A Documentary On Why Comedians Do Comedy Is Happening

What do you say to a documentary that’s about Bugs Bunny? “Ehhh, what’s up doc?”

Yes I just made that up and yes it’s awful. But it was fun, wasn’t it? Don’t fool yourself: it was.

I found this story in the news this week and the concept really…intrigued me. I’m not so sure how well this doc will turn out.

Don’t let the cool graphics fool you, the idea of following three “regular” people as they try comedy for the first time is one of the worst ideas I’ve heard for a stand up documentary. Why? Well, they don’t know anything about comedy yet. Watch the Fox news video in the link, you’ll see: they talk to one of the “comics” featured in the doc. He is earth-shatteringly boring. No one even wants to hear me do or talk about comedy and I’m decently removed from that hatchling phase.

The only thing you could possibly do to make the doc interesting is also interview other people to talk about what starting comedy is like. You have two options when it comes to that: 1) comics, who will tell you “just do comedy and learn” and 2) professors who have never even tried stand up comedy who have done a lot of research on what’s “funny.” Since I’ve actually done academic humor research I can somewhat fairly say that humor research, although it sounds really interesting, is essentially worthless. Comics are right: you don’t know comedy unless you do it and an hour documentary of interviewed comics saying, “you just gotta go out and do it” and three new comics failing at open mics is not quite prime time material.

As a means of staying more positive (I’m not trying to put anything down), I actually do think it’s great that someone is making a documentary about stand up comedy, no matter what it’s about. There are some pretty decent documentaries on comedy out there, but honestly I’ve never seen one that I thought was “fantastic.” There are some mixed comedy special/documentaries that are pretty cool, but they aren’t quite the same. More filmmakers should be trying. Or comedic filmmakers should try, I think. Maybe the problem is that the comics aren’t really the ones trying to make a documentary.

One great thing that came out of this news story is that it reminded me documentaries on comedy exist and I should post about the better ones that are out there. So here’s to that happening in the future!

I just think the idea of following open mic comics as the premise of a “real” documentary is hilarious. And what kind of name is Morgen Earle? Who knows? It could be really good and I’m a jerk.

How People Respond to the Question “How Would You Best Describe Me?”

So, I decided to ask a bunch of people what they thought of me. Why? Well, It’s a really awkward question for people to answer and it’s fun to watch people deal with that. And I thought it could be funny. And I’m pretty much the worst at describing anything, especially myself. Why not let the masses do it for me?

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How to Book Your Own Stand Up Comedy Tour

Are you a regularly booked comedian? Have you worked at well-known clubs? Then you’re just a little effort away from a do-it-yourself national tour.

I found this piece a year or so ago when it was exclusively up on Ron Babcock’s personal site. Now it’s featured on Laughspin, a swell comedy news source. Basically it’s a really long piece detailing how to schedule your own tour. Who is Ron Babcock? Well, he’s just some other comic. Or at least he was when he was writing this piece. Which is the main appeal…he tells you how to get booked across the country based only on the credits you have in your hometown. And a lot of other info and tips.

Some people love the idea of touring. Babcock barely broke even on the trip, but says it was worth the experience and meeting people. I’m looking forward to touring one day, so I’ll definitely come back to this piece when it comes time.

Everything You Need To Know About Being A Young Comic

This is one of my most favorite resources on comedy out there. And it’s just a Youtube video with no picture, only audio.

It’s a sit down conversation with Ari Shaffir, a headlining comic who has hosted his own Comedy Central show, This Is Not Happening. All he does is spew advice. For four hours. Yeah, four hours.

If you’re into doing stand up this will be the most fascinating thing ever. If you’re not it will probably be the most boring thing ever.

Learn more about Ari Shaffir on his site.

Tig Notaro Doing What She Does Best

Tig Notaro is best known for her album “Live!” But I like her best for her typical stand up: silly, stupid commentaries on everyday things. And doing stupid things like pushing a stool around the sage for two whole minutes.

Watch out her Conan set from 2012. It’s fun. It’ll be good for you! You’ll like it, I swear!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo1oyoRGkCg

Marc Maron Chats With Aaron Draplin

Here’s what I’ve been listening to recently…

I’ve been prowling the WTF Podcast waiting in anticipation for the release of Marc Maron’s interview with Lorne Michaels of SNL. This particular episode with Aaron Draplin I found really interesting. Why? Well, I find the intersection of comedians and stuff that isn’t comedy very interesting.

Who is Aaron Draplin? Well, he’s a designer who works with a lot of different brands (perhaps most notably, Field Notes) and also tours the country giving speeches. He has a fascinating back story about moving from Michigan to the mountains out west and eventually to Portland. But, even more captivating is Draplin’s enthusiasm for…well, whatever he happens to be talking about. I don’t care what he’s saying: it sounds good.

Maron has an ability to find really interesting people to talk to. I like that he doesn’t just talk to comedians any more.

Listen to this podcast episode, it’s pretty cool.

Nathan Fielder Interviews With an Interviewer’s Mom

I posted a little while ago about Nathan Fielder’s new season of Nathan for You. A writer for the AV Club, John Teti, asked Fielder to do a traditional interview to promote the show, but Fielder had a different idea.

Teti had previously reviewed Fielder’s show on his podcast Mom on Pop, where he discusses pop culture with his mother.  Teti’s mother gave scathing reviews of Fielder’s work on the podcast, saying that Fielder wasn’t funny and she didn’t think he was a very nice guy.

So, what did Fielder suggest for the interview? He wanted to meet up with Teti’s mother to try to convince her that he was a good guy.

The interview with Teti’s mother is hilarious, at least to me. It’s definitely not your average type of funny. But it reminded me of conversations I have with people who aren’t really connected to the comedy world and are pretty ignorant about what can and can’t be funny (even though they’re generally nice people). The idea that some guy’s mother is trying to tell Fielder, who runs a successful comedy show, what is and isn’t funny is a pretty funny idea.

Spoiler: Fielder is successful in the end.

Amy Schumer is Still Living on a Budget

I saw this article a little while back and I liked it because it shows how hard you have to work to make it as a comic. Even after starring in several stand up specials, her own sketch show, and her own movie, Amy Schumer is living in a small apartment in New York City. No pent house just yet, no butlers. She’s still saving her money in case something goes wrong.

It goes to show that even after you “make it” in comedy, you’re not set for life. You have to keep putting the effort in and keep working at it. It’s also nice to know that she doesn’t have it that much better than me. Right?

Spooky Creepy Joke for Halloween

I want to start out by saying that this is a pro-environment joke, just FYI. So keep that in mind. It’s important.

One time I was on a road trip with my friend Jerry deep in woods of northern California. We were driving on a small two-lane road late at night and our car broke down.

We pulled over to the side of the road and we didn’t know what to do. There was nothing within sight. No towns within dozens of miles. Complete darkness.

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