Greg Fitzsimmons - Crusader Or Thief

Let's just start with the obvious. In the comedy world The Green Room is a particle of dust compared to Greg Fitzsimmons and so am I. His podcast Fitzdog radio is incredibly successful. He's written books, hosts his own radio show and is a regular guest on the Howard Stern Show, just to name some of his accomplishments. So who am I to say anything? I've been a standup comic since 1992 and honor that by following a pretty well defined basic principles. One of them being that you don't do someone else's bit.

That's why I was shocked to see this article come across one of my Google comedy news searches.

The Comedian Who Steals Cosby's Jokes to Save Them

I encourage you to read this article. In it Fitzsimmons says this:

"Yeah, can you separate the artist from the art? So for me, I was thinking about how to put a light on that by taking that good material and re-assigning it to comedians that can get something out of it. The tricky part I'm finding is I don't want to glorify him by doing it."

At least he doesn't seem to be worried about being caught. As far as I am concerned what Fitzsimmons is doing is outright theft. I know that's a strong statement and it's not one I've made lightly. I will also for the record say, I'm not a Cosby supporter. While I can appreciate his contribution to comedy I feel it has been irreparably harmed by his own actions.

Even so, that gives NO ONE the right to do someone else's material. The only time that right is available to ANYONE is if it given by the the person who wrote it. I don't care how horrible a human being has been. The right to your own material, regardless of what kind of individual you are is sacred. It is one of the cornerstones of entertainment.

There is no justification for this and I believe that Fitzsimmons knows this. Yet here is his reasoning:

"... I think it's also robbing Bill Cosby of his equity. I want to hurt him. I want to do what crowds have done by abandoning him, by taking away the thing that's probably most precious to him, which is his material."

Second only to "he's dead; he doesn't need it any more" and followed by "he doesn't deserve it" I can't think of any worse reasoning.

Taking someone's material because you don't like him or what he's done is as slippery a slope as you can stand on. Over the course of my comedy career I have met my share of douchebags. Alcoholics, drug addicts, serial philanderers, petty criminals and former criminals. Then there are those that have abandoned their kids and cheated on their spouses. It's a business filled with narcissists.

Yet not once have I thought about stealing their material. Not once have has it entered into my head, "Here is how I am going to punish this piece of human garbage, I'll start doing his material. That'll show him!". What a ridiculous idea! How does it punish the person you stole from? If anything it gives them back some of their power. You've now made them a victim. You've given them a way to deflect some of the righteous anger that should be directed at them.

Why do that when the natural order of things is doing just fine on it's own? Take a look at Cosby's career, it has been destroyed. I would go so far as to say he will never come back and rightfully so. In many ways Cosby is "dead" but that still doesn't give anyone the right to do his material.  That's like saying, "Well George Carlin is dead, he won't be using his material anymore. So ...". It's sounds ridiculous because it is.

Like it or not Cosby hasn't even been convicted of ANYTHING and even that wouldn't be a good acid test. If being convicted of a crime and sent to prison was an acid test for whether or not an artists material becomes "public domain" let's look at Vince Champ.

Vince Champ is a comedian AND convicted rapist who was convicted of raping at least 4 women and will be in prison until 2025. Unlike Cosby who was accused of rape, Champ has been convicted. So if being accused of rape is your acid test Mr. Ftizsimmons why aren't you doing Vince Champ's material? It would serve you right if Cosby sued you and used that money to fund his rape defense.

Get over yourself. You don't have the right to do Cosby's material and as far as I know, no one has given you the authority to decide to change one of the most fundamental rules of comedy.

You're looking a lot like click bait ...

Vilmos has been a standup comedian since 1992. He created GreenRoomRadio.net a web site with Podcasts by comedians. He is the host of The Green Room which is the longest running Podcast on standup comedy. He also hosts The Spew. His web site is Vilmos.com. Follow him on Facebook at facebook.com.vilmosthecomic or Twitter @vilmosthecomic.

Why Amy Schumer Isn't A Joke Thief

One thing we have plenty of in the standup comedy business are "joke thieves".

While there are a couple that have become famous (I won't mention their names here). Most of the time "joke thieves" are contained to the lower ranks of standup comedy. Some are lazy, some have no talent and some (my guess is most) are a combination of both with a healthy dose of entitlement mixed in.

There is no doubt that "joke thieves" are despised. Especially so when they are able to use the stolen material to actually earn a living. In essence, using some one else's hard work for their own personal gain. The saddest fact of all is that the people that hire these thieves could care less. Clubs are interested in making money and very few worry about where the material a comedian uses on their stage comes from. The way they see it, it's not their "problem". As long as their audience laughs and the drinks are selling, they don't care.

Accusing someone of being a joke thief is a big deal. It's mostly done amongst comedians in the back of showrooms. It's rare that the accusation is made publicly, and when it is; for a comic, it's like when a man is accused of being a child molester. Even if the accusation is shown to have absolutely no merit, some people will ALWAYS believe the person is guilty.

Here is the video put together to support the claim that Amy Schumer Ripped off the late Patrice O'Neal.

Here is why Schumer didn't steal the joke ...

If you watch the video you will see the accusation stems from the fact that both Schumer and O'Neal were talking about the same sexual acts but used different names for them.

The truth is that both comedians are working a pretty well used premise. Doing material on "shocking" sexual acts is nothing new to standup comedy and actually has almost become "hack". Meaning that it's been done so many times that a joke on the topic has ceased to be considered "original".

I'm not making that judgement here. In fact, O'Neal's bit was from 2007. You could make a case that those kind of jokes weren't hack back then.

Why is it not hack for Schumer? Mostly because she's a woman and the topic of shocking sexual positions just isn't a thing women do. Plus she added her own personal reaction to the bit.

It's no secret that Schumer has a reputation for working "dirty" and this joke fits right into that. I suspect that this accusation comes from either an uber O'Neal fan, a jealous comic or someone that needed some good click bait.

So move along .... there's nothing to see here ...

Vilmos has been a standup comedian since 1992. He created GreenRoomRadio.net a web site with Podcasts by comedians. He is the host of The Green Room which is the longest running Podcast on standup comedy. He also hosts The Spew. His web site is Vilmos.com. Follow him on Facebook at facebook.com.vilmosthecomic or Twitter @vilmosthecomic.

The Important Relationships In Standup Comedy

On a recent episode of The Mentorist v2 I discussed the importance of having a Mentor or a Comedy Buddy. I have come to believe that without one or the other a standup comedian has a much more difficult time becoming the standup they want to be.

Why are these so important? Accurate feedback ... which in my opinion is in short supply. A standup comedian gets a lot of feedback but for the most part it is tainted.

Here's a breakdown of the different categories of feedback:

Audience Response - You would probably think that this is the purest form of feedback, and it probably is. The only problem is that in most cases the standup will taint this one all by himself. That is because even if an audience LOVED everything, the standup knows every mistake he/she made. Or if things didn't go well, the standup makes excuses for why he/she didn't do well; the audience was bad, they had to follow someone that bombed, etc. There are even the select few that are completely clueless to how they were received. I've seen standups bombing on stage, and then coming off and pronouncing that they "killed".

Club Feedback - The problem with club feedback is that there are way too many variables. A club will tell you whatever serves its best interest. They could tell you you just aren't doing well enough to keep you working in a position. An example is a club many times will tell features that they are just not good enough to headline, when in fact they are. Keeping them in the feature slot benefits the club because it has a standup working with a skill level much higher than the slot requires.

The other issue with club feedback is that in order to really know what their feedback means you would have to know the entire roster and how each one of those comics was rated and have a complete understanding of the rating system. I know of one club that actually takes into account the "drink averages" during comedian performances.

Booker Feedback - Booker feedback is probably the worst of all feedback. Most times, bookers have never seen a standup perform beyond a video clip. Or they've heard "something" about a standup. The only real feedback of value to a standup is whether or not they get a booking. In fact, generally beyond getting booked the only feedback you'll get from a booker is negative.

Comedian Feedback - You never know if a feedback from another standup is sincere. Most of what you hear is good job after a set whether you did well of not. After all, no one wants to or feels like they can approach another comic after a show and say "that didn't go well, did it?" When it comes to a standup giving feedback to another standup; just about everyone takes the path of least resistance.

Social Media - For the average standup comic the number of followers a standup has on Facebook, Twitter or whatever doesn't mean much ... until the number gets VERY large. While it's good to have a following, a standup can't assume the feedback they receive from social media is accurate. After all, they're fans, and fans only say nice things. When it comes to negative feedback, it's generally not constructive. It's usually grandiose and done in a hurtful way.

When it comes to feedback only a Mentor or Comedy Buddy is really going to tell you the truth. So what's the difference and which is better? It depends.

Merriam Webster gives this definition for Mentor:
Mentor: someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person

A Mentor can be the difference between success and failure to someone who wants to become a standup comedian. There is so much to learn and so many different approaches to standup comedy, it is easy for an aspiring standup comic to get distracted, and even easier to make bad choices. A Mentor with real experience can help these things.

Most importantly, a Mentor is going to provide valuable feedback that is meant to be productive. There is no questioning the motive behind the feedback. Since there is already a relationship built on mutual respect, the feedback doesn't need to be filtered. It can be accepted for exactly what it is; something to help.

Where a Mentor is someone with more experience, a Comedy Buddy is someone closer to your equal in experience.  I cannot express the importance of having a Comedy Buddy enough.

Merriam Webster has not come up with a definition so here is mine for Comedy Buddy
Comedy Buddy: A standup comedian with similar experience to share ideas and experiences with in an open and honest way.

The difference between a Mentor and Comedy Buddy is that a Comedy Buddy is going to be more of a shared experience. It's two standup comics on a journey together, discovering things as they go. They share what they learn with each other and do so in an open and honest way.

They don't necessarily need to be the greatest of friends, although that frequently is the case. The important thing is that there is mutual respect between them. So that when they communicate with each other about comedy, it is done so with honesty and compassion.

When you ask your Comedy Buddy if a bit you wrote is good, you should be able to expect an honest answer, even if it's not the one you want to hear. Sometimes a standup is so focused on the "idea", that he just can't see where he's going wrong. That's why getting accurate feedback is so important. It helps learn what is really working and that's how a standup gains skill and understanding.

So my advice to any standup who should happen to read this is simple. Don't go it alone, gravitate towards those you admire. Learn from them when you can.

For my more experienced comedy brothers; I would suggest that when you see someone with the fire you had, take a moment to help him/her out. It could make all the difference. Whether or not you had a Mentor when you started, by now you know how important one can be.

Pass along your skill ...

Vilmos has been a standup comedian since 1992. He created GreenRoomRadio.net a web site with Podcasts by comedians. He is the host of The Green Room which is the longest running Podcast on standup comedy. He also hosts The Mentorist v2 and The Spew. His web site is Vilmos.com. Follow him on Facebook at facebook.com.vilmosthecomic or Twitter @vilmosthecomic.

Is Last Comic Standing Good Or Bad For Standup Comedy?

Last Comic Standing Season 8

Last Comic Standing Season 8 officially began May 22, 2014 with a 2 hour premier; much to the chagrin of the standup comedy community.

The show started in the summer of 2003, and the initial concept was to:

"... select a comedian from an initially large group of hopefuls, with the winner receiving a cash prize, a development contract with NBC, and a half-hour scripted project that will be developed by Universal Television. " - Wikipedia

In the first season is that the best comic did not win. Dat Phan, who by all reports had very little standup experience won. He beat out some very good and experienced comedians to do so. After the end of the show it was later discovered that all the legitimate standup comics who stood in lines all over the country for their "shot" never even had a chance. Everyone that had made it on the show was invited in for an audition at a scheduled time.

Standup comedians everywhere were incensed by what had happened. They trashed the show and what it stood for. They hoped it would never come back and eventually were disappointed when it came back time and time again.

Never any better.

The real irony behind Last Comic Standing is that it has been a good thing for individual standup comedians. All the while, the show has given the general public (who we call "civilians" on  The Green Room) an unrealistic view of what standup comedy is and the real level of talent that is in the standup comedy community.

While it has elevated the status of some of the standup comedians that have appeared on the show, it can be argued that with the exception of Alonzo Bodden, not one has really ever gone anywhere after becoming the "Last Comic Standing". Meaning not one of these winners has become a "big star" or even well known. They all do well in the clubs but truthfully, most of them would have made it in the clubs anyway.

So is Last Comic Standing good or bad for standup comedy. Sadly, the answer is it is bad and here's why:

Last Comic Standing doesn't represent what standup comedians are doing in the clubs
Standup comedy is in a bit of a renaissance right now. After 10+ years of low attendance in comedy clubs throughout the country, things are starting to bounce back. The reason being a lot of those that really didn't belong in standup comedy (both comedians and club owners alike) have moved on. What seems to be left are the people really serious about standup comedy. The level of talent and skill of the headliners working the clubs today is astounding, yet only a few are represented in this season.

Consider this: There are well over 50 "A Rooms" in the country. Each of those needs a headliner every week.  Very few standup comedians work 50 rooms a year, much less the 50 top clubs. A club that needs to fill 52 weeks a year isn't going to have a roster of 52 comedians, most are much closer to 100. That's 50 lists of (being conservative) of 75 headlining comedians.

When you put it in that perspective, is it hard to believe that there are at least 200 really good headlining comedians in this country right now? Well, they are not being represented on Last Comic Standing. You would be hard pressed to find 15 standup comedians that are working these top clubs. Of those it would be surprising to see 3 make it to the final 10.

It's never really been a contest
This has never been proven, but there is very strong circumstantial evidence supporting this statement.

In the early seasons, in addition to no one from the line making onto the show there was the Drew Carey/Bret Butler controversy in Season 2 (2004).

"It was revealed that a panel of four producers were also casting votes in the process, assuring that unless all four celebrity judges cast exactly the same ten votes, their voting power could be usurped by the four unanimously agreeing producers. If for some reason all four celebrity judges did cast exactly the same votes, the worst the producers would be faced with was a tie." - Wikipedia

There was further confirmation of what everyone already knew during Season 6 from Mark Breslin, owner of Yuk Yuk's comedy clubs which hosted the Toronto audition.

"Top local agents are usually given a number of specific call times for their clients. The first round of auditions were for a producer early in the morning, and those that were chosen came back for the celebrity judges in the afternoon." - Wikipedia

As far as how the actual winner is chosen, many think that decision has always been made by the producers of the show.

To their credit, Last Comic Standing abandoned the audition model this year and made it a "invitational" event. Which is what it has been all along.

Ineffective judges
The truth is that whoever the judges have been on any season of the show have either not been heard of or not qualified to be there.

It's become clear that the producers of the show have made the majority of the decisions. These are people that have no background in standup comedy. They are television insiders that only have a view of standup comedy as it exists in Los Angeles. Anyone in standup comedy will tell you that Los Angeles is not the epicenter of great standup comedy.

Los Angeles is a place to go when you want to be on television or in the movies. If you want to see real standup comedy, there are many places, but the best standup comedians are being developed in New York. There may have been a day when LA was the home of standup, but it could be argued that time is long passed.

At least this season they have abandoned the facade of the audience actually having a say in who wins. This season it will be 3 judges who will probably tow the line for the producers of the show.

It doesn't seem like the producers of the show have done a whole lot to make it better, either. This year's judges are not qualified for many reasons and the talent invited to be in the "contest" fails the smell test.

The truth is, the only way to right this ship is to actually call it what it is: NBC's public attempt to audition new talent while generating a little ad revenue in the process. Unfortunately, we all get to watch what has become the frustration of the standup comedian in Los Angeles; going to auditions for "industry". It's a humiliating process that basically boils down to this statement that easily will come out of the mouth of just about any "industry" booker there.

"I don't know what I'm looking for, but I'll know it when I see it"

So far, it is clear that NBC has not seen anything it's liked. The evidence of that being that fact that not one winner of Last Comic Standing is a regular on any NBC show.

In the meantime NBC is happy to call (or elude to if you want to be technical) Last Comic Standing a show about standup comedy. Even though it doesn't do one thing that would cause anyone watching it to actually want to go to a comedy club to see live standup comedy.

I wish they would go "old school" and go back to "back room agent deals" and the "casting couch".

Leave standup comedy to the professionals.

Vilmos
Host of The Green Room
www.greenroomradio.net

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