there's that bit patton does about different kinds of stand-ups (is it the Dr. Pepper bit?) and one of the types is the Comic-Who's-Funny-But-Who-Gives-A-Shit? like, he's just really... stand-uppy. he has the jerry seinfeld observations that may ring true, and may be funny, but they're still... icky. it's like a band performing their version of Stairway to Heaven. it's been done so much, what's the fucking point? it's one of the weird things about the world and how we view individuality and what we've always been taught about ourselves. like, there's six billion people on the planet. do you really think that there isn't someone out there who's just like you? i kinda do. i mean, that's a lot of people. there's some good odds that someone is gonna get pretty close to your mark. but i'm digressing... my point is Brian Regan IS that comic to me, however i still love him. somehow he embodies but also transcends the idea of a Comic-Who's-Funny-But-Who-Gives-A-Shit? i have an annoying ego-monster in the back of my brain that itches when i enjoy his comedy. "you're cooler than this. you like the Comedians of Comedy. you like alternative comedy. blahdy blah." but i guess sometimes it really just boils down to, "haha. that was funny."
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From Patton's Blog:
Friday, September 05, 2008
BECOME AN EXCELLENT COMEDIAN IN JUST ONE HOUR
This Saturday, at 10pm, Comedy Central is showing Brian Regan's new, one-hour special, BRIAN REGAN: THE EPITOME OF HYPERBOLE.
Sometimes wanna-be comedians send me sloppy, typo-filled MySpace messages, saying they want to enter my profession, and whether or not I have any tips to pass along.
Nothing makes me happier to see someone with absolutely no sense or concern for details and craftsmanship wanting to galumph their way into a career I take seriously and love doing.
I always send this form e-mail along:
"Yes, this is a form e-mail. Because I get asked this question a lot:
'How do I become a comedian?'
The answer is very simple. It's so simple, that no one can ever accept that it's the ONLY WAY. But rest assured, the lucky few who understand how simple it is, and go and do this simple thing, ALWAYS succeed:
Go onstage a lot. Go onstage as much as you can.
Don't read books on comedy. Don't take comedy classes. Don't ask anyone how you should write material, or what they think of your material. Develop on your own.
Go onstage. A lot. Every night. If there isn't an open mike in your town, start one.
And then go onstage. A lot.
That's it."
Now, you'd think something like that would reassure and embolden anyone seeking career advice. But, more often than not, I get ANOTHER e-mail, which is, more often than not, a variation of:
"yes I knw all that sHit BUt how do I get on TV and a manager n agent & stuff? i alraedy do open mikes whutz yr manager's ?"
So, I've decided to make things simpler.
Watch Brian Regan's special this Saturday. 10pm, Comedy Central.
THEN, watch it a few more times.
THEN, try to do what he does. You won't even come close, but your attempt to come close to the pure brilliance that is Brian Regan will, by default, make you a better comedian than you are, or could have been.
I should know. It's worked for me.
Honestly, Brian Regan's THE BEST stand-up working today. Period. Nothing against Chappelle, CK, Attell and Bamford. Well, Maria Bamford comes close. Oh, and I'd put Sean Cullen up there, too.
Come to think of it, Brian Regan and Maria Bamford have reached the same zenith of creativity and originality, but in wildly different ways.
Y'see, lesser comedians (like me) spend most of our waking hours ignoring the mundane, forgettable, boring and commonplace because, well, we need to think of DEEP SUBJECTS and EDGY PREMISES.
It's the Borges idea of recognizing and preserving everything that's not Inferno.
Except Brian and Maria are the only ones, as far as I can see, who can purchase laundry detergent, endure the presence of someone dull and unoriginal, and waste their time on trivialities and amusements, and FIND THE INFINITE. It's the exotic bird all comedians are secretly chasing -- the unveiling of an actuality. Except Brian and Maria can find actualities in annoyances.
Brian Regan's comedy stuns me. It stuns me because he can start down the road with a premise that EVERY COMEDIANS KNOWS has not one scrap of flesh left on its bones, and find a new angle of attack that yields prime cuts of comedic meat. Angel fuck, that was a sweaty analogy. But you get the idea.
It took me a long, pretentious time to realize the genius of what they do.
I don't know when Maria's next special is -- but Comedy Central ought to give her an hour. And Brian Regan ought to have an hour every year. It should be a given, like the Superbowl or the Oscars. "Oh, it's the first Saturday in September. Regan's got a new hour."
Do you want to be a comedian? Then tomorrow night at 10pm, watch what every other working comedian in the country's going to be watching. BRIAN REGAN: THE EPITOME OF HYPERBOLE.
Then do what I do: try to be as funny as Brian Regan, fail miserably, and settle for being merely excellent.
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