A March Forward

Monday March 1st, 2010 - Chicago, IL

Back to the full Monday schedule at Zanies in Chicago. A new comedy class started and I couldn’t be more delighted. We’re finally getting that situation settled after all the hassle of having to deal with my ex business partner and his series of stunts, and it’s looking up.

Embezzlement of funds was bad enough, but what really hurt was that he kept all of my mailing list names that took years to accumulate. I didn’t make a copy for myself because I trusted him, and who would suspect it would turn out like that? What a painful lesson.

I’m hearing various reports from people that the goofus he teamed up with is proving to be the grease ball I suspected him to be and is pissing people off left and right. Part of me is overjoyed to hear it but another part of me is sad. He’s putting a black eye on classes.

I’ve said it before and it‘s still 100% true - NOBODY can ’make’ another person funny. Period. Not me, not Jay Leno, not anyone. It is possible to teach technique to those people who do have some ability, and that takes focus and effort to bring out the best from them.

It’s like a hitting coach in baseball. He doesn’t teach anyone how to hit the baseball, his job is to teach people how to hit it BETTER. They wouldn’t be on a team if they couldn’t already hit to a certain degree. That same is true with comedy class - a good teacher gains rapport with a student and shows that student how to get the most out of what they have.

I take this very seriously, and every good teacher should. There’s something extremely satisfying about bonding with a class or an individual student and seeing that connection produce tangible results. I never get sick of it, and it’s fun to see people live their dream.

Zanies wants to expand classes and have the beginner sessions taught by Bill Gorgo and then have them advance to me. That’s great, and it frees up time I can really use. Bill is an excellent comedian in his own right and teaches school by day. He’s the perfect for this.

After class I once again was back hosting the Rising Star Showcase. Tonight’s audience was a bit snug, even though it was a pretty good sized house. I had to really stay on them all night to keep their focus and attention on the show, and as I watched the lineup of acts go up and get mixed results I reconfirmed in my mind just how hard standup comedy is.

It’s amazingly difficult, at least to do correctly. One of the kids tonight went up and did a horrific ‘joke’ about pushing a pregnant woman down a flight of stairs to lose the baby. The audience gasped in unison, and it even made me flinch. That rarely happens, and it’s further proof to me that what I’m doing can help people. I would never have allowed that.

Even though standup comedy at a professional level is about as difficult an aspiration as there is of anything in this world to do well, I still love it more than ever. The reward is so worth it. Having a hot show is both intoxicating and addictive, and there’s no better way I can think of to spend my life than by being a performer and teaching others. It’s the best!