I don't want to be an actor or a salesman
I heard it again. "You can't get an agent if you won't do commercials."
Why do I want an agent?
It has been my experience that an agent has a better ability to get you into a comedy club, a festival, or submit your written material for a TV show. In fact many places will only allow you to submit scripts and show ideas through an agent. If you can only get your material seen through an agent, and you can only get an agent if you do commercials, that means that the scripts that are being seen, are written only by people who have sales experience. No wonder TV sucks. Thank God we don't make our musicians do that. "We can't represent your rock band unless you're willing to write radio jingles. It's the only way people will take you seriously as artists, you have to get your name out there."
Why won't I do commercials?
My stand up consists of jokes about the evils of advertising, and my disdain for the consumer culture. I know I am already a hypocrite, because I participate in the consumer culture. I have bought clothes made in sweatshops and I continue to buy coffee that is produced by a workforce earning slave wages, but I don't want to encourage others to do it. Actually, I like to discourage others from doing it. I can work on my own behaviour, checking tags, and buying fair trade coffee when available, but I can't do a coffee commercial and say buy brand "A", unless there is a fair trade coffee shop around the corner, then buy brand "B"
A second reason I don't want to do commercials is that I am not an actor and I don't want to be an actor. I am a comedian. My particular brand of comedy is not an act. I make jokes about the way I really feal. Mitch Hedberg did a great joke about how people want you to do things that are related to comedy but aren't comedy. "It doesn't happen elsewhere. You wouldn't say to a guy, OK you can cook. Do you know how to farm.?"
The third reason is of a much lesser concern at this point, but a comedian can run into trouble from time to time with it. Joe Rogan hosts Fear Factor and played the part of Joe on Newsradio. He has told stories of many people expecting to see that "nice boy" character he played on TV in the comedy club. I don't want people coming to my show, expecting to see the silly husband from the Taco commercial. I know commercials will not inspire too many people to come see you do stand up, but you never know when people will recognize you from that commercial as you are walking to the stage, which will burden you with a character bias right off the top.
Telling me I can't get an agent if I don't do commercials, is like telling Lance Armstrong, he can't buy a bicycle until he purchases a car. The commision on a bicycle isn't worth anybody's time. A bicycle turned out to be a pretty lucrative investment for Lance and I'm sure he has made more money for people selling bikes than those selling cars.
This business is offensively short sighted. I truely feel that when club owners, agents, and bookers keep me away from a stand up gig, it is like taking Lance's bike away from him as a child. If you don't let me work at this now, we are both going to lose. Enlightened self interest anyone?
I have a better understanding of why there are so many bad comedians who are using stand up as a way to become an actor. That's who the comedy business wants. Actors. Who would have thought that the worst thing you can tell a talent agency that handles stand up comedians, is that you have talent as a stand up comedian?
Oh well, maybe those girls who asked me to the strip bar will be at the Laugh Resort again this week. I won't go this time either, but its a good ego stroke.
Why do I want an agent?
It has been my experience that an agent has a better ability to get you into a comedy club, a festival, or submit your written material for a TV show. In fact many places will only allow you to submit scripts and show ideas through an agent. If you can only get your material seen through an agent, and you can only get an agent if you do commercials, that means that the scripts that are being seen, are written only by people who have sales experience. No wonder TV sucks. Thank God we don't make our musicians do that. "We can't represent your rock band unless you're willing to write radio jingles. It's the only way people will take you seriously as artists, you have to get your name out there."
Why won't I do commercials?
My stand up consists of jokes about the evils of advertising, and my disdain for the consumer culture. I know I am already a hypocrite, because I participate in the consumer culture. I have bought clothes made in sweatshops and I continue to buy coffee that is produced by a workforce earning slave wages, but I don't want to encourage others to do it. Actually, I like to discourage others from doing it. I can work on my own behaviour, checking tags, and buying fair trade coffee when available, but I can't do a coffee commercial and say buy brand "A", unless there is a fair trade coffee shop around the corner, then buy brand "B"
A second reason I don't want to do commercials is that I am not an actor and I don't want to be an actor. I am a comedian. My particular brand of comedy is not an act. I make jokes about the way I really feal. Mitch Hedberg did a great joke about how people want you to do things that are related to comedy but aren't comedy. "It doesn't happen elsewhere. You wouldn't say to a guy, OK you can cook. Do you know how to farm.?"
The third reason is of a much lesser concern at this point, but a comedian can run into trouble from time to time with it. Joe Rogan hosts Fear Factor and played the part of Joe on Newsradio. He has told stories of many people expecting to see that "nice boy" character he played on TV in the comedy club. I don't want people coming to my show, expecting to see the silly husband from the Taco commercial. I know commercials will not inspire too many people to come see you do stand up, but you never know when people will recognize you from that commercial as you are walking to the stage, which will burden you with a character bias right off the top.
Telling me I can't get an agent if I don't do commercials, is like telling Lance Armstrong, he can't buy a bicycle until he purchases a car. The commision on a bicycle isn't worth anybody's time. A bicycle turned out to be a pretty lucrative investment for Lance and I'm sure he has made more money for people selling bikes than those selling cars.
This business is offensively short sighted. I truely feel that when club owners, agents, and bookers keep me away from a stand up gig, it is like taking Lance's bike away from him as a child. If you don't let me work at this now, we are both going to lose. Enlightened self interest anyone?
I have a better understanding of why there are so many bad comedians who are using stand up as a way to become an actor. That's who the comedy business wants. Actors. Who would have thought that the worst thing you can tell a talent agency that handles stand up comedians, is that you have talent as a stand up comedian?
Oh well, maybe those girls who asked me to the strip bar will be at the Laugh Resort again this week. I won't go this time either, but its a good ego stroke.
posted by Andrew Evans at 8:00 PM
1 Comments:
PEACH!
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