June 4, 2025 • 38 mins
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Welcome to Episode 437 of The Clean Comedy Podcast! This week JD and Seth talk about the struggles you face as a stand up comedian, from set building, to gigs, touring, and everything in between.
What are your struggles? What have you faced or are facing as you progess in this journey?
Come see Zane and I! You can see all the tour dates at ZaneLamprey.com
Feel free to email me: jamesdcreviston at GMAIL.COM
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-clean-comedy-podcast-w-jd-creviston--4825680/support.
Grab your copy of “How To Produce Comedy Shows For Fun & Profit” here.
Have a topic you want us to discuss? Reach out here.
Be Our Guest: Are you a clean comedian interested in being on our podcast? Contact us!
Stay Connected: Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Your support helps us grow!
Welcome to Episode 437 of The Clean Comedy Podcast! This week JD and Seth talk about the struggles you face as a stand up comedian, from set building, to gigs, touring, and everything in between.
What are your struggles? What have you faced or are facing as you progess in this journey?
Come see Zane and I! You can see all the tour dates at ZaneLamprey.com
Feel free to email me: jamesdcreviston at GMAIL.COM
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-clean-comedy-podcast-w-jd-creviston--4825680/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, real quick, if you're a clean comedian or trying
to be one, you've got to get on my Clean
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so stop guessing, start growing, go out there, be clean,
(00:21):
get some green. Hey, everybody, welggo to Clean Comedy Podcast.
It's JD and I'm here with my good buddy and
co host mister Seth Lawrence. How's it going?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Hey, hey, we're doing well? How are you pretty good?
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Pretty good? Uh, just coming coming off a little bit
of tour and then going back out on tour for
just for just for four days, so it'll be okay,
it'll be a smooth, smooth time. But uh, have a
run some runs through June and then off for July
and uh, and then had an existential crisis. You're kind
of having an existential process. I'm trying to figure that out.
(00:54):
But how are you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Nikes? I mean that sounds pretty serious.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Yeah, a little bit all right?
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Well, is that what we're gonna end do today?
Speaker 1 (01:05):
So he can kind of get into anything. I always
say to you because have you heard, you know, Gabriel Rutledge,
You know who that is.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
The name sounds very familiar.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
He has like kind of long hair, and then he
has like a like a beard or whatever, and glasses.
He has a dry bar. He's from like the Pacific
Northwest or whatever. Gay Brutledge. I think he goes under
Gay Rutledge, but it might be Gabriel.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
So anyways, he wrote this whole book. He wrote like
a journal of a year of him doing stand up
and I started reading it and I was experiencing the
same feelings he was experiencing during that time period. And
I was like, oh my gosh, because I thought I
was the only person who one hated being on the road,
he hated being away from their family, would get frustrated, depressed,
(01:52):
think about quitting stand up, wondering what I'm doing with
my life anything in the world. And so I read
that book and actually messaged him on inswer and I
was like, dude, I appreciate your book so much because
it really like I thought I was the only person
dealing with this and like I was just not saying
anything to anyone. Like it was just like I'm just
gonna suck it up, Like you're getting to live your
(02:12):
dream of being a stand up comedian. You're gonna be
a baby about it, you know. Like that was kind
of what I was doing to myself.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah, so that's wild. Did he respond to you?
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Yeah he did. Uh what did he write back to me?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
He didn't for the book you are you are?
Speaker 1 (02:27):
No? No, No, it was he was very he was very,
very very nice.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
He wrote, he's right, hey, thank you. I really appreciate
that a new book is coming out by the way,
hopefully this year, because you know, I just like, I
really love his book. So he's he was really nice
about it and stuff.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Good good, No, you're not alone. I think most people
hate being on the road. I think that's a pretty
well known issue with doing stand up and having a family.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Yeah, so here's the thing, Like, and I don't know
how how you feel about it, but it made me wonder,
am I really supposed to be a comedian? Because if
that's what this job entails, having to be on the road,
having to be away from home, having to do all
these things, I am I really cut out for it?
Am I really cut out to be a comedian? Right?
(03:16):
If it was like, hey, I could tour over southern
California and drive home, Like I could drive to San Diego,
do a couple of shows that come home in like
a day or so, great, Yeah, go to norcl do
a couple of shows, come home a day show Great.
But when it's like that twenty eight day stretch that
we did, or are these ten day the twelve day
stretches that we're doing, it's really like taking a toll
on me and making me wonder, like, am I doing
(03:38):
the right thing? Am I? Am? I even supposed? Am
I taking somebody's spot who is actually better than me?
Then should be doing this and be a real comedian?
You know? Am I? Cosplaying as a professional comedian is
basically what my thought process is.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yeah, I mean I think most people I've talked to
in stand up, even if they're not on the road,
question whether or not they really should be doing stand up.
I mean, I've told you that I feel like at
least at least once a month, but when I'm really
doing stand up more frequently, it's also the feeling is
(04:14):
more frequent. Of I think I should quit. Yes, this
is not fun.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Yeah, why is that?
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Well, because it's I think it's huge ups and downs,
and you're the ups are not as up as you hope,
and the downs are pretty devastating.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Yeah they are.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
I think that's the real issue, is that, like stand
up is one of those things where there's constantly this
carrot that is dangled in front of you of like
maybe this show, maybe this opportunity, maybe this audition, and
you can do really well in all of those things
and then not get any response back, you know, and
it's not Sometimes a no is actually way better than nothing,
(04:58):
but most of the time it's just nothing. Yeah, you
send out a tape to bookers and you just get
no response and you really don't know what to do.
And then when you miss, like you audition and you
just don't hear back, it's like, boy, well that that stinks,
you know. Yeah, And it's really devastating to feel like
(05:19):
you're putting in a lot of hard work and you're
really just no progress is made. I mean it's insanity.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Yeah, it is insanity. And here's the other thing. I
have other projects that I am doing and things that
I'm taking on that. I can see what's what's the best.
I can see the tangible benefits and return in those. Yeah,
I'm saying, so it's like, oh, if I invest more
time in this thing, there's definitely gonna be a return
on investment. Whereas if you spend hours on the road
(05:49):
and whatever do you stand up. There's no guarantee that
a special is gonna come out of it, or you're
gonna get famous, or you could make a full time
living as a professional community. None of that stuff is guaranteed.
There's no But but I have other projects that are like, yeah, dude,
if you put more time and effort into this, you
could be making some real money and doing some real things.
And I'm like, yeah, okay, well maybe I need to
(06:11):
stop doing stand up and go do these things. But
I but I'm torn because as a creative person, I
love doing stand up. It's creative, it's fun. But as
a logical person, I'm like, I just feel like I'm
running my head into the wall every week. You know
what I'm saying, sense, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
It's it's infuriating. And then you coup that with being
on the road or being in situations where you're like
I'm taking time away from my family, away from other
projects where I do feel like I'm making progress for
this thing that may never really bring me any financial value.
(06:49):
And it's sometimes fulfill is fulfilling, but sometimes it's really
not because it might not go well or or you know,
a myriad of things. Yeah, it's tough. It's tough to
be like all.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
In, you know, so how do you how how do
you balance it? How do you deal with him? How
do you decide to like not just give up one
day because I'm like, literally, I'm thinking and I already
talked to Sane about this, I'm thinking about not going
back out on tour with him come August.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Really that's how that's how.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Big of a deal this is for me. Where it's like, yeah,
I feel like too much time is being given to
this thing, to to zaying stuff. No, and I love
working with Zaane, but it feels like it's pulling me
away from things that could really elevate me in other
parts of my life. Like also, here's the other thing.
I've been eating crappier, i haven't been exercising as much.
(07:42):
I've been a lot more unhappy. I just have not
been myself whereas I used to get up every morning,
play pickleball for like two hours, do a podcast, do whatever,
I'm writing, projects, all those things, do a couple other
side businesses and project stuff that I have going on,
like brings in money, hang out with the family, go
(08:02):
to bed, maybe do you stand up that night or
once a couple of times that week, and then do
it all over again. And I was like, Oh, this
is great, this is the perfect life, right And now
it's like, no, I don't get to do any of
those things. So I'm very like, oh, like I have
to go back out tomorrow, and I am dreading it.
I have never I'm not I'm not kidding. I like literally,
(08:23):
I'm literally like, can I get super sick so I
don't have to go Like that's where my headspace is.
That's a terrible headspace.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yeah, I mean, you know, for me, your your original questions,
like why do you keep coming back? And I wonder
about that. I don't. I don't really wonder about it.
It's because I like take a break for a day
or two and then it just eats at me. Yeah,
you need to get back out now. Is that an addiction?
Is it an abusive relationship. Is it toxic.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
Maybe, but you know there's like also just you're doing
a set and it goes well or after a show,
there is there are very few feelings that can top
that for me, fulfillment wise, and that is what that's
what keeps bringing me back to it. Plus there's certain
goals that I have that I just haven't achieved within
(09:14):
this path yet that I would like to achieve that.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I feel capable of getting. So there's a competitive nature
within me as well to be like, I think, I
just need to keep doing it. But most of what
brings me back is that sense of fulfillment and the
real joy that I do get when things are going well.
The road is infamously terrible, so you know, you're not
(09:39):
wrong for feeling You're not crazy for feeling like this
is awful. It's awful, it is fun. And I don't
know what the right answer other than like run out
your term with Zay and don't accept a follow up year,
you know what I mean? Yeah, I feel like there's
(10:00):
an element of he will respect that, and I think
if you can just do the year that you guys
initially discussed, or at least whatever time period that was yeah,
you know, you do your contract and then you leave.
You've learned what you can learn. I think from this.
I mean that's what I did with the World Series
of Comedy. When I hosted with them. It was a
(10:22):
very different job than what I had hoped it would be.
And they had a meeting with me about like, hey,
here's all the nitty gritty stuff, like the grunt work
that you're gonna have to do. And I don't know
if you had this meeting with Zay, but it's like
you hear that, you're like, hey, but it doesn't really
sink in until you're doing it and you're like, oh, yeah,
(10:43):
I know this sucks. There's a whole aspect of this
that is not fun. And I don't know if that
changes ever, you know, I don't know if it's like, well,
when I'm in charge of my tour or when I
go out the road on my tour terms for my shows,
like it'll be different maybe, but probably not.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
You know.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
I think there's different headaches that you'll have, And the
worst one in stand up is just ticket sales, just
like did people buy tickets? Have enough people shown up
to this show? Is it gonna be worth my time
I losing money? Am I wasting You know? It's all
the same stuff, just in a different context.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Yeah, that is the other big stress, right because on
the other side of it, not only by performing and
setting up gear and breaking down gear, driving all that stuff, right,
I also have to worry about are the venues posting
on Instagram? Are they putting out stuff? Are we selling
enough tickets? What's happening with them? Have I done the
logistics ahead of time and know how many people were
(11:45):
supposed to see, who I'm supposed to talk to when
I get there, How is the room being to be
set up when we get there? All those things are
another weight that's on me during even the time that
I'm not on the road, right, So it's like all
this wing. I mean, I'm like, oh my gosh. And
if I had to break down, how much like hours
I dedicate to it? I mean two hours at least
(12:06):
two hours every day when I'm home. Yeah, I'm on
the road an hour to two hours of driving each way.
We're there two hours before the show before doors open
to set up. Then we have the show, which is
from seven to nine thirty. Usually, then we break down,
so we're out of there like ten, ten thirty somewhere
(12:27):
in that range. Is then that again, hour to two
hour drive back to the hotel, unloading all the gear,
getting all my stuff, going to sleep, getting back up
the next day, either having to move a hotel or
if we're lucky and we get stay for a while,
getting ready for the next day, hauling people, making sure
ticket sales, like doing that stuff all over again. So
those are ten you know, ten hour twelve hour days
(12:48):
sometimes and fifteen minutes of that fifteen minutes of that
is stand up fifteen minutes. That's insanity, you know, it's like,
oh my gosh. And so that I think that that's
the part that drives me crazy, is like it's like
all of these hours that could be used on other
things that can help me make money and and grow
(13:10):
are lost and they're not I'm not saying waste, because
it's not waste, but are lost on tasks that don't
benefit me and I I hate to say personally, but
don't don't benefit me really, you know, in that way,
in a way they do it a way they don't
you know, Does that make sense?
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Yeah, I mean, like there is an element of knowing
how to set up a room, knowing how to see people,
knowing how to set the like physically set up the
room tables, chairs, mike, speakers, but then also setting the
room emotionally for stand up, that is invaluable.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Yeah, but.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
It is hard to see the direct relationship with a
lot of the grunt work to being funny on stage. Yeah,
that is that is hard. And uh, you know, the
other thing I've been thinking about is with stand up
unlike accounting or legal work, being a doctor, being an engineer,
(14:09):
an electrician, an architect, like most jobs are not social
media driven, but stand up is, and you have to
be on social media to post. You kind of have
to be on social media to stay up to date
on pop culture stuff, depending on what kind of comic
you are. But it's always nice just to know what's
going on in the world in case people are saying
(14:32):
stuff to you during your set, or to call on
stuff in case you're floundering to get the crowd on
your side. But you see your peers posting their best
lives and it might be somewhat made up, but it's
still out there, and it's hard not to be like,
why didn't I get that success? Why didn't I get
(14:52):
that opportunity. Oh, I should have done that. I should
have made time for this. Why am I wasting my
time here when I should be doing this? Yeah, it's
in it's it's incredibly frustrating, and I think all of
that compounds to this, like I just should quit. Yeah,
(15:13):
you know, I think it's like I'm never going to
catch up, right, Like that's the feeling that I kind
of have with having kids and being married. It's like
I can't make time for certain things that I see
my peers who are around my same age or younger
more often younger making time for and being able to do,
(15:34):
and it's like I can't. I can't do that. So
how do I achieve success another way?
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (15:42):
But it's it is very difficult. Yeah, it's very difficult.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
And then the other thing was Jane and I kind
of talked about this. He's like, he's like, you're a
forty something year old white guy, Like whatever you say
needs to be more interesting than what you're saying. It's not.
It's not you know, yes, I know.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
I'm like, oh, a little rabbit hole here. I mean
I just barely on Instagram saw this ad that was like, hey,
big breakout comedy competition, you know, submit here. I click
on it. It's like, this is for BYPOC and I'm.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
Like, I saw that too, Yep, I guess not me. Then,
all right, that's you must have seen the same one
I saw.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
I'm sure because they're funny or whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Yeah, it's what. I took a screenshot of it because
it was exactly.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
But they're funny.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
It was something like that, Yeah, because they're because they're funny. Yep, wow, yeah,
that's funny.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
I clicked on it. I was like, of course, of
course this is not for me, you know. And granted,
there have been so many people like Bypock their community
who it was never explicitly stated, but it wasn't for them,
so I guess at least it's explicitly stated for us
that like, Okay, I guess I don't need to waste
(16:54):
my time.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Yeah, yeah, well the only thing I'm thinking about is
applying for Big Sky. Sure, but I don't. Here's the thing.
Am I wasting my time applying?
Speaker 2 (17:05):
You know? I mean, look, I think for festivals for
bookers and things like that, it's never a waste of time.
It doesn't take that long. What the maybe the bigger
question for the festivals. Is it a waste of money
because a lot of them charge a submission fee to
even just send your video so some unknown can review
(17:26):
it and rate you. Yeah, that's like a whole other thing.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Yeah. Yeah, we can get into that at some other points. Yeah,
but I mean this, that's exactly right. It's twenty five
bucks to submit. You put in a video link. No video.
Video should be no longer than five to six minutes. Yeah, okay,
so right, I'm gonna have to cut up a video
to work for that, because no way, I don't have
five or six minute videos anymore that are not good
(17:51):
that are good anyways, you.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Know, right right, Yeah, you're gonna have to cut.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Ten, twelve, fifteen, seventeen, twenty minutes, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Yeah, yeah, so you'll have to cut something and tailor it,
you know, like just find a good type five minutes
out of a longer set, which is sometimes very difficult.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
It is, it is. But I think I know this.
I don't think I know the set that I can
use for it, so it should be good. So that's
fine as long as it don't care that it's cut
up a little bit, you know what I'm saying I
don't know if they're gonna care, like if they're gonna go, hey,
you cut this up, But it doesn't say anything like
that on here at all.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Some I would say a general rule is, if you're
submitting the festivals, take a solid five minute chunk. Do
not take like your two thirty opening and your two
thirty ending and put those together. Yeah, that is jarring
and honestly, like I reviewed tapes for the World Series
of Comedy as a host, as an unknown, I was
(18:48):
watching people's tapes and being like, yeah, we should have
you in this festival. So that's you know, we can
get into all of that. Be that as it is
the question that comics and viewers would have. Bookers would
be like, what what am I missing? What did you
cut out? I can tell there's a cut What did
you take out? Yeah, and why didn't you just send
(19:10):
me a tape of this solid five minutes that this
is your good five minutes? You know, So take a
solid chunk of five minutes something that represents who you
are as a comic, and that means it's unique, you know.
Those are the two big things make it unique, make
it personal to you. So many people send in tapes
(19:32):
of dating. I think everybody who sends in a tape
of dating should be denied flat out. No, that's interesting.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
My set's mostly about my family and my kids and
being a dad and being a husband. So it's like
very unique, K. So it should be fine, right, And
you know, I know people who've won a Big Sky.
Buddy Chris Cope, who's super funny, has one one Big Sky.
He's a great guy. So I know there's there's a
lot of people, and it does change lives. You know,
Nick to E one Big Sky in twenty thirteen, Kirosatanovich
(20:04):
won in twenty eighteen. Don'tce Slowed, who's super funny one
in twenty sixteen. So you know, I know a lot
of people. That's changed a lot of people's lives and stuff.
So I would love to I don't even care if
I don't win. It'd just be nice to kind of
move up and see what happened.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Yeah, I mean a lot of it, And I would
say this for people looking to submit for comedy festivals.
A lot of it is the networking. Like, don't go
to any festival with the idea that it's a waste
of your time unless you win. It's gonna make the
entire week or three days or ever long. The festival
(20:43):
is a nightmare. You're gonna feel so much pressure. It's
not gonna be fun. I suggest going and looking at
the acceptance as the victory you've won. Now go have fun,
do well and the shows that they put you on,
and then talk to everybody. You can find comics that
(21:04):
you mesh with and talk to them, right, like, regardless
of whey not you think they're funny, if they're nice,
people talk to them.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Yeah. No, that's exactly right. And so that's what I'm
thinking about doing, is applying. It'll be October seventh through eleventh,
So I mean, I don't I think I have to
look at the dates with Zaye where it's like, hey,
well I be on the road with him. If I do,
I'll have to be like, hey, can you take somebody
else for this run because this thing is is very important.
Let's see October. No, so I'd be able to still
(21:33):
go with him and do stuff. Yeah, so yeah, so
it'd be good. It'd be perfect there you go, the
perfect the perfect time to not to do it. So
I'm probably I'm gonna submit. I'm gonna set up this
week while I'm on the road and try to come
up with have you know, find my best my best
show that I've done. Maybe one of these new ones
will be even better. But I'll come do the best
(21:53):
show that I have and yeah, admit it right before
the deadline, which I think is like July fifteenth, so
before I go. Grant came and I'll submit and go
from there. You know, we'll figure it out.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Yeah. Perfect.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
But I'm glad that you feel the same way because
I really been having that crisis of just like maybe
I'm wasting my time, maybe I'm wasting my energy.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Oh no, you know, no, you you know you are
not alone in feeling that. I've talked to so many
comics who feel that way, and they feel that way
at like every stage. You know, maybe once you get
a Netflix special, that feeling kind of goes away, and.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
I doubt it. I bet you feel like, oh my gosh,
I got to make my next one even better, I've
got to do this thing, or yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
Yeah, I think it's always kind of this rat race feeling. So,
you know, a big challenge is just trying to feel
content in the moment with the successes that you've been
able to achieve up until now and maintain the motivation
to keep going. But I don't know. I mean, I
think everybody feels that. I've certainly felt that multiple times
(23:01):
over the time that I've done stand up, and yeah,
you know, it's like, no, no success yet has cured
me of that. A big goal I had was getting
dry Bar. I got drive Bar, did drive Bar. It
went well, I'm really happy with it and it's out there,
and like that sustained me for a few months, and
then I was right back to like, man, maybe I
(23:24):
should quit. You know this, Like I don't know if
this is ever gonna happen, you know, like, whatever it is,
whatever this is, I don't know if this is going
to happen. That means different things for different people, But yeah,
it's a tough it's a tough business. You are not
alone in feeling that way and doing the road is
(23:44):
that I think the famously worst part about stand up. Yeah,
it is physically grueling. You're not getting the right nutrition,
the sleep patterns are off, and then it's just the
pressure day in, day out of setting up a show,
especially when you're doing the grunt work setting up a show,
(24:05):
and the fans are kind of there, but not there
to see you, you know, there to see to some
other guy.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
I've had two or three people come to see me.
So that was that felt that felt good.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
That felt good, and you know, you hope you hope that.
After most shows people are like, hey, you were great,
Like this was a fantastic surprise. Yes, and that's that's fine,
that's fantastic, But like it still is like this is
not my you know, this is not for me. It's
not my thing.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Yeah, you're just a You're just an appetizer and not
even a good appetizer.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
Sometimes, well you're just like this cog and and the
in the machinery and a necessary part. But it's hard
to feel like you're making a serious contribution sometimes when
you're doing three or four different hats, you.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Know, yeah, and also getting mentally prepared to go to
stand up after doing all that setup, you're tired. You're like,
all right, it's all set up, we're done. But it's like, no, no,
now you've got to go on stage and dance monkey dance,
you know, for these people, and you're like, oh now
I have to be funny. Oh my gosh, well no,
I don't want the worst. I've literally had days where
I'm like, I'm not going to go up there. I'm
(25:10):
not going to do my shet today. I'm just gonna
let Zaying go and I'll just intro him and walk
off stage. Like I seriously thought about that before, because
I'm like, how do you want to do it? How
do you want to do it right now? That's crazy?
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Yeah, No, it is crazy, and you're not alone. You're
not crazy. You're not alone for feeling that. The best
advice I have is look back on the successes that
you've been able to achieve. The fact that you're there
living a piece of your dream is great, and acknowledge
that there are not great aspects of it and that
that's okay. You know, not every job has one amazing things.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
There's no job, no job does.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Yeah, so you know, I think you just have to
be honest with yourself, acknowledge that this is a difficult
piece of it, You're not alone and feeling that, and
that in a sense it will get better, but it
may never go away that grunt work piece, you know,
the anxiety piece of like did I sell enough tickets?
There's always going to be a negative aspect of doing
(26:14):
stand up, but hopefully, hopefully you feel within the fifteen
minutes that you're up on stage, hopefully you still feel
like this is fun, this part is good.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
You know.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
Making the transition from setting up to then hosting and
doing stand up is a is one of the worst ones.
I think, so chepable business. But once you're like there
were so many times doing the World Series of Comedy
where it was an awful transition for me, like making
that mental switch, but then once you were in it,
(26:47):
like once you were on stage, it was like, oh,
thank goodness, Yeah, okay, I could do this, I can
do this part. I can do this part for an hour,
you know, forever.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
This is right, Yeah, that's true. Well, the other thing
is Zain has only been doing stand up for like
four years. He has three stand up specials. I've been
doing stand up if you count, if you count the pandemic,
which I don't really count, ten years. Almost no, nine
years if you don't count the pandemic, about seven years, right,
So it I feel like at four years he's better
(27:21):
than I am at seven years and has three specials,
and I feel like, what the heck am I doing wrong? Too?
That's the other thing is like, and I'm not knocking
him because he's a great stand up. I'm not knocking
him a wall, But I feel like, shouldn't shouldn't this
role be reversed? Shouldn't he be reversed roles in this situation?
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
Yeah, I mean that's a tough that's a tough, tough
question to answer. And that's why I say, I don't
think you can compare yourself to other people. Yeah, you
can only compare yourself to yourself because I don't know
what Zaane's history.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
Is a TV shows, have been a host of stuff
or whatever. Yeah, so he has like a lot more
in the entertainment business that I ever have.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
Yeah, Like there's an aspect of it that's like people,
I don't know. Sometimes we want to pretend like stand
up is so different from anything else, and in a
way it is. But if you are like an extrovert
and there's some of it that just comes naturally, stand
up just comes naturally that way. And if you've had
(28:23):
experience hosting TV shows or just being kind of on
that way, it's it'll come more naturally. Yeah, you know,
I also don't know like Zay has been able to
focus on this, I would assume pretty primarily for a
long time. And there's a lot to be said for
(28:43):
like a guy or a gal who gets famous or
traction within the Hollywood entertainment industry doing one thing and
then they move to another thing. Stand up is like
law school, you know, like anybody can do it. It
doesn't matter what your undergraduate degree was in. If you
(29:03):
have the skills, you can do it. And so it
is difficult to look at people and be like, how
is this possible? Well, they were in entertainment, they were
doing TV. They've been doing auditions for most of you know,
like for a long time. They're used to rejection. They've
kind of built this up and now they've had some success.
(29:27):
They're carrying that into stand up and they already have
an audience because they built that audience over here. So
you know, it's like that audience also already knows them.
I'd be willing to bet you put Zayane in a
cold comedy store room. He's going to do just as
poorly or as well as most anybody in that room,
(29:49):
you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Yeah, No, he's a great stand up already. So's I mean,
it's crazy. He just did the ice House and he
said it was a great I mean, he carried he
did exactly what he does on our show. I mean, yeah,
you know, he brought that, brought it, and now he's
gonna be able to just kind of whenever he wants
to jump on a show, there can kind of jump
on a show.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
Yeah, it's like, that's great.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
So guy's fantastic. But I feel like, dude, that's where
I should be. But I get it, You're you're right.
He built this whole audience over ten twenty whatever years
of doing TV shows and doing all these shows, you know,
and now he brings that audience over. He has two
hundred thousand plus followers on Instagram, has all this other stuff,
and when people do come out to shows, thirty to
(30:30):
forty percent of the crowd don't know who he was before.
But the other ones are his hardcore fans who know
him from all his shows that he did. So that's
great too, And yeah, it's a very interesting thing. And
so I don't know, I guess that's where it is.
It's like I feel frustrated. I feel like I'm behind
because not because I'm tore it with Zane personally, not
because like oh, Zane's you know whatever this or that
(30:52):
Zane's amazing. It's yeah, feeling like, oh my gosh, you're
doing this in four years what I haven't been able
to do in eight years. But that's not really true.
He's doing it in twenty four years or thirty four
years or whatever it is. You know, I'm saying yeah, right,
and I.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
Think, yeah, there's that like the saying in Hollywood about
it's an overnight success that was ten years in the making. Yes,
you know, like that's the way all of this stuff is. So, Yeah,
don't compare yourself And for those listening getting into stand up,
don't compare yourself to other stand ups because you don't
know their life situation. They don't know your life situation. Uh,
(31:29):
just compare yourself to where you were a year ago,
a month ago, you know, even a week ago, depending
on what kind of progress you're looking at. And it's
a it's a race with yourself, you know, it's not
it's not a race against other people. There's enough success
for everybody.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Yeah, he is a twenty year is a twenty year
head start on me? Yeah, Well, TV doing TV shows
doing all this stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Yeah, yeah, I just don't think it's healthy to compare.
The impetus is there, right, It's like you want to
compare yourself to everybody that you're on shows with because
there's kind of this implicit competitivity of like who who
did bett best with the crowd? Yes, but as far
(32:14):
as like actual stand up and achievements, it's a totally
I think it's a rabbit hole to really start comparing
yourself to other stand ups that you don't know their history.
You don't know like what they did before. You don't
know anything, and they don't know anything about you. You
have your own life challenges, you know. It's like you
have to just stay kind of in the pocket of
(32:35):
where do I want to be, what's my plan? How
can I achieve it? Otherwise you just get you know,
I said, I feel behind all the time.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
Yeah, you know, well my next I mean, my goal
is to do a special, whether that be drybar, have
to record my own I gotta I want to be
a special. I feel like if I don't, if I
don't do one in the next two years, I feel
like I have not achieved anything at that point. Like seriously,
I will feel very, very unmotivated after that, Like, you know,
ten years of doing stand up and I don't have
anything to show for it, no kind of special. Josh
(33:07):
Johnson puts out a special freaking every month, an hour
long special.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
You know, I'm like, dude, but then are they special?
Speaker 1 (33:16):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (33:17):
I mean he's great, Yeah, I just think like whatever
personal goal you have, great, stick to that if you
need to put out a special, like good.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
You know, work and put out a special. But I
don't think it's healthy or beneficial to compare yourself to
other comics. I do it too. I'm trying not to
do it as much, but the habit is still there.
It's just it does. I don't think it helps. Yeah,
(33:52):
you know, yeah, I don't think it helps, and you
don't anyway. I hope you get your special out there.
I want to be there when you take. I want
to see that process for you. I think it's gonna
be really exciting.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
Yeah, yeah, I really. I mean, I've really got to
figure out how to submit to dry Bar. I've got
to send whatever I have. I'm building on some new
jokes this run that we're doing. I'm gonna build out
a couple jokes. I have some additional punchlines and stuff
that I one thing you even came up with this morning.
I have a name about my joke about my name
and stuff, and uh, I really I can't. I'm laying
(34:26):
in bed this morning and thinking about it. I'm like, ah,
here's a great thing to add to this, and it's
so so good. It's gonna be so good. I hope
it's good. I'm worried it's not gonna be great, but
like you know, to find out exactly right, exactly right
to do it.
Speaker 2 (34:41):
Yeah, I hear Drybar is back on the half hours,
So good day. Twenty five minutes, You've got it.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
Oh I gotta I can you know what? And I
can say, Zaying, can I get? Can I start getting
twenty five minutes? Maybe when we come back in August.
I think I'm gonna try to stick it out. I
think you're right. That's it's why bail? Why bail now?
When I can keep going? You know?
Speaker 2 (35:03):
Yeah? I mean and talk to you know, yeah, absolutely
talk to Zaying.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
I talked all about it, and I explained him. I
told him like this is how I'm feeling, Like I
don't know, he's like, yeah, like, dude, you got to
do what's best for you. He's like, I understand you're
here with me and that like you feel some obligation.
He's like, but honestly, it's got to be what's best
for you. If you feel like this is not what's
best for you, then hey, that no hard feelings, I
get it.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
But also it's it's that weird feeling of I want
to give up, but I don't want to give up.
Does that make sense? Oh?
Speaker 2 (35:30):
Yeah, of course, of course it makes sense. Hey, yeah,
I mean I feel that, like, you know, like I said,
when I'm really doing stand up and committed to it,
when I have that time in my schedule to be out, Yeah,
that's that's the way I feel. Every week. It's like
there's at least one day where I'm like, I my time,
(35:50):
I'm wasting my life. This is so silly, it's so stupid.
It's never going to go anywhere. You know, I have
all those thoughts. Yeah, yeah, I mean, talk to is
saying about getting twenty five minutes and record twenty five minutes.
If not, like, you know, reach out to me. We'll
get you on one of the clean shows. You can
like headline on those and use that tape. Hopefully, it's
(36:12):
just a matter of recording the twenty five minutes solid
that you want to do for dry Bar and then
sending it to the booker and not relenting key emailing
honestly every two weeks, all right, He responds. That's I've
talked to three or four people now about how they
(36:32):
did it. That's how we all did it. And I'm
like the manager or agent setting it up for you.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
No, and I have to said the full twenty five minutes,
like I couldn't say. I can't say like my fifteen
and a half now or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
No, all right, then full twenty five you got it?
Speaker 1 (36:46):
All right? Well that's the goal then that you know what,
that's the goal. You guys, We're not We're not giving up.
Thank you. Yeah this man, I needed this. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
Hey, you're not alone, JD. It is. It is a
very punishing career, and being on the road is the
most punishing aspect of it. So hang you know, I
think to the extent that you feel like you can
hang in there get what you can't out of it,
you know, Zaane sounds like a great mentor so keep
getting feedback from him and building up your set and
(37:15):
then use it to help you, right, like, use it
to get twenty five minutes solid that you want to
do and just hone it down and get it super
sharp for drybar and then get that tape to the booker.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
There you got it all right, Thank you, Seth, Thank
you everybody for listening. Have a great one, dude. Now
I'm stoked. I'm like popped up. I can't wait. So
thank you, Thank you so much for this night, Ymorrow
got tomorrow. You got it. Thank you everybody for listening.
Go check out the show notes or stuff that's in there.
Don't forget to check out clean comedian pro tips. It's
gonna be awesome. There's more stuff coming, so excited. Have
(37:49):
a good one and we'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
By
Hey, real quick, if you're a clean comedian or trying
to be one, you've got to get on my Clean
Comedian Pro Tips newsletter. Every week I send out one
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and build your clean comedy career without selling out or
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and quick the link join up, sign up. It's free,
so stop guessing, start growing, go out there, be clean,
(00:21):
get some green. Hey, everybody, welggo to Clean Comedy Podcast.
It's JD and I'm here with my good buddy and
co host mister Seth Lawrence. How's it going?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Hey, hey, we're doing well? How are you pretty good?
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Pretty good? Uh, just coming coming off a little bit
of tour and then going back out on tour for
just for just for four days, so it'll be okay,
it'll be a smooth, smooth time. But uh, have a
run some runs through June and then off for July
and uh, and then had an existential crisis. You're kind
of having an existential process. I'm trying to figure that out.
(00:54):
But how are you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Nikes? I mean that sounds pretty serious.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Yeah, a little bit all right?
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Well, is that what we're gonna end do today?
Speaker 1 (01:05):
So he can kind of get into anything. I always
say to you because have you heard, you know, Gabriel Rutledge,
You know who that is.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
The name sounds very familiar.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
He has like kind of long hair, and then he
has like a like a beard or whatever, and glasses.
He has a dry bar. He's from like the Pacific
Northwest or whatever. Gay Brutledge. I think he goes under
Gay Rutledge, but it might be Gabriel.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
So anyways, he wrote this whole book. He wrote like
a journal of a year of him doing stand up
and I started reading it and I was experiencing the
same feelings he was experiencing during that time period. And
I was like, oh my gosh, because I thought I
was the only person who one hated being on the road,
he hated being away from their family, would get frustrated, depressed,
(01:52):
think about quitting stand up, wondering what I'm doing with
my life anything in the world. And so I read
that book and actually messaged him on inswer and I
was like, dude, I appreciate your book so much because
it really like I thought I was the only person
dealing with this and like I was just not saying
anything to anyone. Like it was just like I'm just
gonna suck it up, Like you're getting to live your
(02:12):
dream of being a stand up comedian. You're gonna be
a baby about it, you know. Like that was kind
of what I was doing to myself.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah, so that's wild. Did he respond to you?
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Yeah he did. Uh what did he write back to me?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
He didn't for the book you are you are?
Speaker 1 (02:27):
No? No, No, it was he was very he was very,
very very nice.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
He wrote, he's right, hey, thank you. I really appreciate
that a new book is coming out by the way,
hopefully this year, because you know, I just like, I
really love his book. So he's he was really nice
about it and stuff.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Good good, No, you're not alone. I think most people
hate being on the road. I think that's a pretty
well known issue with doing stand up and having a family.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Yeah, so here's the thing, Like, and I don't know
how how you feel about it, but it made me wonder,
am I really supposed to be a comedian? Because if
that's what this job entails, having to be on the road,
having to be away from home, having to do all
these things, I am I really cut out for it?
Am I really cut out to be a comedian? Right?
(03:16):
If it was like, hey, I could tour over southern
California and drive home, Like I could drive to San Diego,
do a couple of shows that come home in like
a day or so, great, Yeah, go to norcl do
a couple of shows, come home a day show Great.
But when it's like that twenty eight day stretch that
we did, or are these ten day the twelve day
stretches that we're doing, it's really like taking a toll
on me and making me wonder, like, am I doing
(03:38):
the right thing? Am I? Am? I even supposed? Am
I taking somebody's spot who is actually better than me?
Then should be doing this and be a real comedian?
You know? Am I? Cosplaying as a professional comedian is
basically what my thought process is.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yeah, I mean I think most people I've talked to
in stand up, even if they're not on the road,
question whether or not they really should be doing stand up.
I mean, I've told you that I feel like at
least at least once a month, but when I'm really
doing stand up more frequently, it's also the feeling is
(04:14):
more frequent. Of I think I should quit. Yes, this
is not fun.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Yeah, why is that?
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Well, because it's I think it's huge ups and downs,
and you're the ups are not as up as you hope,
and the downs are pretty devastating.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Yeah they are.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
I think that's the real issue, is that, like stand
up is one of those things where there's constantly this
carrot that is dangled in front of you of like
maybe this show, maybe this opportunity, maybe this audition, and
you can do really well in all of those things
and then not get any response back, you know, and
it's not Sometimes a no is actually way better than nothing,
(04:58):
but most of the time it's just nothing. Yeah, you
send out a tape to bookers and you just get
no response and you really don't know what to do.
And then when you miss, like you audition and you
just don't hear back, it's like, boy, well that that stinks,
you know. Yeah, And it's really devastating to feel like
(05:19):
you're putting in a lot of hard work and you're
really just no progress is made. I mean it's insanity.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Yeah, it is insanity. And here's the other thing. I
have other projects that I am doing and things that
I'm taking on that. I can see what's what's the best.
I can see the tangible benefits and return in those. Yeah,
I'm saying, so it's like, oh, if I invest more
time in this thing, there's definitely gonna be a return
on investment. Whereas if you spend hours on the road
(05:49):
and whatever do you stand up. There's no guarantee that
a special is gonna come out of it, or you're
gonna get famous, or you could make a full time
living as a professional community. None of that stuff is guaranteed.
There's no But but I have other projects that are like, yeah, dude,
if you put more time and effort into this, you
could be making some real money and doing some real things.
And I'm like, yeah, okay, well maybe I need to
(06:11):
stop doing stand up and go do these things. But
I but I'm torn because as a creative person, I
love doing stand up. It's creative, it's fun. But as
a logical person, I'm like, I just feel like I'm
running my head into the wall every week. You know
what I'm saying, sense, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
It's it's infuriating. And then you coup that with being
on the road or being in situations where you're like
I'm taking time away from my family, away from other
projects where I do feel like I'm making progress for
this thing that may never really bring me any financial value.
(06:49):
And it's sometimes fulfill is fulfilling, but sometimes it's really
not because it might not go well or or you know,
a myriad of things. Yeah, it's tough. It's tough to
be like all.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
In, you know, so how do you how how do
you balance it? How do you deal with him? How
do you decide to like not just give up one
day because I'm like, literally, I'm thinking and I already
talked to Sane about this, I'm thinking about not going
back out on tour with him come August.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Really that's how that's how.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Big of a deal this is for me. Where it's like, yeah,
I feel like too much time is being given to
this thing, to to zaying stuff. No, and I love
working with Zaane, but it feels like it's pulling me
away from things that could really elevate me in other
parts of my life. Like also, here's the other thing.
I've been eating crappier, i haven't been exercising as much.
(07:42):
I've been a lot more unhappy. I just have not
been myself whereas I used to get up every morning,
play pickleball for like two hours, do a podcast, do whatever,
I'm writing, projects, all those things, do a couple other
side businesses and project stuff that I have going on,
like brings in money, hang out with the family, go
(08:02):
to bed, maybe do you stand up that night or
once a couple of times that week, and then do
it all over again. And I was like, Oh, this
is great, this is the perfect life, right And now
it's like, no, I don't get to do any of
those things. So I'm very like, oh, like I have
to go back out tomorrow, and I am dreading it.
I have never I'm not I'm not kidding. I like literally,
(08:23):
I'm literally like, can I get super sick so I
don't have to go Like that's where my headspace is.
That's a terrible headspace.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yeah, I mean, you know, for me, your your original questions,
like why do you keep coming back? And I wonder
about that. I don't. I don't really wonder about it.
It's because I like take a break for a day
or two and then it just eats at me. Yeah,
you need to get back out now. Is that an addiction?
Is it an abusive relationship. Is it toxic.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
Maybe, but you know there's like also just you're doing
a set and it goes well or after a show,
there is there are very few feelings that can top
that for me, fulfillment wise, and that is what that's
what keeps bringing me back to it. Plus there's certain
goals that I have that I just haven't achieved within
(09:14):
this path yet that I would like to achieve that.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I feel capable of getting. So there's a competitive nature
within me as well to be like, I think, I
just need to keep doing it. But most of what
brings me back is that sense of fulfillment and the
real joy that I do get when things are going well.
The road is infamously terrible, so you know, you're not
(09:39):
wrong for feeling You're not crazy for feeling like this
is awful. It's awful, it is fun. And I don't
know what the right answer other than like run out
your term with Zay and don't accept a follow up year,
you know what I mean? Yeah, I feel like there's
(10:00):
an element of he will respect that, and I think
if you can just do the year that you guys
initially discussed, or at least whatever time period that was yeah,
you know, you do your contract and then you leave.
You've learned what you can learn. I think from this.
I mean that's what I did with the World Series
of Comedy. When I hosted with them. It was a
(10:22):
very different job than what I had hoped it would be.
And they had a meeting with me about like, hey,
here's all the nitty gritty stuff, like the grunt work
that you're gonna have to do. And I don't know
if you had this meeting with Zay, but it's like
you hear that, you're like, hey, but it doesn't really
sink in until you're doing it and you're like, oh, yeah,
(10:43):
I know this sucks. There's a whole aspect of this
that is not fun. And I don't know if that
changes ever, you know, I don't know if it's like, well,
when I'm in charge of my tour or when I
go out the road on my tour terms for my shows,
like it'll be different maybe, but probably not.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
You know.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
I think there's different headaches that you'll have, And the
worst one in stand up is just ticket sales, just
like did people buy tickets? Have enough people shown up
to this show? Is it gonna be worth my time
I losing money? Am I wasting You know? It's all
the same stuff, just in a different context.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Yeah, that is the other big stress, right because on
the other side of it, not only by performing and
setting up gear and breaking down gear, driving all that stuff, right,
I also have to worry about are the venues posting
on Instagram? Are they putting out stuff? Are we selling
enough tickets? What's happening with them? Have I done the
logistics ahead of time and know how many people were
(11:45):
supposed to see, who I'm supposed to talk to when
I get there, How is the room being to be
set up when we get there? All those things are
another weight that's on me during even the time that
I'm not on the road, right, So it's like all
this wing. I mean, I'm like, oh my gosh. And
if I had to break down, how much like hours
I dedicate to it? I mean two hours at least
(12:06):
two hours every day when I'm home. Yeah, I'm on
the road an hour to two hours of driving each way.
We're there two hours before the show before doors open
to set up. Then we have the show, which is
from seven to nine thirty. Usually, then we break down,
so we're out of there like ten, ten thirty somewhere
(12:27):
in that range. Is then that again, hour to two
hour drive back to the hotel, unloading all the gear,
getting all my stuff, going to sleep, getting back up
the next day, either having to move a hotel or
if we're lucky and we get stay for a while,
getting ready for the next day, hauling people, making sure
ticket sales, like doing that stuff all over again. So
those are ten you know, ten hour twelve hour days
(12:48):
sometimes and fifteen minutes of that fifteen minutes of that
is stand up fifteen minutes. That's insanity, you know, it's like,
oh my gosh. And so that I think that that's
the part that drives me crazy, is like it's like
all of these hours that could be used on other
things that can help me make money and and grow
(13:10):
are lost and they're not I'm not saying waste, because
it's not waste, but are lost on tasks that don't
benefit me and I I hate to say personally, but
don't don't benefit me really, you know, in that way,
in a way they do it a way they don't
you know, Does that make sense?
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Yeah, I mean, like there is an element of knowing
how to set up a room, knowing how to see people,
knowing how to set the like physically set up the
room tables, chairs, mike, speakers, but then also setting the
room emotionally for stand up, that is invaluable.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Yeah, but.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
It is hard to see the direct relationship with a
lot of the grunt work to being funny on stage. Yeah,
that is that is hard. And uh, you know, the
other thing I've been thinking about is with stand up
unlike accounting or legal work, being a doctor, being an engineer,
(14:09):
an electrician, an architect, like most jobs are not social
media driven, but stand up is, and you have to
be on social media to post. You kind of have
to be on social media to stay up to date
on pop culture stuff, depending on what kind of comic
you are. But it's always nice just to know what's
going on in the world in case people are saying
(14:32):
stuff to you during your set, or to call on
stuff in case you're floundering to get the crowd on
your side. But you see your peers posting their best
lives and it might be somewhat made up, but it's
still out there, and it's hard not to be like,
why didn't I get that success? Why didn't I get
(14:52):
that opportunity. Oh, I should have done that. I should
have made time for this. Why am I wasting my
time here when I should be doing this? Yeah, it's
in it's it's incredibly frustrating, and I think all of
that compounds to this, like I just should quit. Yeah,
(15:13):
you know, I think it's like I'm never going to
catch up, right, Like that's the feeling that I kind
of have with having kids and being married. It's like
I can't make time for certain things that I see
my peers who are around my same age or younger
more often younger making time for and being able to do,
(15:34):
and it's like I can't. I can't do that. So
how do I achieve success another way?
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (15:42):
But it's it is very difficult. Yeah, it's very difficult.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
And then the other thing was Jane and I kind
of talked about this. He's like, he's like, you're a
forty something year old white guy, Like whatever you say
needs to be more interesting than what you're saying. It's not.
It's not you know, yes, I know.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
I'm like, oh, a little rabbit hole here. I mean
I just barely on Instagram saw this ad that was like, hey,
big breakout comedy competition, you know, submit here. I click
on it. It's like, this is for BYPOC and I'm.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
Like, I saw that too, Yep, I guess not me. Then,
all right, that's you must have seen the same one
I saw.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
I'm sure because they're funny or whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Yeah, it's what. I took a screenshot of it because
it was exactly.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
But they're funny.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
It was something like that, Yeah, because they're because they're funny. Yep, wow, yeah,
that's funny.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
I clicked on it. I was like, of course, of
course this is not for me, you know. And granted,
there have been so many people like Bypock their community
who it was never explicitly stated, but it wasn't for them,
so I guess at least it's explicitly stated for us
that like, Okay, I guess I don't need to waste
(16:54):
my time.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Yeah, yeah, well the only thing I'm thinking about is
applying for Big Sky. Sure, but I don't. Here's the thing.
Am I wasting my time applying?
Speaker 2 (17:05):
You know? I mean, look, I think for festivals for
bookers and things like that, it's never a waste of time.
It doesn't take that long. What the maybe the bigger
question for the festivals. Is it a waste of money
because a lot of them charge a submission fee to
even just send your video so some unknown can review
(17:26):
it and rate you. Yeah, that's like a whole other thing.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Yeah. Yeah, we can get into that at some other points. Yeah,
but I mean this, that's exactly right. It's twenty five
bucks to submit. You put in a video link. No video.
Video should be no longer than five to six minutes. Yeah, okay,
so right, I'm gonna have to cut up a video
to work for that, because no way, I don't have
five or six minute videos anymore that are not good
(17:51):
that are good anyways, you.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Know, right right, Yeah, you're gonna have to cut.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Ten, twelve, fifteen, seventeen, twenty minutes, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Yeah, yeah, so you'll have to cut something and tailor it,
you know, like just find a good type five minutes
out of a longer set, which is sometimes very difficult.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
It is, it is. But I think I know this.
I don't think I know the set that I can
use for it, so it should be good. So that's
fine as long as it don't care that it's cut
up a little bit, you know what I'm saying I
don't know if they're gonna care, like if they're gonna go, hey,
you cut this up, But it doesn't say anything like
that on here at all.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Some I would say a general rule is, if you're
submitting the festivals, take a solid five minute chunk. Do
not take like your two thirty opening and your two
thirty ending and put those together. Yeah, that is jarring
and honestly, like I reviewed tapes for the World Series
of Comedy as a host, as an unknown, I was
(18:48):
watching people's tapes and being like, yeah, we should have
you in this festival. So that's you know, we can
get into all of that. Be that as it is
the question that comics and viewers would have. Bookers would
be like, what what am I missing? What did you
cut out? I can tell there's a cut What did
you take out? Yeah, and why didn't you just send
(19:10):
me a tape of this solid five minutes that this
is your good five minutes? You know, So take a
solid chunk of five minutes something that represents who you
are as a comic, and that means it's unique, you know.
Those are the two big things make it unique, make
it personal to you. So many people send in tapes
(19:32):
of dating. I think everybody who sends in a tape
of dating should be denied flat out. No, that's interesting.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
My set's mostly about my family and my kids and
being a dad and being a husband. So it's like
very unique, K. So it should be fine, right, And
you know, I know people who've won a Big Sky.
Buddy Chris Cope, who's super funny, has one one Big Sky.
He's a great guy. So I know there's there's a
lot of people, and it does change lives. You know,
Nick to E one Big Sky in twenty thirteen, Kirosatanovich
(20:04):
won in twenty eighteen. Don'tce Slowed, who's super funny one
in twenty sixteen. So you know, I know a lot
of people. That's changed a lot of people's lives and stuff.
So I would love to I don't even care if
I don't win. It'd just be nice to kind of
move up and see what happened.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Yeah, I mean a lot of it, And I would
say this for people looking to submit for comedy festivals.
A lot of it is the networking. Like, don't go
to any festival with the idea that it's a waste
of your time unless you win. It's gonna make the
entire week or three days or ever long. The festival
(20:43):
is a nightmare. You're gonna feel so much pressure. It's
not gonna be fun. I suggest going and looking at
the acceptance as the victory you've won. Now go have fun,
do well and the shows that they put you on,
and then talk to everybody. You can find comics that
(21:04):
you mesh with and talk to them, right, like, regardless
of whey not you think they're funny, if they're nice,
people talk to them.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Yeah. No, that's exactly right. And so that's what I'm
thinking about doing, is applying. It'll be October seventh through eleventh,
So I mean, I don't I think I have to
look at the dates with Zaye where it's like, hey,
well I be on the road with him. If I do,
I'll have to be like, hey, can you take somebody
else for this run because this thing is is very important.
Let's see October. No, so I'd be able to still
(21:33):
go with him and do stuff. Yeah, so yeah, so
it'd be good. It'd be perfect there you go, the
perfect the perfect time to not to do it. So
I'm probably I'm gonna submit. I'm gonna set up this
week while I'm on the road and try to come
up with have you know, find my best my best
show that I've done. Maybe one of these new ones
will be even better. But I'll come do the best
(21:53):
show that I have and yeah, admit it right before
the deadline, which I think is like July fifteenth, so
before I go. Grant came and I'll submit and go
from there. You know, we'll figure it out.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Yeah. Perfect.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
But I'm glad that you feel the same way because
I really been having that crisis of just like maybe
I'm wasting my time, maybe I'm wasting my energy.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Oh no, you know, no, you you know you are
not alone in feeling that. I've talked to so many
comics who feel that way, and they feel that way
at like every stage. You know, maybe once you get
a Netflix special, that feeling kind of goes away, and.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
I doubt it. I bet you feel like, oh my gosh,
I got to make my next one even better, I've
got to do this thing, or yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
Yeah, I think it's always kind of this rat race feeling. So,
you know, a big challenge is just trying to feel
content in the moment with the successes that you've been
able to achieve up until now and maintain the motivation
to keep going. But I don't know. I mean, I
think everybody feels that. I've certainly felt that multiple times
(23:01):
over the time that I've done stand up, and yeah,
you know, it's like, no, no success yet has cured
me of that. A big goal I had was getting
dry Bar. I got drive Bar, did drive Bar. It
went well, I'm really happy with it and it's out there,
and like that sustained me for a few months, and
then I was right back to like, man, maybe I
(23:24):
should quit. You know this, Like I don't know if
this is ever gonna happen, you know, like, whatever it is,
whatever this is, I don't know if this is going
to happen. That means different things for different people, But yeah,
it's a tough it's a tough business. You are not
alone in feeling that way and doing the road is
(23:44):
that I think the famously worst part about stand up. Yeah,
it is physically grueling. You're not getting the right nutrition,
the sleep patterns are off, and then it's just the
pressure day in, day out of setting up a show,
especially when you're doing the grunt work setting up a show,
(24:05):
and the fans are kind of there, but not there
to see you, you know, there to see to some
other guy.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
I've had two or three people come to see me.
So that was that felt that felt good.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
That felt good, and you know, you hope you hope that.
After most shows people are like, hey, you were great,
Like this was a fantastic surprise. Yes, and that's that's fine,
that's fantastic, But like it still is like this is
not my you know, this is not for me. It's
not my thing.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Yeah, you're just a You're just an appetizer and not
even a good appetizer.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
Sometimes, well you're just like this cog and and the
in the machinery and a necessary part. But it's hard
to feel like you're making a serious contribution sometimes when
you're doing three or four different hats, you.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Know, yeah, and also getting mentally prepared to go to
stand up after doing all that setup, you're tired. You're like,
all right, it's all set up, we're done. But it's like, no, no,
now you've got to go on stage and dance monkey dance,
you know, for these people, and you're like, oh now
I have to be funny. Oh my gosh, well no,
I don't want the worst. I've literally had days where
I'm like, I'm not going to go up there. I'm
(25:10):
not going to do my shet today. I'm just gonna
let Zaying go and I'll just intro him and walk
off stage. Like I seriously thought about that before, because
I'm like, how do you want to do it? How
do you want to do it right now? That's crazy?
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Yeah, No, it is crazy, and you're not alone. You're
not crazy. You're not alone for feeling that. The best
advice I have is look back on the successes that
you've been able to achieve. The fact that you're there
living a piece of your dream is great, and acknowledge
that there are not great aspects of it and that
that's okay. You know, not every job has one amazing things.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
There's no job, no job does.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Yeah, so you know, I think you just have to
be honest with yourself, acknowledge that this is a difficult
piece of it, You're not alone and feeling that, and
that in a sense it will get better, but it
may never go away that grunt work piece, you know,
the anxiety piece of like did I sell enough tickets?
There's always going to be a negative aspect of doing
(26:14):
stand up, but hopefully, hopefully you feel within the fifteen
minutes that you're up on stage, hopefully you still feel
like this is fun, this part is good.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
You know.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
Making the transition from setting up to then hosting and
doing stand up is a is one of the worst ones.
I think, so chepable business. But once you're like there
were so many times doing the World Series of Comedy
where it was an awful transition for me, like making
that mental switch, but then once you were in it,
(26:47):
like once you were on stage, it was like, oh,
thank goodness, Yeah, okay, I could do this, I can
do this part. I can do this part for an hour,
you know, forever.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
This is right, Yeah, that's true. Well, the other thing
is Zain has only been doing stand up for like
four years. He has three stand up specials. I've been
doing stand up if you count, if you count the pandemic,
which I don't really count, ten years. Almost no, nine
years if you don't count the pandemic, about seven years, right,
So it I feel like at four years he's better
(27:21):
than I am at seven years and has three specials,
and I feel like, what the heck am I doing wrong? Too?
That's the other thing is like, and I'm not knocking
him because he's a great stand up. I'm not knocking
him a wall, But I feel like, shouldn't shouldn't this
role be reversed? Shouldn't he be reversed roles in this situation?
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
Yeah, I mean that's a tough that's a tough, tough
question to answer. And that's why I say, I don't
think you can compare yourself to other people. Yeah, you
can only compare yourself to yourself because I don't know
what Zaane's history.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
Is a TV shows, have been a host of stuff
or whatever. Yeah, so he has like a lot more
in the entertainment business that I ever have.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
Yeah, Like there's an aspect of it that's like people,
I don't know. Sometimes we want to pretend like stand
up is so different from anything else, and in a
way it is. But if you are like an extrovert
and there's some of it that just comes naturally, stand
up just comes naturally that way. And if you've had
(28:23):
experience hosting TV shows or just being kind of on
that way, it's it'll come more naturally. Yeah, you know,
I also don't know like Zay has been able to
focus on this, I would assume pretty primarily for a
long time. And there's a lot to be said for
(28:43):
like a guy or a gal who gets famous or
traction within the Hollywood entertainment industry doing one thing and
then they move to another thing. Stand up is like
law school, you know, like anybody can do it. It
doesn't matter what your undergraduate degree was in. If you
(29:03):
have the skills, you can do it. And so it
is difficult to look at people and be like, how
is this possible? Well, they were in entertainment, they were
doing TV. They've been doing auditions for most of you know,
like for a long time. They're used to rejection. They've
kind of built this up and now they've had some success.
(29:27):
They're carrying that into stand up and they already have
an audience because they built that audience over here. So
you know, it's like that audience also already knows them.
I'd be willing to bet you put Zayane in a
cold comedy store room. He's going to do just as
poorly or as well as most anybody in that room,
(29:49):
you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Yeah, No, he's a great stand up already. So's I mean,
it's crazy. He just did the ice House and he
said it was a great I mean, he carried he
did exactly what he does on our show. I mean, yeah,
you know, he brought that, brought it, and now he's
gonna be able to just kind of whenever he wants
to jump on a show, there can kind of jump
on a show.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
Yeah, it's like, that's great.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
So guy's fantastic. But I feel like, dude, that's where
I should be. But I get it, You're you're right.
He built this whole audience over ten twenty whatever years
of doing TV shows and doing all these shows, you know,
and now he brings that audience over. He has two
hundred thousand plus followers on Instagram, has all this other stuff,
and when people do come out to shows, thirty to
(30:30):
forty percent of the crowd don't know who he was before.
But the other ones are his hardcore fans who know
him from all his shows that he did. So that's
great too, And yeah, it's a very interesting thing. And
so I don't know, I guess that's where it is.
It's like I feel frustrated. I feel like I'm behind
because not because I'm tore it with Zane personally, not
because like oh, Zane's you know whatever this or that
(30:52):
Zane's amazing. It's yeah, feeling like, oh my gosh, you're
doing this in four years what I haven't been able
to do in eight years. But that's not really true.
He's doing it in twenty four years or thirty four
years or whatever it is. You know, I'm saying yeah, right,
and I.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
Think, yeah, there's that like the saying in Hollywood about
it's an overnight success that was ten years in the making. Yes,
you know, like that's the way all of this stuff is. So, Yeah,
don't compare yourself And for those listening getting into stand up,
don't compare yourself to other stand ups because you don't
know their life situation. They don't know your life situation. Uh,
(31:29):
just compare yourself to where you were a year ago,
a month ago, you know, even a week ago, depending
on what kind of progress you're looking at. And it's
a it's a race with yourself, you know, it's not
it's not a race against other people. There's enough success
for everybody.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Yeah, he is a twenty year is a twenty year
head start on me? Yeah, Well, TV doing TV shows
doing all this stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Yeah, yeah, I just don't think it's healthy to compare.
The impetus is there, right, It's like you want to
compare yourself to everybody that you're on shows with because
there's kind of this implicit competitivity of like who who
did bett best with the crowd? Yes, but as far
(32:14):
as like actual stand up and achievements, it's a totally
I think it's a rabbit hole to really start comparing
yourself to other stand ups that you don't know their history.
You don't know like what they did before. You don't
know anything, and they don't know anything about you. You
have your own life challenges, you know. It's like you
have to just stay kind of in the pocket of
(32:35):
where do I want to be, what's my plan? How
can I achieve it? Otherwise you just get you know,
I said, I feel behind all the time.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
Yeah, you know, well my next I mean, my goal
is to do a special, whether that be drybar, have
to record my own I gotta I want to be
a special. I feel like if I don't, if I
don't do one in the next two years, I feel
like I have not achieved anything at that point. Like seriously,
I will feel very, very unmotivated after that, Like, you know,
ten years of doing stand up and I don't have
anything to show for it, no kind of special. Josh
(33:07):
Johnson puts out a special freaking every month, an hour
long special.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
You know, I'm like, dude, but then are they special?
Speaker 1 (33:16):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (33:17):
I mean he's great, Yeah, I just think like whatever
personal goal you have, great, stick to that if you
need to put out a special, like good.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
You know, work and put out a special. But I
don't think it's healthy or beneficial to compare yourself to
other comics. I do it too. I'm trying not to
do it as much, but the habit is still there.
It's just it does. I don't think it helps. Yeah,
(33:52):
you know, yeah, I don't think it helps, and you
don't anyway. I hope you get your special out there.
I want to be there when you take. I want
to see that process for you. I think it's gonna
be really exciting.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
Yeah, yeah, I really. I mean, I've really got to
figure out how to submit to dry Bar. I've got
to send whatever I have. I'm building on some new
jokes this run that we're doing. I'm gonna build out
a couple jokes. I have some additional punchlines and stuff
that I one thing you even came up with this morning.
I have a name about my joke about my name
and stuff, and uh, I really I can't. I'm laying
(34:26):
in bed this morning and thinking about it. I'm like, ah,
here's a great thing to add to this, and it's
so so good. It's gonna be so good. I hope
it's good. I'm worried it's not gonna be great, but
like you know, to find out exactly right, exactly right
to do it.
Speaker 2 (34:41):
Yeah, I hear Drybar is back on the half hours,
So good day. Twenty five minutes, You've got it.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
Oh I gotta I can you know what? And I
can say, Zaying, can I get? Can I start getting
twenty five minutes? Maybe when we come back in August.
I think I'm gonna try to stick it out. I
think you're right. That's it's why bail? Why bail now?
When I can keep going? You know?
Speaker 2 (35:03):
Yeah? I mean and talk to you know, yeah, absolutely
talk to Zaying.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
I talked all about it, and I explained him. I
told him like this is how I'm feeling, Like I
don't know, he's like, yeah, like, dude, you got to
do what's best for you. He's like, I understand you're
here with me and that like you feel some obligation.
He's like, but honestly, it's got to be what's best
for you. If you feel like this is not what's
best for you, then hey, that no hard feelings, I
get it.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
But also it's it's that weird feeling of I want
to give up, but I don't want to give up.
Does that make sense? Oh?
Speaker 2 (35:30):
Yeah, of course, of course it makes sense. Hey, yeah,
I mean I feel that, like, you know, like I said,
when I'm really doing stand up and committed to it,
when I have that time in my schedule to be out, Yeah,
that's that's the way I feel. Every week. It's like
there's at least one day where I'm like, I my time,
(35:50):
I'm wasting my life. This is so silly, it's so stupid.
It's never going to go anywhere. You know, I have
all those thoughts. Yeah, yeah, I mean, talk to is
saying about getting twenty five minutes and record twenty five minutes.
If not, like, you know, reach out to me. We'll
get you on one of the clean shows. You can
like headline on those and use that tape. Hopefully, it's
(36:12):
just a matter of recording the twenty five minutes solid
that you want to do for dry Bar and then
sending it to the booker and not relenting key emailing
honestly every two weeks, all right, He responds. That's I've
talked to three or four people now about how they
(36:32):
did it. That's how we all did it. And I'm
like the manager or agent setting it up for you.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
No, and I have to said the full twenty five minutes,
like I couldn't say. I can't say like my fifteen
and a half now or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
No, all right, then full twenty five you got it?
Speaker 1 (36:46):
All right? Well that's the goal then that you know what,
that's the goal. You guys, We're not We're not giving up.
Thank you. Yeah this man, I needed this. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
Hey, you're not alone, JD. It is. It is a
very punishing career, and being on the road is the
most punishing aspect of it. So hang you know, I
think to the extent that you feel like you can
hang in there get what you can't out of it,
you know, Zaane sounds like a great mentor so keep
getting feedback from him and building up your set and
(37:15):
then use it to help you, right, like, use it
to get twenty five minutes solid that you want to
do and just hone it down and get it super
sharp for drybar and then get that tape to the booker.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
There you got it all right, Thank you, Seth, Thank
you everybody for listening. Have a great one, dude. Now
I'm stoked. I'm like popped up. I can't wait. So
thank you, Thank you so much for this night, Ymorrow
got tomorrow. You got it. Thank you everybody for listening.
Go check out the show notes or stuff that's in there.
Don't forget to check out clean comedian pro tips. It's
gonna be awesome. There's more stuff coming, so excited. Have
(37:49):
a good one and we'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
By
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