fun comedy night last night. Performed at Revival show. Then went up to Caroline's to see Bill Burr do a set (was great). Then back downtown for Kabin 3-year anniversary show which was a packed out marathon party/show/goodtime.
While there, had an interesting pair of convos. Within 10 minutes of each other there was one discussion about how important it is to just go out and kill all the time. Even if it means doing older bits. Sure, comedians in the back might have heard 'em before but audience hasn't. That's how you start getting more attention, better bookings, etc. By destroying every time you hit the stage.
Yet a couple mins later had another talk with a comic who just got back from doing a bunch of road shows. He said he's gonna stop doing rote sets all the time in NYC and try more new stuff and follow tangents and see what happens. Better for developing new material and keeping things interesting. Plus, you keep getting better as a comic? So it's best to keep plowing ahead with new...right?
I nodded in agreement at both conversations even though they pretty much argue opposite views. I guess it's about striking the right balance between 'em? Hmm.
While there, had an interesting pair of convos. Within 10 minutes of each other there was one discussion about how important it is to just go out and kill all the time. Even if it means doing older bits. Sure, comedians in the back might have heard 'em before but audience hasn't. That's how you start getting more attention, better bookings, etc. By destroying every time you hit the stage.
Yet a couple mins later had another talk with a comic who just got back from doing a bunch of road shows. He said he's gonna stop doing rote sets all the time in NYC and try more new stuff and follow tangents and see what happens. Better for developing new material and keeping things interesting. Plus, you keep getting better as a comic? So it's best to keep plowing ahead with new...right?
I nodded in agreement at both conversations even though they pretty much argue opposite views. I guess it's about striking the right balance between 'em? Hmm.
6/10/10
Hot Soup with Sullivan, Turner, and more
Friday's (6/11) lineup:
Brent Sullivan
Amanda Melson
Andy Hendrickson
Nick Turner
I'm off this week but Cope/Haynes will be holding it down.
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Showtime at 8pm
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
Brent Sullivan
Amanda Melson
Andy Hendrickson
Nick Turner
I'm off this week but Cope/Haynes will be holding it down.
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Showtime at 8pm
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
6/9/10
How Bill Clinton handled a heckler back in the day
In 1992, then prez candidate Bill Clinton was speaking in favor of condoms in public schools when he got heckled. Interesting to see a non-comic handle a rowdy crowd member...plus it's fun to watch him take the mic outta the stand as he turns on the jets.
6/8/10
Tricked into a basement
Did a strange midnight show in basement of a restaurant in East Village on Saturday night. Crowd was barked in by producer so strange mix of folks. Really packed which was good but they seemed to not even get that these were jokes. Good comics were eating it. Comics started pushing back and calling 'em idiots. Overall, felt more like hand to hand combat than anything else. (Can you have verbal hand to hand combat? Well, anyway...)
Talked to a vet guy who was on the show. He said, "You gotta understand: These are people who were tricked into coming into a basement on a Saturday night at midnight. We're not exactly setting the bar high." Good point.
Talked to a vet guy who was on the show. He said, "You gotta understand: These are people who were tricked into coming into a basement on a Saturday night at midnight. We're not exactly setting the bar high." Good point.
6/7/10
Eulogies for Hedberg and Carlin
Great eulogies on Hedberg/Carlin by two comics who loved 'em. (Posted these both here a while back separately but worth another go 'round.)
In Memory of Mitch by Mike Birbiglia (April 5, 2005).
Goodbye George Carlin by Louis CK (June 23, 2008).
In Memory of Mitch by Mike Birbiglia (April 5, 2005).
When I was opening for him on the Comedy Central Live Tour, he offered to come to New York City for the release of my CD at The Comic Strip. I kept giving him an out so that he didn’t feel obliged to do it, but he insisted on it. So he flew himself to New York and performed on 2 shows for nothing. I offered to pay him and he kept refusing. He just gave me a hug and walked out the door.
Goodbye George Carlin by Louis CK (June 23, 2008).
George walks straight off of the street onto the stage. A crowd of 3200 people is going apeshit. A LOT of comedians would take that in, stand there looking proud and get every last clap and holler on tape before saying "Thank you. Thanks. Alright. How we doin? This is great!" But George is SO eager to get his first thought out, he's trying to make them shut up so that he can do the bravest, boldest opening joke ever. "Why is it the people who are against abortion are people you wouldn't want to fuck in the first place."
Whoa. What a brushback pitch. Amazing. Any comedian with a joke like that would bury it inside of an act full of goodwill so that they wouldn't lose the audience. George is DYING to tell it to a primo special taping audience. He OPENS with it.
This was a great man. An honest man. I loved him. His courage inspires me forever. It was from him that I learned to just say what is on my mind on stage and to stop worrying about who might not like it. As long as it's true and it comes from a real place, you have to say it and not mince words. I got that from him.
6/4/10
Angel Pagan, drag queens, hand dryers, penalty box, and spinning plates
Some recent posts of mine over at Twitter:
* Love how the Mets have an outfielder name Angel Pagan. Now they just need a closer named Lucifer Atheist.
* Drag queens always need to speak softly. Otherwise the jig is up.
* Sorry "Excel Inc" hand dryer. You are but a pale imitation of the Xlerator. I curse yer pedestrian drying efforts. Hands wiped on shirt!
* Foxes are the go-to animal for being good looking. I wonder how the rest of the animal kingdom feels about that.
* The penalty box in hockey seems kinda childish. Go sit in the corner for a minute. And then there's all that fighting. Hockey: Grow up!
* There has prob never been a father more disappointed in his son than Hank Williams Sr.
* Chinatown bus? Oh no. I ride the Hasidim-owned bus from DC to NYC. It has wifi, power outlets, and long curls for mud flaps.
* You should never be reading "The 48 Laws of Power" while riding the bus.
* Theory: People who hate puns really just hate their fathers.
* I am ready to have a strong opinion on "cap and trade". Now just need to find someone who can explain it.
* Someone out there is actually the world's tiniest violin player. And probably very dramatic.
* It's tough to look gangsta when you're carrying an umbrella.
* Sorry, atheist. You are not actually "the most oppressed group." No cab ever refused to pick you up because you don't believe.
* I've got the perfect title for a book on the history of blood: "Blood: The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants."
* What happened to spinning plates? That seemed fun.
* I used to date a girl who smoked. It was like kissing an ashtray. I used to date a girl who kissed. It was like smoking a dozen roses.
More at twitter.com/mattruby.
* Love how the Mets have an outfielder name Angel Pagan. Now they just need a closer named Lucifer Atheist.
* Drag queens always need to speak softly. Otherwise the jig is up.
* Sorry "Excel Inc" hand dryer. You are but a pale imitation of the Xlerator. I curse yer pedestrian drying efforts. Hands wiped on shirt!
* Foxes are the go-to animal for being good looking. I wonder how the rest of the animal kingdom feels about that.
* The penalty box in hockey seems kinda childish. Go sit in the corner for a minute. And then there's all that fighting. Hockey: Grow up!
* There has prob never been a father more disappointed in his son than Hank Williams Sr.
* Chinatown bus? Oh no. I ride the Hasidim-owned bus from DC to NYC. It has wifi, power outlets, and long curls for mud flaps.
* You should never be reading "The 48 Laws of Power" while riding the bus.
* Theory: People who hate puns really just hate their fathers.
* I am ready to have a strong opinion on "cap and trade". Now just need to find someone who can explain it.
* Someone out there is actually the world's tiniest violin player. And probably very dramatic.
* It's tough to look gangsta when you're carrying an umbrella.
* Sorry, atheist. You are not actually "the most oppressed group." No cab ever refused to pick you up because you don't believe.
* I've got the perfect title for a book on the history of blood: "Blood: The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants."
* What happened to spinning plates? That seemed fun.
* I used to date a girl who smoked. It was like kissing an ashtray. I used to date a girl who kissed. It was like smoking a dozen roses.
More at twitter.com/mattruby.
6/3/10
This weekend: the 2 year anniversary of WE'RE ALL FRIENDS HERE and a groovy HOT SOUP
FRI (6/4): HOT SOUP
8:00pm showtime, doors at 7:30pm
O'Hanlon's Bar - 349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Hot Soup is a FREE weekly standup comedy showcase every Friday in the East Village. Doors at 7:30pm and showtime at 8pm. It's produced by David Cope, Andy Haynes, Mark Normand, and Matt Ruby.
Lineup:
Keith Alberstadt
Brooke Van Poppelen
Sean Donnelly
Phil Hanley
Mark Normand
(Thomas Middleditch does the boo-off)
I'm hosting.
SAT (6/5): WE'RE ALL FRIENDS HERE 2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!
8:00pm
The Creek and the Cave
10-93 Jackson Ave.
Long Island City, NY
Two years we've been doing this goddamn show. That's a lot of suicide, sex, racialism, drugs, and more sex. We're celebrating our anniversary by inviting back three of our fave guests. We've got a whole new round of dirt and misadventures to chew on.
Lineup:
Ali Wong
Erik Bergstrom
Brooke Van Poppelen
Hearts will be broken.
8:00pm showtime, doors at 7:30pm
O'Hanlon's Bar - 349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Hot Soup is a FREE weekly standup comedy showcase every Friday in the East Village. Doors at 7:30pm and showtime at 8pm. It's produced by David Cope, Andy Haynes, Mark Normand, and Matt Ruby.
Lineup:
Keith Alberstadt
Brooke Van Poppelen
Sean Donnelly
Phil Hanley
Mark Normand
(Thomas Middleditch does the boo-off)
I'm hosting.
SAT (6/5): WE'RE ALL FRIENDS HERE 2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!
8:00pm
The Creek and the Cave
10-93 Jackson Ave.
Long Island City, NY
Two years we've been doing this goddamn show. That's a lot of suicide, sex, racialism, drugs, and more sex. We're celebrating our anniversary by inviting back three of our fave guests. We've got a whole new round of dirt and misadventures to chew on.
Lineup:
Ali Wong
Erik Bergstrom
Brooke Van Poppelen
Hearts will be broken.
6/2/10
Attitudes and resentments between men and women in the comedy community
A guest post from Jessie Geller:
Often times, when someone finds out I’m a comedian; they’ll ask me what kinds of “stuff” I talk about in my act. There are a whole lot of questions that put a comedian on the defensive, but this one, where I’m asked to reduce what I do into some sort of theme or category is my least favorite. Once in awhile, I wish I could sum up my comedy as “shrewd observations on the ironies of religion, politics, or a general commentary on everything that’s right and wrong about the world we live in.” But that’s not the truth. My comedy is rarely, if ever, NOT about me and deals largely with dating and relationships—a single woman who in many ways refuses to grow up, makes a lot of the same mistakes, and tries to somehow make sense of it. I’m ok with it for now, because while it’s not always entertaining, well written or well executed, it’s always me. I don’t want to talk about things that don’t interest me and luckily, I always interest me. However, when this question is posed to me, particularly by a man, I hesitate to reveal that I talk about relationships and dating because I feel like their response would be something along the lines of, “of course you do, you’re a woman.” Not to say I care greatly about a stranger’s opinion of me, but it can be frustrating to constantly defend the two biggest misconceptions about female comedians--which I believe to be that all we talk about are relationships, and of course, that we’re just not funny.
I don’t want to spend too much time trying to dispute the notion that female comedians are generally not as funny as male comedians because it seems as useless as trying to defend any other kind of stereotype. Some women are funny, some aren’t, and it really is that simple. Perhaps there’s a male trait of being bolder, more direct, and less meandering than women, and these attributes can serve one well in comedy. But these can be remedied as you get more comfortable being on stage, become a more proficient editor, recognize your limits with time, audience attention span…etc, etc. Male or female, if you are talented, people will recognize that and all the preconceptions become irrelevant. If the audience is laughing and entertained and to some extent you’ve done what you set out to do, then you’ve succeeded. Bombing does not discriminate based on breasts or the presence or absence of a penis.
That being said, attitudes and resentments between men and women within the comedy community is another story. I’m speaking in generalities here, and understand that the word “some” can be placed before each statement--but just to name a few:
* Female comics feel outnumbered and mistreated at open mics, which can result in not attending them as often.
* Female comics tend to think there is a certain “boys club” that exists and some women feel largely alienated from it.
* Male comics think women can simply get onstage looking cute and talk about sex, and they themselves don’t have that kind of cheap strategy at their hands the way we do.
* Male comics think women don’t work as hard and are rewarded more often for being a woman than by virtue of their talent.
To some degree, I believe every one of the above statements. Not necessarily because there’s so much bias and tension between men and women in comedy, but because I believe there’s bias and tension between men and women in life. To address each briefly and individually…
* Any circumstance where men outnumber women runs the risk of making a woman feel reduced and objectified, It’s fun at a bar, but not so much when you’re trying to be taken seriously.
* Cliques in comedy exist, but men can feel excluded from them as well. Like anything else in life, there will be moments of feeling included and moments of feeling excluded and I think we all left the worst of it behind in middle school
* Yes, some women get onstage and talk about sex in gratuitous and unimaginative ways. I know this for a fact because I’ve done it and certainly still do it when I haven’t done the work and know firsthand it doesn’t hold up for very long. However, I’ve heard both male and female comics tell some very unfunny sex jokes and maybe in the short term a women can get away with it more, but it’s not sustainable, particularly when it’s not authentic.
* For the most part, myself included, female comics don’t get on stage and practice with the intensity and tenacity of some of the male comedians I know. For reasons mentioned earlier, I think women may find them counterproductive because it can feel like an unsupportive environment. In the end, it’s really what an individual feels like they need and is willing to do to improve. I know amazingly talented comics that get up twice a week and amazingly talented comics that get up 15 times a week. I believe there’s some level of natural talent but also think if you’re not working hard enough your work will reflect that. I know I don’t get up as much as I should, and in a moment of truth also know there isn’t any man, boys club, subway construction, happy hour or lack of preparation I can blame it on. If I want this, I will do the work, no getting around it.
So if the end is the point where I’m supposed to make a point, I guess I’ll finish saying this--it doesn’t really fucking matter and I think we all know this. By and large, if you are a comedian, male or female, it’s likely you haven’t had it easy. I think besides the obvious rewards--success, fame, a writing job, a TV credit…we’re all trying to work through something. And in doing so, will hopefully learn a little about humanity, both the world’s and our own. All of us are fighting obstacles and limitations, with comedy and within ourselves. Instead of blaming each other we really should come together and take the more noble approach, which is of course, blaming the audience.
Update: "Why my fellow females don’t do stand-up" is Kate Hendricks view on the same topic.
Kate's whole piece is good and worth a read.
Often times, when someone finds out I’m a comedian; they’ll ask me what kinds of “stuff” I talk about in my act. There are a whole lot of questions that put a comedian on the defensive, but this one, where I’m asked to reduce what I do into some sort of theme or category is my least favorite. Once in awhile, I wish I could sum up my comedy as “shrewd observations on the ironies of religion, politics, or a general commentary on everything that’s right and wrong about the world we live in.” But that’s not the truth. My comedy is rarely, if ever, NOT about me and deals largely with dating and relationships—a single woman who in many ways refuses to grow up, makes a lot of the same mistakes, and tries to somehow make sense of it. I’m ok with it for now, because while it’s not always entertaining, well written or well executed, it’s always me. I don’t want to talk about things that don’t interest me and luckily, I always interest me. However, when this question is posed to me, particularly by a man, I hesitate to reveal that I talk about relationships and dating because I feel like their response would be something along the lines of, “of course you do, you’re a woman.” Not to say I care greatly about a stranger’s opinion of me, but it can be frustrating to constantly defend the two biggest misconceptions about female comedians--which I believe to be that all we talk about are relationships, and of course, that we’re just not funny.
I don’t want to spend too much time trying to dispute the notion that female comedians are generally not as funny as male comedians because it seems as useless as trying to defend any other kind of stereotype. Some women are funny, some aren’t, and it really is that simple. Perhaps there’s a male trait of being bolder, more direct, and less meandering than women, and these attributes can serve one well in comedy. But these can be remedied as you get more comfortable being on stage, become a more proficient editor, recognize your limits with time, audience attention span…etc, etc. Male or female, if you are talented, people will recognize that and all the preconceptions become irrelevant. If the audience is laughing and entertained and to some extent you’ve done what you set out to do, then you’ve succeeded. Bombing does not discriminate based on breasts or the presence or absence of a penis.
That being said, attitudes and resentments between men and women within the comedy community is another story. I’m speaking in generalities here, and understand that the word “some” can be placed before each statement--but just to name a few:
* Female comics feel outnumbered and mistreated at open mics, which can result in not attending them as often.
* Female comics tend to think there is a certain “boys club” that exists and some women feel largely alienated from it.
* Male comics think women can simply get onstage looking cute and talk about sex, and they themselves don’t have that kind of cheap strategy at their hands the way we do.
* Male comics think women don’t work as hard and are rewarded more often for being a woman than by virtue of their talent.
To some degree, I believe every one of the above statements. Not necessarily because there’s so much bias and tension between men and women in comedy, but because I believe there’s bias and tension between men and women in life. To address each briefly and individually…
* Any circumstance where men outnumber women runs the risk of making a woman feel reduced and objectified, It’s fun at a bar, but not so much when you’re trying to be taken seriously.
* Cliques in comedy exist, but men can feel excluded from them as well. Like anything else in life, there will be moments of feeling included and moments of feeling excluded and I think we all left the worst of it behind in middle school
* Yes, some women get onstage and talk about sex in gratuitous and unimaginative ways. I know this for a fact because I’ve done it and certainly still do it when I haven’t done the work and know firsthand it doesn’t hold up for very long. However, I’ve heard both male and female comics tell some very unfunny sex jokes and maybe in the short term a women can get away with it more, but it’s not sustainable, particularly when it’s not authentic.
* For the most part, myself included, female comics don’t get on stage and practice with the intensity and tenacity of some of the male comedians I know. For reasons mentioned earlier, I think women may find them counterproductive because it can feel like an unsupportive environment. In the end, it’s really what an individual feels like they need and is willing to do to improve. I know amazingly talented comics that get up twice a week and amazingly talented comics that get up 15 times a week. I believe there’s some level of natural talent but also think if you’re not working hard enough your work will reflect that. I know I don’t get up as much as I should, and in a moment of truth also know there isn’t any man, boys club, subway construction, happy hour or lack of preparation I can blame it on. If I want this, I will do the work, no getting around it.
So if the end is the point where I’m supposed to make a point, I guess I’ll finish saying this--it doesn’t really fucking matter and I think we all know this. By and large, if you are a comedian, male or female, it’s likely you haven’t had it easy. I think besides the obvious rewards--success, fame, a writing job, a TV credit…we’re all trying to work through something. And in doing so, will hopefully learn a little about humanity, both the world’s and our own. All of us are fighting obstacles and limitations, with comedy and within ourselves. Instead of blaming each other we really should come together and take the more noble approach, which is of course, blaming the audience.
Update: "Why my fellow females don’t do stand-up" is Kate Hendricks view on the same topic.
The act of ‘stand-up ‘ is – your material aside – an aggressive art form. It’s aggressive because you have to have control of a room, and you have to be comfortable knowing that you’re in control of that room. It is my personal belief that this type of ‘desire to command attention’ is not something that is inherent in women. It is a learned trait: something you gain (or don’t) based on life experiences.
Kate's whole piece is good and worth a read.
6/1/10
Carlin or Pryor?
Greg Proops on KPCS when asked to pick between Carlin and Pryor:
Here's the joke he mentions:
pathos |ˈpāˌθäs; -ˌθôs|
noun
a quality that evokes pity or sadness : the actor injects his customary humor and pathos into the role.
bathos |ˈbāθäs|
noun
(esp. in a work of literature) an effect of anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous.
Pryor's the greatest comic of all time and here's why: Because he was a great actor like Charlie Chaplin or something. He had the ability to make you feel a pathos, a bathos. He could take you on a journey through the darkest depths of the horrible night.
"My mother was a whore. White men would come to my door and say, 'Is your mother here? I want a blow job.'" Huge laugh. That's the saddest joke ever told — ever fucking told.
Carlin isn't that person. He's not trying to escape the grinding poverty of growing up in a whorehouse. He's an astute, different type of person. Carlin I could be in my dreams. I can't be Richard Pryor. He's a genius and his writing is overwhelming. He's a force of nature.
Here's the joke he mentions:
pathos |ˈpāˌθäs; -ˌθôs|
noun
a quality that evokes pity or sadness : the actor injects his customary humor and pathos into the role.
bathos |ˈbāθäs|
noun
(esp. in a work of literature) an effect of anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous.
5/28/10
Thom Yorke dealing with a passed out crowd member
Radiohead concert 2003. Thom Yorke realizes someone in crowd has passed out. Stops the band midsong. Gets security to clear him out. Tells band where to pick it up. 1-2-3-4, back to rock. Very pro. 27:50in (starts there when you hit play). [via BV]
5/27/10
Hot Soup: Miso edition
Friday's (5/28) lineup:
Matt McCarthy
Sheng Wang
John F. O'Donnell
Josh Homer
Cope is hosting, I'm doing a spot. Let the river run, let all the dreamers wake the nation.
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Showtime at 8pm
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
Matt McCarthy
Sheng Wang
John F. O'Donnell
Josh Homer
Cope is hosting, I'm doing a spot. Let the river run, let all the dreamers wake the nation.
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Showtime at 8pm
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
5/26/10
JFOD, Yannis, Ray Combs Jr. episode of We're All Friends Here on Breakthru Radio
Listen online to BTR episode #7 with John F. O'Donnell, Yannis Pappas, and Ray Combs Jr. We cover mental asylums, trannies, 9/11 conspiracy theories, and suicide. It's pretty damn epic. Ya can also subscribe via iTunes or RSS feed. (Note: It will show up in your iTunes under the title "Breakthru Radio.")
5/25/10
Hourlong clean set at a high school, eh?
A while back I was asked to do a clean set (1 hr) at a high school for "mostly students and some teachers." They also wanted to know what I would charge for a set like that.
Doing a clean hour, eh? Plus one that works for a bunch of kids. Seemed like a stretch. Should I suggest bringing other comics with me? And how much should I/we charge?
I explained the whole situation to Myq Kaplan to get his .02. Here's what he wrote back.
I followed his advice. Mentioned a number as a starting point but said it's just a ballpark thing. But I never heard from 'em again. Er, problem "solved." But I figured the advice might be worth sharing so here it is.
P.S. Myq's new album is available. Check it out!
Doing a clean hour, eh? Plus one that works for a bunch of kids. Seemed like a stretch. Should I suggest bringing other comics with me? And how much should I/we charge?
I explained the whole situation to Myq Kaplan to get his .02. Here's what he wrote back.
1) do you have an hour of material?
2) do you have an hour of clean material?
3) do you REALLY?
4) if the answer to those questions are more negative than positive,
i'd definitely recommend something like bringing someone else, either
to open for you, or to offer to bring a three-person show, say, or
even a showcase if you wanted. you could certainly say something like
"my hour of nightclub material might be more appropriate for adults,
but i would gladly and capably offer to bring you a one hour show,
hosted or headlined by me, with several comics that will provide the
perfect atmosphere and show for you."
5) that said, what price should you quote... first, you can always
tell them that there's a broad range that is flexible depending on
various circumstances, and say that you're willing to work with them,
depending what their budget is, and ask what they'd like to pay.
6) as a baseline, doing an hour at a COLLEGE, the lowest
standard rate for something like with would usually be in the
$1000-$1500 range, and there's no reason not
to start there here. for either yourself, or possibly for the whole
show, though if you feel comfortable saying something higher, go for
it. (and this is all speculative on my part, i have other people do my
money stuff for me now and they might say even higher numbers, but
they're pros at this.) if you were going to have three people, say
with yourself hosting, someone headlining, and someone in the middle,
you could break it down like $400-$500 for yourself and the headliner
(or if you're the headliner, maybe a little more and a little less for
the host), and somewhere around half that for the middle act.
again, the proportions of what you "should" ask for might be off here,
is this a rich school? is it a fundraiser? etc.
usually, if people want you, they won't be turned off by asking for a
high number. the first college i ever got for myself headlining, i
asked for $1000, they said "all we have is $750," and i said "fine."
keep in mind this is low and not ideal. at the time, i didn't have an
agent or anyone assisting me, and in hindsight i'm not sure if i
SHOULD have said yes, because to take less than an industry standard
can be harmful to us all in devaluing what it is that we do, and make
it harder for other comedians to potentially be paid what they are
worth in the future... just to play devil's advocate here, and remind
people that sometimes it's best NOT to take a gig when the
circumstances are less than ideal.
so
all that said, the gig in question here is a high school, not a
college, and who knows what kind of budget they have (not me), what
they might be charging for tickets (do they?), how many audience
members they'll be expecting (all factors that might come into play in
determining a fair price for a particular gig, which is why it can be
good to start by asking them what their budget is, and move forward
from there, especially because my experience with high schools is less
extensive and probably less standard in general than colleges, for
example.)
as far as doing it all yourself, i definitely think you should
honestly ask and answer yourself as far as what you are really capable
of doing, to deliver them a good show. if you can do it on your own,
great, and go for it.
I followed his advice. Mentioned a number as a starting point but said it's just a ballpark thing. But I never heard from 'em again. Er, problem "solved." But I figured the advice might be worth sharing so here it is.
P.S. Myq's new album is available. Check it out!
5/24/10
"The more we try to perfect it, the worse it gets"
Recent discussion here about how screw ups are a gift. Here's a related idea from an NPR story on Jack White:
See also: Wabi Sabi.
Imperfection, authenticity, cracks, and crevices — sometimes you're best off leaving 'em in.
White says he could tell he was swimming against the Nashville way of recording when he swooned over the first take of Jackson's song "Shakin' All Over." The veteran horn players wanted to fix mistakes. He was having none of it.
"The more we try to work on this and perfect it, the worse it gets," he says. "And that's what happens nowadays with people working on computers. They can so easily fix things with their mouse and take out all the, 'Oh, somebody coughed in the background; we need to take that out' — or somebody hit a bad note. Those are all the best moments, and that's where music has taken a left turn and they need to get back on the road."
See also: Wabi Sabi.
Pared down to its barest essence, wabi-sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature, of accepting the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death. It's simple, slow, and uncluttered-and it reveres authenticity above all. Wabi-sabi is flea markets, not warehouse stores; aged wood, not Pergo; rice paper, not glass. It celebrates cracks and crevices and all the other marks that time, weather, and loving use leave behind. It reminds us that we are all but transient beings on this planet-that our bodies as well as the material world around us are in the process of returning to the dust from which we came. Through wabi-sabi, we learn to embrace liver spots, rust, and frayed edges, and the march of time they represent.
Imperfection, authenticity, cracks, and crevices — sometimes you're best off leaving 'em in.
5/20/10
A white male guy's viewpoint on race and the industry
Jeesh. The comment thread over at "It's so tough for [insert group here] in standup" is a real doozy. Check it out.
My .02?
Well, let's begin again with the usual caveat: White guys pretty much have it made in our society. When they (even borderline) complain about anything, it seems silly. I get that. ("Unpacking The Knapsack" is a PDF that explains the daily effects of white privilege nicely.)
Also, I host a show that often touches on racial third rail issues so maybe I'm just an insensitive guy. We do invite minorities/gals on the show often though, so at least there's that.
Now that's out of the way, here's my take on the discussion. Maybe I'm missing something but it's tough to know what you don't know. Ya know?
The white drinking buddy game
There were mentions of the white drinking buddy game that rules the standup world in some sort of Elders of Zion type way. Well, allow me to bring you inside the white male drinking buddy comedy clique world that I (on occasion) inhabit.
I've gotten drunk with white comedians a lot. I never hear them say anything negative about black comedians (or black people in general). Sure, there might be jokes about race but it's never "black people suck" or "black people aren't funny" or anything like that.
Many of these guys revere Chris Rock and Richard Pryor and Dave Chappelle so much I don't know how they could ever rag on black comics. And I've never heard one mention anything about only putting one black guy on a show. Or any other limit like that. Maybe that happens somewhere else, but I've NEVER heard anyone I hang out with talk like that.
In fact, I have heard these guys talk the opposite way — about wanting more diversity on shows. Doesn't happen a ton, but it does happen. There is a recognition that a show filled only with white dudes can come across as exclusionary.
For the most part, I see a "funny is funny" mentality. Sure, some shows are indeed white male "friends booking friends" chummy...but others def echo Soce's view that he is "more likely to fast track in someone who's diverse or a lady."
Overall, I'd say these guys feel that being a minority actually helps you in standup. They feel TV execs go out of their way to cast minorities. And they see all of the "theme" shows they can't do (urban rooms, gay shows, Latino shows, all gal shows, etc.) and wonder what the complaining is about. It's not necessarily "affirmative action" they see...but they do feel that if there's a minority who's a decent comic, there's no way that's going to go unnoticed — and that person will get breaks faster than a straight white male of similar ability.
Of course, maybe they're not seeing the struggle and overt/embedded discrimination that goes on that makes it tougher for a minority to ever get to that point. I think it's very tough for any white person to really understand what it feels like to be on the other side, ya know?
Like I said in the original post, it feels like everybody is complaining about how tough standup is, white males included. This clique of people doesn't feel like they are running anything. They're jealous of the opportunities others get and are scrambling for a way up to the next level. Sound familiar? I think it's how all standups feel.
The club scene
What about all of Josh Homer's examples of racist tendencies/actions that he's heard about and witnessed? First off, sounds terrible. It'd definitely suck to face that.
I wonder if most (all?) of these things happened in the club scene though. Because the club scene sucked ass for me too.
I'm not saying that what I faced is equivalent to being called a slur or told I can't perform because of the color of my skin. But I have been shit on at so many clubs so many times, I can't even count 'em all. Bookers treating me like I don't even exist. Waitresses yelling at me for no reason. Comics who fuck with me even though they don't know me. A club owner kicking me out for not following some BS "rule" that didn't even matter. I wish that while males just got handed lollipops and stage time for walking in the door at a club, but, in my experience, that ain't happening.
And here's the thing: If I was black, I might assume this constant pattern of treating me like shit is because these people are racist. But I'm a white dude. So I don't think it is racism. I just think the club scene is filled with cockmouths.
Why are clubs like this? They breed a toxic environment. The whole business model at many of these places is based on ripping people off. Note the horrified reactions of a large % of patrons when they see their bill. And then you've got the shitty bachelorette parties and the drunks yelling shit out and the comics who do a whole act just doing hacky, stereotype crowdwork. Blech.
And personally speaking, the comics who hang out there are people I have a tough time talking with or being around. That's why I ran away to the alt scene. Too bad too 'cuz mainstream club crowds can be great to perform in front of. I like that they're filled with real people and not nearly as precious as alt show crowds.
I'm certainly not forgiving anyone for saying/doing racist things. Just saying that performing in the club scene and then complaining about being treated like shit is like going to the rape shack and then complaining about how misogynistic it is there. It's kinda what you sign up for when you go there.
So that's why I got out. If you feel likewise, I suggest coming over to the alt scene where gay liberal vegans serve you tofu and provide unlimited stage time. That's what happens there, right?
(Note: I'm painting with broad strokes here. There are cool clubs. There are cool club comics. There are neat pockets in the club scene. It just wasn't for me.)
Getting on TV
As for the question I posed: "Is it harder or easier to get industry to pay attention to you when you're a minority?" Josh wrote:
First off, are black male comics really underrepresented in the club scene? I go to clubs and often see multiple BMC's on the same show. So not sure I get that from what I've witnessed. And like I said before, I've never known any alt room booker to make a comment about only having one black guy per show or not wanting black comics on a show. If these conversations are going on, I'm missing them.
And the idea that the ECNY awards (also mentioned) or Comedy Central's selections for featured comedians are racist just doesn't add up to me. Myq put it well:
Is anyone disputing these numbers? If not, doesn't this show the percentage of comedians on TV who are minorities or women is greater than the percentage of comedians overall who are minorities or women? And if that's true, doesn't it hold up that the industry is in fact going out of its way to include minorities and women?
Maybe I'm missing something here. I'd love to hear from more racial minorities who feel discriminated against in comedy. I know Josh and like him and respect him as a comic and have booked him before. But when it's just one person complaining, it's easy to dismiss that as the gripes of one individual. Is there a chorus of folks out there who agree with Josh about the industry being racist? Let's hear from ya.
Also, I think the (perhaps) even more interesting conversation that was touched on in that thread is about women in standup. Stay tuned.
My .02?
Well, let's begin again with the usual caveat: White guys pretty much have it made in our society. When they (even borderline) complain about anything, it seems silly. I get that. ("Unpacking The Knapsack" is a PDF that explains the daily effects of white privilege nicely.)
Also, I host a show that often touches on racial third rail issues so maybe I'm just an insensitive guy. We do invite minorities/gals on the show often though, so at least there's that.
Now that's out of the way, here's my take on the discussion. Maybe I'm missing something but it's tough to know what you don't know. Ya know?
The white drinking buddy game
There were mentions of the white drinking buddy game that rules the standup world in some sort of Elders of Zion type way. Well, allow me to bring you inside the white male drinking buddy comedy clique world that I (on occasion) inhabit.
I've gotten drunk with white comedians a lot. I never hear them say anything negative about black comedians (or black people in general). Sure, there might be jokes about race but it's never "black people suck" or "black people aren't funny" or anything like that.
Many of these guys revere Chris Rock and Richard Pryor and Dave Chappelle so much I don't know how they could ever rag on black comics. And I've never heard one mention anything about only putting one black guy on a show. Or any other limit like that. Maybe that happens somewhere else, but I've NEVER heard anyone I hang out with talk like that.
In fact, I have heard these guys talk the opposite way — about wanting more diversity on shows. Doesn't happen a ton, but it does happen. There is a recognition that a show filled only with white dudes can come across as exclusionary.
For the most part, I see a "funny is funny" mentality. Sure, some shows are indeed white male "friends booking friends" chummy...but others def echo Soce's view that he is "more likely to fast track in someone who's diverse or a lady."
Overall, I'd say these guys feel that being a minority actually helps you in standup. They feel TV execs go out of their way to cast minorities. And they see all of the "theme" shows they can't do (urban rooms, gay shows, Latino shows, all gal shows, etc.) and wonder what the complaining is about. It's not necessarily "affirmative action" they see...but they do feel that if there's a minority who's a decent comic, there's no way that's going to go unnoticed — and that person will get breaks faster than a straight white male of similar ability.
Of course, maybe they're not seeing the struggle and overt/embedded discrimination that goes on that makes it tougher for a minority to ever get to that point. I think it's very tough for any white person to really understand what it feels like to be on the other side, ya know?
Like I said in the original post, it feels like everybody is complaining about how tough standup is, white males included. This clique of people doesn't feel like they are running anything. They're jealous of the opportunities others get and are scrambling for a way up to the next level. Sound familiar? I think it's how all standups feel.
The club scene
What about all of Josh Homer's examples of racist tendencies/actions that he's heard about and witnessed? First off, sounds terrible. It'd definitely suck to face that.
I wonder if most (all?) of these things happened in the club scene though. Because the club scene sucked ass for me too.
I'm not saying that what I faced is equivalent to being called a slur or told I can't perform because of the color of my skin. But I have been shit on at so many clubs so many times, I can't even count 'em all. Bookers treating me like I don't even exist. Waitresses yelling at me for no reason. Comics who fuck with me even though they don't know me. A club owner kicking me out for not following some BS "rule" that didn't even matter. I wish that while males just got handed lollipops and stage time for walking in the door at a club, but, in my experience, that ain't happening.
And here's the thing: If I was black, I might assume this constant pattern of treating me like shit is because these people are racist. But I'm a white dude. So I don't think it is racism. I just think the club scene is filled with cockmouths.
Why are clubs like this? They breed a toxic environment. The whole business model at many of these places is based on ripping people off. Note the horrified reactions of a large % of patrons when they see their bill. And then you've got the shitty bachelorette parties and the drunks yelling shit out and the comics who do a whole act just doing hacky, stereotype crowdwork. Blech.
And personally speaking, the comics who hang out there are people I have a tough time talking with or being around. That's why I ran away to the alt scene. Too bad too 'cuz mainstream club crowds can be great to perform in front of. I like that they're filled with real people and not nearly as precious as alt show crowds.
I'm certainly not forgiving anyone for saying/doing racist things. Just saying that performing in the club scene and then complaining about being treated like shit is like going to the rape shack and then complaining about how misogynistic it is there. It's kinda what you sign up for when you go there.
So that's why I got out. If you feel likewise, I suggest coming over to the alt scene where gay liberal vegans serve you tofu and provide unlimited stage time. That's what happens there, right?
(Note: I'm painting with broad strokes here. There are cool clubs. There are cool club comics. There are neat pockets in the club scene. It just wasn't for me.)
Getting on TV
As for the question I posed: "Is it harder or easier to get industry to pay attention to you when you're a minority?" Josh wrote:
Based on the law of averages, if the number of comedians break down to 75% white males and 25% other, then the bookings in the club should reflect this. The TV spots should reflect this. They clearly don't.
First off, are black male comics really underrepresented in the club scene? I go to clubs and often see multiple BMC's on the same show. So not sure I get that from what I've witnessed. And like I said before, I've never known any alt room booker to make a comment about only having one black guy per show or not wanting black comics on a show. If these conversations are going on, I'm missing them.
And the idea that the ECNY awards (also mentioned) or Comedy Central's selections for featured comedians are racist just doesn't add up to me. Myq put it well:
Looking at the first season of Comedy Central Presents, there are eight episodes: five white men and three non (specifically one black woman, one black man, one white woman). This seems like a more than fair percentage.
Premium Blend, as I understand it, always seemed to have two slots for people who were not white men (usually one non-white man and one woman). Also more than fair, given the proportions.
Granted, the most recent season of CCP has 7 out of 24 who are not white men, still more than a quarter, which I imagine fairly represents the numerical proportions of comedians out there. (If you have any numbers or thoughts to the contrary, please share.)
Our season of Live at Gotham, Josh, seems to have 17 out of 48 non white men, which is again a seemingly reasonable proportion.
Even your ECNY example rings false to me--two out of five Best Male Comedian nominees were black. In a world chock full of white men.
I think what happens in the clubs (or shows like we're talking about here) and what happens in TV type showcase is completely different, and I feel like the TV industry often goes out of their way to include MORE of the non white guy category...
Is it perfectly fair? No. Should CC be soliciting more minorities? Don't know.
But I honestly think that, YES, at this level, being a minority CAN benefit someone, if they're just as funny as a white person of the same level...
PPS Here's a link I found while googling "Premium Blend episode list"... It's a sampling of episodes from season 9 of the show:
http://www.tv.com/premium-blend/show/2117/episode.html
Four people in each episode, with six episodes listed.
In those 24 people, there's 5 women (one in almost every episode), at least 5 black people (of the names that I recognize), at least one Asian, and several Hispanic folks as well, totaling what appears to be more than half of the comedians listed.
Is anyone disputing these numbers? If not, doesn't this show the percentage of comedians on TV who are minorities or women is greater than the percentage of comedians overall who are minorities or women? And if that's true, doesn't it hold up that the industry is in fact going out of its way to include minorities and women?
Maybe I'm missing something here. I'd love to hear from more racial minorities who feel discriminated against in comedy. I know Josh and like him and respect him as a comic and have booked him before. But when it's just one person complaining, it's easy to dismiss that as the gripes of one individual. Is there a chorus of folks out there who agree with Josh about the industry being racist? Let's hear from ya.
Also, I think the (perhaps) even more interesting conversation that was touched on in that thread is about women in standup. Stay tuned.
5/19/10
Hot Soup: The Tom Yum edition
Lineup on Friday (5/21):
Jared Logan
Ryan Hamilton
Cary Prusa
Vince Averill
Shawn Pearlman
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Doors at 7:30pm. Showtime at 8pm.
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
Jared Logan
Ryan Hamilton
Cary Prusa
Vince Averill
Shawn Pearlman
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Doors at 7:30pm. Showtime at 8pm.
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
5/18/10
5/17/10
How much should you pay comics?
Reader question:
But whats the right amount to pay each comic?
There's no right amount. Depends on the gig. Colin Quinn gets paid thousands to do a corporate gig. And he shows up at Whiplash to do a set for free. It all depends.
That said, I asked my buddy who is a music booking agent: "What % of the door (or profits) should a promoter give to a band and what % should he keep for himself?" His answer:
So if we assume the same rule applies to comedy, let's say you're getting 60 people to pay $8 each. Do the math and it comes out that you'd split $240 among the comedians. (Note: Rock clubs usually provide sound equipment, soundman, and door guy so the formula could be different depending on if the venue is providing those things.)
should it be based on tv credits? how long their sets are? how much money is made at the show?
Whoever does the longest set should get paid the most. And you should have the funniest person do the longest set. Usually that's the person with the best credits. But not always. And as mentioned above, how much you make at the show should def affect how much you pay the performers.
Do you think comics do road gigs expecting to be paid every time?
Depends on the comic. Established guys will def want to get paid to do a road gig but up and comers will often be happy to get the stage time. (Esp in NYC where it's tough to get paid ever.) If someone's traveling a long way, I'd at least try to get them food/drinks and cover their travel expenses.
Distance matters too: I'll go to Staten Island for a cool show with free food/drinks. I won't travel 4 hours upstate for the same thing though. Not worth it to me. Your show sounds in between those two.
What justifies that money if they aren't bringing in any people with their name?
The quality of performance they deliver. Sure, people may come out to your show because they know you. But they probably won't come back if the show sucks ass. Part of why you pay people is because they deliver a product that's worth paying for. That makes people want to come back and tell their friends.
Do headliners feel like they should get paid more for a 45 minute set than for a 20 minute set? or are they just happy to get the extra 25 minutes?
Yes, I think you should pay a guy more for doing 45 mins than for doing 25. It's more time and more work. And it should be the funniest person doing the longest set.
Overall, it's cool that you're thinking about this stuff and wanting to be fair to the comics. Lots of folks in this biz are worried about a quick buck but setting up long-term relationships with the comics you book and the audience members who pay to come to the show will help you out in the long run.
So that's my (skewed NYC-centric) take. If you've got thoughts on this, chime in at the comments.
I've started a show here in Westchester, and i'm trying to gauge whats too much or too little to pay someone to come up here (its only a 35 minute train ride from grand central). I consider it a road gig so i'm happy to pay for gas/train tickets. But whats the right amount to pay each comic? One way to look at it is "well they don't get paid much or anything at all in the city, so they should be happy to receive anything here". but another way is "should i give a percentage or just a flat fee? should it be based on tv credits? how long their sets are? how much money is made at the show?" etc.
I for one have a small budget for my show, so i've been stressing over how much to pay each comic. Is it best to say - i'll distribute $500 amongst them, with the most going to the headliner and the rest being paid evenly? or does everyone get paid differently depending on their credits?
I know my show is considered a "road gig" even though I make the trip into the city pretty much every night and don't get paid for shows, so I want to pay the comics for "leaving the city" (even though it could very well be the same distance from some parts of brooklyn to manhattan) Obviously there are so many factors. I personally just did a road gig in NJ as a host (a friend who was featuring brought me along) and I wasn't paid anything. I wasn't really expecting anything, but I thought there was a chance. Do you think comics do road gigs expecting to be paid every time? I personally am going to pay every comic that does my show, but that's just because I hate that most comics never get paid and I think it's nice to be able to offer that to my fellow comics.
Also, I know some headliners demand certain amounts of money, but what justifies that money if they aren't bringing in any people with their name? My audience is consisted of 95% people who are there to see me. One question I've been wondering is, do headliners feel like they should get paid more for a 45 minute set than for a 20 minute set? or are they just happy to get the extra 25 minutes? Certainly my goal is to run a great show with top-notch comics, so I guess if you have any thoughts on a good pay scale for a venue like this, it would be greatly appreciated.
But whats the right amount to pay each comic?
There's no right amount. Depends on the gig. Colin Quinn gets paid thousands to do a corporate gig. And he shows up at Whiplash to do a set for free. It all depends.
That said, I asked my buddy who is a music booking agent: "What % of the door (or profits) should a promoter give to a band and what % should he keep for himself?" His answer:
Well I dunno about should, but a rule of thumb is the bands get 1/2, the
house gets half (for expenses and profit). So a lazy guess is take the capacity, X ticket price/2 = what a band makes.
So if we assume the same rule applies to comedy, let's say you're getting 60 people to pay $8 each. Do the math and it comes out that you'd split $240 among the comedians. (Note: Rock clubs usually provide sound equipment, soundman, and door guy so the formula could be different depending on if the venue is providing those things.)
should it be based on tv credits? how long their sets are? how much money is made at the show?
Whoever does the longest set should get paid the most. And you should have the funniest person do the longest set. Usually that's the person with the best credits. But not always. And as mentioned above, how much you make at the show should def affect how much you pay the performers.
Do you think comics do road gigs expecting to be paid every time?
Depends on the comic. Established guys will def want to get paid to do a road gig but up and comers will often be happy to get the stage time. (Esp in NYC where it's tough to get paid ever.) If someone's traveling a long way, I'd at least try to get them food/drinks and cover their travel expenses.
Distance matters too: I'll go to Staten Island for a cool show with free food/drinks. I won't travel 4 hours upstate for the same thing though. Not worth it to me. Your show sounds in between those two.
What justifies that money if they aren't bringing in any people with their name?
The quality of performance they deliver. Sure, people may come out to your show because they know you. But they probably won't come back if the show sucks ass. Part of why you pay people is because they deliver a product that's worth paying for. That makes people want to come back and tell their friends.
Do headliners feel like they should get paid more for a 45 minute set than for a 20 minute set? or are they just happy to get the extra 25 minutes?
Yes, I think you should pay a guy more for doing 45 mins than for doing 25. It's more time and more work. And it should be the funniest person doing the longest set.
Overall, it's cool that you're thinking about this stuff and wanting to be fair to the comics. Lots of folks in this biz are worried about a quick buck but setting up long-term relationships with the comics you book and the audience members who pay to come to the show will help you out in the long run.
So that's my (skewed NYC-centric) take. If you've got thoughts on this, chime in at the comments.
5/14/10
Hot Soup: Won Ton edition
Tonight's lineup:
Pat Dixon
Kumail Nanjiani
Anthony Devito
Ophira Eisenberg
Chris Gordon
Andy Blitz
Andy's hosting, Cope's doing a spot. I'll be sitting this one out.
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Showtime at 8pm
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
Pat Dixon
Kumail Nanjiani
Anthony Devito
Ophira Eisenberg
Chris Gordon
Andy Blitz
Andy's hosting, Cope's doing a spot. I'll be sitting this one out.
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Showtime at 8pm
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
5/13/10
Video: Dealing with Seamus the drunk at show in Jersey City
Went up first at this terrible show. Ambush comedy (i.e. people there hanging out have a show sprung upon them) so no one paying attention. Host only did one joke and then threw me up. People at the bar have their backs turned to stage and most of 'em are playing a trivia game. TVs showing Yankees game. Loud table talking in the middle of room. Drunk guy named Seamus shouting shit out. Jokes impossible...
5/12/10
I'm on Rooftop Comedy's homepage today
I'm featured on Rooftop Comedy's homepage Daily8 today. Check it out. (It's a link to my "That's not ghetto" bit.)
5/11/10
It's so tough for [insert group here] in standup
Interesting note there. So NBC "prohibits discrimination" based on race and sex. Yet I'm assuming if you're a white male, your odds of getting picked for this are, well, not so hot.
I know, I know. White guys can't complain about not being eligible for shit because we're white guys and things are, overall, pretty damn rosy for us.
But sometimes it feels like EVERYONE in standup complains about how tough it is for their group. White guys feel they need to do something in order to avoid being "just another white guy." Girls say comedy feels like a misogynistic boys club and shows don't like to book multiple gals on one show. Minorities feel underrepresented because there's no diversity at alt shows (and 'cuz there's racism everywhere, including in comedy).
Can everyone be right here? Since everyone's complaining, is that a sign that things are kinda fair? Is it harder or easier to get industry to pay attention to you when you're a minority?
5/10/10
"Crack-your-head-open-and-play-with-your-brains kinda stuff"
Was really an amazing show. Thanks Josh (and everyone else who came out). Next We're All Friends Here: the 2 Year Anniversary Show (!) on Sat, June 5.
5/7/10
Something I wrote about my mom
A while back, ESPN's Bill Simmons penned a touching tribute to his father, who retired after 33 years as a school administrator.
That "real people don't get victory laps" sentiment reminded me of something I wrote about my mom — "The story of Ziva" — on the plane ride home from her funeral a few years ago. It's not funny or about comedy but it is pretty interesting. At least I think so. Since Mother's Day is coming up, thought I'd link it up here. It probably explains more than a bit about me too.
Of course, we never read tributes about someone like my father for obvious reasons. We pay homage to athletes, entertainers and politicians. Real people don't get victory laps. So here's one for Dr. Bill Simmons. Congratulations, Pops. You made it.
That "real people don't get victory laps" sentiment reminded me of something I wrote about my mom — "The story of Ziva" — on the plane ride home from her funeral a few years ago. It's not funny or about comedy but it is pretty interesting. At least I think so. Since Mother's Day is coming up, thought I'd link it up here. It probably explains more than a bit about me too.
5/6/10
Sat night (5/8) We're All Friends Here with JFOD, Yannis, and Ray Combs Jr.
It's almost here. Saturday night. We're All Friends Here @ The Creek. 8pm start time. Free. John F. O'Donnell. Yannis Pappas. Ray Combs Jr. 10-93 Jackson Ave in Long Island City (just one stop from Bklyn and Manhattan). One for the ages!
NY Comedy Examiner (p)review of the show:
Hot Soup on Friday too (but I'll be at Lincoln Lodge in Chicago).
NY Comedy Examiner (p)review of the show:
Stories on We're All Friends Here (next show 5/8) usually contain heavy drinking, demoralizing sexual activity, illegalities and dark humanizing experiences that are sometimes funny and always captivating. The show has one gimmick that makes the deep and personal New York talk show particularly unique and that is the sailer cap dubbed "the racist hat." Legend goes that while wearing the racist hat one can make any racist remark in context and the New York liberals that attend the show cannot judge.
Hot Soup on Friday too (but I'll be at Lincoln Lodge in Chicago).
5/5/10
The "enjoying it but not laughing" crowd
Laughter is what you're going for onstage. That's the measurement. And when you don't get it, it feels bad.
But there are degrees to a dead room. Sometimes you've just lost them completely; They're talking to each other or tuning out or just think you're plain old bad.
But sometimes there's a non-laughing crowd that's still having a good time. People are on the edge of their seats. They're engaged. They're having fun. They're doing everything but laughing. It ain't ideal, sure. But it's good to be able to recognize that non-laughter doesn't always equal failure.
When shit's going REALLY bad, then you gotta call it and address it or try to riff or do something about it. When they're into it but not laughing, you can plow through.
And sometimes that can lead to surprising results. You'll feel like you did shitty but then you'll have people come up afterward and tell you they thought it was great. Um, why didn't you laugh then? Well, there can be all kinds of reasons for that. A shitty host that doesn't warm 'em up enough, an awkward vibe in the room, or something else. Just saying it's good to recognize the shades of grey that exist between killing and bombing.
But there are degrees to a dead room. Sometimes you've just lost them completely; They're talking to each other or tuning out or just think you're plain old bad.
But sometimes there's a non-laughing crowd that's still having a good time. People are on the edge of their seats. They're engaged. They're having fun. They're doing everything but laughing. It ain't ideal, sure. But it's good to be able to recognize that non-laughter doesn't always equal failure.
When shit's going REALLY bad, then you gotta call it and address it or try to riff or do something about it. When they're into it but not laughing, you can plow through.
And sometimes that can lead to surprising results. You'll feel like you did shitty but then you'll have people come up afterward and tell you they thought it was great. Um, why didn't you laugh then? Well, there can be all kinds of reasons for that. A shitty host that doesn't warm 'em up enough, an awkward vibe in the room, or something else. Just saying it's good to recognize the shades of grey that exist between killing and bombing.
5/4/10
Standup as art
Flavorpill recommends Creative Week NYC:
Hard-pressed, eh? Here are the categories:
Comedy? Not so much. No surprise either. Comedy is near the bottom of the art totem pole.
It's rarely taught in schools. Comedies rarely win Best Picture. You don't see standup in museums. Carlin and Pryor are rarely mentioned among the great thinkers of their time. The NY Times has an architecture critic but you'll never see anyone reviewing comedy in a thoughtful way there. Entertainment Weekly reviews all kinda crap, but not comedy. Other than Time Out NY, it's tough to find any mainstream publication in NYC that truly "covers" comedy. A great photographer is an artist...a great comedian is, well, just a comedian.
I guess when you make fun of things, you don't get taken seriously. It's all just a joke.
But hey, maybe it's good to be an alien in the pretentious, BS-filled art world. And at least it ain't dance. No one respects that.
The second-annual Creative Week returns for seven days of inspiration across genres. (Seriously: from spoken word, television, and typeset to photography and music, you'd be hard-pressed not to find a creative aspect covered.)
Hard-pressed, eh? Here are the categories:
EVENTS: ALL | ADVERTISING | DESIGN | ART | PHOTO | FILM | MUSIC | DISCUSSION | EDUCATION | THEATRE
Comedy? Not so much. No surprise either. Comedy is near the bottom of the art totem pole.
It's rarely taught in schools. Comedies rarely win Best Picture. You don't see standup in museums. Carlin and Pryor are rarely mentioned among the great thinkers of their time. The NY Times has an architecture critic but you'll never see anyone reviewing comedy in a thoughtful way there. Entertainment Weekly reviews all kinda crap, but not comedy. Other than Time Out NY, it's tough to find any mainstream publication in NYC that truly "covers" comedy. A great photographer is an artist...a great comedian is, well, just a comedian.
I guess when you make fun of things, you don't get taken seriously. It's all just a joke.
But hey, maybe it's good to be an alien in the pretentious, BS-filled art world. And at least it ain't dance. No one respects that.
5/3/10
Chicago shows this week
Great time last night at Hannibal's Knitting Factory show. Crowd spilled out onto the street...
This week, I'll be in Chicago doing shows. And then we've got a big hot mess We're All Friends Here on Saturday. Amazing guests (John F. O'Donnell, Yannis Pappas, and Ray Combs Jr.) and we'll be filming it too. You don't want to miss it.
Tue, May 4 - 9:30pm - Chicago Underground Comedy @ The Beat Kitchen
Wed, May 5 - 8:00pm - Razzmatazz @ Cafe WhaWho? (Chicago)
Fri, May 7 - 9:00pm - Lincoln Lodge (Chicago)
Sat, May 8 - 8:00pm - We're All Friends Here @ The Creek (LIC)
This week, I'll be in Chicago doing shows. And then we've got a big hot mess We're All Friends Here on Saturday. Amazing guests (John F. O'Donnell, Yannis Pappas, and Ray Combs Jr.) and we'll be filming it too. You don't want to miss it.
Tue, May 4 - 9:30pm - Chicago Underground Comedy @ The Beat Kitchen
Wed, May 5 - 8:00pm - Razzmatazz @ Cafe WhaWho? (Chicago)
Fri, May 7 - 9:00pm - Lincoln Lodge (Chicago)
Sat, May 8 - 8:00pm - We're All Friends Here @ The Creek (LIC)
4/30/10
Oil spill reaches horses?
From the NY Times site this AM. Poorly placed photo for Kentucky Derby story? Or is the oil spill really THAT bad?
4/29/10
Hot Soup tomorrow w/ Christian Finnegan
Lineup this Friday:
Myq Kaplan
Christian Finnegan
Tom McCaffrey
Ben Kissel
Andrea Rosen
MC Mr Napkins
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Doors at 7:30pm. Showtime at 8pm.
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
Myq Kaplan
Tom McCaffrey
Ben Kissel
Andrea Rosen
MC Mr Napkins
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Doors at 7:30pm. Showtime at 8pm.
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
4/28/10
Screw ups are a gift
Robin Williams on Marc Maron's WTF podcast discussing alcoholism, cocaine, divorce, joke stealing, heart surgery, fame, Richard Pryor, jealousy, and Twitter. Great stuff.
I liked this bit Williams said about working with Jeff Bridges:
He's talking about acting but applies to standup too. A perfect set is the same every time. But when something goes wrong, it's an opportunity to make a unique moment happen. It's you and the audience in it together.
Now I've just got to convince myself that Seamus — the drunk guy in Jersey City last night who kept yelling out to me "Show your tits!" — was NOT an asshole and was actually giving me a gift.
I liked this bit Williams said about working with Jeff Bridges:
Something screws up and [Jeff Bridges] says to me: "It's ok. It's a gift. If something screws up, it's a gift. Don't be afraid of it." That forces you to make something special that you didn't plan. You're in that moment and you're forced to deal with it and deal with it together.
He's talking about acting but applies to standup too. A perfect set is the same every time. But when something goes wrong, it's an opportunity to make a unique moment happen. It's you and the audience in it together.
Now I've just got to convince myself that Seamus — the drunk guy in Jersey City last night who kept yelling out to me "Show your tits!" — was NOT an asshole and was actually giving me a gift.
4/27/10
Heightening from McCain to Rudy to I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Say Anything | ||||
| ||||
John McCain told Newsweek: “I never considered myself a maverick.” Jon Stewart's response (starts about 2:40 in) is a great example of heightening — finding the unusual thing and then asking, "If this is true, what else is true?"
Normally this is where we would toss to a montage of John McCain calling himself a maverick but I don’t even fucking need to. That’s how embedded the word maverick is on his persona.
It would be like Rudy Giuliani saying "I never mentioned 9/11. I don’t know what you are talking about."
It's like I Can't Believe It's Not Butter saying, "I never believed I was butter. Why would I have believed that? I never believed it." It's ON THE CONTAINER!
Pretty textbook with the three examples and the last one being a sharp left to absurdity. (Textbook absurdity? Hmm, sounds like a fun class.)
This article also explains heightening and suggest using it as a tool in drawing caricatures.
4/26/10
Latest We're All Friends Here podcast is up with Lawrence, Comers, and Herron
Listen online to BTR episode #6 with Mike Lawrence, Josh Comers, and Mara Herron.
00:00 Mark Normand and Matt Ruby Intro
09:33 Mike Lawrence
23:12 Mark and Matt
25:26 Josh Comers
45:11 Mark and Matt
46:14 Mara Herron
60:39 Mark and Matt Outro
Previous episodes. Subscribe via iTunes or RSS feed. (Note: It will show up in your iTunes under the title "Breakthru Radio.")
00:00 Mark Normand and Matt Ruby Intro
09:33 Mike Lawrence
23:12 Mark and Matt
25:26 Josh Comers
45:11 Mark and Matt
46:14 Mara Herron
60:39 Mark and Matt Outro
Previous episodes. Subscribe via iTunes or RSS feed. (Note: It will show up in your iTunes under the title "Breakthru Radio.")
4/23/10
Tonight (FRI) = AMAZING Hot Soup lineup with Kumail, Matt McCarthy, Yannis Pappas, and more
This lineup at this week's Hot Soup on Fri (4/22) night may be our best yet. Really, this will be a super show. And I'm hosting. Come on out.
Guests:
Kumail Nanjiani (Letterman)
Matt McCarthy (Comedy Central)
Yannis Pappas (VH1)
Lisa Delarios (Comedy Central)
Matt Maragno
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Showtime at 8pm
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
Guests:
Kumail Nanjiani (Letterman)
Matt McCarthy (Comedy Central)
Yannis Pappas (VH1)
Lisa Delarios (Comedy Central)
Matt Maragno
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Showtime at 8pm
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
4/21/10
Video: I leave the stage to yell at heckler who won't shut up
Did a show for an online comedy TV station on Monday night. Supposed to do a clean set and not talk to the crowd at all (the producer made a point of that).
The problem: A table in the back kept yelling shit at the comics all night. Finally the club kicked them out — right before I went on.
Problem solved, right? Not so fast. The club still wanted money for their drinks and I guess the guys didn't want to pay. So plenty of yelling and shouting was going on between them and the club staff. All in the hallway right by the side of the stage.
Eventually the crowd got distracted. I could feel necks turning. Even I couldn't concentrate on my jokes. Though I knew I wasn't supposed to deviate from my set, I felt like an idiot for not addressing it. So I did.
Here's what happened:
It settled down after that so they must have shut up or left or something.
More clips of me dealing with unruly audience members:
Gay heckler yells "f*** you" at me (at Princeton University)
"This roomful of people would like you to stop talking" (at Sound Fix)
The problem: A table in the back kept yelling shit at the comics all night. Finally the club kicked them out — right before I went on.
Problem solved, right? Not so fast. The club still wanted money for their drinks and I guess the guys didn't want to pay. So plenty of yelling and shouting was going on between them and the club staff. All in the hallway right by the side of the stage.
Eventually the crowd got distracted. I could feel necks turning. Even I couldn't concentrate on my jokes. Though I knew I wasn't supposed to deviate from my set, I felt like an idiot for not addressing it. So I did.
Here's what happened:
It settled down after that so they must have shut up or left or something.
More clips of me dealing with unruly audience members:
Gay heckler yells "f*** you" at me (at Princeton University)
"This roomful of people would like you to stop talking" (at Sound Fix)
4/20/10
Strange fundraising
MS is a disease that takes away your ability to walk. Yet the big fundraiser to cure it is a walkathon. That seems in bad taste to me...like having a softball tournament to cure Lou Gehrig's disease.4/19/10
How honest do you feel a comedian's act should be?
Reader question:
I'm fine with lying on punchlines. Going somewhere ridiculous is kinda the point there.
And little white lies are ok too. Like "I saw a crazy thing today" when it was actually weeks ago. Always surprises me how that can actually make a difference in a joke too. Immediacy helps.
But I dislike when premises are big lies. If you pretend that someone did something crazy and then you make fun of that fictional act, it just seems hollow to me. Or you make up a silly "this guy said to me" line and then mock it...well, what's the point? There's no there there.
The worst of all is when a premise is just clearly false. Like clearly that NEVER happened. Totally takes me out of it. When that happens, I can't even pay attention to the rest of the joke. It's like watching someone try to dance with a dead horse.
That's for me and my jokes and my p.o.v. If you're an absurdist comic or going for something else, making shit up is fine. For example, almost all of Steve Martin or Zach Galafianakis' act was/is made up of lies. And that's why they're funny. Different recipe for a different cake.
How honest do you feel a comedian's act should be? Have you ever found yourself unable to enjoy someone's set because you knew they were lying? Not something that was an obvious exaggeration or a goofy statement but something that appeared to be the truth, such as claiming to be single when they're actually in a relationship (or vice versa).
I'm fine with lying on punchlines. Going somewhere ridiculous is kinda the point there.
And little white lies are ok too. Like "I saw a crazy thing today" when it was actually weeks ago. Always surprises me how that can actually make a difference in a joke too. Immediacy helps.
But I dislike when premises are big lies. If you pretend that someone did something crazy and then you make fun of that fictional act, it just seems hollow to me. Or you make up a silly "this guy said to me" line and then mock it...well, what's the point? There's no there there.
The worst of all is when a premise is just clearly false. Like clearly that NEVER happened. Totally takes me out of it. When that happens, I can't even pay attention to the rest of the joke. It's like watching someone try to dance with a dead horse.
That's for me and my jokes and my p.o.v. If you're an absurdist comic or going for something else, making shit up is fine. For example, almost all of Steve Martin or Zach Galafianakis' act was/is made up of lies. And that's why they're funny. Different recipe for a different cake.
4/16/10
Lawrence at Whiplash
Video of Mike Lawrence's first Whiplash set. Magical set. Just kills it. And ya know you've got a Lawrence-friendly crowd when they cheer at the mere mention of comic books!
I've seen all these jokes a bunch but it's funny how a hot crowd can really make a persona come alive. You feel like you really know him after this set, esp since so much of it relates to personal stuff like his sex life, family, work history, etc. Feels like the big connection with the audience he gets here is, in part, because of how much he's willing to reveal himself.
I've seen all these jokes a bunch but it's funny how a hot crowd can really make a persona come alive. You feel like you really know him after this set, esp since so much of it relates to personal stuff like his sex life, family, work history, etc. Feels like the big connection with the audience he gets here is, in part, because of how much he's willing to reveal himself.
4/15/10
Hot Soup: Mushroom Barley edition
Friday (4/16) features:
Wil Sylvince
Grant Lyon
Michael Terry
Adam Pateman
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Doors at 7:30pm. Showtime at 8pm.
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
Wil Sylvince
Grant Lyon
Michael Terry
Adam Pateman
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Doors at 7:30pm. Showtime at 8pm.
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
4/14/10
Classical or jazz?
Interesting convo going on over at last week's "Focusing on industry over the room" post.
Erik C Nielsen said:
myq replied:
I think it comes down to intention. What do you want to do? Let's take CK. He's churning out so much new, great material at such a rapid pace. I guess it's more the symphony model but he's creating and retiring material so fast that there's def a slash and burn, jazzy thing going on there too. If he was doing the same bits for years at a time, that'd be one thing. But every six months he seems to have a brand new hour.
My fear is to wind up in a place where you're just phoning it in. Reciting a script every night. That might be the "ideal" perfectly crafted symphony, but to me there's a price you pay for that. You sell your soul a little bit.
That's why I love watching a Todd Barry, Patrice O'Neal, Todd Lynn or others who have great, crafted bits but also spend a large chunk of their sets really existing in the moment. I think they are as engaged and interested as the audience when they perform. They're having a good time each time they go up onstage. And that to me is the other idealistic thing to shoot for: To make people laugh but to also be fully engaged and having a blast while you do it. A lot of comics seem most fully alive when they're riffing. Then they settle into material and you feel the air go out of the balloon a bit.
Depends on how you see the world, I guess. I also think performing in a jazz or rock group would be way more fun than performing in an orchestra. The fuck ups and mistakes and wrong turns are what keep you from feeling like a robot. Symphonic perfection may be the ideal to some, but the idea of it kinda puts me to sleep.
One more thing: Erik asks, "If it's ephemeral, you're going to say it once and then it's dead, did it really ever matter?" Maybe that makes it matter even more. It was a special, unique piece of magic that existed only in that one moment in space and time. It's a once in a lifetime event that an audience and a performer get to share. Maybe that's how much you care for THAT audience. You're trying to make something special for them, even though you may never be able to use it again.
Erik C Nielsen said:
As far as this issue is concerned, I oscillate between the pragmatic -- "hey, if it gets laughs, whatever" -- and the idealistic -- "if it's dependent on the condition of the room, is it really yours? If it's ephemeral, you're going to say it once and then it's dead, did it really ever matter? If it's only funny in context, is it really as strong as a thing which is funny EVERY time?"
I feel like riffing is almost always the antithesis of craft, of efficiency, of speed. The most well-crafted set would contain little or no riffing -- the ideal comedy set, like the ideal in every other art form, is solid, filled up word-for-word, no wasted effort.
So while I certainly see the practical efficacy of riffing, there's something about it that feels like an artistic cop-out to me. ("Hey, I've got actual content, stuff I've crafted, but maybe I'll shock you a bit if I just make up a thing on the spot! Here it is!")
I mean, ad libbing isn't striving toward the ideal, you know?
myq replied:
Erik Charles Nielsen is about comedic performance as symphony.
Pro-riffers are about comedic performance as jazz improvisation.
A jazz improviser might play something only once and have it wow, compared to an orchestra performing Beethoven's fifth that wows every time.
I don't think either of those things are illegitimate as art or music.
I agree, there's good and bad riffing in comedy. Some people are amazing at it. (Paul F. Tompkins' latest CD starts with several tracks of fun riffing, before he goes into his excellent material, which is precisely the sort of thing he does at live shows as well... and his riffing delivers consistently, though it is unique to each situation.)
You can build up your muscles of riffery, just the way excellent improv performers put on excellent different shows every night.
And I'm sure there are symphony orchestras that can play a performance and mail it in.
There are ups and downs to each. Some people tend towards one rather than the other, and you're allowed to do whichever you like, or whichever you think you're good at. Or whichever you're NOT good at, if you think you can/should get better at it.
When you get down to it though, jazz is jazz and a symphony is a symphony, and a jazz symphony is a hybrid of the two, but they're all music; they're all art.
And the according analogy in standup--if you enjoy being in the moment, do it. If you enjoy working on polished pieces, do it.
They're both standup.
Andy Kindler is amazing and in the moment so much of his set, I love watching him. He is like comedy jazz.
Steven Wright is amazing and does a 90 minute show that is full of specific jokes that go the same way every time, for the most part. He is a comedy symphony.
They're both great, and neither of them needs to be the other way.
I think it comes down to intention. What do you want to do? Let's take CK. He's churning out so much new, great material at such a rapid pace. I guess it's more the symphony model but he's creating and retiring material so fast that there's def a slash and burn, jazzy thing going on there too. If he was doing the same bits for years at a time, that'd be one thing. But every six months he seems to have a brand new hour.
My fear is to wind up in a place where you're just phoning it in. Reciting a script every night. That might be the "ideal" perfectly crafted symphony, but to me there's a price you pay for that. You sell your soul a little bit.
That's why I love watching a Todd Barry, Patrice O'Neal, Todd Lynn or others who have great, crafted bits but also spend a large chunk of their sets really existing in the moment. I think they are as engaged and interested as the audience when they perform. They're having a good time each time they go up onstage. And that to me is the other idealistic thing to shoot for: To make people laugh but to also be fully engaged and having a blast while you do it. A lot of comics seem most fully alive when they're riffing. Then they settle into material and you feel the air go out of the balloon a bit.
Depends on how you see the world, I guess. I also think performing in a jazz or rock group would be way more fun than performing in an orchestra. The fuck ups and mistakes and wrong turns are what keep you from feeling like a robot. Symphonic perfection may be the ideal to some, but the idea of it kinda puts me to sleep.
One more thing: Erik asks, "If it's ephemeral, you're going to say it once and then it's dead, did it really ever matter?" Maybe that makes it matter even more. It was a special, unique piece of magic that existed only in that one moment in space and time. It's a once in a lifetime event that an audience and a performer get to share. Maybe that's how much you care for THAT audience. You're trying to make something special for them, even though you may never be able to use it again.
4/13/10
Kumail's John Mayer story
He did it as a bit at Whiplash last night. Wow. A 7+ minute chunk of material that is outrageously good. It's such a compelling story that every one is on the edge of their seats. And then what he does with it is just gorgeous. Recreating the whole scene while bringing in perfect analogies and even milking huge laughs out of just repeating the name "John Mayer" over and over again. A perfectly crafted, Peanut Brittle-esque adventure. When he puts an album out, it's gotta be the closer. Feels like a career defining bit. Not because it involves a celeb but because it's that damn funny. Was awesome to see.
4/12/10
The tattoo whisperer
Did a show for a bunch of Pratt students (art school in Brooklyn) the other night and got an applause break midway through...but not cuz I said something funny. I just randomly guessed that a girl had an e.e. cummings tattoo. Strange moment. Recorded it, here's the transcript:
Me: You got tattoos also?
Girl #1: Yes.
Me: Also a mathematical symbol?
Girl #1: No, I have literary tattoos.
Me: Ah, nice. What do we got? Some e.e. cummings?
Girl #2: [Screams] I have an e.e. cummings tattoo.
Me: You have an e.e. cummings tattoo! Look at this, guys! [Applause.] Hello fate. Welcome to the man who is able to guess tattoos. This is my carnival trick. I'm gonna bring out the bearded lady next.
Girl #1: She works at our school. She works at Pratt.
Me: This girl does?
Girl #1: No, the bearded lady does. She teaches the circus class.
Me: God. What do you have to do to be a professor there? Do they just hire them at Coney Island? You're a midget who can drive a nail through your nostrils — come be a professor at Pratt. You can teach the digital media class. Is the bearded lady a good teacher?
Girl #1: She teaches the circus class. You can't take it as a freshman.
Me: Yeah, you need to be a little more EXPERIENCED before you take the circus class. "We don't let just anyone tame the lions at Pratt." Circus class! What are you doing with your lives? How much does this school cost you a year?
Girl #1: $43,000.
Me: Oh my god. Well, you'll all make it back in the art world so no worries there.
The end
(Fyi, the tattoo was the opening line to this poem.)
Me: You got tattoos also?
Girl #1: Yes.
Me: Also a mathematical symbol?
Girl #1: No, I have literary tattoos.
Me: Ah, nice. What do we got? Some e.e. cummings?
Girl #2: [Screams] I have an e.e. cummings tattoo.
Me: You have an e.e. cummings tattoo! Look at this, guys! [Applause.] Hello fate. Welcome to the man who is able to guess tattoos. This is my carnival trick. I'm gonna bring out the bearded lady next.
Girl #1: She works at our school. She works at Pratt.
Me: This girl does?
Girl #1: No, the bearded lady does. She teaches the circus class.
Me: God. What do you have to do to be a professor there? Do they just hire them at Coney Island? You're a midget who can drive a nail through your nostrils — come be a professor at Pratt. You can teach the digital media class. Is the bearded lady a good teacher?
Girl #1: She teaches the circus class. You can't take it as a freshman.
Me: Yeah, you need to be a little more EXPERIENCED before you take the circus class. "We don't let just anyone tame the lions at Pratt." Circus class! What are you doing with your lives? How much does this school cost you a year?
Girl #1: $43,000.
Me: Oh my god. Well, you'll all make it back in the art world so no worries there.
The end
(Fyi, the tattoo was the opening line to this poem.)
4/9/10
Upcoming shows: Kabin, Three of Cups, Under St. Mark's, etc.
I'll be standing up at these shows:
Saturday, April 10
8:00pm - Going Steady @ The Cove
Sunday, April 11
9:00pm - Comedy Show @ Beauty Bar
Monday, April 12
8:00pm - Uncorked @ City Winery
Wednesday, April 14
9:00pm - Pretty Good, You? @ Under St. Marks Theatre
Thursday, April 15
9:00pm - Comedy as a Second Language @ Kabin
9:00pm - Punch Your Face Comedy Show @ China 1
Friday, April 16
8:00pm - Hot Soup @ O'Hanlon's
Sunday, April 18
7:00pm - Arms & Hearts @ Karma
8:00pm - Sunday Night Standup @ Three of Cups
Monday, April 19
9:00pm - Comedy Time @ Broadway Comedy Club
Tuesday, April 20
9:00pm - RUBBER BULLETS Comedy Show @ 87 Ludlow
Thursday, April 22
8:00pm - Supercream Supreme @ Legion Bar
Friday, April 23
8:00pm - Hot Soup @ O'Hanlon's
All my shows are listed on the calendar.
Saturday, April 10
8:00pm - Going Steady @ The Cove
Sunday, April 11
9:00pm - Comedy Show @ Beauty Bar
Monday, April 12
8:00pm - Uncorked @ City Winery
Wednesday, April 14
9:00pm - Pretty Good, You? @ Under St. Marks Theatre
Thursday, April 15
9:00pm - Comedy as a Second Language @ Kabin
9:00pm - Punch Your Face Comedy Show @ China 1
Friday, April 16
8:00pm - Hot Soup @ O'Hanlon's
Sunday, April 18
7:00pm - Arms & Hearts @ Karma
8:00pm - Sunday Night Standup @ Three of Cups
Monday, April 19
9:00pm - Comedy Time @ Broadway Comedy Club
Tuesday, April 20
9:00pm - RUBBER BULLETS Comedy Show @ 87 Ludlow
Thursday, April 22
8:00pm - Supercream Supreme @ Legion Bar
Friday, April 23
8:00pm - Hot Soup @ O'Hanlon's
All my shows are listed on the calendar.
4/8/10
Focusing on industry over the room
Feels like everyone's trying to get on TV. Honing that showcase set. Trying to win contests. Doing what it takes to "climb the ladder."
I get it. Overall, it's a smart move. But it annoys me how it takes you away from what's purely funny in the room at the moment. The more you worry about a neatly packaged product that's well rehearsed, the more you lose rawness and immediacy. The idea that this room on this night is something special — that you're seeing something that couldn't happen anywhere else. It's part of makes comedy magical.
That's what I like about Yannis' crazy Bar Four show. You feel like anything can happen there. At most shows I go to, I feel like I know exactly what's going to happen.
I get it. Overall, it's a smart move. But it annoys me how it takes you away from what's purely funny in the room at the moment. The more you worry about a neatly packaged product that's well rehearsed, the more you lose rawness and immediacy. The idea that this room on this night is something special — that you're seeing something that couldn't happen anywhere else. It's part of makes comedy magical.
That's what I like about Yannis' crazy Bar Four show. You feel like anything can happen there. At most shows I go to, I feel like I know exactly what's going to happen.
4/7/10
Hot Soup: Leek edition
Friday's lineup:
Sara Schaefer
Kevin Barnett
Ross Hyzer
Mike Drucker
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Doors at 7:30pm. Showtime at 8pm.
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
Sara Schaefer
Kevin Barnett
Ross Hyzer
Mike Drucker
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Doors at 7:30pm. Showtime at 8pm.
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
4/6/10
Hedberg riffs on Irish "whoo hoo"
Happens all the time. Mention some city and a yobo in the crowd yells out in response. Here's how Mitch Hedberg dealt with it at one show:
4/5/10
When a one-liner guy drops the script
Bad things in life can lead to interesting things onstage. Got to see a comic who's normally a one-liner guy break out of his shell the other night. His gf had just broken up with him and it seemed like he was taking it rough and needed to talk about it.
From a comedy standpoint, it was really interesting to watch someone who I had only heard do scripted jokes seem totally in the moment. He was being open and honest about what was on his mind.
And it totally changed the tone of his delivery. The pauses. And how the crowd reacted to him. Now it wasn't the punchlines that were getting laughs. It was everything. The uncomfortableness. The authenticity. The reality of seeing someone talk through real drama onstage.
I'm glad he got it on tape (assuming he wants to keep going in that direction). Because I think the tough thing is to hold onto that raw emotional state/delivery. Unless you're a really good actor, it's tough to reconnect to that authentic feeling once you're doing something night after night. And then those in-between laughs disappear. (Part of that whole lifecycle of a bit thing I discussed recently.)
At least he can look back and see what it is that was getting laughs. Which pauses, which lines, etc. Because the laughs came at unexpected places.
Overall, it was neat to see a real A-B comparison of the same comic with different material. Seemed like a more organic, pure exchange with the audience this way — instead of a script with "here's where you laugh" moments.
From a comedy standpoint, it was really interesting to watch someone who I had only heard do scripted jokes seem totally in the moment. He was being open and honest about what was on his mind.
And it totally changed the tone of his delivery. The pauses. And how the crowd reacted to him. Now it wasn't the punchlines that were getting laughs. It was everything. The uncomfortableness. The authenticity. The reality of seeing someone talk through real drama onstage.
I'm glad he got it on tape (assuming he wants to keep going in that direction). Because I think the tough thing is to hold onto that raw emotional state/delivery. Unless you're a really good actor, it's tough to reconnect to that authentic feeling once you're doing something night after night. And then those in-between laughs disappear. (Part of that whole lifecycle of a bit thing I discussed recently.)
At least he can look back and see what it is that was getting laughs. Which pauses, which lines, etc. Because the laughs came at unexpected places.
Overall, it was neat to see a real A-B comparison of the same comic with different material. Seemed like a more organic, pure exchange with the audience this way — instead of a script with "here's where you laugh" moments.
4/2/10
"Massage" lines that let a crowd know you're not a complete dick
From "Mike Birbiglia's guide to better storytelling":
Those Birbigs lines always kill and do a great job of letting the audience know he's completely aware of how he's being perceived and what he's saying.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. How master comics get away with saying dickish things yet still have the crowd like 'em. I think a big part of what makes people like Burr or CK great is the way they massage some of their edgier bits. You know CK loves his kids and spends lots of time with them and that let him get away with calling his daughter an asshole.
Here's Bill Burr in "Why Do I Do This?" after he jokes about a black swim team movie:
And before he launches into a tirade on the demands of women, he says this:
Lines like those seem like toss offs. But I think they play a key role in letting a comic get away with saying edgier stuff. It's a way of keeping people on your side instead of just going full throttle with "tell it like it is" prickness.
Step 5: Finesse with attention-grabbing asides. (A few from Birbiglia's repertoire: [Following a groan] "I know… I'm in the future also." / "Now, before I tell this part of the story, I want to remind you that you're on my side.")
MB: One of the ways that [latter] mechanism was formed was not out of some skillful writing. It's from the charity golf story where I was performing after an 11-year-old boy who had survived leukemia. I would tell that story without that qualifier, and people would just look at me like, “We hate you.” And saying “I know…” to the audience was another kind of necessity that came out of people gasping. There are certain kinds of things you don’t want to hear, and one of them is, “Uggghhh.” And also an “Ooooh.” That’s not good.
Those Birbigs lines always kill and do a great job of letting the audience know he's completely aware of how he's being perceived and what he's saying.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. How master comics get away with saying dickish things yet still have the crowd like 'em. I think a big part of what makes people like Burr or CK great is the way they massage some of their edgier bits. You know CK loves his kids and spends lots of time with them and that let him get away with calling his daughter an asshole.
Here's Bill Burr in "Why Do I Do This?" after he jokes about a black swim team movie:
I'm not being a dick here either. OK? Just to clarify. I don't want anyone coming up to me after the show: "I was thinking it and then you fucking said it." I'm not saying black people shouldn't be able to put on a speedo and go for a dip.
And before he launches into a tirade on the demands of women, he says this:
I just find women, they're just like, uh, I think they're great. I don't want this to come off here like I'm some woman hater 'cuz, y'know, I know I'm a psycho. But I just find them to be relentless. Just every day they gotta come at ya...
Lines like those seem like toss offs. But I think they play a key role in letting a comic get away with saying edgier stuff. It's a way of keeping people on your side instead of just going full throttle with "tell it like it is" prickness.
4/1/10
Hot Soup: Chicken Noodle edition
Friday's (4/2) lineup:
Damien Lemon
Doogie Horner
Ahmed Bharoocha
Max Silvestri
Jarrod Harris
I'm hosting.
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Doors at 7:30pm. Showtime at 8pm.
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
Damien Lemon
Doogie Horner
Ahmed Bharoocha
Max Silvestri
Jarrod Harris
I'm hosting.
Hot Soup!
Every Friday
Doors at 7:30pm. Showtime at 8pm.
FREE SHOW
O'Hanlon's
349 E 14th St between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Produced by Matt Ruby, Mark Normand, Andy Haynes, and David Cope
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