Professional musical performers have been around since the dawn of civilization. Even in Old Testament times David played the harp for King Solomon. Professional musicians in history might have mostly been used to entertain kings and rulers, but they have always existed. Even at the turn of the 20th century and going into The Great Depression musicians would entertain people, selling records and building the templates for how we even today have label releases and tours. By the 1950's the industry was booming with musical superstars being created, and now we can't move forward unless Taylor Swift tells us, like a global game of green light/red light. Stand up comedy does not have the same rich history. In fact, it has almost no history in it's current format. An artform that essentially didn't go mainstream until the 1970's, stand up comedy is in a weird adolescent era. And that also explains why the pay stinks, breaking into clubs feels tougher than ever, and the rules keep changing.
A Brief History of Stand Up Understand that before stand up comedy existed as we know it today, there was essentially vaudeville acts. There weren't comedians as much as comedic actors like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton in silen films from 1910's through the 1920's. Up until the 1960's there were funny men like Jack Lemmon and Dick Van Dyke in movies and sitcoms but few stand ups. In the 1950's Lenny Bruce would open for bands and singers and get $12 and a bowl of pasta. But around the 1960's in the coffee shops and night clubs of New York City, men like Woody Allen, George Carlin, Don Rickles, Bill Cosby and Carol Burnett would start forming the model we see today. It wouldn't be until the 1970's when Bud Friedman and Mitzi Shore would open clubs in Los Angeles, creating systematic ways for comics to get into the pipelines of road gigs, The Tonight Show, and writing for and staring in TV shows. By the 1980's stand up comics were the prime candidates to play sitcoms, SNL, and cruise ships. A true stand up comedy boom occurred. By the 1990's a rinse and repeat system occurred, as comics were able to make a living as a feature or headliner. That was until clubs found the Friday through Sunday model unsustainable, closing down everywhere, and the alt comedy scene rose. Cable stations like HBO and Showtime were the only game in town to produce televised specials, until Comedy Central became the home of the 30 minute special, making stars of Jim Gaffigan (2006) and Patton Oswalt (2004). By the 2010's comedians had less options as sitcoms died out, and The Tonight Show was not showcasing and kingmaking stand ups the same way as the Johnny Carson era. In the mid-2000's comedy clubs were dying out. Even The Comedy Store was a disaster, creating a reality show where Pauly Shore was trying to revise the once kingdom of comedy. Now, in a world of bringer shows and the wild west of social media comics, the rules seem to change every day. Here's a few reasons why so many feel like they're pushing a boulder up a hill with no relief to come. The Comics From the 1970's,1980's, and 1990's Are Still At The Clubs I'm about to ruffle feathers, but one reason the system feels broken is that your favorite stand up came up was through the farming system of Mitzi and Bud getting them ready for primetime and those comics not returning to daily shows. So many comics like Jay Leno, David Letterman, Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey, and the likes used the showcase clubs and went away to make millions in television and films. They didn't clog up the lineups. Today, so many of the comics who used the Store and Improv to build an act are still calling in for spots. Thus, younger comics lose opportunities. The irony is that these older comics didn't have an older generation who did this to them. Because they didn't exist. Rickles and Pryor played theaters and Las Vegas. They knew if they went to LA people wouldn't pay higher prices to see them later in concert films or bigger events. Today's 1990's and early 2000 comics are still hanging around working on spots. There are stories of Dave Chapelle and Dane Cook doing an hour and bumping the young guys off lineups. Dom Irrera talks about confronting Robin Williams back in the 2000's. He has talked about how he would take three or four comics spots, pushing them to 2AM or 3AM or getting them bumped entirely. Anyone doing stand up today knows that there aren't enough spots to become a regular at any LA club, especially at the larger ones which use Roast Battle and bringer shows as the way to get stage time outside the passed system. In fact, there was a famous meeting at an LA club where young comics were explained there are only a few spots a month for non-paid regulars picked by the booker. I always joke with people, the way I'm going to get passed at a major club or get more work through an agency is for people to die. Morbid, yes. But also truthful. Since comedians don't really "retire" like sports stars, who step aside for the next generation, the only way for a non-TikTok famous comic to get stage time is for the guys who used the clubs to step away. Instead, many have stuck around and used the big clubs as a workshop room. Even "canceled" comics like Louis CK and Chris D'Elia still spots, taking little to no money. Which brings us to the next issue. The Money Sucks Because Rich Comics Take Nothing From Clubs Ever wonder why clubs pay nothing? Simple. Enough comics agreed to work for nothing and the clubs like that idea. From young bringers to seasoned vets, there are enough comics to fill lineups without forcing the club to share the ticket sales. Back in the late 1970's there was an LA stand up comedy strike and after a lot of bickering and fighting, comics were able to earn $25 a show in the little room or the comics would split 50% of the door in the Main Room. That $25 a show has basically stayed the same. Depending on the comic, they can get $50-$100 a set (15 minutes) to work on material. Now, if you're a struggling up and comer, that's not enough to pay the rent. But those aren't the comics the club is thinking about. If a bigger name comic with TV credits jumps into the lineup, they'll take the $100 and work on their act. It's both the comics willing to work for free and the millionaires who maintain the low pay. Since comics are 1099 independent contractors and not "employees," they aren't even required to get paid. Any time you do a show at Flappers or the Haha Comedy Club you are technically agreeing to donate your time when you don't get paid. Since you aren't "required" to be there, you can say no if you don't like the wages given. Essentially, stand up shows are like student films. You're doing it for the credit, experience, and IG reels (if you tape your sets, assuming they don't charge you $40). Because comedy is still relatively new and the Have's and Have Not's are further separating themselves from each other, the Gen X and Boomers don't need the money, therefore setting up precedence in the area of payment. They can drop in, do a short set, and then make their money somewhere else - like writing for a show or taking well paid corporate gigs. It's The Wild West West Out Here Back in 2015 I was told if I got credits and put in the work, I'd be fine and making money in ten years. Then Social Media followers became the rage, and the rules changed. That's why the Hawk Tuah Girl can go viral and be on Bill Maher's Club Random and Whitney Cumming's podcast. Can anyone explain to me how a non famous 21 year old with no obvious talent, no followers, no sketch portfolio or training, and no famous friends can go viral on ANOTHER platform and suddenly have the fourth biggest podcast in the world? I've written about "industry plants" before and it's true if you can figure out the algorithm you can make it. Meanwhile, there are a ton of young comics who would benefit from having a spot on one of these huge interview platforms. Instead the machine feeds the machine. The famous interview the famous or infamous, depending on your point of view. The clubs will throw up the flash in the pan of the week and spit them out after they've sold every ticket they can. While comedy and capitalism have always gone hand and hand, at least Mitzi and Bud had a system, built names, and then they would come back to drop in occasionally - not daily. Obviously, the Gen X and Boomers didn't really have an older generation to show them how to step aside, and the clubs can rest easy knowing the big names will keep them afloat. But what will happen in a few years? If the comedy film industry has shown us anything, if you just keep putting Will Ferrell and Judd Apatow films on the big screen, you lose any future talent, and unless you have an Adam Sandler looking out for his friends, the comedy film machine is completely dead now. When the future isn't properly fed, Hollywood ends up eating itself. Comedy could learn a lot from sports. Major organizations like the NBA, NHL, and MLB have systems. They nurture younger talent with development leagues and pay accordingly so that players can play and retire with dignity. Older players share wisdom. If it's received is another story. But no one can say Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley don't love the new generations. And then after they get their time in the spotlight, they retire as commentors or team administrators. They don't keep doing the same spots. In fact, one reason Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gets flack is because he played as long as he did. People discredit his stats because he might have overstayed his welcome. If every comic over 55 were to find 2-3 millennial comics to recommend to bookers, that would be a way to water the comedy seeds instead of letting the weeds choke them out. Sorry if I sound like comedian Jesus, but I think parable motifs apply here too well. Final Thoughts I recently was talking to a group of millennial comics about the struggles to make stand up a real career. Maybe after 50 years it's transitioned itself to a side hustle. Another piece of the gig economy. Like how a person could drive a cab and limo in the 1970's and make a living, but now Uber drivers are mostly part time. This past year, headlining and featuring across the country, the safety nets like writing for TV and warm up comic work are no longer possible. Pay isn't great and there is little o no travel reimbursement. In fact, a lot of bookers don't pay for flights, assuming comics are using credit card points to fly for free. Many want to know the workaround or trick to break through, but a lot of that has to do with luck and if an agency finds you and thinks you're a good fit. No one is guaranteed a career. I'm extremely lucky that I get to do the shows I get to do. And I haven't done the "hang around the club" part as much - mostly because I'm working and getting some pay performing. In fact, a lot of my buddies a few years ahead have decided to give up the road after barely breaking even. I get that 100%. I suppose it would be nice if there was a way to get in front of the right people without having to know the right people. Back in the day Mitzi and Bud would watch the comics and throw them up later that night. That type of system is non-existent today. There are comics who auditioned at The Laugh Factory almost a decade ago still waiting for their call back. Since stand up comedy is new, the best way to describe it is by alluding to another parable. There is one generation that got to eat the whole cake when it was freshly made, and now the crumbs on the floor are for the current generations. Maybe it's time we figure out how to bake another cake.
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Paul Douglas Moomjean Blog's About What's on His MindBlogging allows for me to rant when there is no stage in the moment to talk about what's important and/or funny to me. Archives
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