The Funnies
Monday, July 9 : 12:28 PM : 0 comments :
Went to the Ice House to watch Brian perform last night. First things first, it's not easy to be a stand-up comedian. Think about it. You're in front of an audience trying to convince them that you're worth their time. Looking at the modes of persuasion blog from a few days ago, a stand-up comedian rarely has any of those three factors going for him off the bat. In fact, the crowd is more likely to be against you than be neutral.If ever there was a measure of a man (or woman), stand-up must be one of them. Having said that, Brian did a very good job. He's funny. Yes folks, he's funny. Having only seen three of the other nine comedians performing, it's unfair for me to say that he was the funniest but he definitely wasn't the unfunniest. I mean, he didn't move all this way out here to pursue comedy and not be funny. Here's the video of his set, he easily got the most laughs per minute from the night.
I'd imagine it's hard to even aspire to be a comedian. I mean, the sheer mystery of how the comedy scene works and how to succeed in it would be a huge hurdle for me. What are the steps that turn one into a success? What does a successful comedian look like? I mean, it's that way with any artistic pursuit you're trying to turn into a vocation. You start to wonder what it takes to make X amount of money. It's no longer about the art but how to monetize that art.
You can write, dance, sing, stand-up, gyrate, or paint all day and be the best at it but you'll be nowhere without an audience. Like Brian mentioned as we ate tacos after the show, he didn't realize how much self-promotion it takes to get ahead. And it's true. You're not selling your talent, you're selling yourself to people. Big difference.The general public is hardly capable of judging an artist based on artistic merit. People could care less if someone is original or not; they just want to be entertained. Getting booked for gigs mainly comes down to how many butts you can get in seats. Who cares if you suck? If you can get a thousand people to watch you suck, you're a success! It's not even about selling out; it's about trying to eat and pay rent.
I, myself, can't wait to sell out. It's one thing to appreciate art but quite another to capably create it. Cream rises to the top but (other people's) money stays put unless you go grab it.
