The life of an entertainer is never easy, but some days can be downright nasty and extra difficult to deal with. Today the bakery of life was serving up humble pie, and I had three pieces with my name on them to munch without the benefit of milk to wash them down.
Depending on the level of one’s skin thickness, each situation has its own level of pain attached. That can go from ‘stings a little’ to ‘call an ambulance’ to anywhere in between. After a while, there seems to always be a lingering level of inner pain that never leaves.
The three that stick out today aren’t new, but I wasn’t planning for any of them. First, it was an insult comedians hear all too often - “I know I’m just as funny as YOU, but I just never had time to get in the business.” How ignorant, but I hear it a lot. My bleeding ass.
Funny has little to nothing to do with any of being a professional comedian on a day to day basis. Dealing with chiseling bookers and having to constantly travel are bad enough. In fact, years of that helps amputate whatever natural funny that may be inside someone.
We who do have the trouser plums to even try it find out quickly how insane the whole thing is, and we’re either scared off or too in need of the attention from strangers to back out. It’s easy to say “I’m just as funny as YOU,” but unless you get out there and actually DO it - keep your crumb infested pie hole zipped. But, people will think what they think.
The person who said it not only said it in a condescending way, but is a prominent name in Milwaukee and would be recognized immediately if I revealed it, which I won’t. I’m in no mood to argue, so I’ll let it go. Whether I’m funny or not, at least I went out and did it.
The second flaming ego dart came from a person I’ve known for many years who I met with to see about producing some ‘Schlitz Happened!’ shows. We’ve worked on stuff in the past, even though it was many years ago now. I thought we had a good working vibe, but I guess I was wrong. He sat there and ripped the show up one end and down the other.
I couldn’t believe it, only because it was so thorough and again condescendingly said in an icy tone. Every imbecile and their grandmother knows what funny is in their mind, and have heaping scoops of advice to hand out even when they’re not asked for. Critiques are one thing, but ripping something in ignorance is totally different. I sat there and took it.
Then I had to sit and hear him tell me how much he could bring to the table and how I’d be fortunate to have him work with me on this project, because he’d be the one to make it a household name. I swallowed hard and thanked him for his time - the last I’ll ask for it.
The third humbler was at The Bavarian Inn for my friend Robert Deglau, who hosts The Continental Showcase, a German radio show which has been on for 55 years. He’s a great guy and I’m flattered he asked, but there were a lot of older people who had no idea what I was doing up there. I tried my best, but it was a struggle. All this keeps a guy humble.
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