Comedy, TN

To All Comics

jmarks — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:02:48 +0000

To All Comics! I am a comic also. I just happen to be running a club now. I made my living for a number of years working in clubs around the country. I know exactly what your days are like and that you want work. In order to give you more insight into booking a room, I’ll paint a picture. There are a ton of comics who want work. With email it makes it a lot simpler. I spend more time thinking about who to book as opposed to the physical time it takes to book. Usually on some gut level it hits me to book somebody. I am not good at taking the time to answer all emails or calls telling a comic when he or she will be booked when I have no idea at that point. When it hits me on a gut level is when I know. I don’t know when that will be.Very few comics work here twice in a year. I like to spread out comics dates as time goes on but it depends on many factors. There are no guarantees any comic will come back. Comics ask, what is your booking policy? You’ll hear from me thru email when I want to book you. That would be my policy. I won’t watch a dvd. I’ll click on a link and maybe watch a short clip. I prefer you send me your avails monthly and let me know what you are doing. I tend to reward some people with dates that look like they are making good progress in their careerToo many comics somehow think that just because they have heard good things about this club, that I need to book them. Don’t email and ask me what’s the fastest way to get booked. The fastest-When I book you and I don’t know when or if that will happen til I do it.My main concern is making this Club work and bringing great comics to present to Memphis. I have a lot of people in my ear putting in a good word for different comics. I am personally friends with a lot of comics and there are many that I have not yet booked in here. I try to book a week where I can see that I am looking forward to seeing that comic work. I never want to introduce somebody on stage with an intro like- “Your next comedian called a lot and I finally gave him a date.”I could go into how busy I am. It takes a lot of time running a club and promoting it and making it grow. When I have to stop what I am doing to be chatted up over the phone it makes it harder to create this beast. That is why I prefer email.Send me your avails monthly with a link to a clip of your show, references, and I want to know what clubs you are working. If you are working a lot of A rooms, that tells me something. If you are doing something cool in your career, let me know.Just because I don’t respond to an email does not mean I am not going to book you. You’ll hear from me when you hear from me. I have a separate business from the club also, a family, a commute, and just plain busy days. When I say references, I want the comic you say that refers you to email me. It’s easy for somebody to say that so and so recommends me. I would rather hear it from them.If you are coming thru Memphis schedule a guest set and I will take a look at you. I’ve hired a number of comics this way. I prefer if you can work cleaner the early shows on Friday and Saturday. The late shows I do not care. So if you do a guest set be funny first but show me some clean material.This is a hard business and all comics meet rejection. I hate having to dish it out sometimes but this is the business we chose. If I had unlimited weeks I could hand out tons of dates. But obviously only have so many spots.Good Luck,John Marks

Concerning Heckling

jmarks — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 02:09:00 +0000

I’ve actually had a few people say to me after a show, “Well everybody knows that you are supposed to yell out at the Comedians.” Really! They said that, with conviction, is what was hysterical. They believe that in some convaluted way you are supposed to interrupt the Comedians. That other people paid a ticket price to hear somebody in crowd, unprovoked, interrupt the Comedian even if they are about to get to a well crafted punchline. These people who interrupt a Comedy Show should consider staying at home instead and spackling the bullet holes in their trailer.

Then what happens is they get upset because someone who works for the club comes over and asks them to be quiet and not to interrupt the show. And that if they want to talk they can do so in the cafe. They claim they paid to get in so they should be able to yell out. With that logic I can claim as owner/doorman I can pour red beans and rice on their head and drag them out by their hair. Why not let me leap to my own conclusions.

We really rarely have a problem. But like all comedy clubs it happens. People get liquored up and make grand assumptions. This blog is an attempt to nip that in the bud, to educate those that have drastically wrong beliefs. Ask the guy next to you who paid to get in if he wants to hear your bable. Most likely you’ll get an icy stare like if you said, “Hey what say I drool on your salad?” No is the answer.

The basic rule is really simple. The comic talks and you laugh at what he or she says, that makes you laugh. No guarantees, no contract, no mess. An age old agreement.

The next time somebody says, “Everybody knows your are supposed to yell out at the Comedians.” I am going to say, “Yes and everybody knows you’ll get red beans and rice poured on your head and dragged out by your hair if you do that. … Welcome to Comedy, TN. Enjoy the show!”

Here’s why we do this!

jmarks — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 01:05:59 +0000

We started this Comedy Club called Comedy, TN, because we firmly believe that Standup Comedians have a higher calling and that creating laughter is what makes God give humans on Earth a thumbs up and a high five at the same time, if that is possible. Creating laughter as a Comedian is more important at least than dentistry and ice sculpting combined…..Some say I hyperbolate. I tell them I never hyperbolate, …ever.

Fondest regards,

John Marks, Comedian, Co-Owner-Comedy, TN, Libra