Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Saturday, June 07, 2008
I wonder how long standups comics can get away with being just interesting for?
I'm watching a standup comic who isn't especially funny, but what she's talking about is rather interesting. So I'm not laughing, but I don't mind listening.
I wonder how long a comedian can get away with that for?
I had a tape of a comic named Jim van Keeken (who was a writer for KitH and SNL, and also had a brief but immortal role on Seinfeld as "Vegetable Lasagna") on the CBC. He mused for about an hour about the nature of an immigrant in Canadian society. There were clever phrases and jokes all through, but none of it was laugh-laugh funny; it was just thought-provoking in an easygoing but intelligent way.
Would that there were more interesting speakers, and fewer funny ones.
Btw, Henry Rollins is the farthest thing from a standup comic, but he's fascinating to listen to. Jello Biafra too. What is it about old punk rockers that they become good random-topic speakers?
I forget her name and they didn't repeat it at the end of the set. It was a blonde lady with great hair who was on Just For Laughs. She talked about how she'd adopted a baby and the baby had this medical problem where he always thought he was falling and always cried because of that, and it wasn't especially funny but it was really interesting.
I've seen Henry Rollins on TV, and he is good like that. It isn't comedy, but you don't care. But Jello Biafra I didn't realize was a real person, so I clearly need to spend more time on the internet.
Jello Biafra I didn't realize was a real person, so I clearly need to spend more time on the internet.
Also former lead singer of the Dead Kennedys. You can find Biafra in the spoken word section of most used record stores, or, I imagine, on one of the file-sharing gizmos that the kids use nowadays. He released a good fistful of double albums in the 90s and they were all pretty good. Though I think he did most of this stuff in the George Bush I years; I have no idea if he's still doing it. I should really go look myself.
I think a good standup's skill is in looking at the world in a fresh and interesting way. Sometimes that's funny but it's not a requirement, is it? There ought to be a classification of comedians like "raconteur". I'd happily pay to see a good raconteur before a Henny Youngman wannabe.
I saw Janeane Garofolo (live) and she did a kind of talk/chat/stand-up thing, maybe similar to what you are both describing. It was great. Her stage presence was very warm and personable, very direct, she really drew the audience in. Some of it was hilarious, some of it was mildly funny, but all of it was very interesting.
She sat on a stool and held a yellow legal pad with notes, and flipped through the pages looking for stuff!
I will also add that both Allan and I were lusting after her, so that was an extra bonus.
6 comments:
Who was the comic? I love that kind of thing.
I had a tape of a comic named Jim van Keeken (who was a writer for KitH and SNL, and also had a brief but immortal role on Seinfeld as "Vegetable Lasagna") on the CBC. He mused for about an hour about the nature of an immigrant in Canadian society. There were clever phrases and jokes all through, but none of it was laugh-laugh funny; it was just thought-provoking in an easygoing but intelligent way.
Would that there were more interesting speakers, and fewer funny ones.
Btw, Henry Rollins is the farthest thing from a standup comic, but he's fascinating to listen to. Jello Biafra too. What is it about old punk rockers that they become good random-topic speakers?
I forget her name and they didn't repeat it at the end of the set. It was a blonde lady with great hair who was on Just For Laughs. She talked about how she'd adopted a baby and the baby had this medical problem where he always thought he was falling and always cried because of that, and it wasn't especially funny but it was really interesting.
I've seen Henry Rollins on TV, and he is good like that. It isn't comedy, but you don't care. But Jello Biafra I didn't realize was a real person, so I clearly need to spend more time on the internet.
Jello Biafra I didn't realize was a real person, so I clearly need to spend more time on the internet.
Also former lead singer of the Dead Kennedys. You can find Biafra in the spoken word section of most used record stores, or, I imagine, on one of the file-sharing gizmos that the kids use nowadays. He released a good fistful of double albums in the 90s and they were all pretty good. Though I think he did most of this stuff in the George Bush I years; I have no idea if he's still doing it. I should really go look myself.
I think a good standup's skill is in looking at the world in a fresh and interesting way. Sometimes that's funny but it's not a requirement, is it? There ought to be a classification of comedians like "raconteur". I'd happily pay to see a good raconteur before a Henny Youngman wannabe.
I saw Janeane Garofolo (live) and she did a kind of talk/chat/stand-up thing, maybe similar to what you are both describing. It was great. Her stage presence was very warm and personable, very direct, she really drew the audience in. Some of it was hilarious, some of it was mildly funny, but all of it was very interesting.
She sat on a stool and held a yellow legal pad with notes, and flipped through the pages looking for stuff!
I will also add that both Allan and I were lusting after her, so that was an extra bonus.
On a separate note, I do not like Henry Rollins.
Update: the comic I was originally writing about is Mary Ellen Hooper.
And apparently Henry Rollins and Janeane Garofalo are dating now.
And apparently Henry Rollins and Janeane Garofalo are dating now.
WOW
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