A SERIOUS ATTEMPT AT COMEDY
Very seldom will I use the word “great” to describe anything I do. Really, that’s a word for others to use, if they choose to, in reference to something I have done. Sometimes that word “great” is used in conjunction with the word “disappointment” to describe something I’ve been part of; a book, a match, or maybe even a three- year tenure with a wrestling company. But I will go on record as saying I had a “great” comedy show last month in Plattsburgh, New York. But that great show was surrounded in both mystery and revelation, and I came out of it with both the feeling that I wanted to earnestly pursue the serious business of comedy, and the realization that I was going to have to work extraordinarily hard to do so.
We only had about 50 people in attendance that night in Plattsburgh - or about 250 less than had stood in line to meet me at the local mall earlier that day. 300 people had shown they cared enough about me to forego a beautiful summer afternoon to stand in line, make a purchase, take a photo, and share a few moments with someone they seemingly liked and cared about. But when I inquired as to their interest in coming to the show, the faces became strained, their discomfort apparent, the excuses transparent. “Um, uh…I’d like to, but I have to do ..something…with someone..somewhere.” Odd. But even odder was my realization later that evening, that many people who had paid extra money specifically to meet and greet with me before the comedy show had left the club after meeting me... without staying for the show. They obviously liked me; they’d paid money and gone out of their way to meet me. They just had no interest in seeing me do comedy.
Those adventurous to stay had a great time – see, there I am, throwing the G word around again. But the two promoters of the show heard the same two comments over and over again: I didn’t know what to expect, and I didn’t think he’d be that good. So, the challenge, as I saw it, was to make people more aware of what they might expect, and to do my part to make sure the shows are as good as I can make them when people make the decision to see me do something other than what they are used to seeing me doing.
Honestly, it’s not a challenge I know I’ll be successful in. It’s like going to see Will Ferrell or Adam Sandler in dramatic roles; yes, they’ve both done some great work, outside comedy, but it’s not quite the way that people like and feel happiest seeing them. Funny, but one of my inspirations is actually Justin Timberlake, who has been able to take people who literally could not stand his music, (me being one of them) and turn them into fans of his comedic acting. His SNL stuff is just priceless!
As many of you know, I’ve been putting some clips up on the web, and I really appreciate the feedback. Well, not all of it. Really, I only appreciate the positive feedback. The negative stuff..not so much. But no less an authority than the Insane Clown Posse, whose upcoming Gathering of the Juggalos should prove to be my most interesting comedy challenge, touted the benefits of You Tube as the great equalizer – a way to get the material out there, so people can make up their own minds, instead of relying on a few reviews, or opinions.
Yet, taking a cue from the world of sports entertainment, from which I have learned almost every lesson in my life, I know I need to take the next step of getting material out there that is of a better quality than the few things now available. Really, I shouldn’t be putting a story out there the first time I tell it. It should be refined and worked on, and presented in a more polished form than the clips I’ve tweeted about so far. Indeed, the three clips out there represent the first times I’ve actually told those specific stories. So, I’ve been doing guest spots on Long Island over the past few weeks, trying out new stuff, polishing up things I’ve done before, trying to make sure it’s the best it can be when seen by a larger audience. Unlike my microphone time in wrestling, where I can wander out in front of an audience with just an idea of what I’m going to do, comedy really does benefit from the honing, tweaking, and polishing process.
But my material needs to be of a much higher video quality too. It used to baffle me when wrestling fans and even personal friends would dismiss guys like Bruiser Brody and Stan Hansen as being and then ask me if I thought I’d ever get to be as good as Outback Jack and Uncle Elmer. Unfortunately, like so many others they equated video and production quality with actual talent, and dismissed the guys they saw on the old AWA shows as being bush league and saw even the guys on the bottom of the WWE barrel as being major league.
With that in mind, I am looking at my August 24 show at The Brokerage in Bellmore, NY (Long Island) as the most important comedy show I’ve ever done. I’ll be having the show professionally video-taped with a two camera shoot, with the express intent of airing it on You Tube, where viewers get to see it for themselves and decide if it’s good or not. Hey, comedy is not a one-size-fits-all type of thing, and my style is not going to be for everybody. But I’d really like for all of you to have the opportunity to watch and decide for yourselves. I’ll have a new clip to Tweet out in a couple of days, shot by a simple flip-cam followed by the professionally shot stuff towards the end of August.
As some of you may recall, I did several shows under the “Total Extreme Comedy” banner a couple of years ago. Though I had a good time on most of the shows, there were some elements at play that were just not conducive to any long-term success. Ticket prices were too high, there was nothing “Extreme” or “Total” about the comedy I, or Colt Cabana, or Bruce Pritchard performed, and expectations may have been a little unrealistic. Really, should any of us, with a cumulative total of about seventeen comedy shows under our belt, have been booked into the same 3,500 seat theatre that Elvis used to play? Probably not. I look forward to working with Colt again (looks like we have November 3rd in Cleveland together) but think both of us, separately, or together will be content to work in a more realistic environment – rooms in the 100-400 person range.
Warning: I am going to beg here! Please help me out. I really can’t be successful at all without a little help from all of you. Watch my stuff when I tweet it out there. Re-tweet it if you think it’s good, and mention it to your friends – even if they’re not wrestling fans. Almost every non-fan who is bold enough to venture forth to one of my shows has a good time, and the audiences I do guest sets in front of, many of whom have never seen or heard of me, are almost always entertained and pleasantly surprised at my ability to string sentences together. Maybe you can even take the step of Tweeting my links or mentioning my comedy to successful comedians whose work you enjoy. Sometimes, it just takes the right person to see the right clip at the right time – a possibility that is FAR greater with some of you helping me out.
For all of you in the Long Island area – please come out to the show on the 24th. The Brokerage is an amazing and intimate place to see a show. I’ve already lined up fellow wrestler and comedian Dan Barry to host, and hilarious Irishman Mick Taylor to do a set, and am working on some major surprises to make the night as funny and as memorable as it can be. With the right production values, it will be far more like Monday Night Raw, and far less like Verne Gagne’s old tapings at the Tropicana – even if anyone who chose Outback Jack and Uncle Elmer over Brody and Hansen under any circumstances, should be forced to do some kind of community work.
Here’s the information: tickets are only $12, and may move quickly
THE BROKERAGE COMEDY CLUB
2797 Merrick Rd (at the corner of Bellmore Ave.)
Bellmore, NY 11710
(516) 781-LAFF (5233)
50% of ticket sales will be donated to http://rainn.org
Feel free to watch the 1998 Hell in a Cell in its entirety or some of my Japanese stuff from 1995-96, before making the decision to help me out – even if it’s just out of sympathy.
Very seldom will I use the word “great” to describe anything I do. Really, that’s a word for others to use, if they choose to, in reference to something I have done. Sometimes that word “great” is used in conjunction with the word “disappointment” to describe something I’ve been part of; a book, a match, or maybe even a three- year tenure with a wrestling company. But I will go on record as saying I had a “great” comedy show last month in Plattsburgh, New York. But that great show was surrounded in both mystery and revelation, and I came out of it with both the feeling that I wanted to earnestly pursue the serious business of comedy, and the realization that I was going to have to work extraordinarily hard to do so.
We only had about 50 people in attendance that night in Plattsburgh - or about 250 less than had stood in line to meet me at the local mall earlier that day. 300 people had shown they cared enough about me to forego a beautiful summer afternoon to stand in line, make a purchase, take a photo, and share a few moments with someone they seemingly liked and cared about. But when I inquired as to their interest in coming to the show, the faces became strained, their discomfort apparent, the excuses transparent. “Um, uh…I’d like to, but I have to do ..something…with someone..somewhere.” Odd. But even odder was my realization later that evening, that many people who had paid extra money specifically to meet and greet with me before the comedy show had left the club after meeting me... without staying for the show. They obviously liked me; they’d paid money and gone out of their way to meet me. They just had no interest in seeing me do comedy.
Those adventurous to stay had a great time – see, there I am, throwing the G word around again. But the two promoters of the show heard the same two comments over and over again: I didn’t know what to expect, and I didn’t think he’d be that good. So, the challenge, as I saw it, was to make people more aware of what they might expect, and to do my part to make sure the shows are as good as I can make them when people make the decision to see me do something other than what they are used to seeing me doing.
Honestly, it’s not a challenge I know I’ll be successful in. It’s like going to see Will Ferrell or Adam Sandler in dramatic roles; yes, they’ve both done some great work, outside comedy, but it’s not quite the way that people like and feel happiest seeing them. Funny, but one of my inspirations is actually Justin Timberlake, who has been able to take people who literally could not stand his music, (me being one of them) and turn them into fans of his comedic acting. His SNL stuff is just priceless!
As many of you know, I’ve been putting some clips up on the web, and I really appreciate the feedback. Well, not all of it. Really, I only appreciate the positive feedback. The negative stuff..not so much. But no less an authority than the Insane Clown Posse, whose upcoming Gathering of the Juggalos should prove to be my most interesting comedy challenge, touted the benefits of You Tube as the great equalizer – a way to get the material out there, so people can make up their own minds, instead of relying on a few reviews, or opinions.
Yet, taking a cue from the world of sports entertainment, from which I have learned almost every lesson in my life, I know I need to take the next step of getting material out there that is of a better quality than the few things now available. Really, I shouldn’t be putting a story out there the first time I tell it. It should be refined and worked on, and presented in a more polished form than the clips I’ve tweeted about so far. Indeed, the three clips out there represent the first times I’ve actually told those specific stories. So, I’ve been doing guest spots on Long Island over the past few weeks, trying out new stuff, polishing up things I’ve done before, trying to make sure it’s the best it can be when seen by a larger audience. Unlike my microphone time in wrestling, where I can wander out in front of an audience with just an idea of what I’m going to do, comedy really does benefit from the honing, tweaking, and polishing process.
But my material needs to be of a much higher video quality too. It used to baffle me when wrestling fans and even personal friends would dismiss guys like Bruiser Brody and Stan Hansen as being and then ask me if I thought I’d ever get to be as good as Outback Jack and Uncle Elmer. Unfortunately, like so many others they equated video and production quality with actual talent, and dismissed the guys they saw on the old AWA shows as being bush league and saw even the guys on the bottom of the WWE barrel as being major league.
With that in mind, I am looking at my August 24 show at The Brokerage in Bellmore, NY (Long Island) as the most important comedy show I’ve ever done. I’ll be having the show professionally video-taped with a two camera shoot, with the express intent of airing it on You Tube, where viewers get to see it for themselves and decide if it’s good or not. Hey, comedy is not a one-size-fits-all type of thing, and my style is not going to be for everybody. But I’d really like for all of you to have the opportunity to watch and decide for yourselves. I’ll have a new clip to Tweet out in a couple of days, shot by a simple flip-cam followed by the professionally shot stuff towards the end of August.
As some of you may recall, I did several shows under the “Total Extreme Comedy” banner a couple of years ago. Though I had a good time on most of the shows, there were some elements at play that were just not conducive to any long-term success. Ticket prices were too high, there was nothing “Extreme” or “Total” about the comedy I, or Colt Cabana, or Bruce Pritchard performed, and expectations may have been a little unrealistic. Really, should any of us, with a cumulative total of about seventeen comedy shows under our belt, have been booked into the same 3,500 seat theatre that Elvis used to play? Probably not. I look forward to working with Colt again (looks like we have November 3rd in Cleveland together) but think both of us, separately, or together will be content to work in a more realistic environment – rooms in the 100-400 person range.
Warning: I am going to beg here! Please help me out. I really can’t be successful at all without a little help from all of you. Watch my stuff when I tweet it out there. Re-tweet it if you think it’s good, and mention it to your friends – even if they’re not wrestling fans. Almost every non-fan who is bold enough to venture forth to one of my shows has a good time, and the audiences I do guest sets in front of, many of whom have never seen or heard of me, are almost always entertained and pleasantly surprised at my ability to string sentences together. Maybe you can even take the step of Tweeting my links or mentioning my comedy to successful comedians whose work you enjoy. Sometimes, it just takes the right person to see the right clip at the right time – a possibility that is FAR greater with some of you helping me out.
For all of you in the Long Island area – please come out to the show on the 24th. The Brokerage is an amazing and intimate place to see a show. I’ve already lined up fellow wrestler and comedian Dan Barry to host, and hilarious Irishman Mick Taylor to do a set, and am working on some major surprises to make the night as funny and as memorable as it can be. With the right production values, it will be far more like Monday Night Raw, and far less like Verne Gagne’s old tapings at the Tropicana – even if anyone who chose Outback Jack and Uncle Elmer over Brody and Hansen under any circumstances, should be forced to do some kind of community work.
Here’s the information: tickets are only $12, and may move quickly
THE BROKERAGE COMEDY CLUB
2797 Merrick Rd (at the corner of Bellmore Ave.)
Bellmore, NY 11710
(516) 781-LAFF (5233)
50% of ticket sales will be donated to http://rainn.org
Feel free to watch the 1998 Hell in a Cell in its entirety or some of my Japanese stuff from 1995-96, before making the decision to help me out – even if it’s just out of sympathy.
Mick,
I just wanted to wish you the best of luck with this. When I was in New York in May, my friend dragged me to her brother's comedy revue show that he ran a club, with himself as the headliner. There was 6 or so comics and only one of them was even remotely memorable, and that's because he was a senior in high school up there with adults. You may not be experienced as a standup, but you have the charisma, uniqueness, timing, and dare I say, the "testicular fortitude" to be a success at anything you try. It is an extremely challenging business and there are hundreds of talented performers we'll never hear from, but you have some unique advantages in addition to name recognition/connections. While your wrestling stories and humor may be a good place to start, please remember the thing that made you "mainstream" and a celebrated author are your decency, humanity, and ability to surprise. Domestic life, retirement, all of these things are well-trodden trails for comedians, but when someone who looks and carries himself like Mick Foley talks about them, it will have a different vibe and an edge. None of that matters, of course, if your jokes aren't well-written, the setups aren't easy to follow, and the punchlines aren't sharp. Get a couple of trusted friends to work with you, to push back, and to help you craft who you are on stage.
I wish you the best of luck with everything, Mick.
Cheers,
Josh
Posted by: Josh | 08/07/2011 at 04:46 PM
Check out the comedian Stewart Lee, he's a master story-teller.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n-UGQcG3Jw
Good luck, remember it's all about timing.
Posted by: jo | 08/07/2011 at 05:00 PM
I will retweet your comedy clips to my 10 followers (most of whom already follow you.) But I refuse to watch, I'm grasping at that hope that your comedy act will come to the American Music Theater (Bill Engvall was there in 2010) in Lancaster, Pa. Second reason is our computer doesn't have sound. It's not that I think you can't be successful at it...it's that if I hear a routine or a joke a couple times I find it not as funny, and I enjoy you too much to do that to you.
I really hope this goes well for you, and those ridiculous fans that choose Outback Jack (who is that? I've watched wrestling all my life and don't know who he is.) over Bruiser Brody or Stan Hansen have no respect for the road that was made (not just paved) by those pioneers.
Hopefully we'll see you in Lancaster soon. *Hugs and well wishes*
Posted by: Janette Kirchner | 08/07/2011 at 07:24 PM
I watched the you tube clips really good stuff brother. Keep on bringing us the laughter. Cant wait to see more, if you decide to sell any copies of the show at THE BROKERAGE send a direct message on twitter id put some cash on one of those bad boys! oh yeah the dr. Peterpaulanmary dragon tails was awesome.
Posted by: Dave Kissiar | 08/07/2011 at 08:00 PM
Hey Mick. Great blog... well, now I'm paranoid about using the G-Word. Umm... how about awesome blog!? Ive performed many many shows as a comic and the wonderful things about most crowds is that it's always an adventure to gauge your audience and produce material that "fits". I was never much for refining my material as I rarely used the same material twice unless dire emergency called for it. And I had some really "great" shows in NYC, Philly, NJ... and then I had "the show". Won't bore you with the details but needless to say when a drunk 70 year old man physically attacks you on stage, it does something to you. Granted, the injuries were more mentally and emotionally damaging (I'm not a huge guy but I still didn't have the heart to take a swing at him, in retrospect, I should've broken his jaw) but it shook me to the point where I haven't performed since that show. I've been having the itch to make one more run at it and reading "Last Words" by George Carlin re-lit the fire. Not to mention if the Hardcore Legend can do it, then so can the ...um.. softcore loudmouth who got punked by an old man in front of a packed house (that I packed incidentally). Good luck, Mick, sorry I ran long... I will tune in certainly and keep the fingers crossed that maybe someday we'll perform on a stage and both regret ever doubting our comedy chops.
Posted by: Devin | 08/07/2011 at 10:22 PM
They say comedy is the hardest or one of the hardest feilds to make it in although i'm posative you can do it.You have the charisma and word ability to do so.Really wish I could watch your youtube videos and i'm sure I will when I can afford to upgrade my net speed.Some of the things I think about this current blog are that as far as professional taping for youtube...I havn't seen any videos on youtube that have come out very clear although i'm sure the professional taping will clear it up a little more than the average video.I do hope one day to see you on comedy central as a stand up.I'm sure there is alot of negative criticism although if you think about it it could be a good thing.Let's you know people are watching and gives you an idea of what the people want as far as a comedic stand point then do your best to blow off the rest.Hopefully i'll get a chance to upgrade the net and give my 2 cents on the videos themselves (which I plan on doing soon).Have a good one Mr. foley :-)
Posted by: Xaun1 | 08/08/2011 at 09:04 AM
Hey, if Big Show and the Rock can do kids movies and comedy I see no reason why you can't as well...Maybe you and Justin Timberlake could do SNL together. Seriously, I see no reason why you can't be a success in the field of comedy. You've already proven yourself as both a wrestler and a writer. (Tietam Brown and Scooter were both very intense and very enjoyable reads.)
*hugs*
Posted by: barbara trumpinski-roberts | 08/08/2011 at 12:30 PM
Hey Mick,
Good luck in comedy. It was after your appearances on The Daily Show that I realized you have legit comedy chops. They just need to be developed.
The way I see it, you have all the tools you need. You know story structure. You have an imagination. You obviously are comfortable with a microphone in your hand. You have a lifetime of fascinating experiences to draw upon. Plus you have great timing. Yeah, the clips I've seen are a bit rough in areas, but I also see notable improvement in the newer ones. As with everything, you're only going to get better with practice.
Hope to see you in Denver when you come out this way.
Posted by: Michael "Myk-El" Miller | 08/08/2011 at 09:08 PM
I was a bit concerned when I heard the Sweet Home Alabama clip. Mind you, I'm New Jersey Born, bred, live by the Goethals Bridge and hope to die here and consider points of Edison, NJ and further to be TOO southern for me. I've been called a yank by friends from Mississippi and Texas (despite being a Mets fan as a kid). You get the idea. I'm not a southerner. I was really concerned with the sweet home alabama routine as it seemed like this is something that people from Alabama should joke about. I know you've lived and bled in all parts of the US including long stints in the south. Heck I recently recracked open Have a Nice Day recently and got to the part of your second run for Robert Fuller after leaving WCCW but you were just a visitor and could escape it.
Other than that, you made me work hard to conceal guffaws at work as I listen to your sets. I just hope to catch it when it's in my area. I will be one of those guys who stands in line to see you and then come back to hear you tell a story and be glad that I won't have to restrain my laughter
Posted by: John-Paul G | 08/09/2011 at 07:06 AM
I appreciate the concern, and share it to some extent. I'm going to do another rendition of the song on Aug 24th, but will frame it within a story - explaining how the idea came to me 21 years ago while cutting a wrestling promo. I think most southerners (which I was for 15 years) will take it in the spirit of fun.
Posted by: Mick Foley | 08/09/2011 at 12:05 PM
Thanks for the comments. Yeah, they are a little rough in spots, but one of my hopes is that by showing a few clips of the first or second time a story is told, and following it with a much more polished version, people will be able to compare and contrast the versions. Really appreciate the positive feedback.
Posted by: Mick Foley | 08/09/2011 at 12:10 PM
Thanks Xean1 - really appreciate you taking the time to write these things. Feedback has been very encouraging.
Posted by: Mick Foley | 08/09/2011 at 12:12 PM
Hey, thanks, Devin. Comedy reminds me so much of my earlier days in wrestling, where every show is the most important show, no matter how many people are there. I was a huge George Carlin fan - I still remember playing the Class Clown album, and thinking it was the funniest thing in the world.
Posted by: Mick Foley | 08/09/2011 at 12:14 PM
Hey Mick,
just watched your video on twitter.
I've got to say, this stuff was pretty good. I did also think that the entire Karate Kid segment was pretty good. I always thought myself that Mr.Miyagi's Karate techniques were really odd, and I always thought it was because he was too lazy to do all of those chores by himself. Also, that "secret technique" of his is just a kick to the face done with 2 arms and a leg in the air.
Besides that, I was entertained. Heck, I am 14 years old and I haven't seen much comedy in my life, but I indeed found my self laughing when you had screwed up your left and rights at 3:34. For a first attempt, pretty cool! I would enjoy seeing more.
(and yes, I will make some people watch this at school, which is starting in 2 weeks or so from now.)
Good luck on your tour, and Give My Regards.
Posted by: Tom | 08/09/2011 at 06:41 PM
P.S.: I just read my comment while I was posting it, and I just wanted to let you know that at the part I was laughing at 3:34 wasn't because you screwed up your left and rights, (as that whole part where Daniel starts saying Miyagis techniques are BS were cool) I just thought it would end up as sounding rude from my part. (but maybe it's because I have an extreme lack of confidence on myself)
Anyway,
have fun on the tour, and give my regards.
Posted by: Tom | 08/09/2011 at 06:48 PM
Hi, Mick! :) I LOVED the show on the 4th, and while I probably didn't say it after the show, am totally looking forward to the show on the 24th. I really enjoyed the jokes... especially the lightly added Al Snow part... I knew it wouldn't be a set without at least a MENTION of him. HA! :)
I've been trying to convince a friend of mine to come see you... actually, him and his brother. They're both fans of you and think you're great, so it shouldn't be too hard. ;)
Also did enjoy the other comedians that night... didn't realize Dan Barry DID comedy. Huh. I guess you learn stuff everyday.
Anyway, I'll shut up now. My comments as replies always end up as long rambles... haha. See you soon!
Posted by: Ariel | 08/09/2011 at 08:50 PM
Hey Mick
A true fan of your wrestling characters and you as a human being. You have been a role model for me and continue to do so.
Have you thought about creating a character like u did in professional wrestling? When I see great stand up comedians I see them channeling a persona just like professional wrestlers. The performer becomes a character that makes the jokes and story telling so funny. What I am saying is I feel like the george carlin, woody allen, eddie murphy i see on the standup stage is like the cactus jack, mankind, dude love to them.
Keke well maybe this can be some use to you or not its still so great to see you evolving. You are such a great inspiration for me and many people. Foley is good!
Posted by: Sunbi | 08/11/2011 at 01:25 PM
hey mick just wanted to say im a huge fan and if you ever came to manchester england to do a comedy show i would be there 100% because its been a driving ambition of mine the past 4 years to meet you and bask in your cool and amasing aura hope fully one day my dream will be accompolished but until that day i have your book which i cant put down and i always re-read thank you for your time
Rick
Posted by: Rick | 08/23/2011 at 03:22 PM
Hey Mick,
I've been doing open mic nights, and other comedy related stuff on and off for about five years, and you already know the most important thing. It took me four years to learn, but not everyone likes all comedy. For instance, I'm a huge fan of Louis C.K. and George Carlin, but I've had a number of friend give me nothing but blank stares when I try to show them clips. Once you find your own style, your audience will find you. I'm a huge fan of yours, and I wish you the absolute best of luck, and offer you a warning: It's rewarding, but you may well find it every bit as hard as starting out wrestling.
Posted by: Dale | 08/27/2011 at 12:02 PM
Don't know what is wrong what is rite but i know that every one has there own point of view and same goes to this one
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