Laughing at you, not with you…

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on June 4th, 2005

From today’s New York Daily News editorial page, under the head “Laughing Matter”:

You wonder why politicians don’t get no respect? One reason: Legislation that leaves constituents rolling in the aisles. Case in point is a bill introduced by Manhattan Democratic Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat to ensure a “living wage for standup comedians” We did not make that up.

Espaillat wants comics to be paid $120 for every 20 minutes of yada yada yada on weekends; $28 to $46 on weekdays. Weekday laughs are cheap laughs, we guess. The sponsor’s memo notes dire working conditions: “Often times these comedians work in various parts of the city within a short time frame making the use of a taxi service a necessity.” We did not make that up, either.

The bill defines “standup comedian” as “a professional performer who has worked a minimum of 200 performance hours telling jokes and/or performing comedy … where people watch and/or listen to such performances.” Which begs the question: If comics are so bad that people don’t watch and/or listen, would they still have to be paid?

Perhaps public embarassment will cease all this talk of a mandatory “living wage” for comedians.

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