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1. Timmy Mac says:

   November 30, 2006 at 7:53 pm

   I’ll be honest – sometimes I think you’re too senstive to the treatment of comics in the media, but man, that Brian Miller piece is galling on about a hundred levels.

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2. Timmy Mac says:

   November 30, 2006 at 8:07 pm

   And the comments to Brad’s piece are fascinating. So many people saying that he’s wrong and that the comedians are SUPPOSED to be heckled and deal with them, like they know better than a comic what a comic’s job is. Astounding.

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3. pg says:

   December 1, 2006 at 12:17 am

   There’s a third article, in The Stranger (the weekly newspaper that we actually read here in Seattle) that begins with the idea that watching stand-up is akin to torture… < HREF="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=111748" REL="nofollow">Click here<> to go to that article.Now, <>I’M<> going to take issue with the tone of SheckyMag…<>“Thoroughly disheartening view of a once-great comedy market.”<>-???There’s a LOT of still-great things about the Seattle comedy market, Shecky…and there’s a lot of SOON-T0-BE-great things about it, too. It’s a shame that the local media hasn’t recognized it–but that’s nothing new here.The Stranger has long made its dislike of stand-up known over the years–but this is the second feature article on stand-up in the past three months (the other article featured the local alt-comedy scene)–which is two more than they’ve ever done before.The writer of the article in Seattle Weekly wrote an article previous to this in the Seattle Metropolitan magazine where his first line was about how “stand-up is dead” as he suggested that sketch comedy was where it’s at–and I think that opinion colored his more recent article in the Weekly (as he wonders why stand-ups don’t think about doing one-person shows and touts video-sketchers Berets and Baretta from Spokane.)There ARE issues here. Seattle doesn’t have an A-room; A-room level comics play theatres (and they sell them out, easily) here. Seattle doesn’t have a direct connection to representation or industry–if you get good here, you have to leave to get noticed. But there are VERY talented people here–some with years of experience, who should have become famous already…others who are still improving who definitely will become famous someday. There are also some people very dedicated to comedy here–whether it is Marty Riemer at KMTT-FM or the folks at One Reel who book an incredible comedy line-up every year for the Bumbershoot Arts Festival or Comedy Underground’s Ron Reid who just successfully brought home another Seattle International Comedy Competition and earned the most media attention for the competition this year than it has had in the past twenty years or more.Once-great? Sure. Still-great? Judged on its own merits, I could make that argument. pgreyy–seattle

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4. ron says:

   December 4, 2006 at 10:57 pm

   Not that I often agree with Peter, but this is probably as galling as anything in the articles:“Thoroughly disheartening view of a once-great comedy market.”None of us in the PACNW are knocked out by the tone of these stories. Of course, you’d have to be a reader of our local media to get used to their snotty attitude. On the other hand, we have had feature stories in the News Tribune (Tacoma/Pierce County daily); Yakima Herald (daily); Puyallup Herald;Everett Herald; Seattle P-I (daily) in addition to the Seattle Weekly and Stranger, a virtual barrage of publicity in a region where stand-up has been ignored by the media.Sorry that the Weeekly and Stranger stories give the impression that our comedy scene is anything less than vibrant. In fact, I got an unsolicited personal note from the writer of the Stranger feature explaining that her editors had “ACCENTUATED the negative and ELIMINATED the positive” (to misquote an old song).I guess I’m of the school that there is no bad publicity.Anyway, Seattle remains one of the few places where stage time is available every night of the week, where there’s both a mainstream and “.alt” scene, plus a growing “urban” one. This past weekend featured Arj Barker at the Comedy Underground (is that not “A” enough for you, Peter?); the Moore Theater had Ralphie May Friday and Josh Blue/Chris Porter Saturday). Rock clubs are getting into the act – Neumo’s has Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter, and Chop Suey Todd Barry. Cedric the Entertainer appeared the brand-new 6000 seat WaMu Theater; Brian Regan is coming up at the Paramount; and the Moore has Mike Birbiglia w/ Eugene Mirman New Years Ever.“Laffhole,” the purview of the young and hip has just turned from a monthly to a weekly event. Two 20-something comics, Andy Peters and Daniel Carrol, just shot a pilot for Spike TV. And CBS, NBC, E! and Comedy Central just made pilgrimages, because there were names they didn’t recognize and just had to come check it out (meetings going on even as I type this).In fact, Brad Upton, a alumnus of Seattle’s “Golden Age” as it were, who has had a fine career and is mostly doing ships and corporates, is having a renaissence and getting the eye from Hollywood at age 50.I suppose if I had written those articles they would have been a little difference, huh?“Still Great Market” is what I’m saying here.Ron Reid

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5. Brian McKim & Traci Skene says:

   December 5, 2006 at 12:05 am

   To Ron & Pete: It’s good to see two people so strenuously and passionately defend the market. We usta work the Seattle/Greater NW market, but we haven’t in several years. (But that’s not why we called it “once-great.”) We’ve gotten some feedback from various comics who’ve had experience with the market over the years and accounts (and quotes in the papers– direct quotes, we hope) from some of the acts who’ve had firsthand experience with Seattle. There’s a lot of comics who’ve been unhappy with their market for a long time. We hope they can read your words and be happy again.

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