Internet Killed The Comedy Star
May 8, 2008 · Print This Article
Everyone knows the tale of Dane Cook parlaying millions of douchebag internet friends into a billion dollar career, but is the internet really a win-win proposition for today’s comics? B-Mo gives his take on why the internet may be diluting the quality of up and comics, plus all of your questions, comments and topics from another week in the comedy world. Have you met my racist puppet?
Email: brianmcomedy@gmail.com and give us a call on 206-203-4692
ZOMFG, it updated so early! What’s the deal B-Mo? Are you reverse-sick or something?
Oh ho, I make lame jokes on the internet because I am to lazy to make good ones.
…
Yeah, i’ll make a more constructive post once I actually listen to the cast. Yeah, that’d be useful
http://www.locusmag.com/Features/2008/05/cory-doctorow-think-like-dandelion.html
Also, I could not agree with Cory Doctorow more with what he said in this article he wrote for Locus.
Okay, first, I’m stoked for you that your wife is going back to work. I hope it works out for you guys.
Secondly, why is an internet persona false? The way I see it is that it’s just a part of your over all thing. No one is a comic purely, and the myspacing and the blogging etc., (for me it was a vanity website that I took down because it was awful), and the net is really about fusing different technologies and artforms together right?
I am seeing internet comedy (or InterCom, if you want a pretentious name for it,) influnced stuff turning up in Standup, it’s more weird, Demetri Martin, HomeStarRunner, 4Chan, slightly pretentious stuff. And it’s got to have come from the internet, because it sure hadn’t shown up on T.V, and we’re seeing it turn up everywhere there is a bunch of rich bored youth. I.E, almost every country in the 1st world. There is a total global youth culture thats faciliated by the internet, and in the last couple of years the first members of that culture have started producing really good, interesting shit. Kinda like when the baby boomers turned up, except now there’s way more skinny black jeans and eyeliner.
Thirdly, Aristophenes, fucking wins dude. Lysistarta turns frigid greek women refusing to have sex with old men into comic gold. Where I come from, that’s what we call an average Wednesday night down at the local ladies night. As the French say; Le Zing.
And The Frogs is dark, one of the funniest little pieces has Hercules laughing at his half brother for being to camp, (even though they were all pedasters back then anyways), and advising him to kill himself. Its brillaint. Though his joke is totally going to suck, because the translations that are cheap to use are also really lame and try to capture ‘the rhythm of his poetry.’ God, my years of theatre wank training kick in way to often now.
Fourthly, I hate how I really resent that lolcats has turned into this huge America’s funniest home videos for the internet thing. My mum reads them now, because she likes the cute cat photos. I showed her that Seal who wanted his bucket back and she shat a veritable pony of giddyness with her excitement.
West B-Mo. West Fullas and you two ladies.
You’re definitely right Sando, not everyone on the internet is doing a character, but many definitely are. Not just comics. Think of other message board forums where 90 lbs losers who get shit on all day start burying everyone who posts just because they want to be a bully for a change.
I think most comics are on the up and up and are just trying to promote themselves. I was just trying to reinforce Dan’s point that in years past you sent out a tape with a set on it, and you could tell immediately if someone was funny or not. Now you can have someone with 2 open mics under their belt, a completely polished, professional website, and a killer 90 second youtube clip, but nothing else.
I dig it dude, though that’s gotta be rare, if someone has a good website they have to have the content to back their balls up or else all they have is a pretty wordpress theme. Hmmn, actually, yeah, there’s like a billion sites like that now I think about it. Thankfully they aren’t exactly top of the google list though.
just a few minutes into listening to the show…
Quick question:
As a hobby magician myself, I once picked up something:
You really should know what you are doing before you are going to perform before a paying audience, because if you suck, they probably will never again hire a magician, therefore hurting all the magicians coming after you.
Can you translate this to stand up? Or is there more of a “I don’t care about anyone else…” thing going on?
Just thought about it, because Brian was reading the comment of Dan about how every beginner can have a website and a kick ass promo…
- Jan
back to internet comedy: apparently the internet comedy site superdeluxe is merging with adult swims site. they say a few series will be destroyed in the merger. I hope Dereck and simon isnt one, its produced by Bob Odenkirk, one of my biggest influences. Cant say i care for his other thing Tim and Eric but whatever.
Patrick: as a huge sketch comedy fan I gotta say that I’m not too keen on Superdeluxe, although I gotta say, about half of what Tim and Eric do is pretty funny. Although their other show Tom goes to the Mayor (which had some of my favorite comedians ass guests) was the worst show on adult swim.
What sketch comedy do you guys like? Any of you guys do any sketch comedy as an alternative to stand-up?
The link to the old site was dead, so here’s the whole lengthy mess:
I had about a dozen clips on RooftopComedy.com, recorded at Crackers in Indianapolis since September of last year. About a month ago, I decided to end my participation and have my “content” removed. The primary reason is that I wasn’t happy with every minute of most of my sets. Most were open-mic nights where I tried new material, some shows were under-attended, the audience mike at Crackers has never worked anyway, and sometimes I just bombed. In any case, aside from the convenience of reviewing my own performances, there was little reason to maintain my rooftop channel for the purpose of pointing bookers or club owners to my sets. But that’s not the only reason I decided to bail.
According to Rooftop’s stated purpose for existing: “We are for comics. What if you could reach a bigger audience than The Tonight Show and still swear? RooftopComedy.com is broadcasting the best comedy from around the country, and soon the world. It’s an opportunity for comics to build their followings, establish a professionally produced video archive of their favorite sets, and win money along the way.”
I want to address a few of these points:
We are for comics. Well, yes and no. Yes, you can get yourself on the internet with no effort. And I suppose that - theoretically - you could use your clips as a sales tool to get booked. But whether or not any bookers are willing to wade through half a dozen 6-minute clips to see if an unknown comic can feature, much less headline, is something I find a little hard to believe.
What if you could reach a bigger audience than The Tonight Show…? If only it were true. My first clip on Rooftop (back when the site had a lot fewer participants) spent a brief time in the Top Clips menu and received almost 600 views - in a year. Even the several thousand views that some clips get hardly constitute what I’d call Tonight Show numbers. As subsequent clips of mine made their way onto the site, and more clubs and more comics started appearing, the lower the number of views became. My last one didn’t break 50. Before you accuse me of sour grapes, take a few minutes and browse other comics - known and unknown, good and not so good, killing and bombing - and you’ll see the same trend. Hardly incentive to stick with a site that is growing in popularity. The only thing getting a Tonight Show-sized audience is Rooftop. Which brings me to:
…win money along the way. First of all, I dislike the competition approach, especially the American Idol / LCS method of letting users do the voting, which is the source of millions of unwanted Myspace solicitations (vote for [blank]!!!). But the real issue is the money itself: $250. According to the Past Winners page, Rooftop has doled out $250 to 11 comics - since February of 2006. Don’t get me wrong, I wholeheartedly support giving comics money, but $250 doesn’t even rise to the status of token when you consider the amount Rooftop received in venture capital. Ready?
2.5 million.
That should make it clear that Rooftop isn’t first and foremost “for comics.” It’s a business whose purpose is to sell advertising and content to wireless services. Rooftop retains the right to distribute its content to their partners, content that comics give them for nothing in return but the outside chance to win a couple bones and scant attention from a public they neither see nor interact with.
It’s important to note here that Rooftop does not own the comics’ work. But they don’t need to. Comedy is not what they‘re selling. In the CNET blog review of Rooftop last year, Rafe Needleman wrote: “The site was designed to help comics get their work out to people who might be able to help them in their careers. Rooftop exec Will Rodgers (not a comic) told me that talent scouts for venues and TV shows use it to find acts they want to book. The secondary market, of course, is you and me.”
I disagree. People surfing around for laughs are not the “secondary market.” They’re the primary product (eyeballs) Rooftop sells to advertisers.
I’m not saying Rooftop is evil. I have never met Will and have nothing against the guy. Nor do I have anything against Andi Smith, a comic and co-founder. In fact, I think she’s pretty funny and probably should have advanced further the year she was on LCS. Nor am I singling them out. This is the basic business model of the talent-web site. I’m not against people starting businesses and making money. I’m not trying to encourage everyone to boycott rooftop comedy. I’m simply sharing my reasons for deciding not to be a part of it. Comedy is not “content,” and my comedy is not on loan to someone else’s multi-million dollar venture.
I love The Human Giant on MTV.
http://www.TheHumanGiant.com
You gotta be shittin’ me…
http://www.variety.com/VR1117985335.html
!!!
What!?
http://www.variety.com/VR1117985335.html
Hey Ricardo, what do you think of Gavin and Stacey? Should I bother acquiring the first series?
I read this and I’m not really sure what to think!!
Comedy Central is breathing new life into the iconic 1970s variety program, “The Gong Show.”
The network has greenlighted the “The Gong Show With Dave Attell,” the comedian-star of the network’s “Insomniac” series. The new “Gong Show,” set to premier July 17, is produced by “Win Ben Stein” producer Andrew Golder and Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television.
Like the original, the talent show will consist of off-beat acts to be judged by a rotating panel of celebrity judges. Judges displeased with performances will wield a giant gong hammer to cut off no-talent schtick.
“Stars will be made,” Mr. Attell promised in a statement, “feelings will be hurt.”
Yikes. i root for everything Attell does, but this sounds Dicey. Comedy Central hasn’t exactly had a stellar reputation with orginal programming. It has funny potential, everyone loves a train wreck, but I’d like to see Attell judge rather than host.
I think attell will be funnny as he alwasy is but surely this sounds like another show where ‘normal’ people can just laugh at retards being slammed by arseholes like Simon Cowell?
As you say B-mo, this hardly sounds orignal!
And Britain apologies for Mr Cowell, Anne Robinson and Coldplay!
“And Britain apologies for Mr Cowell, Anne Robinson and Coldplay!”
…and Piers Morgan, Victoria Beckham , Gordon Ramsay and the Osbournes too. Can you ever forgive us?
Dan,
I’m really with you as far as skepticism about Rooftop and other contest-y sites, like Famecast. The traffic seems completely dependent upon mobilizing your mailing list to click and rate, again and again. I participated in a contest like that once, and I felt really badly about it, even though I won.
In the end you dilute your fan support without having much to show for it.
Brian–
Really creepy this week, and this is high praise from the girl who closes with a fisting joke. Keep the late night tales and puppet proposals coming!
Alvaro on sketch comedy: I actually started in sketch comedy with a group i help found called Aristocratic Ferret. We only did one show at the end of my senior year and it was a blast to do. however because all the members went to different colleges we havent done anything with it since. but i just talked to one of the guys in the group and we might try to bring it back togethor for a summer. Ive been doing stand up, if sketch is my wife then stand up is my mistress that i go to at any possible time. But the only really good sketch show i like right now is human giant. Old sketch shows i really like were Monty Python, Upright Citizens Brigade, and Kids In the Hall(who are now on tour so if they coe to jersey im definitly gonna try to see em.
On the gong show: cant say i ever saw the oiginal so this new one will be my first exposure to it. However, Dave Attell as host is a bit odd. God knows Attell is awesome but i cannot see him as the host of a talent show type thing. whenever i think that my mind inadvertadly starts thinking “what if Dave Attell hosted the Oscars/Emmy’s/Grammys?” I then subsequently start luaghing my manboobs of at the absurdity of it. so i guess we have to wait and see.
And finally on Rooftop comedy: A comic i met a few months ago, ridiculously funy guy named Gordon Baker Bone, entered that funniest college student competion to go to aspen. he didnt win but something about it was kind of odd. only about thirty college’s were profiled. this seems kind of discriminating considiring that the funniest college student might be going to a community college in idaho. I tend to shy away from national competions one way or the other but still seems a little unfair.
oh one other thing on sketch than im done: Tell me if you agree or dont but there are things comedically that can only be conveyed in sketch that could never be done through stand up. Thoughts and/or hate mail?
Thanks Margaret. Good to know that my sleep deprivation is making me more depraved. I’ve checked out your website, so I feel being called creepy by you is a compliment, or dare I say, right of passage?
Are there any Mencia fans out there? Comedy Central has been running non stop promos for his new special and new season of Mind of Mencia, but everyone I talk to (even Mexicans) can’t stand the guy. Is anyone looking forward to this?
oh sure, his biggest fan…satan
I don’t understand why Comedy Central puts those ads on either. The last thing I need is to get a raging chubby from watching nubile, barely legal nymphos strut around for a 60-second commercial, and then immediately after I’m greeted by a erection-killing closeup of Greg Giraldo or one of those Blue Collar fuckers.
I don’t think comedy central understands it’s demographic very well. Most of the people I know who really dig it like the current events-y stuff like The Daily Show, The Cobert Report, and South Park. The Mencia commercials make people think they’re watching a channel for morons. Bad move on their part.
Oh, thanks for checking out the website, Brian. I hope the drinking games for responsible adults didn’t make you too wistful. Dive Bar Bingo is a hard sell with a baby on board.
Of course he isn’t even from Mexico anyway…..Honduras isn’t it?
Comedy Central clearly is trying to fill the huge vacuum that was left when Dave Chappelle backed out of his third season. So they invested heavily into Mencia, and found that we was marketable to the beer-guzzling frat demographic.
It was successful at first for Comedy Central, but season 2 took a huge dip in the ratings. Hence why there was such a long delay in bringing it back for the 3rd season. Because even the beer-guzzling frat boys realized “hmm, maybe repeating the phrase Dee-Dee-Dee for 25 minutes isn’t funny after all.”
Obviously we’re all in agreement that we cant stand Mencia, and I think its only a matter of time before his show gets canned. I think Comedy Central will pull the plug on the show once it can find another big name start to carry its network like Chappelle did.
http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2007/03/05/5084/pay_to_play_hits_london
What do you guys think of the pay to play thing?
BTW did anyone catch the interview on Punchline with Drew Hastings. He such an interesting guy (and a great comic). Started comedy when he was thirty….moved back to the midwest away from LA and had some great higns to say, esp in regard to advice for comics. Hint: It involves hatred for LA!
http://punchlinemagazine.com/site/?p=900
It was a good punchline article. I always felt a bit guilty of starting comedy at 28 when everyone at the open mics seemed to be about 20-22. What are people’s thoughts on comedy and age? I’m a person who believes you get funnier as you get older because you’re smarter and have lived more of the everyday bullshit life.
I’ve only being doing stand up for 6 months so i would love to hear from comics who started young what their thoughts are on age and starting comedy.
Anyone else think the Comedy Central censors went a little bleep-crazy with the Drew Hastings special? Some of the words were plainly not profanities, but merely mildly suggestive language.
it did seem to be over censored but what can you really expect. as good as comedy central is at putting out a variety of comics theyre still bound by the insanity of the FCC. I had to do a report on them in college and i can say with absolute certainty that the FCC is bat shit insane. good lord the things they will censor. of course it’s better now than it was in the past but it still gets out of hand. the only real place that you can see good uncensored comedy on tv is HBO, and even then you only see well established comedians and you never see any of those young comedian specials anymore, ugh when Dangerfield died we didnt just lose a comedic genius we lost a segway to new talent. Well, all the more reason to go see live shows i guess.
Yeah Drew Hastings says even things like ‘going down’ were censored!
Good point about Dangerfield, Patrick. I mean who now is doing what he did to bring on young talent? Putting together specials and showcasing them?
Not only are there virtually no specials featuring up and coming talent., most festivals have given up on it as well. The new comic showcases used to be the most highly anticipated events at Aspen and Montreal, now, like everywhere else, they are just becoming another huge paycheck for the megastars of comedy. Sad.
Ryan,
I know what you mean about starting late. I started when I was 28 or 29, but I actually think it’s an advantage, because 20 year olds don’t have much to talk about outside of comedy (Jay Black made a good case for this). They also still do hard drugs, which makes me feel like an old lady when I kick it with the comics.
Most important, as a grown-up-type, I am less tempted by road pussy. I know most of it is either not worth it or really not worth it.
I think these are major advantages for the codgers. I’ll bet the young’uns can counter them, but I’m a little hard of hearing so they best type in all caps.
I agree about the age thing, but I’m biased because I started “late.” The only drawback is perhaps lacking the will, or the stamina, to be on the road a lot. Then again, I don’t mind turning down the opportunity to drive 300 miles for $100 and no room.
Most, if not all, of the early-20-somethings I see are all flash and no substance. They jump around like Dane Cook in their A&F shirts and pre-torn jeans and peacock for the sorority table, and that’s pretty much it. Either that or they’re totally derivative of Hedberg.
I see where everyone is coming from saying comics starting later have an easier time easing into the field, but obviously everyone matures differently. Eddie Murphy was tearing up the New York standup scene at an early age and landed a role on Saturday Night Live at age 19. Dave Chappelle started doing standup at age 14 and landed a role in Robin Hood Men in Tights at age 20.
Sure these two are rare examples, but I think whats more important than age in comedy is passion and stamina.
If an 8 year old wants to get on stage and tell jokes, who cares let him. Younger comics might have a harder time easing into the field, but hey if they have passion to succeed they will.
And yes I have a bias because I’m 22 year old comic
Brian,
In response to your question in the show, the C on the stand-up exam was due to time, but the opposite extreme of what you expected. I told them five to seven minutes; he went 10, and I had to force him to leave the stage. If he had been funny, he might have gotten a B, but you have to know when your material sucks, you should shut up, don’t you think?
And as for the drunk student, the only funny thing she did was fall off the stage. However, she spilled my wife’s drink in the process, so she lost any hope for pratfall credit….
Don’t you guys think it’s so much funnier when people aren’t trying to be funny?
Check out this video of Bill O’Reilly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t857cprZs1o
I think it’s awesome that you docked them for going over their time. Much like in the real comedy world, it doesn’t matter how funny you are, you’re still gonna get your ass chewed out if you go over.
I totally agree with you Aman, I see the younger comics and and you can tell the ones that will succeed due to their passion. I was always jealous of them because I felt like they have such a head start on me so its nice to hear the argument from both sides. In the end funny is funny, regardless of age.
I hope I didn’t come off as being against anyone under a certain age getting on the mike. There are those who get it. Bill Hicks started at 14 as well.
Of course there are famous examples of incredible talents starting early. If you are an incredible talent, it doesn’t matter when you start.
I think that the problem with young comics is that there are a lot of them, and they show their influences more than older comics do because they have less life-stuff going on. I’m jealous of them, too, because stage presence is so important and that is something that you can improve even if your material is basically a paraphrase of (God help us) Vicious Circle.
Most of the people I see starting in the bay area are either really young (majority), going through a divorce, or in some sort of midlife crisis. I’m much closer to a midlife crisis and I think the disintegration of anyone’s marriage is hilarious, so of course I like the old folks better.
There’s a guy in Indy who shows up once a month for the Tuesday open mic, Carl K:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=34658454
He has one of the best old-guy bits I’ve ever heard: “I like biscuits and gravy. It reminds me of oral sex.”