Play it again DAVE
Posted on 05/26/2005 at 04:34 PM
Why anyone would want to be a comedian is insane to me. Is it a calling like the priest hood. This business is so difficult and so competitive.....I ask myself would I have had a better chance being an astronaut. Late last fall I had a melt down on the sidewalk of Greenwich Village. I had done a bringer and afterwords realized I had been hustled into believing some big shot was going to be there and see me. Not only was it awfull but they cheated me on 2 minutes of stage time. I confronted them nicely but......they denied it. I know I was short changed only because I have done the fucking set 100 times and know how long it takes.
I have another show at 10 pm. I should be happy. I wound up crying, This is too hard, why are you here, this is a waste of time. No one wants to hear what you have to say your too old,fat, and not funny. I thought about the odds of ever making it at this. Lets see,,,, What is Making it?? I ask you my fellow comics what is making it?? Do I expect to be the next big thing?? Am I brilliantly funny?? What level of success would make me happy?? What is my goal at this? Its for me like a compulsion .............something I feel drawn too. The system can often times grinds you down. Dragging people to bringers. Getting a gig in the city and then after rushing and re arranging my entire day and every ones in it...driving and sitting in traffic for 4 hours each way doing the set for 5 people so late at night that no one is there or barking for hours and doing the set so late no one is there. Who am a fooling?? Does the comedy world need another overweight middle aged funny woman?? Well? do they?? They might. Roseanne and Rosie O'Donnell are both semi-retired. That's insane... If I make it in 5 years to any point of success My fake age will be 45. Note to self.... Does the world need another comic female who runs for plastic surgery?? Joan Rivers will never retire.
Back to my melt down. I blogged about it see....Hitting the Brick wall 11-8-04 I got to my next gig and it was 2 hours before show time. I went to Esperanto for coffee. I sat down outside and then out of no where "Dave Chappell " walked up to me. It was kinda like a scene out of that Woody Allen movie Play it Again Sam. Where Humphrey Bogart appears and kinda sets Woody straight to the world. At the time...it felt like a mirage. I was feeling so distraught. It lifted me up and got me through. So much so I had to share it on my blog..
Now the Rest of the story that I have been keeping from all of you. In Feb. I ran to the Comic Strip Lottery. I and several other 100 comics all with the same dream/delusion stood waiting to get a date to audition. I'm freezing ..... Then out of the corner of my eye I see Dave Chappelle. I see the guy who was with Dave Chappelle the night I met him. Then it hits me. That is not Dave Chappelle. That's Daryl. I have seen him at Sal's Comedy Hole. Fuck me. Fuck it. He's black tall and has a great smile and nice eyes but it aint Dave. I remember that night not calling him buy name. I said oh my god what are you doing here..... I'm an ass hole. He kissed my hand. It wasn't Dave it was Daryl.
I decide to tell no one. I keep the secret no one needs to know. Needs to know Im an ass. I then run into Daryl everywhere.... I never tell him. One night I'm drunk and I confess to Sal at his club the entire story. We get hysterical.. Then I remember how very upset I was that night. It was the first night I had gotten to do 2 shows in the city on a Friday night. Okay one was a bringer and the other a barker.. I was excited. However the realities of what this business is and what it can do or not do.....had hit me and burst my bubble. It was a mirage. I was the guy in the desert who couldn't walk another step.
I am always anxious before any show. I had more than my share of it before my gig in Pittsburgh. The Weds before the show I was trying to lay out my sets on paper. I was having trouble making it all flow and make sense and in addition put it into some kind of a story form so that I could remember it no less. I was sitting in my car waiting for my son to get out of his guitar lesson. I was in downtown Somerville NJ. I couldn't focus. I have really bad A.D. D. and when combined with P.M.'S . I'm F.U.C.K.E.D. I was feeling overwhelmed. I looked out the car window and decide can I have a smoke(addictive little fuckers) find a place to wash my hands and buy some gum and be back in time to pick my son up.......welcome to my normal. He doesn't know I smoke. I look across the street and there sitting outside having lunch is Rich Voss and Bonnie Mc Farlane. IN SOMERVILLE. I heard from a friend that he had moved to Hillsbrough to be near to his kids. SO it could be him. I couldn't stop myself I walked across the street and told them that not only am I a longtime fan. I am a comic. I have been following Voss since the early 80's he was the local boy and I was rooting for him. I also mentioned that I needed to be sure it was them because I live these two separate lives. The mom and the Comic and the two had just collided. Voss asked if my husband is supportive of my doing standup? I told him yes and that we believe in quality time apart. He chuckled.... Im not sure it was a laugh. Then he said...................Your just like Sally field in that movie Punchline. see blog: Arent you Sally Field? 9-7-04 Those of you who know me... Know how I am told this at least 3 times a week. I replied the only difference I would have run away with Tom Hanks. Cause he's Tom Hanks. Bonnie laughed. They told me they are getting married and I mentioned to Bonnie that I just had read her article in SHeckey.com. She wrote an article about the word CUNT. I loved that piece. I use that word in my set. They asked me if I wanted to sit and if I wanted anything to eat. I sat down but didnt want to impose... they were like...no sit. I didnt order. I wanted a smoke but my sons lesson was in direct vision of where I was. I sat down. They were so nice. Voss asked me where I worked I mentioned some of the spots and he remembered all the places. He asked me about some bookers and told me about a few I heard of. I told him I saw him at the Penny Arcade in Clark NJ....in the early 80's. He mentioned that when he began comedy his two biggest goals were to play at the Penny Arcade and Rascals then in W. Orange. I told them that I was doing a show in Pittsburgh and that it was my first time doing an hour. He said You have an hour?? how long are you at this. I was proud of myself....then I got worried....how good an hour can it be? They were playing at Caroline's on Friday. Bonnie and I were talking some girl stuff ....Voss asked if my HandBag was real?? I told him no. Then they wished me luck. I wished them a happy marriage and Bonnie kissed me good buy. I wasn't able to tell anyone this because.... I hadn't come clean with the Chappel miss sighting. So now you know. Only one who doesn't know is Daryl. I went to Rich Voss's web site and emailed him through it. I thanked him and Bonnie for being so kind . He wrote back and said Be Funny..... your welcome.
What wisdom I have learned doing comedy here at my second anniversary is this. Do what you love. Its like anything will be hard and difficult at times. Yet at its worst you will have more fun than folding laundry on the best day.
Time for some new goals: Get a business card. Get a web page. Get a real head shot and not one that makes me look like a Realtor. Loose some weight.......not too much or I will need a new act. Be Happy
Comments are below
an acting teacher once told me......
Posted on 05/26/2005 at 09:18 PM by April Brucker
Robin, I act as well as do comedy. and an acting teacher once told me if this (performing) is the only thing you can picture yourself doing, by all means, do it. But if you can picture yourself doing something else, do that. Because there is NO MONEY in this. Just reminded me of that advice. However, the stage is my home and there is no other place I wanted to live. Your blog reminded me of that. Because even though I have to do all the crap comics do, you know, I LOVE IT AND THAT'S WHY I DO IT.
You Are right about one thing
Posted on 05/27/2005 at 09:00 AM by Bill Blank
This IS a calling. You don't find comedy, it finds you. We are addicted to the worst drug on the planet... Instant Recognition. Keep plugging sister!
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Tears and Laughter
I am back from Pittsburgh and I lived to tell the tale. It was the most excitement a Mom could ever ask for up till now. So many amazing things happened. I planed on leaving Friday morning at 8 to make a 10:45 am flight. I was originally booked out of Laguardia had a panic attack just thinking of driving there during rush hour , I don't do Queens very well I always get lost.... They were able to change the flight to Newark. I couldnt sleep the night before.... I cant sleep most nights anyway. I got 3 hours sleep. I am all set to go and I put 50 dollars in my hand and get in my car. 4 miles from my home I realise I left my cell phone home. I also cant find the 50 bucks. I go back ..... Once back at my home I am running all over the house rushing to get what I need and to get out. Fortunately my daughter was off from school and called my phone and we found it, ringing inside may suitcase. I still dont remember putting it there. I found the $50 later that day in my pocket book. The rest of the trip to the airport and parking went very well. I went to get my E ticket and had no idea what to do. It is only convienent if you know how to use it. Much to my complete panic I find out that USair flies ittsey bittsey jets to Pittsburgh. I am a bad flier......yes I know my name is Robin. All I can think of is every friggin soap opera that had a plot with a small plane. I would scream at the TV " Erica dont let Jeremy get on that plane"..... Cause that was the favorite way they wrote you off. I asked the clerk if the plane was a jet, propeller or rubber band. It was a small Jet, I had no choice. Once on the Jet I got to my seat 7A as we are about to take off, the flight attendant asks if the people in isles 3, 4, 6 ,7, could move to the other side of the aisle to help BALANCE the PLANE. I get up to move and the skinny bitchy flying monkey waitress (stewardess) say no no you go back where you were that's enough. Apparently I would imbalance the plane....all on my own. Thanks, thanks a bunch.
Other than that remark I was fine. I did want a cigarette. I finally got one around noon. At the hotel I asked for a Smoking room. In for a penny in for a ton. ( Addictive little fuckers) I did need to pee and I dont pee on planes.... I have yet to perfect flying and hovering over the toilet. Most times when I do try to pee on a plane, I pee all over myself and Im not doing that again. Know your weaknesses....it is a strength. Once in my hotel room.... I run into the Bathroom and pick up the seat and Its like I never left home some one left me a brown present in the toilet. Im so grossed out. I call the fornt desk and ask for another room. They say are you sure... I say" come look. I saved it for you". I go downstairs and get another room and Key. Later on they comped me lunch. The new room was fine. I ate lunch and went upstairs to lay out my notes one last time. I lit a cigarette...(additive little fuckers) and for the first time in months smoked somewhere other than a car, a street curb, a bar, or my back yard. I felt so creative. In two hours I finished with my sets and had written 3 new decent jokes. I tried to take a nap. The room next door was either playing a porno movie or having a great party with someone or by themselves. I turned my TV on. I fell asleep with Oprah on. I woke at 6pm
Showtime..... I showered and dressed. It felt so much more important doing all this from inside a hotel room..... I had 2 outfits to wear. One is my schleppy sweat suit and the other is black pants and a crisp white shirt. I chose the later. I did look alot like the waiters who were actually better dressed ...they had on a vests too. The room was beautiful, it was the Ballroom and it was decorated to the hilt. A huge projection screen showed I Love Lucy tapes. The theme for the party was I Love Lucy. It was all women. They couldnt have been a nicer group of women...they also were the best dressed women I have ever seen in one room. Truly it looked like a MILF convention. They drank and ate and schmoozed for the first hour. The woman who hired me asked me if I would mind being in a skit they wanted to do. No one wanted to do it she said. I was not thrilled but heck there really nice women. The more questions I asked the more I found out that they didnt have a script and were asking me if I could give them some lines. Im just trying not to panic about my own set. They really weren't sure of what this would be and wanted to wing it. Oh My!? The serious part of the night began when the people from CF did a presentation. It was truly heart wrenching. Then a mom with 2 daughters both with CF got up to speak. Every one in the room is either crying or has a lump in there throat. I am thinking over and over again.....................HOW AM I GOING TO FOLLOW THIS???????? I decide that ------If I do this Skit and it bombs the the room will think that I am not funny. The night is unravelling before me. Then my inner Manager Robin came to the rescue. I explain to the woman who was running the show that I am more than willing to do the skit............ however...... since I was contracted only to do Stand up for the night... I would prefer to do my show and after that I would be willing to do the skit. I couldnt risk the skit not doing well in addition to following a slide tape show of very sick children. I also suggested that we take a short break and that they do the raffles and give out the prizes so that the women can decompress and have a bit of fun before I began. I told her I wasn't trying to be demanding but in my opinion it would make a better night. SHE AGREED.
WHEW! What a relief. I was introduced took to the stage grabbed my wireless mic and shot myself out of my cannon. I did the most crowd work I ever have. I added on jokes to some jokes on the spot. I mentioned how beautiful the women were and thanked them for inviting me to Stepford. I was having the best time. I had the most fun and since I had a wireless mic and we were in a ballroom I walked all over the place. I had gotten them to agree weeks before that instead of 60 minutes I would so 45. I wound up doing the full 60. When it was all over the unbelievable happened.......... I got a standing Ovation. This has never happened and I never thought it ever would. I welled up and came close to crying. I am such a friggin ninny girl. The night went on with the women talking for another hour and I stayed and helped them clean up. Two women asked me if I would be willing to do shows for other charities. I told them In a heartbeat.
I went up to my room in the hotel and it was 1:30 too late to call home. I didnt fall asleep till 4 am and got up at 6 to get to the airport. I was in my home by noon on Saturday. That night I got to MC at 88 Keys. We had more comics than audience...........It was my first time MCing there. My confidence that I could pull it off was bolstered like never before. I am so grateful to have gotten this opportunity. I only wish I could have a show like this to do every month. I liked having this gig in the works since Jan. It helped me to have a goal. It helped me write. It helped me learn my material. It made me be a better comic.
Comments are below
Pittsburgh
Posted on 05/24/2005 at 09:40 AM by April Brucker
I am there right now earning money and coming back to the city in a few weeks. Grew up there.
You go Robin..
Posted on 05/24/2005 at 10:15 AM by Larry Bailey
Congrats on the set Robin! I cant believe they asked you to do a skit before your set. As if you didnt have enough to think about. You handled it great killer.
Lucy Im home
Posted on 05/24/2005 at 10:30 AM by Robin Fox
I was to play Ricki Ricardo. I didnt mind doing it. I just was afraid to do it before my set. After my set they felt that it wasnt really a good idea after all and dropped it all together. They were the nicest women I could have asked to work with. Thanks Larry for all your support.
HURRAH!
Posted on 05/25/2005 at 11:46 AM by Adam Sank
I knew you would rise to the occasion. You should be very, very proud of yourself.
Posted on 05/25/2005 at 11:51 AM by Raquel D'Apice
Awwww, Robin...I could've told you you'd be able to do 60 :) But I can't imagine that any joke you told was as good as your impromptu dildo comment last night...
Posted on 05/25/2005 at 11:51 AM by Raquel D'Apice
Awwww, Robin...I could've told you you'd be able to do 60 :) But I can't imagine that any joke you told was as good as your impromptu dildo comment last night...
Thanks
Posted on 05/25/2005 at 08:35 PM by Robin Fox
Thank you Adam and Raquel, It was very encouraging. Im glad you knew I could do it. I wasnt so sure. Im just glad they laughed. As for the Dildo joke response to the comic. It was a real high for me to be funny on the spot infornt of a room full of comedians. I thought see " I am funny" Even if its not a prepared joke. It doesnt happen as often me just saying something funny off the top of my head. Its like I save it all for shows.
Other than that remark I was fine. I did want a cigarette. I finally got one around noon. At the hotel I asked for a Smoking room. In for a penny in for a ton. ( Addictive little fuckers) I did need to pee and I dont pee on planes.... I have yet to perfect flying and hovering over the toilet. Most times when I do try to pee on a plane, I pee all over myself and Im not doing that again. Know your weaknesses....it is a strength. Once in my hotel room.... I run into the Bathroom and pick up the seat and Its like I never left home some one left me a brown present in the toilet. Im so grossed out. I call the fornt desk and ask for another room. They say are you sure... I say" come look. I saved it for you". I go downstairs and get another room and Key. Later on they comped me lunch. The new room was fine. I ate lunch and went upstairs to lay out my notes one last time. I lit a cigarette...(additive little fuckers) and for the first time in months smoked somewhere other than a car, a street curb, a bar, or my back yard. I felt so creative. In two hours I finished with my sets and had written 3 new decent jokes. I tried to take a nap. The room next door was either playing a porno movie or having a great party with someone or by themselves. I turned my TV on. I fell asleep with Oprah on. I woke at 6pm
Showtime..... I showered and dressed. It felt so much more important doing all this from inside a hotel room..... I had 2 outfits to wear. One is my schleppy sweat suit and the other is black pants and a crisp white shirt. I chose the later. I did look alot like the waiters who were actually better dressed ...they had on a vests too. The room was beautiful, it was the Ballroom and it was decorated to the hilt. A huge projection screen showed I Love Lucy tapes. The theme for the party was I Love Lucy. It was all women. They couldnt have been a nicer group of women...they also were the best dressed women I have ever seen in one room. Truly it looked like a MILF convention. They drank and ate and schmoozed for the first hour. The woman who hired me asked me if I would mind being in a skit they wanted to do. No one wanted to do it she said. I was not thrilled but heck there really nice women. The more questions I asked the more I found out that they didnt have a script and were asking me if I could give them some lines. Im just trying not to panic about my own set. They really weren't sure of what this would be and wanted to wing it. Oh My!? The serious part of the night began when the people from CF did a presentation. It was truly heart wrenching. Then a mom with 2 daughters both with CF got up to speak. Every one in the room is either crying or has a lump in there throat. I am thinking over and over again.....................HOW AM I GOING TO FOLLOW THIS???????? I decide that ------If I do this Skit and it bombs the the room will think that I am not funny. The night is unravelling before me. Then my inner Manager Robin came to the rescue. I explain to the woman who was running the show that I am more than willing to do the skit............ however...... since I was contracted only to do Stand up for the night... I would prefer to do my show and after that I would be willing to do the skit. I couldnt risk the skit not doing well in addition to following a slide tape show of very sick children. I also suggested that we take a short break and that they do the raffles and give out the prizes so that the women can decompress and have a bit of fun before I began. I told her I wasn't trying to be demanding but in my opinion it would make a better night. SHE AGREED.
WHEW! What a relief. I was introduced took to the stage grabbed my wireless mic and shot myself out of my cannon. I did the most crowd work I ever have. I added on jokes to some jokes on the spot. I mentioned how beautiful the women were and thanked them for inviting me to Stepford. I was having the best time. I had the most fun and since I had a wireless mic and we were in a ballroom I walked all over the place. I had gotten them to agree weeks before that instead of 60 minutes I would so 45. I wound up doing the full 60. When it was all over the unbelievable happened.......... I got a standing Ovation. This has never happened and I never thought it ever would. I welled up and came close to crying. I am such a friggin ninny girl. The night went on with the women talking for another hour and I stayed and helped them clean up. Two women asked me if I would be willing to do shows for other charities. I told them In a heartbeat.
I went up to my room in the hotel and it was 1:30 too late to call home. I didnt fall asleep till 4 am and got up at 6 to get to the airport. I was in my home by noon on Saturday. That night I got to MC at 88 Keys. We had more comics than audience...........It was my first time MCing there. My confidence that I could pull it off was bolstered like never before. I am so grateful to have gotten this opportunity. I only wish I could have a show like this to do every month. I liked having this gig in the works since Jan. It helped me to have a goal. It helped me write. It helped me learn my material. It made me be a better comic.
Comments are below
Pittsburgh
Posted on 05/24/2005 at 09:40 AM by April Brucker
I am there right now earning money and coming back to the city in a few weeks. Grew up there.
You go Robin..
Posted on 05/24/2005 at 10:15 AM by Larry Bailey
Congrats on the set Robin! I cant believe they asked you to do a skit before your set. As if you didnt have enough to think about. You handled it great killer.
Lucy Im home
Posted on 05/24/2005 at 10:30 AM by Robin Fox
I was to play Ricki Ricardo. I didnt mind doing it. I just was afraid to do it before my set. After my set they felt that it wasnt really a good idea after all and dropped it all together. They were the nicest women I could have asked to work with. Thanks Larry for all your support.
HURRAH!
Posted on 05/25/2005 at 11:46 AM by Adam Sank
I knew you would rise to the occasion. You should be very, very proud of yourself.
Posted on 05/25/2005 at 11:51 AM by Raquel D'Apice
Awwww, Robin...I could've told you you'd be able to do 60 :) But I can't imagine that any joke you told was as good as your impromptu dildo comment last night...
Posted on 05/25/2005 at 11:51 AM by Raquel D'Apice
Awwww, Robin...I could've told you you'd be able to do 60 :) But I can't imagine that any joke you told was as good as your impromptu dildo comment last night...
Thanks
Posted on 05/25/2005 at 08:35 PM by Robin Fox
Thank you Adam and Raquel, It was very encouraging. Im glad you knew I could do it. I wasnt so sure. Im just glad they laughed. As for the Dildo joke response to the comic. It was a real high for me to be funny on the spot infornt of a room full of comedians. I thought see " I am funny" Even if its not a prepared joke. It doesnt happen as often me just saying something funny off the top of my head. Its like I save it all for shows.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Fly Robin..Fly.
This Friday I am being flown out to Pittsburgh Pa. I hate to fly, ironic with my name. The gig is for a fund raiser. They are paying for my flight and room at the Hilton where it will be held and I am being well paid to do 40 minutes. Gulp! I really think that I will be fine ....but of course I am very nervous. The dinner will is a $250 a plate affair and I am the headliner for the night. The longest I have done in NYC is a 15 minute set. In NJ I have gone as long as 40 on one occasion and it went well. At the time I was at a gig and the headliner bailed at the last minute. The booker asked me how long can you go. This was with no preparation other than to do my 15 minutes I had prepared. It went very well I went the distance .....and it made me see that I did have the material to do it. Not everything is "A" stuff. As a matter of fact the challenge of doing it with no preparation was.... to in my head, figure out the peaks and valleys of the set and to leave something for the end to finish on a high note. I have 5 different bits I use to close with and I couldn't save them all for the end so I did 6, of my 5 to 10 minute sets strung together. Knowing that I have to do 40 minutes ahead of time this Friday has made me crazy. Too much thinking and re thinking. The firm conformation only came for this show late last week. I was still waiting for my plane reservation etc ....until then who knew if it would ever really happen. So to get ready for this show I have been getting into my car for gigs and on the long drive into Manhattan and home, I have just been timing myself to see off the top of my head how much material I can say out loud from my memory without notes. I have done 45 on several occasions. Sometimes I needed to stop pause and know where the hell I was going with the material. Now just 4 days away I am writing down my bit titles and trying to firm up a line up. The problem with having a firm set is ,I worry if I should veer off..... I will not get startled and not be able to get back on track. During my first year at this when I did my first MC gig....I was doing a joke and completely blanked out. It was the most frightening moment since I started doing this. I stood like a dear in the headlights for what felt like an eternity. Then I managed to make it look like it was part of the bit and saved myself. Barely. That's in the past and all it can do for me is let me see that I can get through it . The past week I keep having anxiety dreams. You know them the standards. I'm in 9th grade and I don't know there is a test that day. The dream where for some reason I'm naked and have to get home without any one seeing me. The dream where I loose all my teeth. And my absolute least favorite I'm traveling all night on trains and subways and cars and busses trying to get someplace that I'm in big trouble if I don't show up on time and the creepy man is following me trying to kill me. So how do you get ready for a gig like this. All I can hold on to is: I have been getting ready for this show for the past several years. Every time I have sat an written down a new joke or done an open mic or gig has had to have gotten me ready. I have stood in the mirror and performed for one skeptical comic who really is starting to look like my mom ( aint it a bitch) and believing that anything is possible. For 20 years I thought living the life I have today was impossible. Be careful what you wish for. Gulp!!!
Comments are below
You will be wondeful
Posted on 05/16/2005 at 12:30 PM by Kelly Shannon
I have to give you credit, I have a hard time remembering my 15 min set somedays. You will do fine though. email me and let me know how it goes. And remember, have fun. You get to be single, at least over night.
Thanks Kelly
Posted on 05/16/2005 at 01:36 PM by Robin Fox
You never know what you can do till you do it is my New Motto. Who knew??? I will keep you posted. I think were booked on Sat evening at 88 keys. Im Mcing on the this Sat night. Im coming back to NJ that morning. See you then!
Go Get'em
Posted on 05/16/2005 at 07:11 PM by Dennis Larsen
Robin just think of all the great advise you give a young comic like me and you will kill them. see sat.
You're gonna kill
Posted on 05/18/2005 at 01:16 AM by Lisa Harmon
You're great and you really deserve it! Knock'em dead!
scared shitless
Posted on 05/18/2005 at 11:09 AM by Robin Fox
need i say more...plane tickets just got here fed x
Comments are below
You will be wondeful
Posted on 05/16/2005 at 12:30 PM by Kelly Shannon
I have to give you credit, I have a hard time remembering my 15 min set somedays. You will do fine though. email me and let me know how it goes. And remember, have fun. You get to be single, at least over night.
Thanks Kelly
Posted on 05/16/2005 at 01:36 PM by Robin Fox
You never know what you can do till you do it is my New Motto. Who knew??? I will keep you posted. I think were booked on Sat evening at 88 keys. Im Mcing on the this Sat night. Im coming back to NJ that morning. See you then!
Go Get'em
Posted on 05/16/2005 at 07:11 PM by Dennis Larsen
Robin just think of all the great advise you give a young comic like me and you will kill them. see sat.
You're gonna kill
Posted on 05/18/2005 at 01:16 AM by Lisa Harmon
You're great and you really deserve it! Knock'em dead!
scared shitless
Posted on 05/18/2005 at 11:09 AM by Robin Fox
need i say more...plane tickets just got here fed x
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Girls Night Out part 2
Well I did the Pajama Party last night near Philly. Juggling being a mom and a comic has been a challenge but I usually can manage it. Most shows I do start around 8 or later so I can usually hang up my mom hat by 6:30. My kids get home at 2:30pm so homework, play dates, carpools.....etc are done. My oldest drives and helps me out a lot. I needed to be at the show last night by 7pm. It is 90mintes to get there. I leave my home and I have traffic at the end of my drive way. Somebodys landscaper has parked their tractor half way into my path. Its 5:30 and I like to get to most gigs early. My son needed homework help and I had to run and get takeout for dinner cause time was short. I head out to the hi-way and there is bumper to bumper traffic. Idiot...............its rush hour. Not holding a full time job other than mom and comic, it hadn't dawned on me. I am sure I am going to be late.
The entire first 45 minutes of my 70 mile trek was sitting in slow going traffic. This was a huge opportunity and I was going to blow it. There is one thing on the road that pisses me off more than anything else ....when your waiting your turn to get off to an exit ramp and ass holes drive up on the left lane passing all the good people waiting their turn and then at the last minute cuts in. I'm panicking ......this is a huge moral question.Do I faced with being late become one of these ass-holes??? I am waiting 2 miles in line and decide to signal into the left lane and try to cut in line. I drive up towards the exit. I'm already imagining the middle fingers, honking and yelling I will soon hear. Then just 3 cars before the exit a bus stalls and leaves a huge gap about 6 car lengths and I pop my blinker on and shoot offto the exit ramp....so long suckers!! ( Im going to hell) Just a week earlier I got in a screaming match with a girl who at the Holland tunnel after I was waiting an hour in traffic tried to pull the same stunt sans the big bus leaving an opening. Karma is a bitch and I guess I am now one too. I got to the show at 7pm and of the 4 comics on the bill I was the first one there.
The room was packed with almost 350 women out to have a good time. I checked with the bar to see what the Ladies in the room are drinking..... white wine spritzers and vodka with cranberry juice......................... ...the cheap version of a cosmopolitan. Drink up girls!!! There was a huge buffet included with the show and the girls were eating like pigs. Its amazing that when it says All you can eat... you feel like you have a financial obligation to eat as much as you can. The booker was smart and waited till dinner was over and tables were cleared to begin the show. Nothing is more nerve racking than competing with food for an audiences attention.
Tracy Skene was the MC. She is the publisher of the web site Sheky.com a great online comedy magazine. She was a fantastic MC and did 20 up front. She got them all warmed up and howling. Then just as I am about to be introduced she does a joke with the same punch line as a big joke in my set. I am thrown. The premise is entirely different and the joke heads to a different area than mine. I decide to chuck the joke. As I get up on stage its like there are 4 people up there with me in my head. Housewife Robin takes a seat in the front row and is there to watch and encourage... Robin the writer is quickly going through all her pages of material trying to find the best bit to replace the one being tossed. Comedian Robin is doing her set and is blown away by how 350 women sound when they all laugh together. Manager Robin is taking notes on how well each joke is being received and re-thinking whether or not tossing the joke is a good thing. Manager Robin decides that if I don't do the joke ..... the next time I do it might be perceived that I stole it. Anybody who has seen me knows I have been doing this joke for several years. Manager Robin decides that Tracy has never heard it and it is what we rehearsed for a weeks and that "The joke stays". Comedian Robin does the joke...................it hits!!!! Writer Robin is not paying attention at this point and forgets to tell comedian to say something like....that's a callback to Tracy's set. Housewife Robin is having fun and is just glad to be out of the house. I get off the stage and I'm exhausted. It was a good set, It was 14-16 minutes and I feel like I just got out of a boxing ring. The headliner Chris Rich later told me that stand-up is often compared to boxing.
The next comic to got up had a good set although the room was a bit distracted at one point. She came back fast and hard and ended strong. The headliner Chris Rich Killed. At the end of the show we all sat around for about a half hour and just talked. Both Tracy and Chris have been doing comedy for 20 years each. They both have major comedy credits.... They were extremely nice.... Then it hit me. They were secure and I was in no way a threat to them. They had the good careers as full time comics and only had advice and encouragement to offer.
It was a night out with the girls I am truly grateful to have been a part of. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I was the opener and it was awesome doing well in a room with 350 drunk and overfed women. I was really happy with my set and Tracy when I was done told the room that I was like a dirty Irma Brombeck......( google her if your under 20)
I really am enjoying these road gigs and I have to say working in a club filled to capacity and having a strong set is better than just about anything in this world. I would love to be an A list comic in NYC and who of us wouldn't. Until then....or if it is never. I will take the road gig that tells me to my core I am a comedian. I like the format of the road shows. 3-4 comics. I like doing longer sets. I like getting paid. A few blogs back (see: Wont you be my neighbor.) I wrote about city comedy vs the road. Luckily I live in Central NJ where I can do both. Tonight I have a spot at NYCC at 11. Im scared shitless....Im always scared. Next week I'm off to Pittsburgh for a charity show. I am being flow, put up in a hotel and getting paid to boot!!!!.......hummmmm???? Sure beats in some ways open mic nights in the city.
I have learned so much and have so much more to go. ... In the past several weeks of venturing out of the city. I think I have grown alot. The most amazing side affect of it all is during the long drives, a what has been happening in the car. On the way to the show I say my set in the car a few times out loud. I have been preparing for my 45 mins in Pittsburgh and need to see how long I can go without notes. On the way home ...... I have been writing jokes in my mind and calling them on to my voice mail so I wont forget to put them on paper in the morining. I haven't felt this creative in months. This alone after months of writers block is a gift from heaven. So maybe I can do both. Be part of the NYC community and get out into clubs outside the city and get to let loose. The goal is to get funnier and be able to make a room full of strangers laugh. This is why I wanted to be a comedian in the first place.
Comments are below
congrats mom
Posted on 05/13/2005 at 09:34 AM by April Brucker
I read this and I a, like damn...you are one busy woman. How you manage to be a mom and do comedy is like, wow! Good for you
U the best ma-ma
Posted on 05/13/2005 at 10:16 AM by Larry Bailey
Congrats Robin..I knew you would rock. I'm really glad things are coming together for you.
Thanks
Posted on 05/13/2005 at 10:46 AM by Robin Fox
Thanks Larry and April. Im glad you knew Larry... I never know??? All you can do is be prepared and do the best you got. April as far as doing so much.... I sat on my fat ass for 20 years procrastinating...not knowing how or why I wanted to do comedy. I got no time left to waste.
Awesome!
Posted on 05/15/2005 at 11:34 AM by Adam Sank
Robin, you are truly an inspiration. Congratulations and may your suceeses only continue to grow... xo
Times ticking
Posted on 05/15/2005 at 05:49 PM by Robin Fox
Thanks Adam, I wasted so many years trying to grow the balls to get off my fat ass and do this. I have not one second to waste. I am happier than I have been ever. Life is a gift. All we got is now. Thats why they call it the PRESENT!!!! I am just greatfull that it just might not be too late for me....to join the party.
The entire first 45 minutes of my 70 mile trek was sitting in slow going traffic. This was a huge opportunity and I was going to blow it. There is one thing on the road that pisses me off more than anything else ....when your waiting your turn to get off to an exit ramp and ass holes drive up on the left lane passing all the good people waiting their turn and then at the last minute cuts in. I'm panicking ......this is a huge moral question.Do I faced with being late become one of these ass-holes??? I am waiting 2 miles in line and decide to signal into the left lane and try to cut in line. I drive up towards the exit. I'm already imagining the middle fingers, honking and yelling I will soon hear. Then just 3 cars before the exit a bus stalls and leaves a huge gap about 6 car lengths and I pop my blinker on and shoot offto the exit ramp....so long suckers!! ( Im going to hell) Just a week earlier I got in a screaming match with a girl who at the Holland tunnel after I was waiting an hour in traffic tried to pull the same stunt sans the big bus leaving an opening. Karma is a bitch and I guess I am now one too. I got to the show at 7pm and of the 4 comics on the bill I was the first one there.
The room was packed with almost 350 women out to have a good time. I checked with the bar to see what the Ladies in the room are drinking..... white wine spritzers and vodka with cranberry juice......................... ...the cheap version of a cosmopolitan. Drink up girls!!! There was a huge buffet included with the show and the girls were eating like pigs. Its amazing that when it says All you can eat... you feel like you have a financial obligation to eat as much as you can. The booker was smart and waited till dinner was over and tables were cleared to begin the show. Nothing is more nerve racking than competing with food for an audiences attention.
Tracy Skene was the MC. She is the publisher of the web site Sheky.com a great online comedy magazine. She was a fantastic MC and did 20 up front. She got them all warmed up and howling. Then just as I am about to be introduced she does a joke with the same punch line as a big joke in my set. I am thrown. The premise is entirely different and the joke heads to a different area than mine. I decide to chuck the joke. As I get up on stage its like there are 4 people up there with me in my head. Housewife Robin takes a seat in the front row and is there to watch and encourage... Robin the writer is quickly going through all her pages of material trying to find the best bit to replace the one being tossed. Comedian Robin is doing her set and is blown away by how 350 women sound when they all laugh together. Manager Robin is taking notes on how well each joke is being received and re-thinking whether or not tossing the joke is a good thing. Manager Robin decides that if I don't do the joke ..... the next time I do it might be perceived that I stole it. Anybody who has seen me knows I have been doing this joke for several years. Manager Robin decides that Tracy has never heard it and it is what we rehearsed for a weeks and that "The joke stays". Comedian Robin does the joke...................it hits!!!! Writer Robin is not paying attention at this point and forgets to tell comedian to say something like....that's a callback to Tracy's set. Housewife Robin is having fun and is just glad to be out of the house. I get off the stage and I'm exhausted. It was a good set, It was 14-16 minutes and I feel like I just got out of a boxing ring. The headliner Chris Rich later told me that stand-up is often compared to boxing.
The next comic to got up had a good set although the room was a bit distracted at one point. She came back fast and hard and ended strong. The headliner Chris Rich Killed. At the end of the show we all sat around for about a half hour and just talked. Both Tracy and Chris have been doing comedy for 20 years each. They both have major comedy credits.... They were extremely nice.... Then it hit me. They were secure and I was in no way a threat to them. They had the good careers as full time comics and only had advice and encouragement to offer.
It was a night out with the girls I am truly grateful to have been a part of. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I was the opener and it was awesome doing well in a room with 350 drunk and overfed women. I was really happy with my set and Tracy when I was done told the room that I was like a dirty Irma Brombeck......( google her if your under 20)
I really am enjoying these road gigs and I have to say working in a club filled to capacity and having a strong set is better than just about anything in this world. I would love to be an A list comic in NYC and who of us wouldn't. Until then....or if it is never. I will take the road gig that tells me to my core I am a comedian. I like the format of the road shows. 3-4 comics. I like doing longer sets. I like getting paid. A few blogs back (see: Wont you be my neighbor.) I wrote about city comedy vs the road. Luckily I live in Central NJ where I can do both. Tonight I have a spot at NYCC at 11. Im scared shitless....Im always scared. Next week I'm off to Pittsburgh for a charity show. I am being flow, put up in a hotel and getting paid to boot!!!!.......hummmmm???? Sure beats in some ways open mic nights in the city.
I have learned so much and have so much more to go. ... In the past several weeks of venturing out of the city. I think I have grown alot. The most amazing side affect of it all is during the long drives, a what has been happening in the car. On the way to the show I say my set in the car a few times out loud. I have been preparing for my 45 mins in Pittsburgh and need to see how long I can go without notes. On the way home ...... I have been writing jokes in my mind and calling them on to my voice mail so I wont forget to put them on paper in the morining. I haven't felt this creative in months. This alone after months of writers block is a gift from heaven. So maybe I can do both. Be part of the NYC community and get out into clubs outside the city and get to let loose. The goal is to get funnier and be able to make a room full of strangers laugh. This is why I wanted to be a comedian in the first place.
Comments are below
congrats mom
Posted on 05/13/2005 at 09:34 AM by April Brucker
I read this and I a, like damn...you are one busy woman. How you manage to be a mom and do comedy is like, wow! Good for you
U the best ma-ma
Posted on 05/13/2005 at 10:16 AM by Larry Bailey
Congrats Robin..I knew you would rock. I'm really glad things are coming together for you.
Thanks
Posted on 05/13/2005 at 10:46 AM by Robin Fox
Thanks Larry and April. Im glad you knew Larry... I never know??? All you can do is be prepared and do the best you got. April as far as doing so much.... I sat on my fat ass for 20 years procrastinating...not knowing how or why I wanted to do comedy. I got no time left to waste.
Awesome!
Posted on 05/15/2005 at 11:34 AM by Adam Sank
Robin, you are truly an inspiration. Congratulations and may your suceeses only continue to grow... xo
Times ticking
Posted on 05/15/2005 at 05:49 PM by Robin Fox
Thanks Adam, I wasted so many years trying to grow the balls to get off my fat ass and do this. I have not one second to waste. I am happier than I have been ever. Life is a gift. All we got is now. Thats why they call it the PRESENT!!!! I am just greatfull that it just might not be too late for me....to join the party.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Girls Night Out
This Weds. night I am performing outside of Philly. It is to be a girls night out show. I have performed in all women venues before however this one is different. This is a Pajama Party Show. The show will include many heavy hitter women comics with big time credits.. The audience unlike other shows like this I have done will be ...No Men Allowed. Other than the Ladies of Laughter contest I have never been so nervous. I don't know what it is ....It might be that for the past several months I have been doing many 3 -4 comic nights. I have been the only women in the show. I have Mc' d, opened, featured, and headlined.(the headliner was a no show and I was told to do it, I was scared out of my mind.) Mcing for me the most frightening. I have to play with the crowd and I always feel like I don't have as much control over the outcome. Yet by doing it more and more....I am feeling a bit more comfortable. I do find that when many women get together to do shows there is a feeling of competitiveness. Like were on the bachelor and all are after the same guy. If there are even a few men in the show it automatically disappears. It is replace with a feeling of were all in this together. Although I did a show called Chicks and Giggles at the Raga....and it was very supportive. I really don't know what I am afraid of...if I am at all. I think mostly it is that I am in a show with really top women comics and I just hope as one of many...............I can hold my own.
Comments are below
Posted on 05/10/2005 at 01:56 AM by Michael Hayne
Even though Eddie Izzard is my favorite female comedian, I still offer you the best of luck.
Why is it
Posted on 05/10/2005 at 12:07 PM by Chris McDevitt
The ONLY time I'd be eager to see women comics, there have to be pajamas and a no penis rule involved?
Good Luck Robin
Posted on 05/10/2005 at 03:53 PM by Larry Bailey
You'll do fine..dont sweat it. Have you read this blog about the pajama party theme? Its pretty good. http://www.sheckymagazine.com/skene/026s.htm
Thats a big load off my mind
Posted on 05/10/2005 at 05:00 PM by Robin Fox
Traci Skene who wrote that article Larry will be one of the performers at this show.She was writing about the show I will be doing!!!! Thank you so much for telling me to read that. The fact that she said it is a supportive group of comics is a big load off of my mind. I am going to be the 4th woman. They usually only have 3 but the booker liked me and wanted to try me out in the show. Your the best, thanks for the heads up. You are a person who I really value their opionion and support. Plus your one funny guy!
Comments are below
Posted on 05/10/2005 at 01:56 AM by Michael Hayne
Even though Eddie Izzard is my favorite female comedian, I still offer you the best of luck.
Why is it
Posted on 05/10/2005 at 12:07 PM by Chris McDevitt
The ONLY time I'd be eager to see women comics, there have to be pajamas and a no penis rule involved?
Good Luck Robin
Posted on 05/10/2005 at 03:53 PM by Larry Bailey
You'll do fine..dont sweat it. Have you read this blog about the pajama party theme? Its pretty good. http://www.sheckymagazine.com/skene/026s.htm
Thats a big load off my mind
Posted on 05/10/2005 at 05:00 PM by Robin Fox
Traci Skene who wrote that article Larry will be one of the performers at this show.She was writing about the show I will be doing!!!! Thank you so much for telling me to read that. The fact that she said it is a supportive group of comics is a big load off of my mind. I am going to be the 4th woman. They usually only have 3 but the booker liked me and wanted to try me out in the show. Your the best, thanks for the heads up. You are a person who I really value their opionion and support. Plus your one funny guy!
Wednesday, May 4, 2005
NO SOUP FOR YOU!
Every time I check my e-mail....there they are. The invitations to do bringer shows. I can be seen by the top person at club xyz or the top top guy at the best talent booking agency if I bring 4 or 6 or 10 or yes even 25......the balls of that last one,to see me perform. I know many people in NJ but they need a passport to go into the city to see me. If its a week night forget it. They would love to see me but.... I'm not worth missing the Apprentice, or Survivor and hiring a babysitter for there 15 year old....uggg. Not to sound ungrateful many of them have come to see me, at great expense I might add. Between gas, tolls, dinner, sitters, and cover and drinks....you know. It feels like a recital. I cant ask again. Unfortunately many of the bringers I have done have offered false promises. Really only one I did that required 10 people was worth it. It was at Gotham for Jessica Kirson, I did it for the tape. The booker offered no promises she couldn't keep. But I will say it was a fantastic show. Full of really good talent new and top draw. But Im tapped out. Im ready to join a few 12 step programs in the city just to meet new local people. "Hi, Im Robin it been 3 months since my last bringger". So now day after day.....they arrive in my email in- box to mock me. Bringer emails " Ha! No one will see you, you will never get a chance to perform for the booker, producer, agent (real or imagined ).....HA HA HA HA ( insert evil laugh sound) you have no more FRIENDS. Bring me the witches broom.........or 6 people...dont have either...to bad.... Now go back to your open Mic in Jersey. We have 200 people enrolled in comedy classes all over the city and surrounding areas who soon will graduate and we will use them to fill our rooms.....NOT YOU.....HA HA HA HA HA HA"
Comments are below
YOU GOT IT
Posted on 05/04/2005 at 07:25 PM by Charles s. Smith
I know what you mean Robin i Hate Bringer shows too.
The Great Irony of Bringers...
Posted on 05/05/2005 at 10:45 AM by Greg Manuel
Growing up, I NEVER had 10 friends all at one time. That was one of several reasons WHY I became a comic. Now I go to get some stage time, whaddayou need? 10 friends.
You ever get the feeling like there's a creative bottleneck nowadays? Seems like every generation of artists BEFORE this one had a much easier time breaking into wherever...it's not just me, is it?
There's a certain logic to it....
Posted on 05/05/2005 at 11:01 AM by Chris McDevitt
And it comes from the Music Industry... No matter how wildly talented an artist is. Very few are actually discovered. You have to put in the paces and pay your dues. One of which, aside from honing your craft, is to build up your own, completely independent local following.
It's almost impossible for ANY BAND no matter how awesome they are, to be signed to a major record label without at least having a faithful following in their home town, state, area, etc. Bringers are the halfway point of this in comedy. Start a mailing list, get a website, get out there, promote yourself. It doesn't just have to be friends, fill the seats with people from Myspace, or let your friends set you up on all those 'blind dates' with their 'personable' friends from work on a night when you have a show.
Bringers suck but they're a necessary Evil. I'll be performing at a 3-person Bringer at the Comedy Cellar on Friday the 13th. And if I can't get three people, I'll pay for strangers to see the show and their drinks. I've done it before. The cellar costs me about 50-70 bucks everytime I go into the city. But I like the room.
WE all agree that bringer's suck, but they're a necessary evil, and while you may never meet the booker, or an agent at a bringer, you may meet a comic who can help you down the road. It's all about networking. At least that's my take on it. Networking, building a fanbase, and lazy promoters :)
Bringers...
Posted on 05/05/2005 at 11:45 AM by Sean O'Connor
A bringer has helped me not only create a kick-ass tape but actually get a call back with VH1 so I mean not all is lost. There are certain bringers that I would rank over other ones. Then there are the bringers that you might as well be doing stand up on a street corner and this way no one's paying 8 dollars for a splash of jack in their coke. OH I DON'T KNOW.... NEW YORK COMEDY CLUB!!!!
Thats what kills me
Posted on 05/06/2005 at 12:40 PM by Robin Fox
I know that there are many wonderful opportunities out there. And Chris is right you do need to network. Thats why it kills me. I have a huge network of friends but the biggest problem I face is that they refuse to come out on a week night to the city. In the 80s there were no bringers... And there were half as many clubs and they were opened only on the weekends. Bringers have become a way of NYC comedy life. I envy you Sean that you can find people during the week. You are getting the necessary exposure. You are also showing the clubs that you have some kind of following. I do the shows in NJ on weekends and always have 4-6 people who want to see me. Then when I do pile 4-6 people into the Mommy van to make sure they show up at a NYC show. It is so frustrating when what was promised is not there. When the booker isnt even in the room. So for now its local one nighters, barking and road work... we do what we have to do.
Fuck Bringers
Posted on 05/06/2005 at 01:01 PM by Morgan Gold
I gave up doing bringers back in the fall. It was the best move I could have made. I got sick of that weird parasitical feeling that you get when you've got to convince family and friends to show up and pay a $10 cover and fill a two drink minimum. Worrying that somebody won't show up and you'll be short of your required five people. It's all bullshit.
Bringers started only after club owners realized that they could shirk some of their responsibility and make the comics responsible for making the audience show up. Ken Pringle wrote a great article on Chuckle Monkey about the whole thing. http://wwww.chucklemonkey.com/Newsroom/Riffing100104.htm
I'm with you, Robin. I go from one crappy bar to another playing local shows in all sorts of assbackwards parts of CT and Western Mass. I sit outside, barking (thank God it's spring time). I hit up as many open mics as possible.
And I think I'm a better comic for it.
Its grueling....
Posted on 05/06/2005 at 02:12 PM by Robin Fox
Thanks Morgan.... I did read that article on chuckelmonkey it is excellent. Yet I have to say I have seen some of my good friends get tremendous breaks by doing these shows. I cant help but feel envious...I am happy for them. Yet Id be lying if I said I get sad because I know by my set of circumstances I will not get the chances they will. But all is not lost. Lorrie Kilmartin and a sweet funny guy named Logan both gave me great advice. Lorrie said...Just get funnier thats all you can do. And Logan said.... If you consistantly Kill and do well they eventually cant deny you, your in. Those 2 thoughts are what keep me going. What else can I do?? Its all I have control of. If that.
Posted on 05/06/2005 at 04:46 PM by Sean Harvey
If you don't do bringer shows at a decent club, how do you eventually get to perform legitimately at said club?
Open mikes are good for stage time and comfort, but only four or five other open mikers will see your stuff. How on Earth would you ever get booked at any club by performing in front of nobody?
My question is, where is the leap from having to do a dreaded "bringer show", or even more dreaded open-mic, to performing at a comedy club, legitimately?
What is the sound of one hand clapping???
Posted on 05/07/2005 at 01:18 AM by Robin Fox
That is an excellent question. My solution has been to do the audition at the Comic Strip...where hopefully if you got what it takes you pass. I also have come in the finals of three really great contests. One which got me passed at a Sal's Comedy Hole, The Ladies of Laughter Contest where I was a semi-finalist. I got a few really great gigs off of that. I also by word of mouth and a strong recommendation by a top comic a guest spot at a club outside of Philly where I got passed. I also do shows at 88 keys which I was booked at by knowing the bookers who are great comedy pals. I got several guest spots at Porkeys in NJ and do paid spots as a feature there now. I guess the answer is you just get funnier and when they need someone who they know can "Get the job done" you get the work. I still have a long long way to go. Sure I would love to be on rotation at a Major NYC club...but it wont just happen because I have 4-10 people willing to come out to see me. Even then You have to have the "goods". I hopefully when the right opportunity comes to do a bringer that will give me a shot at the next level I will have built up the following or really can convince my friends to come on out. That my friend is the big question. Till then all I can do is work on getting funnier.
Comments are below
YOU GOT IT
Posted on 05/04/2005 at 07:25 PM by Charles s. Smith
I know what you mean Robin i Hate Bringer shows too.
The Great Irony of Bringers...
Posted on 05/05/2005 at 10:45 AM by Greg Manuel
Growing up, I NEVER had 10 friends all at one time. That was one of several reasons WHY I became a comic. Now I go to get some stage time, whaddayou need? 10 friends.
You ever get the feeling like there's a creative bottleneck nowadays? Seems like every generation of artists BEFORE this one had a much easier time breaking into wherever...it's not just me, is it?
There's a certain logic to it....
Posted on 05/05/2005 at 11:01 AM by Chris McDevitt
And it comes from the Music Industry... No matter how wildly talented an artist is. Very few are actually discovered. You have to put in the paces and pay your dues. One of which, aside from honing your craft, is to build up your own, completely independent local following.
It's almost impossible for ANY BAND no matter how awesome they are, to be signed to a major record label without at least having a faithful following in their home town, state, area, etc. Bringers are the halfway point of this in comedy. Start a mailing list, get a website, get out there, promote yourself. It doesn't just have to be friends, fill the seats with people from Myspace, or let your friends set you up on all those 'blind dates' with their 'personable' friends from work on a night when you have a show.
Bringers suck but they're a necessary Evil. I'll be performing at a 3-person Bringer at the Comedy Cellar on Friday the 13th. And if I can't get three people, I'll pay for strangers to see the show and their drinks. I've done it before. The cellar costs me about 50-70 bucks everytime I go into the city. But I like the room.
WE all agree that bringer's suck, but they're a necessary evil, and while you may never meet the booker, or an agent at a bringer, you may meet a comic who can help you down the road. It's all about networking. At least that's my take on it. Networking, building a fanbase, and lazy promoters :)
Bringers...
Posted on 05/05/2005 at 11:45 AM by Sean O'Connor
A bringer has helped me not only create a kick-ass tape but actually get a call back with VH1 so I mean not all is lost. There are certain bringers that I would rank over other ones. Then there are the bringers that you might as well be doing stand up on a street corner and this way no one's paying 8 dollars for a splash of jack in their coke. OH I DON'T KNOW.... NEW YORK COMEDY CLUB!!!!
Thats what kills me
Posted on 05/06/2005 at 12:40 PM by Robin Fox
I know that there are many wonderful opportunities out there. And Chris is right you do need to network. Thats why it kills me. I have a huge network of friends but the biggest problem I face is that they refuse to come out on a week night to the city. In the 80s there were no bringers... And there were half as many clubs and they were opened only on the weekends. Bringers have become a way of NYC comedy life. I envy you Sean that you can find people during the week. You are getting the necessary exposure. You are also showing the clubs that you have some kind of following. I do the shows in NJ on weekends and always have 4-6 people who want to see me. Then when I do pile 4-6 people into the Mommy van to make sure they show up at a NYC show. It is so frustrating when what was promised is not there. When the booker isnt even in the room. So for now its local one nighters, barking and road work... we do what we have to do.
Fuck Bringers
Posted on 05/06/2005 at 01:01 PM by Morgan Gold
I gave up doing bringers back in the fall. It was the best move I could have made. I got sick of that weird parasitical feeling that you get when you've got to convince family and friends to show up and pay a $10 cover and fill a two drink minimum. Worrying that somebody won't show up and you'll be short of your required five people. It's all bullshit.
Bringers started only after club owners realized that they could shirk some of their responsibility and make the comics responsible for making the audience show up. Ken Pringle wrote a great article on Chuckle Monkey about the whole thing. http://wwww.chucklemonkey.com/Newsroom/Riffing100104.htm
I'm with you, Robin. I go from one crappy bar to another playing local shows in all sorts of assbackwards parts of CT and Western Mass. I sit outside, barking (thank God it's spring time). I hit up as many open mics as possible.
And I think I'm a better comic for it.
Its grueling....
Posted on 05/06/2005 at 02:12 PM by Robin Fox
Thanks Morgan.... I did read that article on chuckelmonkey it is excellent. Yet I have to say I have seen some of my good friends get tremendous breaks by doing these shows. I cant help but feel envious...I am happy for them. Yet Id be lying if I said I get sad because I know by my set of circumstances I will not get the chances they will. But all is not lost. Lorrie Kilmartin and a sweet funny guy named Logan both gave me great advice. Lorrie said...Just get funnier thats all you can do. And Logan said.... If you consistantly Kill and do well they eventually cant deny you, your in. Those 2 thoughts are what keep me going. What else can I do?? Its all I have control of. If that.
Posted on 05/06/2005 at 04:46 PM by Sean Harvey
If you don't do bringer shows at a decent club, how do you eventually get to perform legitimately at said club?
Open mikes are good for stage time and comfort, but only four or five other open mikers will see your stuff. How on Earth would you ever get booked at any club by performing in front of nobody?
My question is, where is the leap from having to do a dreaded "bringer show", or even more dreaded open-mic, to performing at a comedy club, legitimately?
What is the sound of one hand clapping???
Posted on 05/07/2005 at 01:18 AM by Robin Fox
That is an excellent question. My solution has been to do the audition at the Comic Strip...where hopefully if you got what it takes you pass. I also have come in the finals of three really great contests. One which got me passed at a Sal's Comedy Hole, The Ladies of Laughter Contest where I was a semi-finalist. I got a few really great gigs off of that. I also by word of mouth and a strong recommendation by a top comic a guest spot at a club outside of Philly where I got passed. I also do shows at 88 keys which I was booked at by knowing the bookers who are great comedy pals. I got several guest spots at Porkeys in NJ and do paid spots as a feature there now. I guess the answer is you just get funnier and when they need someone who they know can "Get the job done" you get the work. I still have a long long way to go. Sure I would love to be on rotation at a Major NYC club...but it wont just happen because I have 4-10 people willing to come out to see me. Even then You have to have the "goods". I hopefully when the right opportunity comes to do a bringer that will give me a shot at the next level I will have built up the following or really can convince my friends to come on out. That my friend is the big question. Till then all I can do is work on getting funnier.
Monday, May 2, 2005
Won't you be my neighbor?
Several weeks ago I was talking to a comic who is passed for late nights at the Comic Strip. The conversation was about the best way to improve as a comic. I didn't have much to say and was listening. Over the past 2 years I have gotten a lot of advice....most of it good, some conflicting. At the Strip the comic I was talking with said when asked which is better?? Going on the road or pounding it out in NY? He said with complete conviction.... The city. If you want to be a major force in comedy you need to be in the "Community". The road he went on to say makes you flabby... you can get away with stuff on stage out there that a NYC audience would never accept. The competition in NY keeps you sharp. Do I want to be a major force in comedy???? Or do I want to perform in rooms of paying customers now and get paid for the pleasure.....hummm? Maybe if I was passed at a major NY club it would be a different decision. I have also been told that the fastest way to get stronger is to MC. I MC ed this weekend outside of Philly this past weekend. This advice seems to be true. It's like jumping into the cold ocean like the Polar Bears (nutty people not the animal) do in the winter.....you run in cold. Its up to you and you alone to start the audiences engine. To say I was scared shittless is an understatement. Plus, I had the added stress of the owner/booker watching me. It was a 2 night gig. Friday I hopped on stage like I was about to get shot. I did 3 little bits of crowd work and ran straight to my material and did 8-10 minutes. I love the security of my set. My time tested .....reliable material....oh sweat safety net!!! And it worked! They liked my set. I introduced the next comic and did 3 min's more in between and that was that. The owner was very nice and had some nice things to say. Then she mentioned she'd like to see me play with the room more. Just have fun. I drove home to NJ...... I hadn't taped the night. I know its a really good tool. I am so unorganized it never works out. I don't have batteries or it jams or I don't turn it on. It didn't matter I remembered it all word for word. The next night, I wasn't scared. The surroundings were familiar and I just was in a better place. I did almost all crowd work.... I did very little of my material. In the entire night I might have done 6 minutes of jokes I walked in with. The room was just fun. I must have done something right. The owner was so happy with my set, she said that my sets the night before were good but...... she was really happy to see that I could play with the room too. She invited me back, later this month!!!!! I might not be part of the "Community" per se. But I'm not part of it anyway.Maybe Someday?? My community in NYC is compiled of comics who work mostly for compelments and scrounge for stage time. We pay to perform because we need to. I am proudly one of them. My goal for now is to get funnier. Stage time in front of a paying audience is right now the best route to this goal for now. I have so much to learn....and the stage is my classroom.
Comments are below
THE GOOD
Posted on 05/02/2005 at 01:01 PM by Charles s. Smith
new york city is good for us comics !
True
Posted on 05/02/2005 at 02:45 PM by Shaun Eli
You can be a total hack on the road and get laughs. But road work does give you the chance to experience different types of audiences. My new opening now is a one-line vocabulary joke that takes an audience about two seconds to get, and once a couple of people laugh, the rest of the group figures it out... and it builds. I'm not sure how this joke will work with a different audience. But I will have to learn.
I appreciate the comments
Posted on 05/02/2005 at 07:03 PM by Robin Fox
mostly ....because it meant you took the time to read the blog. Who really knows how many people read these things. If you look at the hit counter you cant go by that...just going to the blog page listings adds a hit to that. I dont know if the road can make you haky...or if hacky does better on the road. Like I said my goal is to just get funnier.
Word...
Posted on 05/03/2005 at 06:00 PM by Brian Baumley
Robin, I appreciate your wanting to get out and do more rooms outside of NYC. I'm at the same point. My excuse has been that "I don't have a good tape," but it will probably never be good enough, so I should probably just start sending the thing out and making a concerted effort to do stuff outside of NY, especially on weekends. We'll see where this takes me, but I'm looking forward to it. And you definitely can't discount how much more of an open mind you'll get by playing for different audiences and bringing that experience back to NY. We get stuck in a rut and start drinking the punch after a while. Punch is loaded with sugar which can cause just as much flab...
well said
Posted on 05/03/2005 at 06:00 PM by April Brucker
Robin, That is probably the most right on thing you have ever written. The stage is your clasroom. I have performed for Altzeimers patients who thought my puppets were real in Pittsburgh, dying children who talked about staying up too late with my puppets in Toronto, tourists in midtown, edgy but intellectual Jack Karouac reading crowds in the Village, and hip and edgy in Brooklyn as well as drunken burlesquers in the lower east side. Did they all laugh. Yes. Because my goal is to become funnier. THE STAGE IS MY CLASSROOM! IT SHOULD BE EVERY COMICS CLASSROOM
You go girl!
thanks for the feedback
Posted on 05/03/2005 at 06:37 PM by Robin Fox
I really do appreciate it. My "real world friends" just dont want to talk about this or much less hear it. And truly they dont know. I would rather be on a stage than just about anywhere else...that said. Instead of sitting home like a fat girl with pimples...(I was one so I know) waiting for the phone to ring on a weekend. I will find a stage with a paying audience. NY isnt putting me up all too often on the weekends. At this point its just once a month....so its the road.
Comments are below
THE GOOD
Posted on 05/02/2005 at 01:01 PM by Charles s. Smith
new york city is good for us comics !
True
Posted on 05/02/2005 at 02:45 PM by Shaun Eli
You can be a total hack on the road and get laughs. But road work does give you the chance to experience different types of audiences. My new opening now is a one-line vocabulary joke that takes an audience about two seconds to get, and once a couple of people laugh, the rest of the group figures it out... and it builds. I'm not sure how this joke will work with a different audience. But I will have to learn.
I appreciate the comments
Posted on 05/02/2005 at 07:03 PM by Robin Fox
mostly ....because it meant you took the time to read the blog. Who really knows how many people read these things. If you look at the hit counter you cant go by that...just going to the blog page listings adds a hit to that. I dont know if the road can make you haky...or if hacky does better on the road. Like I said my goal is to just get funnier.
Word...
Posted on 05/03/2005 at 06:00 PM by Brian Baumley
Robin, I appreciate your wanting to get out and do more rooms outside of NYC. I'm at the same point. My excuse has been that "I don't have a good tape," but it will probably never be good enough, so I should probably just start sending the thing out and making a concerted effort to do stuff outside of NY, especially on weekends. We'll see where this takes me, but I'm looking forward to it. And you definitely can't discount how much more of an open mind you'll get by playing for different audiences and bringing that experience back to NY. We get stuck in a rut and start drinking the punch after a while. Punch is loaded with sugar which can cause just as much flab...
well said
Posted on 05/03/2005 at 06:00 PM by April Brucker
Robin, That is probably the most right on thing you have ever written. The stage is your clasroom. I have performed for Altzeimers patients who thought my puppets were real in Pittsburgh, dying children who talked about staying up too late with my puppets in Toronto, tourists in midtown, edgy but intellectual Jack Karouac reading crowds in the Village, and hip and edgy in Brooklyn as well as drunken burlesquers in the lower east side. Did they all laugh. Yes. Because my goal is to become funnier. THE STAGE IS MY CLASSROOM! IT SHOULD BE EVERY COMICS CLASSROOM
You go girl!
thanks for the feedback
Posted on 05/03/2005 at 06:37 PM by Robin Fox
I really do appreciate it. My "real world friends" just dont want to talk about this or much less hear it. And truly they dont know. I would rather be on a stage than just about anywhere else...that said. Instead of sitting home like a fat girl with pimples...(I was one so I know) waiting for the phone to ring on a weekend. I will find a stage with a paying audience. NY isnt putting me up all too often on the weekends. At this point its just once a month....so its the road.
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