2nd Date to Outback - Need Advice

[tonypaladino]

This is long, and I really appologize for the hijack.

NYC in 2003. I stopped because the scene is terrible. This city is full of wannabe comics, and the clubs have an ass-backwards way of getting new talent in. The clubs run "headliner shows" with the big established names, and "bringer" shows for the newcommers. In a "bringer" your spot on stage depends on how many paying customers you bring in to see you. Bring in the most, you go on first, bring zero, you don't go on unless the show runs short.

Basically you have to have a minimum of 3 friends pay $10 each to get in and buy 2 drinks just to have a chance at a decent slot. Almost all of my friends being poor college students, it didn't work out.

The club cares ZERO about how talented or funny you are, only how many people you can bring in. Your act could be 7 minutes of farting for all they care, if you happen to have 12 friends buy tickets to see you.

Basically, you have to do the bringers for at least 3 years, then the clubs start caring about how good you are and select the funny comics to open for the headliner shows. You then have to do that for 3-6 years, finally getting paid, but very little, until maybe one day someone will notice you and you'll be the 1 out of 100 to get an HBO or Comedy Central special.

I worked the NY Comedy Club, Stand Up NY and Ha! for six months, begging people on the streets to give my name to the cashier so I could get a spot. At NYCC I even used to mop the floors once in a while just to get a slot. It was terribly depressing and I had just had enough after a few months.

I really wanted to keep doing comedy, but I was sick of the clubs, so me and two other comics started a radio show that was broadcast on a low-watt station in manhattan and was going to be streamed over the internet. Evenually we ran into a crapload of technical problems and the show crashed and burned after 2 months. And so ended my comedy carrier.

[craig r]

Any chance of revival?

craig

[4_2_it]

Tony,

At least you have found a home for your genius in OOT [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[tonypaladino]

"Any chance of revival?"

Doubtful. It's a LOT of work to keep a routine up.
It's also teribly annoying when people in social situations find out your a comic. they expect you to be "on" and be funny all the time. Nobody's naturally on all the time. any comic you see who can spring something funny off the top of his head, has spent hours and hours writing any memorizing those jokes, keeping them ready whenever he needs them.

I also hated when people would say "Oh, you're a comic, say something funny!" what the eff is that? Do you ever hear "Oh, you're a doctor, do some surgery!" or "Oh, you're a receptionist, answer a phone!"

[FishNChips]

Dear $,

Do not ever refer to yourself as a baller again.

Best Wishes,
FishNchips

[Ulysses]

Tony,

Awesome story. Imagined it was a grind, but did not imagine it was quite that bad to break in.

Are the people who give out flyers in Time Square aspiring comics? What's the deal w/ the five people on the same corner all trying to hand out comedy club flyers?

Interested,
El Diablo

[tonypaladino]

El D,

Yeah, those guys are likely working for the Ha! Club. They each get a stack of fliers with a code number on it and the club totals the number of fliers brought in by customers and determines slots by who brings in the most.

[bad beetz]

I thought I could touch her coutchie spot and that's only second base.... BJ is definitely third.

BTW, what is SIIMP or whatever the [censored] the acronym is that everyone keeps saying?

[ QUOTE ]
I thought I could touch her coutchie spot and that's only second base.... BJ is definitely third.

BTW, what is SIIMP or whatever the [censored] the acronym is that everyone keeps saying?

[/ QUOTE ]

While ROFLing reading this thread, I was wondering this myself, thinking it was one of those pointless baseball stats. But after thinking really hard about it, I finally got it, and proceeded to LOL. If I tell you it won't be as funny. And it's SIIHP. Read the thread again and think about it...acronyms rule

[StacysMom]

I feel the need to fill in some wholes in this story. $'s my younger cousin, this chik he's after is my younger sis's roomate.

Decent looking- This girl has a cute face and smokin body. Only issue is acne. Not to disguisting levels, but enogh where you would say, that girl would be really hot if she used proactive.

Baller- its very relative. When you'rere a freshman in college, pulling in 2k/month when everyone you know is making min. wage at crappy resturants or other compus jobs, you're a baller. H/e, stick the kid in a big city, and its a dif. story.

23yo!- I only met her once, but she is not a typical 23yo. Very inexperienced in dating, not the type to be looking for a hook up. Very nice, but equally timid.

$ is a puss. This is true. He has been a little turd basically his whole life. However very nice and considerate also. Only in the last year has he come out of his shell and become outgoing and self confident. I'm shocked he has learned to talk to girls and is going on dates.

Hope this paints a better picture of the situation from which advice can be given. Hopefully $ will give us another update.

Peace