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You might've heard me mention before that I sent in an audition video to be on Last Comic Standing 4. I just found out this week, however, that the audition videos were never even looked at -- we were all apparently duped and lied to just so they could have shorter lines at the open calls.

So since I can't trust a major network anymore and can't afford to start off at the open mikes, I'm trying my luck online. The first thing I did (other than complain and demand an explanation) when I found out was edit out the part where I give my real name in my introduction, then put the clip up on YouTube so people could decide for themselves if NBC was justified in overlooking us.

Even if they had used some of the videos, I would have understood if they didn't use mine. My subject of choice, after all, is the Westboro Baptist Church, AKA: Godhatesfags.com. I figure it's a comedian's purpose -- not his job, his purpose -- to find something that angers or saddens people, then find a way to help them laugh at it instead. This was my contribution to the cause. Lemme' know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW64rn4aGsw

that's pretty good

Your immitations didn't work out that well, but its not bad overall.

...eeenh...

Though I agree with much of your opinion about the absurdity of some religious extremists...

...I never felt compelled to laugh while watching your performance.


It was more of a bitter, exagerated semi-sarcastic rant, than a comedy routine.

I thought it was great! If I were judging, you'd have been on! I think they were just too afraid of having religion challenged by logic--I see that a lot. I loved in particular the part about Satan getting tired after the first trillion years--Fundamentalism has no grasp of what eternity really is, especially if they can't even believe the Earth is 4.6 billion years old.

I think you have talent Terastas...but I think you picked an awful topic.

Most people don't even know what's going on with this Westboro situation, so therefore probably wouldn't find this funny. That's one of the reasons the classic OMG AIRPORT FOOD bit works so well, because so many people have had airport food and therefore can relate.

I'm not an aspiring comedian, so maybe it's not my place to say anything...but I disagree with you on a comedian's purpose. What I, as an audience member, expect from a comedian is for them to send me home with my sides hurting from laughter...and I don't really care how you do it.

I'd rather laugh a lot at cheap jokes and go home without knowing anything new than chuckle a bit at a social commentary while actually learning something.

However...if you do want to continue with your higher purpose-type comedy, I'd recommend picking subjects that most people are familiar with. For example, while the Westboro Baptist Church situation might not have been a good choice (IMO), the conflict between Holland and the Muslims over the cartoons of Mohammed might have.

Also...my personal favorite types of comedians are the kinds that talk about themselves or aspects of their lives...i.e. their childhoods growing up in southern alabama, how it felt growing up being the weirdest looking kid in class, their promiscuous grandma, their narcoleptic girlfriend, or their mooching brother who lives with them but refuses to pay rent and buys drugs instead. Stuff like that. I love when comedians take unfortunate elements of their present situation or past, and make them into something funny. If you ever get the chance to do longer bits, I think it might be a good idea to let the audience get to know you first by talking about your own life (in a funny way, of course), before you segue into whatever you want your act to be about.

Again, I'll reiterate...I think you have talent and I think you could probably really go somewhere with it. You will probably have to ultimately make the choice though, whether you want to go ahead and go for whatever makes people laugh or forgo possible success and stick only to issues of importance....since issues of importance typically don't lend themselves to being humorous.

If you can successfully strike a balance between the two, however, that might be perfect. I think you could potentially be very successful that way, as you'd appeal to both the average shallow American and the more intellectual type.

Anyway...all of this is just IMO, as always. Take it or leave it, as I could easily be wrong.

Renorei wrote:Also...my personal favorite types of comedians are the kinds that talk about themselves or aspects of their lives...i.e. their childhoods growing up in southern alabama, how it felt growing up being the weirdest looking kid in class, their promiscuous grandma, their narcoleptic girlfriend, or their mooching brother who lives with them but refuses to pay rent and buys drugs instead. Stuff like that. I love when comedians take unfortunate elements of their present situation or past, and make them into something funny. If you ever get the chance to do longer bits, I think it might be a good idea to let the audience get to know you first by talking about your own life (in a funny way, of course), before you segue into whatever you want your act to be about.

Heh.....I know you'll be laughing up a storm if I told you about myself. Or the things that happened to me.

I'll give you an example.

Here I am a gas station making a gasoline delivery at night.

A guy walks up and says..."Hey, need a light?"

I get that line ALL the time!! I know its suppose to be funny. But its getting on my nerves when I have to hear it everyday!!

This is what I do when someone says that. I point to those bright lights over the gas pumps and say..."I got PLENTY of light!!"




Sometimes people set themselves up and I HAVE to make fun of it. Its my nature!! I do it all the time!!! (Heh...I do it here all the time.)

I'm unloading gasoline and a car pulls up. The person asks.... "Can I get gas while you are doing that?"

I say..."No, you get gas if you eat to many bean and cheese tacos."





I was unloading at another gas station when a bum came walking towards me. He was pushing a shopping cart filled with aluminum cans. He then stopped right in front of me. He looked at me, then he looked at the tanker. (The tanker is made of aluminum.) He looked back at me and said..... "Gee, I wonder how much money I'd get if I turned that thing in!!"

I said.... "Here, let me help you put it in your cart!!"

It'd happen five times more often if you were a comedian Fig. Check out Larry Reeb.

Renorei wrote:Also...my personal favorite types of comedians are the kinds that talk about themselves or aspects of their lives- [...] -or their mooching brother who lives with them but refuses to pay rent and buys drugs instead.

Oh I've got plenty of stuff about my personal life. There's just three problems:

1) I've got way more than three minutes.
2) It's not all PG.
3) I still have to live with them.

There are two things that are agiven if you're a comedian, wether you're at the top of your game or still shlupping around the open mikes. The first is that people are going to tell you stupid jokes, and the second is that people are going to demand that you not include them in your bit.

I'm not an aspiring comedian, so maybe it's not my place to say anything...but I disagree with you on a comedian's purpose. What I, as an audience member, expect from a comedian is for them to send me home with my sides hurting from laughter...and I don't really care how you do it.

Well, yeah, that's a comedian's job. But nobody will hire me yet, so for now I'll just have to settle for a purpose.

Terastas wrote:It'd happen five times more often if you were a comedian Fig. Check out Larry Reeb.

Heh....I could be a comedian. I had SOOOOO many funny things that happened in my life.

Oh my God! My hero beat me to it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMATGlkpWNo