Dan Tessitore stops by to try to make sense of the destruction of the Tonight Show.
Topics on the day include why bullshit always seems to show up at the same time as Jay Leno, why the past month of late night shows may have been the best in history, should you ever approach a comic who is stealing jokes and cleaning jokes up depending on who’s in the room. Did my sister give you this number?
Email: brianmcomedy@gmail.com and give us a call on 206-203-4692
Woah, have I slept out an entire day or is the show one day early due to Aussie Day and your producer wishing to celebrate?
Time to go and listen, maybe you addressed this in the podcast. I’m with Coco.
I, too, am with CoCo.
Conan is going to win at end. Take millions then move to Fox and rule late night again. Also in Leno defense he was putting lots of comics up on his 10 pm show. I only tune in when I see that they have a comic I want to see. I really don’t care what anybody in twiglight has to say.
Anybody have any advice on comedy competitions? I am in finals of a competiton at improv but I feel like they are all rigged.
Hey guys… I guess I’m taking my new years resolution to heart, I actually produced two shows on Saturday night… an early booked open mic in Hollywood (right next to Bob Hope’s star on the walk of fame), and a late night opener-middle-headliner style show by the beach in Santa Monica…
I must have done a good job, because both places have already booked me to produce more shows…
I figured out a while back that I’d rather produce my own shows then be dicked around by bookers or dragged into “bringer” shows…
(smile)…
—D
—D
I’m a cashier for the local WalMart and they lower a lot more than just property values. Self-esteem, wages, and goals are just a few. One thing they’ve been raising lately: unemployment rates. It was awesome to hear someone cracking on Wally World.
I’m considering doing my first open mike soon at a local club. I actually get a lot of my material from customers, management and my experiences during the daily grind.
Just wanted to say hi and thank you for the WalMart jokes.
I think competitions are more fun if you think about it as nothing more than stage time. Most are bringers by default. The comic who brings the most applauding friends wins. If you think about it, everyone is being judged based on a few minutes of performance on one night, which is exactly how a lot of relationships get ruined.
Speaking of which, LCS is back for season 7. This time auditions are in LA and NY only, so it looks like they’re dropping the ruse of finding that undiscovered genius in a “fly-over” state.
Thanks Dan! I been in some competitons and always make it to finals and get pissed when I loose because I don’t brin 100 people.
As for LCS its the worse stand up show EVER! I doubt they can make it good. And it keeps coming back like a bad horror movie. Please spare us!!
Unless they have a spot for me …then its best show ever.
Agree with Dan. Competitions are nearly always predetermined. When I moved to NY I did bringers for a booker at an uptown club for about 5-6 months. He invited me to do a contest where I didn’t have to bring anyone. I didn’t recognize any of the other comics, and was 3rd best at the most. Yet I walked away with the prize. I guess the winner is either theperson who brings the most people of the rube from Arizona they want to string along for a few more months.
Oh, and congrats Dennis. I’ll definitely be hitting you up if and when I visit my brother in LA
Any chance of another BTB show in 2010?
I’m sure I mentioned it here before, but the Sunday show I participated in and witnessed at The Store a few years back was horrible. The Ha Ha was better, but not by much.
We didn’t really dig into it on the show, but the more I think about it, the more I think maybe that whole Comedy Store strike in the late 70’s is the reason the comedy business is the way it is – for better or worse. Maybe we have Leno to blame for everything!
A noob question about stealing material. There are a ton of cover bands. Has there ever been cover comedians? Not counting comedy legend Gallagher vs. Gallagher Too. I mean like an open miker telling known routines/jokes but being upfront about the fact that they are telling someone else’s stuff not their own. “Hey everybody, my name is Y2k. You know one of my favorite comedians is Eddie Murphy. I love his story about BBQs. “Don’t go to cookouts, I hate cookouts…”"
Good question Y2K. There definitely aren’t many. “Covering” material is less flattering in the comedy world. You see it occassionally by comics who do impressions. Since they can do the voice they figure why not take the material that goes along with it.
I actually encountered a Rodney Dangerfield “cover” comic on my travels. Story to come on the next btb.
I’ve seen comics try the “cover” thing at open-mikes, usually with disastrous results.
Hey all,
long time no post but I’m s
Hey guys, just announced our headliner for the Iowa Comedy Festival. He’ll be performing Saturday, Oct. 16th at 9:30pm at Peoples Court. If you want tickets, that information will be available soon. Check out
http://www.iacomedyfest.wordpress.com
to find out who it is!
Joel: Good work!
Me and some comedian chums did a Comedy Covers night a few years back where we all performed 5 minutes of a favourite comic’s routine, and where possible impersonating and dressing up as the act in question too.
The results were mixed – I had lots of fun dressing up as Woody Allen and performing his classic nightclub act in a so-so New York accent. Some of the other acts were totally half-assed though, like the guy who just read a page of Steven Wright gags off a sheet without even attempting to look or sound like him.
A strange gig, but kinda enjoyable too.
Back when the conversation was about doing cover-comedy I mentioned this video, but most of the links were dead… here’s one that works (for now)…
http://headlinermagazine.blogspot.com/2008/04/chris-rock-vs-steven-wright.html