this was a really great interview. if i ever reach the point where i can tour i’m definitly going to look forward to the funny bone. but since that point is a long, long time coming this will have to do.

And I definitly agree with Jeff’s assesment of woody allens stand up. definitly some of the best recordings ever.

A question for the touring comics on the site:
Do you find that there is a tangible difference in an audience’s sense of humour from one part of the country to another? Is it a great enough difference to actually have to alter your set around? Or is it more subtle … less than the difference between shows at the same club?

Cheers,
Pray4Snow
comedy-fan

Yeah, it’s behindthebricks.ning.com

I may have been the only one bothered by this, but I couldn’t stand the way Jeff Schneider kept using male pronouns in every single reference. Guys aren’t the only ones working for pink.

Otherwise I really liked the interview. I know comics who make extra scratch helping other comics with their tapes. They always offer these services as if the only thing standing between you and the next level is 30 grainy minutes with your number sharpied on top. Not likely.

I enjoyed the interview. Jon Stewart is smooth and professional but not funny.

I think you should always carry either a card or a demo disk with your contact information. If you meet someone who can either help your career or blow you occationally after a drunken night of comendy, you want to be able to give them your phone number, email address and weblink quickly, rather then trying to find a pen and drunkenly writing your email address on a damp bar napkin that smells faintly of sick desperation… just my $.02

Having a card is like having a DVD: no one really cares, but if you don’t have them, you’re unprofessional. I question the worth of headshots, too. Very few comics – myself included – have headshots that really convey the essence or tone of their acts. And when there’s 137 of them on the wall, who cares? But bookers keep asking for them, even if you’re a lowly feature, and won’t book you if you haven’t sent them a stack.

I’d argue the opposite Dennis, in that badly scrawled phone numbers (usually written on a wet napkin by a drunk person with a leaky biro) mostly lead to heartache when you try deciphering the same number for future contact the following morning.

Swapping digits via cellphone however is virtually foolproof,even in an alcohol-charged club situation – especially if you both have your cellphones on you.

All you do is agree to ring the other on their phone while they’re stood next to you. Once you or their’s phones start ringing, you know you can save each other’s numbers for posterity via the Recieved/Dialled Calls feature on most mobiles.

Recardo – we can agree to disagree, or just do both… I think handing someone a preprinted card with all your contact information is the easiest thing to do in a noisy club where I’m probably running around trying to keep the show going and keep some damn comic from doing something disgusting with my drink when I’m not looking… and if somebody wanted to “beam” me their phone number I’d have to find the manual for my blackberry to figure out how to do it… OK… I’m old and just use my cell phone to make calls and make my wife believe she can reach me when I’m at the club.

I think we can both agree borrowing a pen from the guy who wants your number and then writing it on a bar napkin or his arm is the least attractive alternative, but most of the comics I know stick to that old standard…

Hey, I have just gotten to be in cohoots with the very cool website http://www.mancouch.com.

Check out my blog on the site:

http://www.mancouch.com/JoelFryComedy/weblog/

One of the best interviews I’ve heard so far! I like the new web layout and best of all my company internet filter doesn’t seem to block it anymore.

Ricardo – You can create professional looking business cards with a headshot and all the necessary information very inexpensivly these days. Shop around online and you’ll find great deals. I think having them handy is a good thing because you never know who you are going to meet when your out performing or watching a show. I always try to exchange cards with the comedians I meet, it’s good networking. Just don’t make the mistake of passing them out to every drunken slut at the bar, you’ll run out quick! lol

Thanks for the feedback Marc and Joel.

I only asked this question after having a bad experience with promotional stationery a few years back.

Rather than get tiny business cards made, I thought I’d be cute and different, and get postcard-sized cards made instead, with a cool full colour pic of myself on one side and all my contact details on the back in black and white.

These postcards looked fantastic – I remember trading one of these with another comedian’s ordinary sized business card, and he comparing it to the scene in American Psycho with Patrick Bateman trading cards with buisness rivals, and the whole importance of typefaces, raised lettering , watermarks and card thickness etc.

My problem with my cool-looking postcard-sized business cards was that they were too damn big to fold and keep in a pocket properly, and would usually be thrown away after the recievant realised they were just too big to keep on their person properly.

Sounds like some small black and white cards with some cute graphics might be the best option right now.

http://img172.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bricky2002k.jpg

Seems like I’ve read a book or an article about creating a postcard. I think it’s a good idea, but like you said is probably too much trouble to carry on your person all the time. Check out Vistaprint’s website. I found some really cheap deals on cards there. Last time I checked you could get basic cards for free if you cover the shipping which was around 4 bucks. I was happy with the basic cards, but later changed my contact info so I spent a few extra bucks, maybe 15-20 and designed my own card with a headshot and glossy finish…it feels real nice in my hand. LOL

Wow – thanks for the kind words , RFig – especially the cool Alan Bates comparison.

(My friends would say I’m probably more like Norman Bates!)

“ricardo reminds me of a dude from star trek/the beatles.”

Spock McCartney, perhaps?