On Loving Difficult Heroes

When I was young I aspired to be Bill Cosby and I identified with Woody Allen. Who are we when the artists who shaped us do the unthinkable?

PRO STANDUP COMEDY TIP: If you have a bit that gets laughs and has multiple punchlines that work, and you can’t think of a good way to end it, congratulations! That’s now your closer. Because if you end your set with “Thank you very much goodnight!” you’re technically closing on an applause break.

Remember, it’s almost never about the art, and it’s rarely about the craft. It’s about making it through the entire 45 minute set so that you can get offstage and get paid.

ON LOVING DIFFICULT HEROES

I once belonged to a “Bob Dylan Fantasy Pool.” Since he was, for a long time, known for drastically changing up his set list from show to show when on tour, every single song was assigned a point value and before each leg of his Never Ending Tour players would put together song lists they believed he would play in concert.

I usually did pretty well, often ending in the top ten. While it is the definition of “true nerd shit,” this was the early 2000s when the Internet felt more like a fun place for d…