| StageTimeMag.com | Vol. 2 No. 1 |
Comedy news, interviews, reviews and essays
STAGE TIME | "The Comedian's Magazine"
| Cover Story |
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE FEATURES Festival Wrap Up: New York Underground Comedy Festival Hustle & Grow: STAGE TIME Celebrates 1st Anniversary Comic Resolutions 2007 Comic's Final Progress Report 2006 INTERVIEWS Brad Stine **NEW** Careers in Comedy: Ryan McCormick PR Manager COVER STORY Shang REVIEWS Angry Bob Comedy Jump Off Doug Powell Eric Schwartz James P. Connolly **NEW** Anatomy of a Joke "Racism Damnit!" Written and Performed by Shang |
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Is it a comedian thing?
I don’t know what it is.
What are you’re doing?
[He pauses.]
Okay, what are you not doing?
I don’t know but it ain’t working. I thought about it. All I am is “Dad” and a
comic.
What more do you want?
I want to live my life a little bit more.
I don’t know what it is.
What are you’re doing?
[He pauses.]
Okay, what are you not doing?
I don’t know but it ain’t working. I thought about it. All I am is “Dad” and a
comic.
What more do you want?
I want to live my life a little bit more.
How so?
Go bike riding. Hang out. Go to a party and shake my ass. Feel a titty. Something.
What’s your typical workday like?
I got to get up in the morning, set up my gigs.
You do it all yourself?
[A lot of it.] Acting wise, I’m on a lot of director’s list, so they call me directly. I get up, make calls, send
email blasts, and do my ads. I don’t work on my material until later in the afternoon.
When I talk to a booking agent I say, “You don’t know me, but here’s what I’ve done in these size clubs.
I don’t do as well on a Tuesday or Wednesday, but towards the weekend, I do usually put asses in seats.
At the end of the day, whether you like my act or not, I put asses in seats.
That’s why like Mark Lonow from the L.A. Improv. [He’s] the first dude who told me, “I don’t like your act.
You’re opinionated. You’re way too aggressive, but people call for you a lot. You put asses in seats, so
I’m going to book you.”
When somebody told me they didn’t like my act is when I learned how to finesse a little more. Now he
likes my act, but at first, he didn’t. He was right. I was way too over the top. But I thought, if I’m over the
top, people would get the message.
…I’ve seen all these comics go there. I love Louis CK. But when I watch Louis CK do a butt fuck joke and
nobody acts like he’s dirty, but then, Katt Williams – “Oh, he’s dirty.” Louis CK did the same thing with
butt fucking and head. They’re not perceived as dirty. If you’re a black act, you’re dirty.
You know there’s a division with white comics and black comics. And a lot of the white comics who aren’t as
strong as the black comics are getting all of this play. Sarah Silverman is fucking garbage. I don’t care
what nobody says.
If she weren’t out boning everybody, she wouldn’t be in the position she’s in. Nobody won’t say that...but
Joe Rogan. He’s hardcore. He’s one of the [comics] I love. He has really creative material. He just says it.
Joe Rogan is the shit.
What are your thoughts on when club bookers say, “We can only book one black guy on the show. We
can’t put two of you up.” And sometimes they’ll play one comic against the other.
Or you can only do the late show. You can’t do the eight o’clock or the mainstream show.
Go bike riding. Hang out. Go to a party and shake my ass. Feel a titty. Something.
What’s your typical workday like?
I got to get up in the morning, set up my gigs.
You do it all yourself?
[A lot of it.] Acting wise, I’m on a lot of director’s list, so they call me directly. I get up, make calls, send
email blasts, and do my ads. I don’t work on my material until later in the afternoon.
When I talk to a booking agent I say, “You don’t know me, but here’s what I’ve done in these size clubs.
I don’t do as well on a Tuesday or Wednesday, but towards the weekend, I do usually put asses in seats.
At the end of the day, whether you like my act or not, I put asses in seats.
That’s why like Mark Lonow from the L.A. Improv. [He’s] the first dude who told me, “I don’t like your act.
You’re opinionated. You’re way too aggressive, but people call for you a lot. You put asses in seats, so
I’m going to book you.”
When somebody told me they didn’t like my act is when I learned how to finesse a little more. Now he
likes my act, but at first, he didn’t. He was right. I was way too over the top. But I thought, if I’m over the
top, people would get the message.
…I’ve seen all these comics go there. I love Louis CK. But when I watch Louis CK do a butt fuck joke and
nobody acts like he’s dirty, but then, Katt Williams – “Oh, he’s dirty.” Louis CK did the same thing with
butt fucking and head. They’re not perceived as dirty. If you’re a black act, you’re dirty.
You know there’s a division with white comics and black comics. And a lot of the white comics who aren’t as
strong as the black comics are getting all of this play. Sarah Silverman is fucking garbage. I don’t care
what nobody says.
If she weren’t out boning everybody, she wouldn’t be in the position she’s in. Nobody won’t say that...but
Joe Rogan. He’s hardcore. He’s one of the [comics] I love. He has really creative material. He just says it.
Joe Rogan is the shit.
What are your thoughts on when club bookers say, “We can only book one black guy on the show. We
can’t put two of you up.” And sometimes they’ll play one comic against the other.
Or you can only do the late show. You can’t do the eight o’clock or the mainstream show.
SHANG - PAGE 5