It’s a tearful reunion as Dylan Gadino, editor in chief of punchlinemagazine.com returns to BTB. He discusses how the state of stand up has changed from his last visit, whether shitty sitcoms are a result of shitty comics and why Dylan is jumping on the New Zealand bandwagon.
Email: brianmcomedy@gmail.com and give us a call on 206-203-4692
Sweet, something to keep my mind from dying while I work!
Thanks for playing The DO’D Brian, much enjoyed.
“Spicks and Specks” was the name of a song by The Bee Gees which is what that Aussie tv show is named after. I never knew that the word “spick” was a slur, you guys have way more of these words than we do this side of the puddle.
Brain C, great stuff that David O’doherty… new to me as well…
I saw DO’D live this week. He’s pretty awesome, David O’Doherty Time is a well put together show, it held together really well, and was super funny; but man, it was over two hours long. he went on stage at 8.30 and didn’t get off until nearly eleven. How long do fest shows go on for out in that mythical overseas place where all y’all live? Actually, how do festivals impact y’all? Is Edinburough seen as a mecca to any of you peeps?
That raises an interesting question for me, Sando… I’m sure we’ve all seen a comic perform who we thought was funny through most of the show, but maybe went 15 minutes to half an hour too long. Should there be a time limit on even the best stand up? Or maybe a better question is, is there an amount of time when an audience can start to feel too much of a good thing? Bmo has referenced marathon comedy acts on the show before, and, no matter how talented the comedian in question, the very thought has horrified me… (the Dave Chappelle 4+ hour comedy show in particular sticks out in my mind….) Can even the funniest person on Earth stop being funny after a certain amount of time?
I’m very much of the opinion that you can have too much of a good thing. For me, one a comic hits the 2 hour mark I’ve mentally checked out. No one can be brilliant that long. The biggest compliment you can get as a comic is “I wish you were up there longer”.
Random subject for a future show that maybe you already covered. CD’s. Are they going the way of the cassette tape? Yes. So a lot of comics i know are straight up putting their material on Itunes and other digital media sites.
Another thng that seems to be happening is that DVD’s are becoming the new CD. Your thoughts.
Bmo- Before I comment on the topic on hand I want to submit for the second straight week My Comic for the spotlight Larry the cable guy- Brian told us to check out comics that we should listen to new comics and I watched a DVD of Larry the Cable guy and laughed my arse off. Now, I can’t get enough of Larry.
I agree with what Brian said I’ve tried to listen to multiple Behind the bricks and Brian’s old poker podcast and I almost go crazy listening to multiple episodes. I think that after two hours people tune out or get lost or go nuts listening to the same guy.
In regards to my pick for a comic to spotlight this month I have to go with Colin Quinn. Now I’m sure that everybody on this board has heard and/or seen Quinn in some regard. But i was lucky enough to see quinn at the comedy cellar a few months ago and he killed. Probably the funniest hour i have ever seen. Plus from what i hear he goes out of his way to help other comics. so there you go.
Hi guys (and the other girl. Hello!),
These are not exactly on thread, but I just listened to this week’s show and wanted to share while I was fresh.
It was great to hear from Dylan regarding the Variety piece and comedy in general.
I am glad Punchline has started publishing unfavorable reviews. I don’t need Punchline to be a cesspool of snottery like pithforkmedia or something, but the reviews were so relentlessly positive (Does anyone really like the Bob Saget album? Or Aaron Karo?) that I stopped reading them.
As far as the internet as a marketing tool, for me it’s been invaluable. I get gigs through myspace and it helps me build and manage my mailing list. My website doesn’t get nearly as much traffic, but I keep it up as a way of storing neat stuff like my bingo drinking games and other freebies. It’s not a replacement for hanging out after shows with a mailing list and merch, but it is still a pretty amazing tool for reaching people who are disposed to like you.
Play on, players,
Margaret
Worst stage nightmare:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WCGKb8ikRc
Above and beyond being punched on stage, I nominate Jim Jeffries for a spotlight. I just listened to a couple of his bits on youtube and laughed myself stupid.
— Dennis the nominator
I concur with Dylan’s recommendation of Phil Mazo’s “Pervert”.
I have heard good things about that album, but the fuck if i can actually find it.
on sitcoms: AOL has been putting a list togethor over the past few weeks, because if there’s anything thats a authority on television comedy its AOL. heres the link:
http://television.aol.com/photos/best-tv-comedies
Some i understand and others dont make any sense. Ex: sex and the city’s a sitcom? i just figured it was a test our girlfreinds made us watch so they would sleep with us.
ok in refrence to the past sitcom thing AOL has been making a list oer the last few weeks of the 50 greatest sitcoms of all time. Because if anybody knows telivesion comedy its AOL. heres the link:
http://television.aol.com/photos/best-tv-comedies
Since when is sex and the city a sitcom?
Word on the street is that there’s been a problem with the site. Anyone having trouble posting?
I realize now that if you were having trouble posting, you probably wouldn’t be able to post letting me know that you’re not able to post. I’m taking a nap.
Two issues in response to this show:
First, the final exam for my Art of Science and Humor class, the stand-up set, was a rousing success. The only disappointment is the lighting in the club was horrendous, and the only place to set up recording equipment results in a completely black video with so much background noise you can’t hear the sets, either, so I have no record of the show. However, Of the 20 students who took the stage, I gave 14 As, 4 Bs, 1 C and 1 F (she was completely wasted, and actually fell of the stage during her set, which was, actually, the funniest moment of her show).
On to the request from Brian for information about the Internet and comedy. I think the Web has radically changed the DELIVERY of humor. Think about all the junk e-mails you have received from people you KNOW that are meant to be some kind of stupid joke. Or the links you have been told you just HAVE to see (remember the dancing hamsters from the early 90s, when we thought that animation was cool?).
YouTube has altered it even more. Forget the fact you can go to literally hundreds of Web sites and read great jokes and see funny shit, think about all the video evidence that has impacted how humor is delivered. The Evolution of Dance video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg) has been viewed on YouTube more than 84 MILLION times. That’s not 84 million unique views, but it’s probably close to 20 million. That’s about 19 million more people than have watched the highest rated stand-up special on Comedy Central. Think about that.
Adam Samburg has his gig on Saturday Night Live because he hounded Lorn Michaels over and over again via e-mail to watch his YouTube videos. Now, his “SNL Digital Shorts” are the most watch, and most-Googled, segment of SNL each week.
Would “I’m Fucking Matt Damon” and “I’m Fucking Ben Affleck” have ever been famous? I mean, really, how many people actually watch “Jimmy Kimmel Live”? Six? Maybe seven?
The point is, thanks to the Internet, we certainly have more access to more material. Some of it good, some of it bad. And I’m certainly it has a lot of people in their offices pretending to be comedians, by stealing material off the Web.
Oh, and one more thing Brian, regarding your last post. If there is a problem posting to the site, how the hell can we answer your post?
test
ok im back. well i found this thing on AOL thats been counting down the fifty greatest sitcoms of all time. because if anybody knows good telivised comedy its AOL. a bit odd, heres the link:
http://television.aol.com/photos/best-tv-comedies
Since when has sex and the city a sitcom?
ok im back
RE: Is the internet useful for comedy?
Personally, it has been beneficial to me, especially lately. Last December a headliner from North Carolina (I live in Illinois), Kerry White, emailed me out of the blue because of something I had posted at roadcomics.com about setting up your own shows, something he was interested in doing on a national scale. The results: a string of gigs starting in June, finding a new comic I admire, and, if we work well together and don’t hate each other when we actually meet, a new friend in the comedy biz.
In general, however, I think there’s a lot of bullshit. First of all, every comic who’s ever been on stage once can have a web site, and if he’s good at marketing and promo and has one decent minute of video, he can make himself look like a pro. Second, there are loads of “talent” websites and online contests (Rooftop, Famecast…) that I think are nonsense. I wrote a long-ish diatribe about this on my old site and won’t torture you guys with it here. I’ll re-post it at the new site and post a link here soon for anyone who gives a shit.
I guess my position is that the internet can be useful if you’re serious about doing comedy and actually work at it, and it’s great for discovering comics you might never otherwise hear about, but it’s no substitute for doing the real work (drinking and chasing waitresses).
whoops i inadvertadely posted the same thing multible times. Stupid labtop. my bad
About Dylan not liking the FOTC album… I understand where he’s coming from, but I don’t think he understands where the rest of us are coming from, since he hasn’t seen the HBO show.
I think the reason people like the FOTC album is for the same reason that friends tell each other inside jokes to the bewilderment of outsiders. It’s something fun and memorable that you want to repeat if possible. That’s why the best way to look at the CD is as a companion to the show rather than a full-fledged, standalone comedy album.
But I do agree with where he’s coming from, in that if I had never seen the show, and I blindly bought the FOTC album just because it was in the comedy section and I was thinking it would be a straight-up comedy album, after the first two songs I’d be like “What the fuck is this shitty French shit” and throw it out the window.
So Dylan, if you’re reading this, I hear you bro, but seriously, you should check out the show if it’s for no other reason than to get caught up. It’s a waste of time listening to the album if you haven’t seen the show, it’s too bad there isn’t a sticker on the CD that tells people that.
And Steven Wright should have won.
On Internet comedy:
There’s no doubt that internet comedy has created a new playing field in recent years but it’s really more for sketch or short films then stand up. But the internet allows stand ups to present there material on an unfiltered format, AKA no censorship on the internet. hell i barely watch regular tv anymore and the FCC’s insane policies.
the token scot:
well said. the sad thing is i have the first season of FOTC on DVD still in the wrapping. after seeing their HBO special all those years ago and after hearing the album, i’m finding it difficult to tear that puppy open and actually watch it. i will eventually though. anyway, thanks for the response and understanding where i’m coming from.