Where are you going with this comedy thing?

 So, you're a stand up comic.  What does that mean?

Potentially, you could be Jim Norton selling out clubs and theaters wherever you go, or you could be an open mic comic.  You could be an A-room road comic headliner, traveling the country, or you could be the local club MC.  You could be a headliner in your surrounding area; or you could be a feature that's stuck in between MCing some clubs, can't do too many road gigs because not all clubs give rooms to features so your pay would get eaten up, and occasionally closing bar gigs.  You could be a college/corporate maven making big money per gig, or you could be running your own room so you get stage time.  You could be in New York, running the club circuit taking guest spots and multiple $25, fifteen minute spots a night to pay the rent; or you could be...okay, you get my point.

Being a stand up comic means a lot of different things.

There are designations we use that go in front of "stand up comic", such as "newbie", "working", "full-time", or "famous"; however, the public doesn't typically know the difference, except if you're famous.  Typically, if you say you're a stand up comedian, people on the street don't know if you're fresh out of comedy class or headlining a casino.

Ironically, the great equalizers are perception and likability.  Generally, a name comic is going to be given more latitude because people expect them to be funny.  Many of their shows are filled with people who bought tickets just to see them.  Or, if the comic pops into a club unannounced, their track record and the good will created by someone of their ilk deigning to show up at this club usually begets laughs.

Holy shit was that last sentence pretentiously written!  What I meant to say is that if Jerry Seinfeld suddenly showed up at a club, the audience would go nuts and would likely laugh if he just sneezed.

Conversely, the rest of us don't get that kind of leeway.  That's not to say famous, successful comics didn't earn it.  My point is that the average fundraiser crowd doesn't know, nor care, who the headliner is at their $35 a ticket, spaghetti and meatball buffet, Chinese auction, comedy show fundraiser for the high school girls lacrosse team.  They don't know the MC, either, but might like him/her better.

In other words, if you're an MC and you did a fundraiser show with Lisa Lampanelli as the announced headliner, Lisa would get laughs before she got on stage.  But, if you're the unknown headliner (clubs, bars, fundraisers, occasional corporate/college gig), you have to bring your A-game because the crowd will just be judging you as you compare to the other comics who just performed.

So, you can never really stop doing your best.  Don't intentionally mail in a show, no matter how shitty the gig is.

Sometimes, we can't control the situation.  We're not feeling well, the show stinks, the audience is lame, whatever the reason (or excuse) we have a bad set.  As long as that pisses you off and causes you to try to make the next set your best set ever, you'll be just fine.

Be that as it may, I'd like you to ask yourself where you're going with this comedy ride you're on?  Maybe you have a clear picture where you want to go, as I mentioned in my post about goals.  Maybe you don't.  If you don't, please read my 4-part Frustrated series of posts.

Regardless, you might know where you'd like to be, but do you know what it entails?  Do you know what you'll have to go through to get there?  Do you want to do what it takes?

The idea for this post came to me on a Saturday afternoon on the road between shows.  I was in a comedy condo, flipping through the TV channels, with about seven hours until the show (if you've never stayed in a comedy condo, many times that's an eye-opening experience in, and of, itself).

My daughter's just getting old enough for things like sports and cheerleading.  Is she going to be okay with me missing her events because, "Daddy's away somewhere telling jokes"?  Am I going to be okay with it?

The other day my wife joked about an opportunity that came to me possibly leading to me announcing for the Philadelphia Phillies, something I've always said I wanted to do.  It was a joke, because the two had nothing to do with each other.  However, the reality is that I'd be away from my family for more than half of the year, each year.  Sure, I can be home some during home stands, but they play baseball on Memorial Day, Father's Day, July 4th and Labor Day, not to mention weekend games.

My point is we need to get a line on our goals, start to understand what achieving our goals will take and figuring out if we're willing to do what's needed to achieve them.

I work with a lot of frustrated comics, and that's not just because most comics seem to have emotional issues.  I think it's safe to say, most comics are not happy with their status in the comedy world.

While I've written before about being willing to do what it takes, e.g. go to multiple open mics, guest spots, driving far for low or no pay gigs, writing every day, etc., I don't know how many comics think about what else it would take...and if they're willing to do that.

By happenstance, and the luck of geography, I'm producing my first (and maybe only) show, and it's with Craig Shoemaker.

What's significant about this, besides Shoe's huge list of credits (TV, movies, stand up specials, etc.), is that he is retiring from road gigs at the end of this year.  After years and years of going on the road, across the country, Craig has decided to stay close to his home in California, do his radio show and whatever else he wants to do from the proximity of his home, to be with his family.

Shoe comes to lil ole Somers Point, NJ

Some of us comics wish we had Craig's career.  Some of us wouldn't have gone on the road to begin with.  That is your choice to make.

I encourage you to make your choice, and OWN your choice.

If you want to be a local only comic who has a day job and never really leaves the area, more power to you.  Just don't get mad when you only have a certain amount of gigs.

If you want to be a road comic, and deal with all it entails...get on the road.  I just spoke to a comic who drove from the New York area to Cleveland, slept in his car, just so he could do a guest spot at a big club in Cleveland.  After the set he was passed at the club and never went back there.  He just wanted to do it.

What are you willing to do?

Where are you going with this comedy thing?


P.S. If you want to see Shoe in action (something for the bucket list) you can buy tickets below.  Sorry, friends and fellow comics, I can't comp you because it's a door deal and I'd like my family to be able to eat.