Respect The Light
November 16, 2007 · Print This Article
Can you guess the #1 reason comics don’t get rebooked at comedy clubs? If you guessed because they whip their cocks out, you’re not even close. It’s by making a crowd laugh hysterically longer than than they have been contracted to do. Brian discusses the importance of “doing your time” and teaches you the all improtant mantra, Respect The Light!
Other topics include the writers go on strike, why women aren’t funny, corporate gigs - the evil Godsend, a spotlight on the top musical comic in the biz and the very first BTB heckler! My head looks like a balloon on a string.
Email: brianmcomedy@gmail.com and give us a call on 206-203-4692
Brain,
Nice bit about the WGA strike - as to there position funnily enough I think they put it best:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzRHlpEmr0w
It’s also nice to see the ’stars’ of the Daily Show helping out.
Hey Brian!
Thanks for the e-mail shout out! Just so you know, I hold no responsibility of my failings to you, because if I tried to take out the mic I’m sure I would have fumbled it or dropped it like a jackass!!
It would be great if you could talk about after that first set how you went about fixing the mistakes you know you made. Was it obvious to you, the mistakes you made or did it just take awhile to even realize what mistakes you made?
If anyone else has some ideas on correcting mistakes please let me know!
SINA, that was a really funny show, keep it up
Hey everyone i havn’t listened to the show yet i was just wondering because me and my friend pete were thinking of going up and doing the college christmas show with a comedy routine but we kinda worried that because some of the people at are colle (mainly the blonde girls) were not that good with common knowledge maybe some of our material would not be completely understood by everyone. Do comics get this and if so what do they do to prevent it from happening? And have any tips to help us relate it to everyone? sorry ifyou covered this in an earlier show but with so many shows now i can’t remember the ones from the beginning anymore!! anyway good work brian and thanks for sending us the cd was great!!
btw sorry for my terrible grammer …. im part of that new msn culture!
The real reason men don’t expect women to be funny is that they don’t want them to be. Men take a lot of pride in making people laugh because it’s a form of power. Men don’t like to see women wield a man’s preferred power over him, and they quickly tear her down. It’s all part of the subconscious gender-role ballet of society. Face it Brian, you’re just part of the phallocentric machine.
I’m part of the phallocentric machine? You have the word “dick” in your name! That is a fantastic point though and I think you’re 100% right.
Jonny, if you try to form an act that will please everyone you’ll never get up on stage because it’s completely impossible. You can try to generate material that caters to college students by focusing on relatable experiences, but there’s still no guarantee that it will work. Write the stuff that you think is funny. Comics who write only to please the crowd end up coming off hacky.
thanks brian i’ll have to aim for the majority of people who aren’t completely oblivious to everything and hopefully the other will get 1 or 2 of my jokes … thats if im even a the lil bit funny *fingers crossed*
Well, gang, this is my last “Leonardo’ Musings” post. Let me explain why. The main reason is I realize this just isn’t the most appropriate venue for what I want to do, I should be writing letters to the editor or something. I started out wanting to do a brief political satire each week, but found that I would write copius amounts and then dump it all for a quick ( and for this outlet more apropriately sized) one liner or two. But I did get some valuable lessons from the short experiment:
1. I truly believe conservative points of view are more suited to satire than stand-up. If you don’t agree with a liberal, you can be called a racist/sexist/homophobe/islamophobe/war monger without much consideration to your actual position and the quick punchline can be tagged to calling those names. Making the conservative point requires a more detailed explanation, since it usually will run contrary to what you’ve been taught at college or been exposed to by the media, and it draws the humor out too much.
2. I stopped being able to think up non-political material while doing this…I was very intently focused on just the one type of comedy. No fun in that.
3. There was an overwhelming number of topics I wanted to write about. Not many of them were funny, but ideas could be presented in a humorous way. Great for a satirist, bad for a standup.
Many thanks to Brian and everyone else who put up with my narcissism. I’m not leaving, just leaving my politics behind.
I meant also to give credit to Dennis Prager, also, who I think is our greatest political thinker. He gave me my inspiration.
I’m glad to see you’re not leaving entirely Leonardo. I still have tremendous respect for what you’ve been doing over the past few weeks. I agree that focusing too hard on one topic can really stifle creativity so I look forward to hearing what you come up with in the future. My hope for you through this process is that maybe next time you hear a comic with a liberal point of view, you won’t take it so personally. After all, sometimes a joke is just a joke.
Thanks Patrick! And thanks Brian for a great show. Loved the heckler response, very smart and very cutting. Loved it many times over.
Also, I agree 100% with you on the WGA strike. And I laughed out loud when you mentioned some guy sitting in a studio apartment ready to become a scab because that’s me and my friends right now. haha…we were laughing about how all these new opportunities for changing of the guard with the studios needing writers.
We think that’s why myspace did that whole Storyteller contest…because they knew the strike was coming. Something to think about anyway.
Hugs,
Sina.
Speaking of going over time…I went to the Laugh Factory in LA where I was hoping to see my first night of A-List comedy in a night. What I ended up seeing was a bunch of old actors and pseudo-celebrities doing horribly unpolished acts. They had a showcase-style setup where there were 4 or 5 comics doing about 20 minutes each. Most the actual comics did fine but then came Tommy Davidson. He was singing Sammy Davis Jr. songs and just rambling on and on and people were laughing for about 20 minutes…then he went on to do another hour. The light in the back might as well have burned out from flashing so much. haha. It was horribly painful to watch.
Another fun example, if you’re not already familiar, is Dane Cook in Yuk Yuks in Vancouver last year. Just Google search Dane Cook Yuk Yuks Vancouver and you can see all the articles on it. It was pretty funny. And sad at the same time.
Hugs,
Sina.
Great show once again, found some Sarah Silverman stuff on Itunes so will have a listen to her soon ( only got I-tunes because of BTB so its all good )
I notice that Paramount Comedy is showing Last comic standing from tonight, I assume its the one just shown in America. So how many of these have there been, I recall seeing one a couple of years ago which i thought was just a UK thing judging by a couple of the acts ( ie Stan Boardman) and Andrew Maxwell, but maybe not?
Last of all, Weird Al classic once again, forgot he did that one, hope we get to hear his Micheal Jackson piss take next time!
I think there have been 5 seasons of Last Comic Shitting, but one of them was a even lamer best of. It’s worth a look, but please don’t judge all American comedy by what you see.
Fab show, and well worth the 24 hr delay.
Regarding the topic of Respecting The Light, I was surprised to hear no mention of the vibrating watch - every comic I knew in London used to wear one a few years back - Casio used to sell one for £25 (about $50 now). You’d set it so that a mild electric tingle would pulsate into your wrist a few minutes before your time was over.I used one for a while, but could never get used to the vibration effect- it would always have a nasty habit of vibrating heavily just as I was approaching a really juicy punchline, and ruining my comic timing by distracting me with the belief that half of my body was having a stroke rather than the fact my watch was telling me I was due offstage in 2 minutes. Technology, eh?
I must say I’ve never heard of a vibrating watch. Sounds like a cock ring in disguise.
If you think Casio’s vibrating watch was a bit suspiscious, you should’ve seen it’s main competor of the time - the Seiko alarm buttplug …
Would Frank Zappa qualify as musical comedy? Songs like Why does it hurt When I Pee? and Broken Hearts are For Assholes are lyrically as good or better than some of what has been offered up…
Brian,
Really like your show. I listen to several shows consecutively on my ipod, played in the car on long drives. Here in L.A., a long drive is sometimes just the commute to work…
Comment on respecting the light:
It works both ways. Most comics will respect the light if they can SEE the light. I have been doing open mikes and (minimally) paying shows for several years. Lately, the hosts have taken to using the dimly lit face of their cell phones as “the light.” From the back of a room, where several people are playing with their phones (texting, listening to messages, some even talking) the booker will wave their own phone. The comic is 50 ft away, paying attention to the crowd, trying to get laughs, usually with bright, french-fry-hot lights in their face. It’s a little much to expect that they are going to notice some micro-cell phone glowing in the back of the room as “the light.”
So, rather than complain, I now bring very cheap flashlights to the shows and either let the hosts borrow them, or just give it to them as a kind of “remember me” gift. So far, every host has appreciated the gesture, and some have even spent the 2 dollars on their own flashlights. My thought is to get a bunch of them with my name and number printed on them, just like people do with pens, as a promotional item.
The second issue concerning “respecting the light” is that the host should make it clear what the time is for the set, and be equally clear as to what the light means - 1 minute, 2 minutes, GTFO the stage right away…whatever. Several times I’ve seen the light, thinking it’s the 1 minute signal, when it’s intended to be the GTFO signal. Usually this results in an angry host afterwards. Just be clear - that’s not too much to ask.
Russ
Welcome Russ. Definitely agree with your posts. Particularly with open mics, a conversation needs to be had before hand letting everyone know, what the time limit is, where the light will be coming from, and what it means. Otherwise you’ll have a dozen people coming off stage saying, “I didn’t see it” and an audience full of people in agony.
Dear Brian:
With a baby on the way do you expect to be using the phrase “cock ring” less?
Thanks and keep up the good work!
The information about going over your time is news to me. I had no idea about that; so far, it’s not been a problem for my students in my comedy class; the bar where we perform loves us to stay late, because that means the students will drink more.
However, I’ll impart that information along to the students before they actually move into more professional digs, or attempt an open-mic night that hasn’t been specifically created just for the class. It’s good to know.
Fortunately, when I do open mics, I always try to respect the time limit and get off in my 5 minutes (or whatever the limit), because I just think it’s common courtesy to the comedian following you.
Hey Brian, if Last Comic Standing is as bad as the other one i saw i won’t be watching for long anyway but i won’t judge all american comics by it, mind you the synopsis says British American Canadian and Australian comics, so who knows.
Rick - Seiko alarm Butt plug, that had me sniggering for ages, very amusing.
Uncle Kraig. You must have me confused with that clean cut charming gentleman who married your niece. However, thank you for thinking that my horrendous language is “good work”. See you soon!
Hey BMo
Wow, I haven’t hit up the message boards in a while.
Umm, I have a frustrating story about how I didn’t get to perform. And I need a place to bitch. So, after the one (and only show I did), I’ve been looking for places to perform, and writing material. Looking and writing. The thing is, most of the open mics, are not only on school nights, but on the other side of the island. But at the show at the state capital, I meet this rap group/band who is decently big in the underground scene, and we exchange myspaces whatever. So I get this bulletin from them, that says they are gonna be headlining a show at a local venue (last week friday). I send them off a email, asking if there would be room for me to perform. Then I ask my parents if I can go. My mom has to call around, make sure its safe and whatever, but I get the go ahead.
My mom drives me to the show, and then drops me off. 10$ entry fee. Boom, I’m supposed to catch a ride with her friend later that night. So I hang out at the venue waiting for an hour or two before the show starts. The show starts late, because I live Hawaii, and so I don’t know when I’m performing. So I hang around for a while, with the band and stuff. Then, at around 11, my mom’s friend calls, saying that she is on her way, an hour or two ahead of schedule. I still haven’t performed yet, but am scheduled to do 5 minutes right before the headliner (band) of the show. So I basically have to bounce, maybe an hour or two away tops from not only getting more stage time, but in front of a much better crowd than the first one. Pretty frustrating. (and this is me mellowed out)
Oh, but I did learn that a liquored up crowd responds better, because I had to go to dinner with my mom to one of her work get-togethers. And when they found out I wanted to be a comedian, I was immediately asked “Oh, tell us a joke”. (Which I did, because they were scary and drunk and all women) But they laughed at all of my jokes, even the ones I thought were not so funny.
This is a damn long post.
I’m listening to my interview from Year of the Gore again (because I have homework to do) and I wanted to clear something up, (I say this as if anyone cares). But my reaction, thank god it’s over, was because I was bombing on stage, rather than the nerves being overwhelming.
Ok there is such a conspiracy! I said more than “Hey BMo”. I mean really how enlightened is that? The REST of my comment was… “another AWESOME show. I see you’re keeping up the great work. Congrats on tiny BMo”. I may have said something else but now I can’t remember. GREAT!
Hey mike not really, Did the band understand that you had to go? I really hope they were cool with that. Making some contacts with bands is a smart way of making some contacts. Especially bands that will let you open for them. Myspace is pretty good like that. Now if you just keep doing that, then you should be able to perform a lot when each band goes anywhere. Does your school do a talent show?
Hey brian, that makes me think of a question for you….have you ever made contacts that you thought would help you out later with your career? The way mike not really did.
Brian,
I’ve enjoyed Behind the Bricks for the past couple months and am finally done lurking.
I am beginning/working comic. I get two or three paid gigs a month and get the rest of my stagetime from showcases and open mics.
I really hate seeing people, and I see pros do this as well as newbies, stay on stage past the light because they think that one more joke will give them the laugh that’s eluded them the previous 4-5 minutes. Seriously, if you can’t get a crowd to laugh in the first minute, it probably won’t happen. This is one of the reasons newbies do so well on their first or second try– they aren’t so cocky that they won’t quit while they’re behind.
I dig the show, and am ready to throw down with the “women aren’t funny” crew.
Cheers,
Margaret
“Rick - Seiko alarm Butt plug, that had me sniggering for ages, very amusing.”
Thanks, C Jack. But I did actually own one of the seiko Buttplug prototypes. I would alwaysbinsert one before a gig and deliberately over-run , just for the strangely pleasant buzzing sensation. Even though I might die on my ass, my actual ass was having too much fun to care!
Two lovely ladies making their debut. Thanks for checking in Bless and Margaret. I had to tape early this week so you won’t get a shout out on the show Thursday, but know that it isn’t because I’m part of the phallocentric machine.
Went to see Russell Howard last night, very good show, bit of a strange set up thou. He came out first of all, did about 20 minutes, all crowd work ( we were a tough crowd it seems, not very forthcoming with answers to his questions, that and being from up North he didn’t really understand us Southerners all that well )
Then he told us the light was flashing telling him its time for the other act, at which point he brought out his support act, who did about 20 mins ( not great, very different from the main act, not much energy in the performance ). Interval then Russell again, for about 45 mins.
As i said great show, very energetic, but thought having him, then support act, then him again was weird.
I’m going to try to get tickets for his hour show as well. Maybe he does that so people dont miss the support act by turning up after the time. I have no idea but still really want to see his whole show. I also want to see Jon Richardson (his radio partner).
My school does a talent show, but its not until march or april.