The title not being a verb is symbolic of how little I did today. I trouble even to recount most of it. There was a lot of sleeping and napping and the like. I did watch the Next Food Network Star finale, which I had been looking forward to. I won't share my thoughts for fear of spoiling it. So, not much happened today. I have a performance tomorrow, that should be nice.
In response to my post two days ago, I received only one possibly answer, which was poker. I think it works on some levels. There are definitely big names and no clear path to stardom. However, it doesn't work entirely. First, the option of cultivating it is not really there if it is illegal to do under twenty-one. And playing not for money is entirely different. So, no hope of bringing poker into our schools. The second thing is, unlike almost all other things, anyone with enough money can enter poker's most prestigious tournament. The best poker player in the world that no one knows about could enter the World Series of Poker, win, and become a star. There is nothing like that for comedy. If the world's funniest yet undiscovered comedian performed at any of the places I perform, at least in the short term all that would happen is they would get laughs. No one from Comedy Central would book them, the audience would just head home and note that one comedian did particularly well.
So, I'll still take answers, or hear criticisms of my evaluation of comedy.
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World class chef? Movie making? Photographer? Novelist? I'm sure that a lot of high schools have clubs or MAYBE even classes "cultivating" these arts, just as many schools have comedy clubs. But with arts where you are expected to find your own style in order to be great, how much CAN you be cultivated?
ReplyDeleteWhen you're taught the saxophone or when you play football, you basically come out the same way with varying degrees of skill. But some comedians are confident class clown types, some are quiet observers, some are really self depreciating, some do only political or celebrity comedy... and some had a lot of experiences and are just great at picking out the funny moments of their lives. I feel like school wouldn't be too much learning but more of a venue. Plus a lot of styles involve experience which children don't have. And certainly most children don't have a mature sense of humor.
I think you're taking the exact path to comedy success. The other issue is that even Comedy Central isn't primarily looking for stand-up comedians. They take those comedians and make them writers, actors, stars in sitcoms based on their humor, or talk show hosts. I feel like stand-up is often a stepping stone on the path to something else, although many stand-up comedians DO like to stay where they are.
(sorry for the length)
excuse me, you watched nfns and didn't tell me?? unacceptable.
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