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I ONLY HAVE TROUBLE
WITH PEOPLE…

…who try too hard to make people laugh.  Anyone who has witnessed an open mike night at a comedy club will know what I mean.  I’m not criticizing the venue.  I think it’s a great idea to offer a stage and an audience to “unknowns” to test and perfect their routines.  Many, many major talents have traveled this route and achieved great success.   I just think that as a “comedian” develops, he/she should be able to assess how well things are going.  Probably the laughter or lack thereof would offer a clue.  Yet, from my experience as an audience member, many aspiring comics are deaf.  Their three to five minute sets seem like eternity.  The silence is embarrassing …for the spectators.  Yet, seemingly, not for the “entertainer.”   They go on and on.  They keep coming back.  How can the “artist” be so oblivious?   I expect you need a healthy amount of ego just to get up on that stage.  It can be very lonely up there.  As a stand-up comic, you’re on your own.   So, who is there to help them break this habit?  Not I.    A long time ago, I was involved in casting the road company of a comedy out of New York.  I put thumbs down on Diane Keaton.