I’m not sure when the business of stand up turned into an episode of Days of Our (Hilarious) Lives, but now in addition to writing material that is universally funny and summoning the courage to put it out there on stage, comics have to deal with the 7th grade-style clicks that make up most club owners. Brian talks about the finer points of juggling egos that are not his own, and what he did when presented with the risk of being black balled. Plus take the new poll, is Brian’s child a genius or retarded?
Email: brianmcomedy@gmail.com and give us a call on 206-203-4692
Sorry for being an off topic first post but I’m gearing up for the Edinburgh Fringe 2008 in a few weeks and I note that John Pinette is playing a show there. I always try and see people I may not have a chance otherwise to and was wondering if anyone had any comments on him. i.e. is he worth the £12.50 ticket price.
Can’t wait for Rick Shapiro and Jamie Kilstein though!
Holy shit, John Pinnette was in The Punisher! Seems a poor man’s Ralphie May talking about his weight?
John is a really good guy, I’ve worked with him many times. Very funny but it is mainly fat jokes. “You Go Now!”
As far as the poll question, is “idiot savant” an option?
Aw sweet, Dylan Gadino is comin on the show. I love punchline. I probably check it every day for comedy news. And a tight five is really insightful.
For Ryan setting up his own gig, as a fan I would absolutely agree with what Brian says. You have to remember that if the crowd are affected by an unprofessional room the whole gig and comics are effected and the vicious circle continues. However, I would say that Picking the comics is of course important. I’ve been to too many shows were even professional comics go over time, or don’t project or just been to gigs were people are shit.
I was at a festival (which was in a usic tent with the crowd standing up) and Jo Koy did about 15 mins too long and it really sucked. He was pretty funny and instead of ending on a high just dragged it out way over time.
Again, it affects the crowd and the gig and EVERYONE involved. I always remember when B-mo had his buddy and mentor on, Scotty Goff, who wasn’t even let on stage by the manager and he OWNED the club. Don’t be afraid to let people go up if you think they’re not good or professional……and remember its better to have a awesome 90min show than a medicore 2 hour show. Good luck dude!
I’ve emailed a couple of times but I thought it might be time to try commenting here.
I was sitting here in my Igloo (Ice huts are more of a vacation thing) listening to the show and I had a few thoughts to share on the episode.
Have you considered that your kid may be destined for prop comedy…retarded doesn’t seem so bad anymore does it.
I went to one show where they followed some of your tips
raised stage-check
decent microphone – check
decent comics – check
good crowd – suprisingly check
MC – no..just walk on stage and introduce yourself.
good location – NO..NO..NO!!
they set up in a college cafeteria 6 feet from the registers, people were standing behind the stage at the condiment station. It was a zoo.
The part that drove me nuts is that in that building alone there were two theatre style lecture halls, the larger one actually had a stage!!!
The set up annoyed me so much that here I am a mere16 years later reliving the dread I felt upon seeing the set up.
I will say this for the crowd, those who sat near the stage were a supportive crowd there to see comedy, the diners had the rest of the cavernous room to eat (yell, throw frisbees and blare their music!!!). It was a tough day for those comics you could see the frustration on their faces but most had ok sets.
Lastly, I have been watching parts of Last Comic and everytime I see Sean Cullen I hear “2 dyslexic game show hosts meet” from the Corky and the juice pig days and it is enough to keep me smiling through a Papa CJ set.
Been checking out what big names are in Vegas while I am there, and it sems that the best show is Kevin James with Ray Romano. Now I did enjoy King of Queens (or “That Doug Thing” as my girlfriend calls it), never was that big of fan of Everybody loves Raymond but I still wouldn’t mind seeing the two of them live. Problem is it is $110 a ticket before tax! If I pay $110 for a show I’d expect to see George Carlin supported by Bill Hicks with Richard Prior as MC and The Beatles as the interval act. Can it be justified for just seeing “two guys off the tv”?
fuck me! $110! If you give that to B-mo he could open a club of his own in Vegas.
For $10 I’ll come to your hotel room and tell you every bar joke I’ve ever heard.
How about I give you $20 NOT to come to my hotel room!
Hey guys, I haven’t posted in a while, but still listen religiously. The other night I saw Louis C.K. at a local club (The Stardome in Birmingham, AL) and he was Awesome! The tickets were only 25 each, which I thought was a great deal.
Apparently he was working the kinks out of a new act, and it was very good. I got to meet him and say a few words, he was real pleasant to me. Can’t say as much for my intoxicated friend, who kept repeatng “I am your biggest fan” (I’m sure he has NEVER heard that).
Anywho, if anyone has a chance to see him, I would highly recommend it. I believe he is on a tour over seas right now.
Take care everyone!
Anyone that reads Mr. Gadino’s website will know, Chris Rock is doing a new HBO special in September, Kill the Messenger. And I’m excited for it, but I’m even more excited because it’s supposed to also include footage from his South Africa performances. As far as I know, this is the first time stand-up would be in South Africa. Which, when you think about it, it could have happened sooner with all the British influence down there (go colonization!)
Brian- This is the first time I’m hearing exclusivity in the terms your talking about. In the town in NJ I mainly perform in, Cherry Hill, there used to be two comedy clubs, the Cabaret and Rascals. They got along pretty well, because it was generally understood that Rascals was a tad bit of a better room to work. Plus, both the managers are real nice guys.
So, exclusivity rights only applied to the headliner (and sometimes the feature) which said you can’t work both clubs the same weekend, and you can’t do any open mics or charity shows within a certain radius and time period. Only because the club was charging a certain amount for a ticket price, and if people could go to the Cancer Benefit HaHa Show to see someone for $5, why would they go to the Cabaret or Rascals for $20 and a 2 drink cover?
But, it never applied to that 19 year old shmuck of an MC they got over at the Cabaret. No one’s coming to see that kid.
I suggested the club loyalty topic? Don’t remember that – maybe I was pissed (as well as pissed) whenever I typed that.
But here’s a ridiculous example. One club where I’ve done open-mic’s for nearly three years forbids even the OPEN MIC’ers from doing the OPEN MIC at the other club that opened about a year ago. On top of that, the club’s policy is that when you sign up for the open mic, you get only one guaranteed spot that month and one alternate spot. So you get 6-12 minutes per month and barred if you go get another 6 across town.
“As far as I know, this is the first time stand-up would be in South Africa”
What?!
There is a heap of Stand Up in South Africa, though from what I have heard from other stand ups and an episode or three of Ross Noble goes Global (basically a tour diary/comedy show done for BBC radio 2) most of the popular ones were kind of hack and or bluer comedians. Which is something that is par for the course anywhere.
It may have been the first time Chris Rock has been in South Africa though.
Going to see Louis CK in Dublin tomorrow night, can’t wait.
I remember last year there was a South African comedy night on in dublin. i wsn’t able to go myself, but I was offered free tickets a few times so I don’t think it sold well. The acts were John Vlismas , Mark Banks and Riaad Moosa.
Anyway I’m off, time for the Tri Nations! Come on Australia!
I’d Kill you if I cared enough.
Really? Comedy in South Africa? Okay, I’ll admit that I’m an American that’s not too, too worldly yet. Sando, or Brian C, what’s the lowdown on the South African Comedy scene? Is it good, or just there? Are there comedy clubs or just theaters where people like Chris Rock can perform? Like is there like a Cape Town Improv or a Caroline’s at Pretoria that’s nice to work?
(see also: Yuk Yuks at Johannesburg)
Regarding badly-organized clubs, I turned up to try some new material at a gig last year that ticked every box possible for being a shittly-run open-mike.
The gig was in one corner of a busy student pub, with no stage or microphone, which would mean shouting over the chatter of the students to get your material heard. No one in the place had actually turned up to see comedy, but the MC managed to persuade 6 people about to order a meal to sit near the front and eat their nachos while they watched the comedy, just so his gig could go ahead. The “performing area” (a square of carpet) was also right next to the pub door, meaning any audience attention could be distracted at any time by people constantly walking into the pub right past the acts.
Before the MC had even brought any of the acts on, I decided there was no way I was going to perform. After he brought the 1st act on, I told the MC I didn’t want to do the gig. “WHY??!” he boomed. “Because there’s no way I’m trying 10 minutes of new material with no mike in the middle of a pub to 6 people having a meal.” He seemed genuinely hurt that anyone could blow a gig out like this. Luckily, the first act who was still peforming had an onstage panic attack after only 2 minutes of performing to complete silence , and walked off, and the gig was over.
I get just baffled and angry that some idiots still think this is an acceptable way to run an open-mike evening.
I forgot to ask you Brian – what’s your view on when a gig shouldn’t go ahead? Particuarly if you’re an act who’s been asked to do a pointless gig like the one I described? If I turn up for a gig that turns out to be as bad as the one above, I’ve no problem refusing to go on – it’s not like i need the stage time or experience anymore . If the gig involves payment, or is for a comedian friend, or a promoter with influence and a wide range of contacts, then I’d probably do the show. But I’ve never bought into that “Well you’ve turned up – you might as well go on” excuse a lot of promoters use for trying to make you do an utterly pointless and crappy gig.
What’s your take?
Louis CK was fantastic. Just in the door and still on an incredible high. You know when you are laughing so hard that you almost wish that he would stop talking because it is hurting you, but then when he takes a pause you wish he would keep going.
I think I am going to use this high to stay up writing for the night. So I’ll probably end up with 30mins of material ripped off from Louis CK than I can never use. So is this how Dane Cook got started, boom boom.
I’ll go away now.
Chris Rock is definitely not the first stand up comedian to perform South Africa. My cousin lives there with his family, and anytime I go down there to visit, I always try to get stage time at the comedy club in Johannesburg. I wouldn’t call it a huge comedy scene down there, but there are definitely a good handful of comics that make a decent living performing in South Africa.
Oh, and people in South Africa that I’ve met really despise the movie Lethal Weapon 2 hahahahaha.
Chris Rock was pretty fricken awesome. His political stuff was pretty on point, albeit, covering some stuff that’s been done to death, i.e. we’re ready for a black president, we’ve already had a retarded one, and McCain is too old jokes- You don’t start a job at 72. But otherwise, his stuff involving Obama was a take I haven’t really heard before. Oh and his Hilary stuff wasn’t the traditional take on her, which I really enjoyed.
He started off really strong, but at around say the 40 minute mark, he started to hit a lull, (Altogether he was on for about ninety minutes), but ended on some relationship stuff that I thought was pretty good, even if it isn’t entirely original territory.
My favorite material, was the job vs. career stuff. And then breaking down what having a job entails, compared to what having a career means. Very good show. And definitely worth the 45-dollar-in-the-nosebleeds tickets.
@: Aman Ali
Is it the Hurricane that’s in Johannesburg? Is that impro place Hysterix still running out there?
Ricardo and B-mo,
I think I would tie what you’ve both said (Brian on the show and Ricardo on the board) to how comics are treated sometimes so unprofessionally.
If club owners and bookers don’t want comics to work at other clubs why not treat them better, pay them better, get them some hookers and in general not treat them like shit. It’s bad enough doing what you do for nothing without some asshole wanting exclusivity. But if they give you an incentive to stick with them and grow maybe it’ll work out better for everyone.
At the same time, and B-mo touched on it, it surely fosters tribal mentality and false hostility between ‘rival’ club comics when really we should all be getting along. The business is hard enough as it is.
Ricardo, I think you have every right to walk off. As long as you’re polite and firm that’s ok. To me what you went through shows a complete lack of respect or knowledge or both and it would have damaged you, made you miserable and not put you in the best light for the audience. As an audience member for comedy I wouldn’t have felt comfortable in that situation so god knows how you would have felt.
Surely another argument for comics and hardcore comedy fans setting up their own gigs?
BTW, I see they’re doing a roast of Bob Saget? Insert your own jokes here……. Also, did anyone catch the roast of Gene Simmons, was it any good?
Sando to answer your question, Hysterix and the Funny Farm are the main clubs I play out there. There are a bunch of others, but those are the ones I frequent. I’ve heard of the Hurricane before, though I’ve never been there and not sure if its still around.
I’m going back to South Africa for a string of gigs in September so I’ll definitely keep an eye out for it.
Your website is cool Aman, and that tour you’ve put together looks awesome!
Even the best can bomb. Louis CK is on my side of the Atlantic and has just started a three week stint in London with a brief appearance in Edinburgh. But he’s just played in Ireland and his first show didn’t go too well…
http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2008/07/29/7141/holy_nigger_tits%2C_did_they_hate_me...
Brian C — fuck $110 per ticket. No show is that good.
I just paid $120 over the weekend to see a comedy show… except that got me SEVEN tickets. I was hosting a bachelorette party (yes, I’m a guy, no, I’m not gay… it was for my sister) and she wanted to check out a comedy show, so we hit a local club and I picked up the tab. We saw Billy Gardell, he was really funny. (The MC and feature were both great as well, but I’m sad to say I’m terrible with names.) $120 got 7 people an hour and a half of comedy that made them laugh until they cried. I thought it was well worth the money.
Nick – Louis CK more than made up for his off night when I saw him at his solo show in Dublin on Sunday night. By all accounts his Saturday night spot went down really well too. The friday night set was just a blip, although isn’t it sad that even a comedian as sucessful and experienced as Louis CK feels like it is the end of the world because he did one bad set!
Dave – The small part of me that considered paying $110 a ticket retreated into nothingness when I found out that with taxes and booking fees the show would cost more like $130. Add onto to that another $130 for my girlfriend, then getting a couple of drinks and we’re looking at the guts of $300 for a mild night out. I always thought that people lost all their money in Vegas through gambling, now I realise that it’s just from going to comedy shows. No thanks, that $260 would be better spent going 26 times to my local comedy club.
YEah, I know, I was on his website today. It’s interesting to see how he went about it; apporaching the next set. True pro! Can’t wait to catch him in Edinburgh….
re: Chris Rock and comics who write all their material vs comics who don’t.
i have to say, whenever i learn that comic doesn’t write all his own material, i lose a lot of respect for them. to me, a huge part of the art of stand-up comedy is the writing. if we can all agree that stand-up is the most raw, pure form of live art then i would think we’d want to know the comics we’re watching are doing material that has come direct from them.
Chris Rock is great. Knowing that he doesn’t write all his material, however, I don’t think he’ll ever be at the very top of my list.
“i have to say, whenever i learn that comic doesn’t write all his own material, i lose a lot of respect for them. to me, a huge part of the art of stand-up comedy is the writing. if we can all agree that stand-up is the most raw, pure form of live art then i would think we’d want to know the comics we’re watching are doing material that has come direct from them.”
Improv is way more raw and pure than stand up. Improvised movement performance is even rawer than that as it doesn’t aim for structure or narrative…
but it kind o sucks.
I agree with Dylan. I’ll still pay money to see a comic that I know has some of their stuff written for them, absolutely, but for some reason they won’t be as pure a stand-up in my mind. If I found out tomorrow that some of Brian Regan’s best bits weren’t his concepts 100% of the way through, he’d fall a little bit to me. Same way with any comic.
I do agree that I would have less respect for a comic who uses writers, but at the end of the day it’s all about the show they put on. There are people out there who have conic genius minds but through one reason or another do not have a good stage presense. There are also people who are at home on the stage but aren’t gifted in the writing department. In this case you could have two mediocre comics, or one stormer of a comic. I know which one I would rather see.
I know it’s not the same thing, but can you imagine how bad movies would be if the writer was the only person allowed play the lead roll?
We should have a new show up today, thanks for your patience. In the meantime, if anyone wants to check out an interview I did on one of our listener’s podcasts, head over to twomustaches.com.