A story about a terrible comedy gig will give you hope
Comedy is subjective, which is why Jim Davidson still gets booked, so it’s fair to say that the audience and circumstances of a stand-up gig are important in terms of how the performance will be received. Comedian Ashley Blaker has shared an anecdote about a spectacularly bad gig he was unfortunate enough to witness, and it’s a must-read for so many reasons.
1/9 A friend was telling me about a nightmare gig he had last night and it reminded me of this incredible thing I witnessed. It was around 2002 not long after getting married. My wife and I went to a lunch in a restaurant for her late uncle’s 60th birthday.
— Ashley Blaker (@AshleyBlaker) July 3, 2019
2/9 The whole restaurant had been booked for around 50 mostly middle-aged north London Jews. After about an hour or so my wife's uncle stood up and said they’d hired a comedian to perform. I didn’t know in advance but being a TV comedy producer at the time I was very interested.
— Ashley Blaker (@AshleyBlaker) July 3, 2019
The expectations of the audience are a crucial component.
3/9 The middle-aged Jewish guests were probably expecting Jackie Mason to walk out. Instead it was some fresh-faced young guy who stepped through the doors. He had apparently been booked through an agency and out he came like a lamb to the slaughter.
— Ashley Blaker (@AshleyBlaker) July 3, 2019
The comedian should be able to make themselves seen and heard with ease.
4/9 He tried his best without a mic or a stage and I could see he had some very good material but no one was interested. In fact the audience behaved quite appallingly and used him for sport, heckling and trying to disrupt him.
— Ashley Blaker (@AshleyBlaker) July 3, 2019
Otherwise, what’s the point?
5/9 He struggled on for a bit before calling it a day and scuttling off to silence. Some of the guests were almost triumphant in the comedian’s humiliation. I remember my wife and I sat there feeling embarrassed and mortified for this comedian.
— Ashley Blaker (@AshleyBlaker) July 3, 2019
An audience or client won’t necessarily appreciate what’s gone wrong.
6/9 My wife’s uncle was angry, not with his guests but with the agency who provided the comedian and said he’d be calling them to demand his money back. I said I could see he was good and that it wasn’t his fault the environment was completely wrong.
— Ashley Blaker (@AshleyBlaker) July 3, 2019
The blame can land in the wrong quarter.
7/9 He had no mic, no stage, the audience weren’t expecting comedy and were all behaving very disrespectfully. However he was having none of it. He said the comedian was just awful and he should get his money back.
— Ashley Blaker (@AshleyBlaker) July 3, 2019
However, a bad gig isn’t the end of the world, or the end of a career.
8/9 I booked the comedian on a TV show I produced a couple of years later and I reminded him about this gig. His face went white as I think he’d blocked it out. I don’t blame him. These gigs are horrible.
— Ashley Blaker (@AshleyBlaker) July 3, 2019
And this is proof.
9/9 The comedian’s name is @iamjohnoliver and he’s now one of the biggest comedy stars in the US. The idiots in the restaurant just didn’t realise it.
— Ashley Blaker (@AshleyBlaker) July 3, 2019
Ashley’s thread has gained some traction – particularly amongst other comedians.
Great thread – maybe gives more hope to new comedians than anything, but this kind of gig is always terrible. I hope they didn’t get their money back, but suspect the comedian is OK financially now. https://t.co/iixCwPxjtd
— Richard K Herring (@Herring1967) July 3, 2019
Brilliant thread.
(Also why I always pass on weird birthday "we thought a comedian would be a good idea" gigs.) https://t.co/xzu7fV2Vx3
— Bec Hill (Be Chill) (@bechillcomedian) July 3, 2019
Reminded me of when I done Jongleurs Bristol and they were throwing chicken wings at me before I'd even said hello. https://t.co/686mniTieD
— Freddie Farrell (@Freddie_Farrell) July 3, 2019
Storing this for next time someone gives me shit for being awful at a shitty gig. https://t.co/XuKkNAKQeT
— Bethany Black (@BeffernieBlack) July 3, 2019
A mere-nine-tweet thread with a holy crap twist like this should be eligible for a pulitzer https://t.co/eY2HLe1vAZ
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) July 3, 2019
The story certainly gave hope to Welsh-Spanish stand-up comedian, Ignacio Lopez.
Can’t wait for all the TV work to pour in from all the producers that were hiding at all those unplayable gigs I’ve done over the last 10 years. 😂 https://t.co/WyFyWHmLoG
— Ignacio Lopez (@comedylopez) July 3, 2019
That’s exactly how it works.
Source: Ashley Blaker