So Wanda Sykes made a joke about Rush Limbaugh being a terrorist, then she seems shocked when Rush gets pissed.
Topics on the day include whether or not there is a line in comedy, should you be more respectful when you’re talking to the President, why does anyone give a shit about what Miss California says, and should Repulicans care more about getting in touch with what young people are into and less about comics hurting their feelings. Couldn’t she just make some clever jokes about the differences between blacks and whites?
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I saw Dane Cook special and it was horrible. I am a Dane fan and his stand up has been going down a spiral of suckness. He got famous from his energy and silly skits. It looks like he does not even care anymore. Why most comedians when they become famous they seem to stop trying. why???
I think when comedians become famous they don’t stop trying on purpose, it’s just that they don’t need to try as hard to get the laugh. The audience is slightly excited at seeing a big named comedian and expect to laugh, when the punchline comes it’s just the normal reaction.
Recently I was at a local club night, with 3 veteran club acts and Ardal O’Hanlon who did a 10 minute set trying out some new stuff for a show he is writing. While Ardal’s stuff was good it was obvious that it was only the first or second time he had tried this material on stage, and still needed to work out the kinks. The other acts were doing a polished club 20 minute set each, and two of them were easily way better than Ardal’s 10 spot that night. However Ardal got the biggest laughs of the night as the audience hadn’t realised he was on when they booked the tickets, so were giddy with excitement. What makes you strive to be a better comedian is doing a set where you die on your arse, when you get to the stage that that wont happen you have no motivation to improve.
Aside from the sort of pavlovian response Brian C referred to I think there are a at least a couple other reasons why their quality is reduced.
1. I think they lose touch with their audience & worse what the audience thinks is funny. I doubt seriously if Dane is running in the same circles he used to now that he’s done CDs & movies.
2. When they first start out and are discovered chances are they’ve been working the same material for years giving them time to re-work it, add to it or edit it in order to get optimal laughs. Success is a double edged sword. Once they gain a certain level of success their time available to devote to new material can be significantly decreased and in this day and age making people wait too long for the next album or special can cost you, especially in Cook’s case since it’s mostly the college crowd that supports him.
Brian where did you see Ardal O’Hanlon? Father Ted was the best comedy shows it still holds up I just watched a complete series again recently with my in laws who were in from Ireland(devout Catholics) we all couldnt stop laughing.
I’ll be intrested to hear the review of the Jim Jeffries HBo show on the next BTB. I’ve never much cared for the guy’s act. He hangs on to the ooh-I’m-edgy-because-I-perform-whilst-drunk schtick a bit too much for me, and comes over as a poor man’s Doug Stanhope IMHO.
Saying that, he does handle being punched onstage by a heckler pretty well here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WCGKb8ikRc
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that was hilarous Ricardo..I always wondered how bad a gig can go but I think I got my answer. LOL.
I haven’t seen the JJ HBO show, but I caught his performance on Down n Dirty with Jim Norton and didn’t think it was all that. I will admit I’m biased because I also have a bit about having a needle stuck in my penis. Fortunately, mine is a lot funnier
. That clip of him getting punched got a lot of play about a year ago – I think it turned out to be good press for him.
I saw the Jim Jeffries special…and ehhhhhhhh. It was ok for me. He is no Doug Stanhope. I enjoyed him being punched in the face much more.
Did Jeffries sound like he’d had a few cocktails whilst performing his HBO special, Dominic? I don’t think I’ve ever seen the guy sober.
I saw the Jeffries special. I suspect that all the jokes he has about all the sex he’s having fit into the “this didn’t really happen but makes a great joke” category. Dude’s ugly.
You know, I don’t want to go back and re-tread on old ground here, but I didn’t get to post last week and had a quick thought on Wanda Sykes.
I heard Brian talk about how Sykes’ Limbaugh joke was a catch-22 for Obama, and how he hates that Sykes put Obama in an awkward position. Unfortunately, I don’t think this argument has a lot of merit, because I have a really difficult time believing that this routine was not screened by someone either from the Press Correspondence or from someone in the Obama administration.
I remember 2 instances in which people talked about doing this event. Al Franken wrote about it (ironically, in “Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot…” and Lewis Black has a whole routine about it (you can hear it on his Carnegie Hall album). If I recall, in both instances, someone had asked them to do their routine over the phone to make sure no one would be offended.
I have a hard time believing that no one else knew that joke was coming, and that does give validity to it.
Yes Ricardo….he did have some liquor on stage. The guy just did not make me laugh. He had a couple good jokes here and there but for an HBO special the set was weak.
Hmmmm…would it change anyone’s opinion about Obama if it was proven without a doubt that it was an approved joke? Nah, got my hopes up, but didn’t think so…
Yeah Leonardo… it would change my opinion… it would make me respect somebody who actually has a pair of balls to clank together. I didn’t think I could think higher of him… thank you for pointing out what I had overlooked.
Now you better get your teddy and blanky, because Fox News is getting ready to tell you a scary bed time story about the big bad black man who actually won an election and now gets to pick a Supreme Court Justice!
—D
Well, I would think less of him. I would prefer that the policies be debated without the ad hominem namecalling. Sykes says in her bit she wishes Rush’s kidneys would fail, the left would think this was fine but to execute a person tried and convicted of killing innocenirst black woman Sec. of State, first hts is evil.
It really is an upside down world we live in when you would think that a member of the party to name the first black Sec. of State, first black woman Sec. of State, first hispanic Atty Gen, and most recent black Supreme court justice would care about skin color. Colin Powell would have been the first black prez had he wanted the nomination.
Skin color is only a hangup on the left, they are the ones who keep bringing it up. Content of character for us.
I would think less of Obama if he approved that joke. It was in poor taste for the event and it’s divisive in a time that the country is already bitterly divided.
Matt is right, Black does a bit about doing his act over the phone to get it approved for this event. I am willing to accept that someone dropped the ball and approved this bit, or even accept the possibility that Sykes pulled an audible at went rogue at the mic, but Obama seems too intelligent to have heard that bit and given it the green light. Not to mention, I really hope one of the President’s daily duties doesn’t include approving comedy bits.
Need some advice guys. We’ve all heard the adage of ‘just get as much stage time as possible’ but was wondering if there’s a point when you just have to say ‘no.’?
A fellow up and comer and I drove for two hours to a gig for the second month in a row and for the second time in a row there wasn’t more than 8 people in the audience. It’s obvious there’s no promotion for the gig. In addition, the promoter didn’t even have an MC. Yeah, you heard me; he just goes up and introduces the night and the first act, which was me on this occasion. Doesn’t even have a practice round of applause or anything.
I’m getting a bit better at opening so I warmed people up a bit but I’m pissed cause I want to do my new(ish) stuff. With six people, cold, its almost like you’re just in a room talking to a fucking wall.
To add fuel to the fire a group of middle aged assholes came in and preceded to ruin my set and the next two with not even drunken heckling, just inane yelling and talking loudly and saying that my jokes made no sense, etc, etc. Even when other acts tried to talk with them ‘Where do you work? Where you from? Etc?’
The promoter did little to nothing to get them to be quiet or ask them to leave. Then the host starts to talk to them at the start of the second half, engaging them again!
After ruining the ’show’ for about 40mins and after numerous pleas for them to shut it, one of them flipped during my pal’s set and began to get threatening and screaming to the point I was worried about his safety (and pissed off at him and the promoter). Luckily he was close to the door, so I went over and got him out myself. (there were no bouncers and the promoter was doing nothing).
The promoter came up to me and said that I shouldn’t have done it, it was his call, but what was I supposed to do? Sit there and watch my bud get hit? Or at best, sit there and watch my bud’s set be drowned out by this guys yells and then just drive home?
If it was a movie theatre, a music event, he’d have been beaten to fuck! I didn’t hurt him, I wasn’t rough, no way I‘d do that, I just wanted him out. I just led him out and told him that he’d ruined 3 sets and he should be on his way. I did it because no one else was.
But still, the host turned round and went ‘But I’d love to have you back next month….you both did well.’
Should I bother? I know I should be looking for stage time but if I’m driving for two hours for no money and just 10 mins of stage time, I don’t expect much but I do expect at least some MC -ing and policing and promotion of the night. In short, a little fucking respect for comedy. If I’m up there I want to feel like it’s worth me being there and that if I want to do new stuff I can really work on it.
We’ve given the gig two chances now and both times I feel I’ve come away with little; like I’d been performing to a void. And the way I’m feeling I’d spend the 6 hours I take to do the spot and back better either writing or practicing at home…….but again it’s stage time. In general, things are going good but getting regular time is a struggle, especially since next week I’m starting a new job. This gig is do-able for my timetable and I just hate the thought of stage time going amiss. Then again, is any time is worth being yelled at while under threat of violence?
Any similar experiences? Thoughts?
Hmm..reading over that makes it sound like I expect to be physically threatened every time I go there.
I don’t.
My basic point is – do you keep going back to a spot if you know that the night will be very poorly attended (maybe even empty) and ran with no MC or crowd control?…..where you feel like shit driving away?
As much as I advocate stage time at all costs, I absolutely believe that some gigs aren’t worth the aggravation. The reason stage time is important is because it’s the only way to grow as a comic. If this gig doesn’t give you that opportunity AND is a 4 hour round trip, I say bail.
RE: The Wanda Sykes joke.
I have to admit, I didn’t think the reference to the 9/11 attacks were all that offensive. I thought poking fun at Limbaugh’s addiction was in poorer taste than the hijacking reference … and I fucking hate Limbaugh.
Pray4Snow
I’ve got a couple of out of town trips planned this summer, and I thought maybe somebody on the board might know a club in the neighborhood where I could get a few minutes of stage time… It would be great to get some recommendations.
Hawaii
• Oahu June 27th through June 30th
• Big Island – July 1st through 5th
Santa Barbara – August 7-9