New young comedians are now paying to take the stage! Certainly this must be a joke! (Pun may be intended - it's your call.)
As a new comedian, I was thrilled to perform. I started at the Comedy Cottage in Rosemont, IL where comedians could perform for 5 minutes and receive $2 in pay, plus a free drink. No one questioned the pay. We were so happy to be on stage in a room that was "hot."
The Comedy Cottage was an ideal size for stand up comedy and it had great acoustics. It was a money making a machine! Did I mention that the performers were paid $2.00? Oh yes, I think I did.
On both the east and west coasts, comedy was hot. Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, David Letterman, Drew Carey were just a few of the comedians getting their start. They performed at places like "Catch A Rising Star" in N.Y. and "The Comedy Store" in L.A. Their pay - $5. The club owner referred to it as "gas money." The stand up comedy club scene was on fire. The clubs were raking it in. Did I mention that Jay Leno (who has always been a superior comedian) received $5. Yep. I think I did.
Eventually the comics cried, "Enough is Enough!" and the comedy writers and performers went on strike. They demanded to be paid. They demanded respect. They wanted to be appreciated. I can personally tell you that while the writers strike was on, television entertainment was at an all new low. I sure missed the talents of my incredibly funny peers.
The result of the strike was a decent paycheck for services rendered. Comedy is a business too. Comedians need food and shelter and they need to be appreciated for their talents. The strike made the world seem right again! (More tomorrow on the comedy scene.)
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