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Recently I received correspondence from a journalist in the process of writing an article on why people perform comedy.
He had seen a recent news release about me and wanted my thoughts on the matter.
His inquiry inspired me enough to put my ideas down on paper – ideas I have been aching to write about for a long, long time.
I strongly believe that comedians, comedy performers and speakers are actually
addicts - in many ways no different than cocaine addicts or alcoholics.
Here’s why I say that…
A drug addict craves a drug or substance. What ALL people crave the most is:
This list is not all-inclusive, and I am certainly not a psychologist.
But here’s something interesting to note…
Ray Romano made an interesting statement in a recent TV interview.
He said:
"If my Dad had hugged me when I was a kid, I wouldn’t be where I am at
today."
It makes me wonder if comedians like Chris Rock, Jamie Foxx or George Lopez ever got enough hugs from their dads.
I know I didn’t.
When a performer, improv group or speaker steps on the stage, they have the opportunity to obtain very high
"doses" of the things that people crave most.
Laughter is the most powerful form of recognition and acceptance that I know of.
The larger the audience, the more powerful the recognition becomes (along with the other things I mentioned in the list above).
There is an unmistakable "high" or "buzz" associated with a successful performance, if you have any performance experience at all.
There is immediate gratification from the acceptance that audience laughter gives a performer.
It’s that high that keeps performers and speakers going back to the stage under any circumstances.
The first time I performed for 1500 people and had the audience unable to catch their breath from laughing so hard, I couldn’t sleep for 3 days.
I can’t think of a single substance that can produce that kind of effect after a single exposure.
A drug addict will break into your home to steal things in order to get money to feed his habit.
A comedian will drive 180 miles one way for 10 minutes of stage time in front of a dozen AARP members for $50. I know this because I’ve done it.
I fully realize that because of the negative connotations associated with the word
"addiction", there will certainly be a strong reluctance to accept a term like
"stage addiction".
But in my opinion, the similarities between a drug addict and a performer are truly significant:
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A drug addict will do whatever it takes to get the drug.
A performer will do whatever it takes (almost) to get stage time.
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A drug addict will exercise poor judgment in pursuit of the drug.
A performer will exercise poor judgment in pursuit of a stage to perform on.
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A drug addict will lose their family in pursuit of the drug.
A performer will lose their family in pursuit of performing opportunities.
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A drug addict will take different drugs to overcome the high of a particular drug.
A performer will take drugs or alcohol to overcome the high from the stage.
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A drug addict will wait for hours and days to get the drug.
A performer will wait weeks or months for time on stage.
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Drug addicts will prostitute themselves for low dollars to get the money they need to feed their addiction.
Performers will prostitute themselves for low dollars to feed their addiction to the stage.
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A drug addict desires the instant gratification that a drug provides.
A performer desires the nearly instant gratification that the stage can provide.
So, what are the differences between a drug addict and a
stage addict?
Performing on stage is 100% legal. There is no rehab for stage addiction or
"Performers Anonymous". There is no physical withdrawal if you don’t get stage time (although many performers will experience depression if they are away from the stage too long).
No one breaks into a house to perform comedy (but if it were accepted as a means to get stage time, they would).
If you have a poor performance (bad "drug" experience), no one ends up in jail or in the hospital.
If the performance is fantastic, it is possible that some audience members with weak hearts could end up in the hospital from laughing too hard.
Drug addiction is rarely, if ever, associated with any positive benefits.
Performing, on the other hand, can be highly beneficial for both the performer and the audience for which he or she performs.
But to me, those differences do not relieve or discount the highly addictive nature of performing on stage.
I’ve been to many open mikes over the years. I watched literally hundreds of people get on stage and suck month after month, year after year with little improvement.
So my questions have been:
1. Why do they do the same lame material over and over again?
2. Don’t they realize from the audience response that they aren’t doing well?
I have come to the conclusion that they are addicts as well - no different than those performers that can actually deliver the goods.
They still crave the things that all of us crave in the huge quantities that they
KNOW the stage can provide.
Why?
Because somewhere along the line, they’ve tasted it. Somewhere in the beginning, they got a sip of the
"drug" – even if only 3 people out of 50 laughed at what they had to say or
did on stage. And they see those who CAN deliver the goods experience the ultimate high from a killer performance, which makes them crave the acceptance and admiration the stage can offer even more.
It appears to me that even a small exposure to this powerful substance (laughter from an audience) is strong enough to keep people going for years, no matter how well or poorly they perform.
I have this statement in the very beginning of my Interactive Writing Guide:
"Once you've performed for an audience and have gotten the really big laughs, the only difference between performing stand-up comedy and heroin is… you can quit
heroin."
Oddly enough, I wrote that years ago, long before I came up with the conclusions you are reading now.
Now, I believe you don’t even need the really big laughs on stage to get hooked.
Once you’ve tasted it – even a little bit of it – you always want more.
Just like any other addictive substance, the cravings never go away.
In my quest to educate comedy performers and speakers, I have
figured out that what I am really doing is…
Showing people how to develop the skills they need to feed their legal addiction and to channel the drive associated with that addiction in a meaningful,
highly effective and financially rewarding way.
Unfortunately, the bottom line is this…
Many performers - stage addicts - don’t care to truly develop the skills they need to effectively manage their legal and potentially profitable addiction.
They are merely looking to score stage time and get the "fix" that goes with it.
I submit to you that this is simply not enough to foster a positive
stage addiction.
It is that aspect of the comedy business that I am trying to change.
I want every performer or speaker to experience the maximum
"high" on stage. I believe that armed with the
right knowledge, the right attitude and a burning desire to focus
the drive behind the addiction in the right direction, anything
is possible. Now, with the new desktop version of Comedy
Evaluator Pro software, there are really no excuses for
not having an act that feeds your stage addiction over and over
again.
When high impact comedy happens on
stage, there are always two big winners... You
and the audience. But changing the face of
comedy can be a bit of a challenge, mostly because…
Addicts are generally difficult to work with, especially once they
have developed bad habits. So if you are a performer or
speaker, my question to you is...
How are you managing your stage addiction?
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