I Was a Teenage Stand-Up Comedian in Hollywood!

“There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt.” ― Erma Bombeck

“Life is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel.” ― Jean Racine

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I really have worked as a Stand Up Comedian in Hollywood and around in small venues in Southern California when I was a teenager. I did this gig, off and on, from 1979 until early 1981 or so. I was very popular and got paid... 

OK. That's not exactly true. I wasn't a teenager, I was about 21 or 22 years old when I was a stand-up comedian; and it's probably a bit of a "stretch" to say that I was "popular." I did get paid a couple of bucks each time too (which was often more than I got from being in a punk band!)

Months before I became a Stand-Up Comedian, I was playing in a punk band and, from that, I got to see how the stage set-up was done for concerts. (I wrote about my punk band in: The White Stripes Jack White and Me (A True Story) (robot55.jp/blog/jack-white-and-me-a-true-story/) I saw an opportunity to be able to go on stage, tell off-color jokes and actually get paid a little bit (plus it was a great way to meet girls!) I figured that, in between the bands - while the Roadies were changing equipment on the stage - I could go up on stage and entertain the troops. 

I actually went to clubs and owners to sell myself and my routine. For a while there, I got jobs; a lady from the department store I worked at actually got me lots of jobs too. She got me jobs at some sort of social events! She could have been a good manager! At that time, I was telling jokes in front of crowds of 50 ~ 200 people, one or two weekends a month for a short while!

Sometimes I did so well, and the crowd liked my jokes so much, that the fans were crowding the stage and throwing coins at my feet. I am not exaggerating!

Other times, with the very same act and original jokes I wrote, even the next night in front of a different crowd, it was like I was giving a speech at a funeral; it was dead. I definitely am not exaggerating about that either.

I was always confused as to why I was such a hit one night, then the next night, it was terrible! The difference was like night and day!

(Photo of me, as Nigel Nitro, circa 1980 - I would later write under the pen name "Ricky Zipp" using this same photo)

The first time people threw money at me, I was mad because I thought they were throwing stuff at me to get me off the stage. That was until a friend told me, "Wow! You were great! People were even throwing money at your feet!"

Getting up on stage, by yourself, is much more difficult than people can imagine; you are completely alone. If you are in a band on stage, that's scary enough, but, with a band, you have your band members and instruments to hide behind. Being a stand up comedian is just you, naked (figuratively speaking), on the stage with a few dozen or, even hundreds of people just staring at you. Their eyes pierce you and their expectations are quite high (or incredibly low - which can be a problem too!) Their eyes and faces are saying, "Entertain me! Make me laugh or get off the stage!"

Being a Stand-Up Comedian is a very rough job.

My very last stand up routine was at my university at a talent show; I was MC'ing the event. People were roaring with laughter. I couldn't figure it out. They were laughing in all the wrong places! I later asked a girl why people were laughing so much and she said, "Your facial expressions were hilarious!" I couldn't figure that out either. If anything my facial expression were of confusion because I couldn't figure out why people were laughing at my jokes in weird places! It was then and there that I decided that I wasn't good enough and didn't have what it takes to be a Stand-Up Comedian.

But I'm very glad I tried my luck as a Stand Up Comedian. Being a Stand-Up Comedian is a great way to become a great public speaker. It is also a good way to overcome inhibitions and to learn how to control a crowd's behavior.

How and why did I ever first become a Stand-Up Comedian? Let me explain further...

In about mid 1979, a few months after Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols died, my punk band broke up. I was quite disillusioned with the entire "Punk Thing" by then anyway. Sid dying (he was my hero) was the last straw for me. (Well, I had lots of "last straws," actually.)

But, I had loved being on the stage as a Punk band vocalist and wanted to stay and hang out in Hollywood. So I decided try try my hand as a Stand-Up Comedian. It made sense to me at the time.

Being the front of a punk band was powerful. It was also a lesson in crowd control. When my band ended, at first, I wanted to start another punk band but everything I tried just didn't work out to my liking. Also, I had learned a lesson from playing in a band with other people who weren't so dedicated; having to depend on other people sucks!

Being a Stand-Up Comedian is really just you against the world, it seems. It's a great experience and, no matter your age, I think everyone can benefit from having to stand up in front of a bunch of strangers and give a speech.

After all, giving a speech and doing stand up comedy are first cousins in the public speaking world.

In Japan, you can sometimes see young people standing at a busy train station and giving speeches. I hear it is a kind of initiation at some companies to make their new young employees overcome their inhibitions and become better representatives and salesmen. I think it is good.

I will always fondly look back to my 20 or 30 times as a Stand Up Comedian. Sometimes I was the funniest guy! King of the hill! Other times I was a pathetic little loser standing butt-stark-naked in front of a crowd of people without a friend in the world!....

Both are great learning experiences.

Everyone can benefit from public speaking exposure like that.

Like they say, "Don't dream it. Be it."

This blogpost reprinted courtesy of Robot55. 

 

Corporate Rock Music is Terribly Boring - Fuji Rock is For Old People - Had Kenny Rogers Been Born 20 Years Later, He'd Be a Rock Musician and Probably Appearing at Fuji Rock

Rock music, for the most part, is totally and completely boring. No wonder many young people under 35 don't listen to it. Today's corporate Rock music is for old people.

Average Fuji Rock fan

I just saw the news release for this year's artist line up at Japan's famous summer festival, Fuji Rock. May I say, "Boring!" No. Make that BORING! B-O-R-I-N-G! There's not one new and exciting artist on the top lineup at all... Here's the announced line up for Fuji Rock 2012 so far:


Beady Eye (Oasis retreads - Oasis were OK 20 years ago)
Elvis Costello and the Attractions (Loved Elvis... in 1979!)
Stone Roses (Loved them in the 80s & early 90s - but that's more than 20 years ago)
Radiohead (Ditto to above)
Jack White (White Stripes, Dead Weather, ho hum... At least Dead Weather has been in the last decade)
The Specials (Loved them - When I was a university student)
Buddy Guy (Buddy Guy? Wait! What?) 


I said there were no cool new artists on the bill, but I take that back. Galactic is playing. Galactic is cool. Galactic is relatively new and doing something fresh with music.

Galactic - Heart of Steel

But that's about it; Galactic. 


Look, I like(d?) rock music as much as the next guy but this playing old artists all the time is just killing rock music (it's already dead?) I certainly loved Elvis Costello and the Attractions. I went to see them in 79 (or was it 80?) in Santa Barbara. The Specials, Stone Roses? Sure. A long time ago. I even saw Buddy Guy play at a 300 person venue in Shibuya called Club Quattro in the late 80s...


I know that Fuji needs to draw an audience and I know that older people are the ones that have the most money, but Jeez Louise, how about at least trying to propagate new artists and new music for the future? There's tons of good new artists... How about playing one or two of them? 


I liked these other artists that Fuji has lined up. I've played them all on the radio - a lot. Still do sometimes. But there's no way I am going to pay $1000 USD to spend a weekend with my girlfriend at Fuji Rock watching artists that should be playing in cozy 500 seater venues in downtown Tokyo. Especially since the sound at outdoor festivals is terrible and seeing any band at Fuji Rock is about as fun as lining up at Disneyland for an hour and a half just to ride Dumbo for two minutes. 


No thanks.


With a boring line up of old artists that they have set up for this year's Fuji Rock, I'm surprised The Who aren't playing. At least with the Who, you know you'll be getting a tired band on stage that hasn't written any new songs in 35 years. No surprises there...

♫ People try to put us down... 

Talking about our ge...ge...geriatrics ♫

I'll make a prediction here: 


No more Fuji Rock in 15 years. They can't survive. At this rate their average audience will be on Social Security by then.


With this type of line up, the Fuji Rock fan appeal is, let me put this nicely (or as Spinal Tap's Ian Faith would say) "the band's appeal is not waining... it's becoming 'more selective.'" 


Yeah, more selective to people over 45-years-old... Or is that exaggerating? OK. More selective for people over 55!


I'm not a particularly big fan of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson or Adele (actually Adele is okay) but at least these artists appeal to people under 30. The Fuji Rock lineup? What? Is this designed for the geriatric crowd? 


Maybe this year's Fuji Rock can get sponsorships from companies that make and sell products that do things like lower cholesterol levels or other companies that sell adult diapers or medicine for constipation.


Oh, did I mention that Fuji Rock's lineup this year is boring?


I also have Kenny Rogers's name in the title of this article. Most people know who Kenny Rogers is. Kenny Rogers is a very famous country music artist in the USA. He might even be the most famous country music artist in history. He has had more than 120 hit singles in his career. What Michael Jackson was to Pop Music, Kenny Rogers was to country music.


But one thing many people don't know was that, at the start of his career, Kenny Rogers was the lead vocalist for a late sixties psychedelic rock band named the First Edition. In fact, the First Edition was a famous group that had several smash hits - on the pop/rock and country music charts in the sixties psychedelic era! 

Kenny Rogers' band, the First Edition was formed in 1967 and broke up in 1976. It was then that Kenny Rogers made an important career decision: He dropped pop and rock music for a career in country music because of his age. He thought that rock music was music for young people (it was) and at his age, if he was going to continue in music, he'd have to go the route of country music that found it acceptable to have older artists. Rock was a young person's arena. Country and Western had many popular artists who were in their late sixties, like Ernest Tubb, and some, like Earl Scruggs, who is in his eighties and still performing country music today!  


Too bad for Japan's rock music fans that Kenny Rogers quit pop and rock music for a career in country. Now, at his ripe old age of 74 years old, Kenny would fit quite well on the main stage of Fuji Rock....


In fact, Kenny wouldn't even be the oldest one to perform on stage if he were invited to Fuji Rock this year. That would be reserved for Buddy Guy, who is two years older than Kenny Rogers.


Fuji Rock? My what a cool and cutting edge lineup up... If you were born in the 1950s. Pretty soon they'll be having to give senior citizen's discounts for Fuji Rock.


Don't forget to get in line for that... Oh and don't forget, senior citizens get a 20% discount.