The Ivy League of Comedy

Shaun Eli chats with comedian Scott Blakeman about the end of the pandemic, political comedy and its pitfalls and what it was like to work at, or being in the audience at, The Comic Strip, one of NYC's first comedy clubs. They also talk about doing shows at synagogues and about making sure that the line-up of a show is properly balanced. Also discussed- working overseas and how comedy shows are different elsewhere in the world.

In this episode we talk about what’s involved in running a comedy club, why Al went from being a comedian to hiring them for his comedy clubs, how he chose the name for his most recent club, how much pandemic relief money some clubs received and some of Al Martin’s pet peeves as a club owner. We also discuss that Al invented the bringer show, which is a subject of much discussion and scorn among comedians.

In this episode I talk to blind comedian Brian Fischler about his charity Laugh for Sight and their shows in NY, LA and Miami. Brian explains about using a screen reader on the internet and how he can listen at such a rapid speed that sighted people can’t follow it. We talk about changes in the real estate market as a result of covid, and how Brian got a mass of emails from comedy club bookers that shows were being cancelled as a result of the virus. Brian talks about lower-level comedians being the insecure, obnoxious ones and about drunken audience members wanting to pet his seeing-eye dog when he’s working.

Our first Caponeless episode, with comedian Shereen Kassam. We talk about working overseas, racial and gender discrimination in comedy, what our parents think of our career decisions, and whether comedians should date each other.

Mike talks about how comedy has to be in the right setting, that comedy isn’t an essential service, how he’d always wanted to be a comedian and how he got started in stand-up. Shaun explains that when you start out in comedy you have to pay to perform at open-mic nights (usually just five dollars). Mike says that new comedians think they have hours of material but it’s really only three minutes. That he was never the class clown but he still said stuff he thought was funny. That before stand-up he was an actor and had a lot of experience being on stage in front of an audience. Tom asks if Mike started with lessons or coaching and the usual debate ensues about whether you can teach people to be funny.

In this episode Myq and Shaun talk a lot about language and linguistics as Myq has a master's degree in linguistics and language features prominently in his act. Myq talks about his latest comedy album being nominated for a Grammy and how he hopes to become a member of the academy to vote for future nominees. Tom, Shaun and Myq talk about on-line ads and how advertisers may be tracing not just your activities on the web but also your conversations and email content, and how that may play into presents you receive. Then Shaun and Myq talk about how language changes and that the use of the word "fun" has changed.

(may have an occasional curse word)

In this episode Joe talks about virtual corporate events and an upcoming hybrid live/virtual comedy show at a comedy club; Shaun asks how a comedian is compensated in such a circumstance and they discuss the decline in pay during the pandemic for the few shows that do exist. Tom asks what we’d do if blueberries cured covid-19. Shaun and Joe talk about how late-night TV has fallen apart with no live audiences. Joe and Shaun give their thoughts on the quality of “Saturday Night Live.” Shaun talks about the difficulties of writing during the pandemic because there aren’t life experiences to write about, and Joe offers to give away his family.

(may have an occasional curse word)

In this episode Judy opens by bashing Tom’s intro, explains how she got started in comedy and how much easier it was to start in comedy in the eighties. She talks about how people say things to comedians that they wouldn’t say to anyone else and why you shouldn’t tell comedians that you have jokes for them. She talks about being told she’s too tall to be an actor (though she’s since had parts in a few TV shows). She also talks about the differences between working in comedy clubs and working in theatres, she talks her new book “Yes, I Can Say That: When They Come for the Comedians, We Are All in Trouble” and we have the usual argument about whether you can teach people to be funny.

In this episode Mick talks about how he accidentally got started in stand-up comedy but still had a joke ready. Shaun talks about being terrified when he started out and sometimes hoped his show would be cancelled so he wouldn’t have to go on stage. Mick talks about acting and doing extra work and explains that means being an actor in the background of a TV shoot. Tom asks about comedians getting their own sit-coms and why they often hire other comedians. Maureen shows up and walks around with her phone even though she says she was told not to do that during the videocast. She and Tom compare notes about being from New Jersey. Shaun and Mick talk about performing stand-up comedy in a jazz club in Boonton, NJ which is where Tom and Shaun met.

In this episode Tom mentions David Brenner, and both Ross and Eddie tell stories about working with him. Eddie and Shaun talk about the importance of mentioning your name several times in your act so the audience will remember it, a lesson Shaun says he learned from watching Dom Irrera at the comedy clubs in NYC when Shaun was a teenager. Tom says that singers and actors continue to train and work with coaches all their career- is it the same for comedians? Both Ross and Eddie teach comedy (although Eddie refers to it as workshopping, not teaching) and the comedians discuss how to get better at stand-up. The conversation continues with the comedians explaining how even 20+ years into it they continue to improve, with “stage time, stage time, stage time” being the mantra for improvement.