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Is it piling on? We think not.
One of our spies out there in Comedyland sent along the Edmonton Journal’s take on the whole Andy Dick/Yuk Yuks mess. It was most difficult to choose our favorite quote. Here’s two that tied for the grand prize:
“I’ve never seen anything that bad on a stage, ever,” (Yuk Yuk’s manager Chrysi) Rubin said of the two shows she paid the star comedian $7,500 US to perform at the Londonderry Mall club on Friday evening.
“I think this was the first time in Yuk Yuk’s history that we’ve had to terminate an act of some notoriety.”
(If anyone has a link to an online version of the EJ’s account, please insert it into a comment, eh? Thanks!)
“He kept exposing himself on stage. He took his (penis) out and wrapped it around his arm like a watch. He was talking about other races.”
(A patron) said Dick drank heavily on stage. By the time the brief show ended, he said he was worried someone in the angry crowd would physically attack the comedian.
Are we piling on? No, not at all. But when there are so many comics out there (actual comics— ya know, comics? Like comedians? Like, ya know, with, like… an act? Like, material?!) it is puzzling as to why folks are so intent on inflicting this kind of ridiculousness on comedy club crowds (and charging $15,000 US!), and doubly puzzling as to why anyone would book it into his or her club (and charge his or her patrons $32 CD)? I guess we just don’t understand how the world works.
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Reply to: Is it piling on? We think not.
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Just another crack of the whip to this dead horse: There was a gossip piece in Sunday’s Edmonton Sun newspaper about The Divine Ms. Dick getting snubbed by Vince Neil (of Motley Crue who were playing in town) at a strip club (sorry, no link). It seems that Vince couldn’t stand the guy and when Dick became obnoxious, Vince Neil left. Hmmm. A guy from Motley Crue didn’t want him around either.
well, now my brother has sent me a link to this so I feel as though I should way in with something to say.I have already posted my thoughts on my web site, feel free to check it out, or not. Was I dissappointed with Andy Dick? Yes, and I have said enough on that I feel.I find it strange though to critisize Yuk’s the way you have here. I mean we could all say something about the giant, but I found your thoughts on booking Andy, the price, and why any one would inflict that which is Andy upon the masses to be perhaps a little misguided.Well hindsight being 20/20 no one would do it agian I am sure. But I hope they try again with someone else. Bob Saget came through and did not only a wonderful job, but in doing so helped promote what is, I think one of the best comedy clubs in the country. By doing so he helped keep me working by bringing more people out in the future. I am sure that Yuk’s makes money on these shows, but I am also sure that they are seen more as a lost leader than a way to make bank. Do I have a challenge with Andy Dick coming out and Yuk’s charging the public $32.00? Sure, but only because Andy didn’t do his job, and Chrysi Rubin addressed it right away. Do I have a challenge with Bob Saget coming out and Yuk’s Charging $32.00? Nope, He’s a funny guy, nice guy, fills a club, some one has to open for him and more people will come back to the club because of him.I would hope that in the future when I make it big I would be welcomed back to the Edmonton Yuk’s at $32.00 and people would be happy to pay it and comics or critics would not hold me to task about taking work away from the local talent pool. We were all the local talent pool at one time.So in conclusion, (I never went to college and have always wanted to type that) Was Andy Dick a dick? Yes. Could Yuk’s have done something to prevent it? Perhaps. Did Andy Dick hurt the comedy fabric of Edmonton or Canada? Not a scratch. Does it matter? Not a lick
Mr. Hargrove: Thanks for posting! But there’s a big difference between bringing in Andy Dick and bringing in Bob Saget. The difference being that Bob Saget has been doing standup comedy for close to 25 years. That’s right– before he was Dad on Full House, and before he was the host of AFV, he was a damn fine standup comic… and still is, from all accounts… and never stopped being one. Which makes his booking at Yuks a sound one. We took issue with the Dick booking because, as you’ll recall, both Dick’s management and the Yuk’s management admitted that, prior to bringing him in, they were “aware that Dick doesn’t do standup.” and that “the actor’s lack of material was his worst offence.” Comparing Saget with Dick is tough. We never said that Dick’s display hurt the “comedy fabric of Edmonton” (whatever that is), but we did say that a club can book a bunch of other comics out there whose acts are more suited to a comedy club before they go down the Dick route.
What does it take to get booked into a club. Did Chrysi enjoy Andy’s demo tape or thought his TV show was hilarious? Did he come highly recommended by a trusted source? Seriously, to book someone without having a clue about his performance is ridiculous.
You know I like to support the locals but some of the over inflated ones that think they are on the top of the heap keep slogging the same dead material over and over and over. Sure it’s truly funny the first time and maybe even the second time but it get’s painful after a while. Yuks needs to bring in the names because people tire of the the same old lines.
I always appreciate a could debate, seems strange that so many out there don’t have the nuts to use their names though. Ah well, Way to go Shecky I appreciate what ya do. To bad some that read don’t have names…
Toby, Does it matter who I am? What if I’m a comic? Someone who doesn’t want to be black listed for speaking his mind and would like to remain anonymous. I can post my comments here and maybe Chyrsi will read it. Maybe she needs to read it so that she realizes that there are people out there that are sick and tired of seeing that same acts booked into the club every two weeks. Someone needs to say this s$%t. Andrew Grose is one hell of a funny guy. He’s one of the country’s top comics BUT why do we have to see him do his bed in a bag joke again and again. Move on, make room for other talented comedians that don’t have a staring role in “To Live And Die In Edmonton” all locked up. There I said it… now if I post my name, how soon do you think it will be before I get a spot at the club? Maybe I should change my name to Andy Dick!
We admit to being tired of the anonymous comments. Especially when someone makes a scurillous charge. Often, we’ll take down an anonymous comment because it’s negative (and we like to remain positive for the most part– and we like folks to take responsbility for any comments).But on the rare occasions we are negative, we attach our names to it (our names and our photographs are big as life right on the front page!) and we take the consequences. There’s every possibility that we’ll run into Andy Dick in the flesh. And Ms. Rubin. As for booking the same local acts repeatedly– get over it. The male half of the staff wrote a column about this very subject, entitled “Stupid Cruelty.” You can read it here:http://www.sheckymagazine.com/mckim/mck_0012.htmAn excerpt:I was a regular opener and feature act at the Comedy Factory Outlet in Philly back in 1983-87. There were times when I would appear there once every three weeks! Yet I would be regularly accosted by “fans” who would say “I seen you three times, man, and you are funnier than shit every time!” (Sure, they were drunk and, sure, “funnier than shit” is a dubious compliment at best, but the point is that, even after repeated watchings, I “held up.”)Admittedly, I was turning over the material at a greater rate than I currently am now. And I had the luxury of doing extremely local material, but the core of my act remained the same. And people enjoyed seeing it. Enjoy.
Toby, it’s kind of like this, when you are looking to say nice things stroke the nut sack of those that book you then you use your name. If you are telling the truth and it’s something they don’t want to hear you sure as hell better not.
You folks have a great publication and do a great job. When you are negative it falls under a journalistic umbrella. Your magazine is well established and respected in the industry. Having to face the consequences is part of your business. I can’t afford to face that consequence, I have to kiss as*.. all new guys in this business have to. Anonymous comments are cowardly and so is kissing the as* of a guy who wears a fish tie but I’ll do it. I’ll do it because I want work, I want stage time. I’m not the only one that feels that way. There is a large silent majority. Silent because that’s how the industry works. Sheckymagazine lets that out by giving us the courtesy of posting anonymously.
Interesting. Thanks for the comments anonymous and otherwise. A reminder, though: In addition to being the publishers of a magazine about standup, we are also standup comics. Admittedly, we aren’t “new guys,” but we are subject to the whims of the folks out there in Bookerland and its suburb, Clubland.We’ll never know how many bookings we’ve lost because of our honesty… and we’ll never know how many we’ve gained because of our sunny disposition. We have no way of knowing.
I HAVE to throw my hat in the ring… this has been too good not to. I look at it like this… we’re telling jokes… let’s not take ourselves too seriously. I love comedy and I understand that it’s easy to point fingers but at the end of the day we’re still just telling jokes (albeit cleverly crafted ones).My opinion of the Andy Dick fiasco is summed up by the cliché, “Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.” It only matters if it doesn’t work right? Dick didn’t work but he did sell tickets. If that was the intention then he fulfilled his purpose… I’m sure it was a learning lesson. I know that Toby wasn’t stroking his agents balls (he was busy with me that night… heh heh). He built a solid enough reputation that he doens’t need to do that (ignoring the fact that the agents lack said anatomy).On the topic of seeing the same acts repeatedly… I know we’re all in danger of overplaying our market… comedians are very aware of this. I’m sure that’s been an issue since the birth of comedy. We’re all scared to hear, “This guy again!” from the audience. I perform where ever there is a microphone and an audience (I’ve found it’s the only way to develop)… eventually everyone in Edmonton will have seen my act and that’s something I’ll have to deal with. Over exposure is a bitch but I’m pretty sure the Edmonton guys will be able to sleep at night knowing they’ll see six figures this year for performing the material you refered to as ‘painful’ or ‘dead’. I hope one day that my material is that painful 🙂I don’t understand how this became personal. Weren’t we talking about Andy the Dick. Well I’m going to go tell some jokes now… after all isn’t that all we’re trying to do. Have a great weekend everybody!Lars C.
Hey Lars,Well said, so same time same place tonight!?! I’ll bring the luffa
Yes rest assured that Ms. Rubin (I prefer Chrysi) is reading.1. Andy Dick. I see no reason to further slam him or his character; Edmonton has run him through the mud already. I booked him, it didn’t work out, we move on. To use Stand Up as the analogy, in my 10-year career thus far, I have had one bad set. It happens, bookers/owners make mistakes, and some of us are OK in admitting them. Move on. Our numbers are good, our room is hot and there is a reason I have no shortage of amazing acts wanting to come through. I am fair, honest and work very hard to treat everyone the way I would like to be treated myself. Ask around. There is no faster information hot line than that of the comedians we work with, ask any one who has worked with us here in Alberta. We run good clubs because we love them, as much as you love performing we love watching you and that transcends into how we operate these clubs.2. Locals. They are our bread and butter and we know that. We have one of the most comprehensive and supportive talent development programs in the country. This is attested to by the frequency by which Industry professionals showcase off our stage. We will continue to support our talented local pool, and make no apologies in doing so. You as a comedian may be tired of Andrews “Bed in a Bag” however I don’t know the last time any comedian at the back of my room bought a ticket to the show. I would not expect them to, but someone has to buy those tickets and our customers love the “bed in a bag” and Andrew Grose, this is attested to by the hundreds of thousands of comment cards I have amassed over the years. …So sorry guys, if you don’t like the local line up that night, don’t hang at the back of the room. We have to priorize the customers on this as they ensure we all have a place to perform and watch these amazing shows.3. Brian, Traci, in reference to the other article you wrote on my Assistant, Sean Kirks Sun Article, I don’t know if I would book you, you have never sent me a tape.I find that it is a shame comedians whom stand up for the club they credit with developing them are quickly branded “boot lickers”, I have had the pleasure of watching both Lars and Toby, as well as several other acts find the funny and there is no need for either to boot lick anyone, they are funny, talented and professional and would find their way whether they disagreed with me or not. As an aside to Brian and Traci, I was unaware of your on-line magazine until this occurred, and though I have never met you (please introduce yourself to me if you are in Montreal this year I would like very much to meet you), nor worked with you, I do commend your desire to stay true and not allow this to turn into a slam fest of people and businesses. You are to be respected for that, a quality that is sometimes so rare in this business as well as most others.Regards,Chrysi RubinDirector of Operations Alberta Yuk Yuk’s
Chrysi Rubin deserves a manager/booker yummy for her forthright approach to this whole debacle (readers may recall her comment on the original “Truncated Dick Engagement Up North” posting was swift, honest and unapologetic!) And her recognition that the local talent is a club’s “bread and butter” should be a lesson to all clubs, chain or otherwise. And, when we said that we might add the Edmonton Yuks to the list of clubs that wouldn’t be booking us any time soon, we stress that it was a sarcastic statement– and that it was based on what might be a typical reaction from a typical club. And also based on an inflated idea of just how many people read our magazine and care what we say! (And we also hasten to add that Ms. Rubin is correct– we never have sent a tape up to Edmonton!) And the fact that she seems open to one– after all this blabbing about l’affaire Dick demonstrates that she (and her club) are by no means typical. We look forward to seeing you in Montreal, Mr. Rubin!
Okay…. here is my hat in the ring. No strokin the nut here…. I no longer do stand-up. I’m still a big fan of comedy and have seen Andrew’s act many times. I would pay $32 to see him again and I’d bring all my friends. He is very funny (every time) and has done so much to promote comedy so that the new guys have more work and so has Chrysi. Respect the guys on top, they have EARNED IT.
Bring Andy Dick back! I would much rather watch that train wreck then some guy who can hold his liquor. It’s the name that sells I guess. I think that Dane Cook kicks ass but unknown to most in Canada that would pay $30+ for a ticket. Every comedy club has a house comedian, the local guy who kills night after night and yes fat cats do sleep well at night. This will never change. Then you have guys who decide to move on and write for big shows or get into acting or move to L.A. hey everyone is different. The fact that this article has turned into a post fest shows that there are some guys in Edmonton not happy with the fat cat and then you have the strokers lined up to pet his fur…. nice kitty… there there just sleep now.
Wow. Here is Andy’s storyhttp://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/news/culture/story.html?id=0d0234dd-d0e2-46d5-88db-52226173da2e&page=1
I wonder if, in the long run, all the stories about the comedy club as a result of this fiasco, probably heard by hundreds of thousands of people, will outweigh the negative thoughts of the few hundred people who actually saw the show and didn’t like it.It may be true that there’s no such thing as bad publicity.-Shaun Eli
I couldn’t agree with Shaun more. The story has now run in Globe Magazine and will be in the Enquirer shortly. Andy Dick has put Yuk Yuks on the map and the traffic to my site alone has been nothing short of spectacular all because I happened to be the guy who replaced him. Shecky has done well by this too with comics rushing to the site to get the latest and I have to say you guys have really been admirable in your support of working comics and in your acceptance that Yuk Yuks isn’t the evil empire some annonymous comics would have you believe it is.If there is any lesson to be learned from this other than the obvious I would say this is it: There is a great show at your local comedy club every week so don’t wait for a “name” to pop into town to buy a ticket. Get out there and support your local club. And by the way, just for the record, I’m not actually a house comic. I was in town to open for Dick and he fired me off the show because he doesn’t like following stand-ups. That made me available to headline after the ensuing train wreck.
Lets be realistic. The publicity that this has generated is like an open mike night, the audience is mostly comics. Anonymous vs Yuk Yuks drew a lot of visitors to this site because is a microcosm of what’s going on in our industry. We are all anonymous really. Some drunk guy in Kingston is not going to remember you name the next morning unless your last name is Dick. – Peons Anonymous
I found myself at this site through a link from Andy Gross’s site after buying his CD in, of all places, Kingston. We here in Kingston remember his name pretty good. While in town he helped raise $6500 for our local breast cancer clinic which I see he does in Edmonchuk too. He then left to a standing ovation at the show I was at saturday night. To be honest with you I have no idea who you or Andy Dick is but I’ve been looking forward to Andy Gross coming to town for weeks. I take it Clive you don’t get the comedy channel where you are?Bob Raferty
Bob,Who’s Andy Gross?
Bob is referring to Andrew Grose.
Just want to jump in and make a quick comment. Headliners bring people in the door. Until you’re in that position, don’t bother criticizing them. Otherwise stop trying to be a comic and start trying being a critic… actually, don’t. The world has enough of them already.I realize complaining or kissing up doesn’t necessarily get you more stage time, working on your set does. Focus on what you can control and show respect to who’s in front of you. It’s the same in any business. If you do well, they’ll be asking you to do more time. If they don’t, you’re doing something wrong on or off stage.
There will always be someone ahead of you. Anonymous is to Andrew like Andrew is to Dick. Edmonton yuk yuks is a good comedy club and Andrew is one of Edmonton’s top comics. This whole thing with Andy Dick getting fired from his gig has touched of what seems to be an issue across all clubs. They are talking about it in green rooms and e-mails are flying around with links to this article and Andrew’s web site. I’ve noticed that he has taken the high road and removed all mention of anonymous form his blog. Making comments about how “amateur comics are just there to fill time” doesn’t help. I think it got too personal. In this business you need stage time and house comics stay on top because they are always working. Then you have to play the ass kissing game and be the nice guy that the headliners like working with. We all want to entertain, be in the limelight and get to the top. Some guys feel that the industry has stalled because of over exposed comics clogging spots at the clubs. People just stop going because they have seen it all before. You can’t track that with comment cards left behind at the club or by standing ovations. The number of real comedy clubs in Canada hasn’t grown by much in the last 10 years maybe because of this issue. The comedy crowd seems to dissipate from the clubs. The new guys are the future and respect should go both ways. I’m still amazed at how much buzz this has created not just in Edmonton but across Canada. Maybe Shecky Magazine should post another article on this issue and we can all post our comment void of names and places so that it doesn’t get personal.
Someone posting as “anonyfluke” left a rather large and, at times, thoughtful post. We appreciate the hard work he/she put into it, but there were elements of it that veered into negativity (unnecessarily so) and into outright libel. (If you aren’t sure of the difference, it’s better to hold off on those kind of comments.) We recently changed some things with regard to posting comments on this magazine (Like “Comments do not necessarily reflect the opinion of SHECKYmagazine.com”) and we asked folks to register, so that, it was hoped, they would attach a name and identity to each post, but some folks insist on posting anonymously. We can’t be party to that, though. Just relinquishing responsibility for any posts doesn’t mean a whole lot if we’re constantly allowing others to post in disguise. If you’re going to comment on our posts, please put your name (your real name) to it.Anonyfluke put some time and thought into the post, but, like we said, some of it went overboard. We can hear all of you now– Any time we have an incident like this, we get people taking us to task for censorship. Before any of you start screaming censorship, consider this: <>You<> can just as easily start a site or a blog where you can attach <>your<> name to it and say whatever you want. (We have always been up front about our identities and we’ve always taken the consequences, if any, that might have resulted from anything we’ve said.)Thanks.
Let us read it!Let us dicide!