Pimpage alert: I will be appearing with stand-up comic/DJ extraordinaire Daniella Capolino on her rock and roll show "Audio Therapy" this Tuesday 5-6pm on WMFO 91.5FM. For those of you not within spitting distance of Tufts University, you can listen online at WMFO.org.
Speaking of stand-up comics, many of you may have been following the story of Joe Rogan confronting Carlos Mencia on stage at the Comedy Store for being a joke thief. If you haven't seen it, check out the video hnyaw. There is also an excellent article about joke thievery in Radar magazine right over hnyaw.
Now, I'm not a stand-up comic myself, but I have a lot of friends and loved ones who partake in this particular art form. It may be difficult for someone not familiar with the scene to understand what a horrible thing joke thievery can be to to these artists. As musicians, we are in a much better place to protect from theivery. Imagine that John Mayer comes out next week with a similarly melodic song called "Sophie" that suspiciously suggests that his lady love leave her glasses on. There are avenues that Scamper can take to rectify the situation. Copyright laws are in place to somewhat resemble justice.
The art of stand-up comedy has no such protection. Here's what happens: you're a young comic who works on a bit or a joke, sometimes for years at a time. Maybe you develop enough of a good set to open for someone like Carlos Mencia or Dane Cook or Robin Williams. A few months later, you're watching HBO and there's your joke. Millions of people just watched someone else do it. Not only do you not get compensated, but now you can't even do your own joke anymore at the clubs because people will accuse you of stealing from the very guy who stole from you. And what's worse - there's not a damn thing you can do about it.
While people may not like Joe Rogan for his stand-up or his reality TV show or his ill-conceived run on The Man Show with Doug Stanhope, I think it takes a lot of guts to stand up (no pun intended) to powerful scumbags like Mencia when it could be detrimental to your career. Because of the incident, Rogan has now been banned from the Comedy Store and lost his agent. For telling the truth.
It may not matter to a lot of people that pieces of shit like Mencia, Cook, Williams, Jay Mohr and Josh Blue get rich by ripping off other comics' hard-earned material. But it matters to me.
Speaking of stand-up comics, many of you may have been following the story of Joe Rogan confronting Carlos Mencia on stage at the Comedy Store for being a joke thief. If you haven't seen it, check out the video hnyaw. There is also an excellent article about joke thievery in Radar magazine right over hnyaw.
Now, I'm not a stand-up comic myself, but I have a lot of friends and loved ones who partake in this particular art form. It may be difficult for someone not familiar with the scene to understand what a horrible thing joke thievery can be to to these artists. As musicians, we are in a much better place to protect from theivery. Imagine that John Mayer comes out next week with a similarly melodic song called "Sophie" that suspiciously suggests that his lady love leave her glasses on. There are avenues that Scamper can take to rectify the situation. Copyright laws are in place to somewhat resemble justice.
The art of stand-up comedy has no such protection. Here's what happens: you're a young comic who works on a bit or a joke, sometimes for years at a time. Maybe you develop enough of a good set to open for someone like Carlos Mencia or Dane Cook or Robin Williams. A few months later, you're watching HBO and there's your joke. Millions of people just watched someone else do it. Not only do you not get compensated, but now you can't even do your own joke anymore at the clubs because people will accuse you of stealing from the very guy who stole from you. And what's worse - there's not a damn thing you can do about it.
While people may not like Joe Rogan for his stand-up or his reality TV show or his ill-conceived run on The Man Show with Doug Stanhope, I think it takes a lot of guts to stand up (no pun intended) to powerful scumbags like Mencia when it could be detrimental to your career. Because of the incident, Rogan has now been banned from the Comedy Store and lost his agent. For telling the truth.
It may not matter to a lot of people that pieces of shit like Mencia, Cook, Williams, Jay Mohr and Josh Blue get rich by ripping off other comics' hard-earned material. But it matters to me.
6 Comments:
Joe Rogan's bit about the circus bear is one of the funniest 'this isn't funny but if I yell loud enough, Vin will laugh himself to death' bits I've ever seen. That's all I want to say about this. Oh, and Carlos Mencia couldn't make me laugh with jokes written by Jesus Christ Himself. The guy is a blackhole of funny.
I must admit, I'm disappointed no one has more nasty things to say about Mencia.
Robin Williams steals shit?
Robin Williams steals shit?
Apparently compulsively. At least he writes a check when he gets caught.
It's kind of weird - he gets this bizarre sort of pass because comics think he just can't help it. Like he's retarded or something.
Oh, and Mencia's Comedy Central show is utterly unwatchable.
Thank you! I'd rather listen to my grandmother bitch about Mexicans. She's funnier.
Thank you! I'd rather listen to my grandmother bitch about Mexicans. She's funnier.
And she probably has more Mexican in her than good ol' Ned.
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