as a child with a dream of being a stand up comic, I imagined people one day telling me I was really funny, but I was never prepared for the follow up question: “how many spec scripts have you written?”

The above isn’t much of an exaggeration. Surely I am not the only comedian annoyed by this. I am not a commercial actor. I am not a screenwriter. I am not a talking head. I am a stand up comedian. I am tired of people acting like stand up comedy has anything to do with quirky bit comedic acting roles, or writing for a sitcom, or fucking commercial acting. I fully acknowledge that comedy can’t always pay the bills, so comedians have to delve in these other realms of entertainment to bank some cash: but can we PLEASE stop acting like that is part of being a comedian? It kind of sucks to work extremely hard at honing your craft and for people to think that the ideal end game of stand up is having your own sitcom. Stand Up is not a stepping stone. People don’t assume that George Carlin did all those specials because he couldn’t get his sitcom off the ground, so why do people view the modern stand up comedian as someone who ultimately wants to act? 

I decided a while back to have no shame in not being a jack of all trades. I personally think that stand up is the greatest thing there is, and I’ve thought that for as long as I can remember. I am not a character. I don’t fit a “type” that appeals to A and B demographics. My comedy is what speaks for me. That is what I channel my energy into. This whole idea of someone’s comedy just being one part of a total persona package is fucking ridiculous. Your comedy speaks for you, and that’s all anyone needs to judge a comedian by: their comedy. 

I never dreamed about landing a sweet national commercial, or making snarky comments about celebrities; so I think it stands to reason that I don’t care about that shit. I know I might have more money if I did, but I’ll just go ahead and live with that. If certain industry, or the general public don’t respect my stand up on a level where it needs no accouterments, then I am not hitting the mark I have set for myself. 

This doesn’t mean comics who do “all that other shit” are in anyway less of a comic…I am just tired of this belief that it’s best to have a lot of irons in the fire, even if you don’t care about all of em.