Even Iggy Pop was in The Rugrats Movie
A Seattle Times article (“Seattle’s amateur stand-up comedy scene is alive and kicking”), is a nice hit for the folks who make up the People’s Republic of Komedy.
We met and hung out with and performed with some of those comics when we headlined the Mainstage back in February. (Click here to read about that experience and actually see photographs of some of those mentioned in the Times piece.)
According to the Times’ Haley Edwards, “the scene is led by a tight-knit group of young hipsters (most of them in their 20s) who perform for free at bars and cafes from Ballard to Kirkland.”
And, of course, no article on standup comedy is complete without the headscratcher quote– the statement that leaves one wondering the motivation behind it… or whether it may have been horribly mangled… or if it’s been violently wrenched out of context… or all three! Delivered by FOS Ron Reid, this one is about the recent changes in the Seattle scene:
It’s a little more indie and artsy than it’s been in the past. The shows are either free or 5 bucks, so… there’s not this push to be exclusive or ‘make it big.’ I think the hipsters like it because no one’s ‘selling out.’
Huh? (Ron, we luv ya… and we’re glad you remain a friend, even though we’re always busting your chops!)
Like we said, we met a good chunk of these comics. Some of them are good, solid, traditional standup comics (whether they want to be plastered with that odious label or not!) and they are just as interested in ditching the day job as comedians have always been since the dawn of Funny Man.
All this nonsense about “selling out” is amusing.
All you who waste your time muttering through clenched teeth about those who sell out and all those who tell reporters that you’re not interested in selling out, heed this: David Cross has third billing in “Alvin And The Chipmunks.”
The. Game. Is. Over.
KITFO with the selling out thing!
2 Responses
Reply to: Even Iggy Pop was in The Rugrats Movie
I think this is a problem of definition. David Cross would still not be viewed as a sell-out since he hasn’t dumbed down or tamed his comedy to make money. A rock star doesn’t sell out when he does movies, he sells out when he sells his music to Wendy’s to promote a burger, when he’s a vegetarian. He and others describe small roles in shitty movies as what pays the bills and allows him to pursue projects he really cares about. I’m sure some if not most of these “non-sellout” comedians would enjoy fame, they’re just going to pursue the art before the dollar.
ross said:<>I think this is a problem of definition…<>And then we blacked out.Ross: We never said that Cross sold out. We said that pondering the very concept is a waste of time. That even trying to define it is a waste of time. Because those non-artists who concern themselves with such things have a tenuous grip on reality and those artists who bother to publicly contemplate the notion of selling out are either 1) Pandering to the non-artists who have a tenuous grip on reality or 2) Trying to fool themselves into believing that their art is somehow separate from commerce.In either event, time is wasted.It is nothing more than posturing, a New Age approach to marketing. Many amateurs who brandish the anti-selling out attitude do so as a matter of necessity. It is just as much a part of their marketing strategy as the zippered hoodie and the faux retro track shoes.And, for some, it works.