On Wed, 17 Mar 2010, Dennis Perrin wrote:
> <http://wsws.org/articles/2010/mar2010/nyc2-m17.shtml>
>
> This is what I'm trying to address comedically, albeit in autobio
> form. This analysis is not only accurate, it's an indictment. And so
> far, a lot of comics have no stomach for this shit, as I've recently
> experienced point blank.
So I have the same formal question here. Is it comedy that's a wasteland or just stand-up? Because off hand I'd have to say that Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert four nights a week seems like the golden age of political and social comedy in my 50 year old life. I can't think of anything earlier that had anywhere near as large and as central a place in the national culture.
BTW, I've followed your recent peregrinations on the stand up circuit, and you have all my encouragement, and I look forward to seeing your new shticks. Bio-comedy sounds like a great new form if you can pull it, esp. bio-comedy with heft. It sounds similar to bio-documentary, which has also generated same rare great stuff.
But to be fair to the lazybones who suck around you, if you're going to create something new, of course it's going to be foreign to all the regulars who are now in the game, both performers and regular customers. And they will be your worst audience -- the former has their turf, the latter has their expectations which they spent good money to satisfy. Qualitatively new art needs to draw in a new audience. And if it's good, I bet you'll get much more encouragement from the million times wider resevoir of non-regulars (who don't go to comedy clubs because they seem so predictable) once you post it on youtube and give us a link. And then we'll come see you.
Michael