Out of the mouths of babes…

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on December 4th, 2006

Well, add the D.C. Improv to the list of clubs that won’t be calling us because of our big cyber-mouths!

From a Dec. 1 item in the D.C. alternative paper is an account of the recent Lucky 21 “contest” at the HBO Comedy Festival in Las Vegas. It was supposed to be a contest. The Fest asked 21 clubs around the country to pick their best comic. Those 21 would then be split into three groups and presented as part of the Vegas Festival. The groups would perform twice, once on Friday, once on Saturday. Winners would be chosen by audience vote. The winner(s) would be included in next year’s Aspen fest. According to the account in the Washington City Paper (which was reconstructed from quotes attributed to D.C. entrant Todd Rexx and D.C. Improv manager Allyson Jaffe) no one knows who won. No one seems very clear on whether anyone won.

Don’t you just love contests?

But the quote that got our attention (and the quote that has been circulating through inboxes all over the English-speaking comedy world) is this pearl from Jaffe:

“Once you’re 10-plus years in this business, you only have a certain amount of years to make it,” says Jaffe. “Once you hit 30, 35, you really don’t have that much more time. It’s like an athlete, once you hit your prime, you’re out.” Much of Rexx’s competition in Vegas wouldnt be facing the same deadline. “A lot of these newer guys that have only been it for two years,” Jaffe says. “They’ll have more opportunity.”

This woman runs a comedy club? In a major market? In a major chain?

It’s like an athlete? Once you hit your prime you’re out? Could a standup comic be any less like an athlete in that regard? A comedian’s value rises as he gains more experience. He actually gets better at what he does as he does it more! Sure you can’t cast a 50 year-old comic on Dawson’s Creek, but he can kick mighty ass at standup

What is the origin of this ridiculous meme? Where did anyone get this goofy idea that young comics are hitting it big left and right? From Eddie Murphy’s experience as an 18-year-old SNL castmember? That was 25 years ago! A QUARTER CENTURY! Which child comedian (male or female) has set the comedy world on fire since Murphy’s debut? Do folks consider Adam Sandler to have been a youngster? David Spade, perhaps?

Even if you could cite five examples, we could cite you 25 examples of folks who’ve achieved substantial success after having logged far more than a decade in their craft and at well over the age of 35. Do we have to dredge up Rodney Dangerfield again?

Or perhaps Jaffe’s understanding of what it means for a comedian to “make it” is vastly different from our understanding. (“…you only have a certain amount of years to make it,” she says.)

It might just be that Jaffe’s idea of making it is so narrow, so ill-defined, so simple-minded that we’re not understanding what she’s trying convey. Or perhaps she is totally unclear on what comedians are after.

Is selling out theaters throughout America not making it? Tell that to Brian Regan or Ron White. Is cleaning up in corporate dates not making it? That might come as a shock to Brett Leake or Wayne Cotter. I think that Brad Stine or Jeff Allen could be said to have “made it” as they sell out theaters and arenas on the Christian comedy circuit.

And there are scores of comedians who wield power (and are handsomely compensated) behind the scenes in the production of television and movies. Think Judd Apatow or Larry Wilmore.

It makes little sense to place a premium on youth in a business like standup when all the evidence seems to indicate that the real value derives from skill, experience and notoriety that is oftentimes gained from longevity.

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