Joel West, Comic

So where did I leave off? As I recall I was telling you all about my JFL experience and promised to drop some names. Hmmm...

So, I did chat briefly with Harland Williams. And Mike Wilmot. And Derek Edwards. And Angelo Tsarouchas. And Derek Seguin.  I had a photo taken with Orny Adams. I schmoozed some with 'Mama' Jo Anna Downey and Cal Post. I shook Andy Kindler's hand. I got a hug (swoon) from Kristen Von Hagen. I also met some comedic actors. And one thing I will say for absolute certain: Stand up comics, real bonafide stand up comics are generous with their time. Not so much comedic actors. Not so much at all. And agents, managers and talent scouts will talk to anyone as long as you are willing to listen. And you might ask yourself, why the difference?

The answer is simple. Stand up comics, real true blue 100% stand ups, rely on being able to communicate. They need to be able, in as few words as possible, to talk to anyone. It's a skill. Within the first minute of a stand up performance they need to be able to get to you. Not so much a comedic actor. Their job is to communicate with a camera. With a director. And with Regis Philbin. Period.

Also a comedian has different worries. A comedian is contantly deconstructing conventions. Taking things apart. Looking to make funny. A comedic actor is worried about giving a good reading. And by giving a good reading, I mean learning to swallow. A comedian is creating a full performance. A comedic actor is usually reading someone else's words. And an agent, essentially a business person, takes 10% and who knows what the next big thing might be?

So, Just for laughs brings those elements together. And also, Just For Laughs attracts clubs owners. People from the studios. Guys and gals like me. And regular members of the public.

And it all comes together, for me at the Saturday night Alternative show.

Why the Alternative show? Why not, you may ask yourself, one of the galas? First, I like my comedy gritty. I like it real. At the Galas the big name performers put on a longer show. There are some wonderful acts, but remember, the galas are also sanitized for your protection. You may hear one or two naughty ripostes. But you will not see down and dirty stand up. The kind that goes for the jugular. So then you may ask, why not the dirty show?

Because I am not interested in a dirty show, per se. It seems to me that a lot of 'dirty' comics try too hard to just be dirty. I wanted 'cutting edge' comedy and that's what I found at the Alternative show. Andy Kindler the host of the Alternative Show is a comic's comic. He has written the 'Hacks Handbook' a great guide on how NOT to perform comedy which is also hilarious. I fell in love with Natasha Leggero. And Neil Hamburger. Garfunkel and Oates are two of the most talented women in the world. Mark Little. Just Mark Little. None of their acts was a standard 'What about that airline food, what's the whole deal with condoms. I'm half irish and half pekinese'. All original cutting edge but not to everyone's taste. For me, this is what Just for Laughs is all about.

And after the alternative show is when the real party started, Back to the Hyatt. Up in the main lobby bar perhaps 300 or 400 or the top comic talent in North America, their agents and managers and hangers on all schmoozing and drinking and on the patio smoking until 6 AM.

And tomorrow: What did I learn?

The past few days I took in some of the Just For Laughs festival in Montreal, where I live. While I am a comedian, I wasn't a show comedian. I got to attend some industry funtions. I met some people that, normally, would have been completely off access. There's a big "But". I was also excluded from a lot of parties and debauchery. I didn't know about some events that I could have easily attended until after they were over. Also I still work a day job, so the two big events that I wanted to attend were completely closed to me. What follows then, ot a completely self centered approach to the past few days and also a completely subjective approach to what I liked, what I disliked and what I really don't give a shit about.

Tuesday night I just hung out at The Comedyworks a local club, which was hosting "Best of the Fest". Prior to that I was doing 'unauthorized comedy'. Yes, Virginia in the comedy industry, especially in Mobtreal, there is mainstream authorized comedy, and alternative unauthorized comedy. Do the two intermingle? Sometimes. That was the case on Tuesday night where I performed a set at Bistro L'Etranger and then walked over to the 'Works'. At the 'Works' and outside, Local comics were milling about along with Industry people who were in town early. The club was gracious enough to have a live, closed circuit, feed to the bar downstairs and the Industry people were gracious enough to talk during the feed. Still I saw some comedians I knew, some that I didn't and I did leave early. Early by Montreal standards, that is to say, midnight. I met some old friends. I met some old aquaintances. Mostly it was a nice evening.

Wednesday I wasted. Bad Joel! Yes, I wasted an entire day. I do, I will reiterate, have a day job and they pay me to work. So I worked.

Now, more secrets. I was slipped a pass to 'Zoofest'. Now Zoofest is not Just For Laughs. Think of it as JFL's place for acts that are not strictly stand up. There is one noteable exception and we'll come to it in a few paragraphs. But the cool thing about a Zoofest pass is that, unless you were being careful and keeping people out of events (like industry parties), a Zoofest pass looked like an all events pass. It got me immediate acceptance from the people who didn't know better.

Thursday was the Keynote speech. And damn it I had to work, so I missed it. Shit, fuck and damn. But the thing I was looking forward to on Thursday night was a movie. The screening of "American: The Bill Hicks Story". I -hearted- it. I really loved the movie very much. It made me happy. And leaving the movie I got to meet the directors. The directors are STILL looking for distribution sp PLEASE PLEASE contact them and make them an offer someone. It will be worth it. It's a documentary, it's really well done.

From there my friend and I caught Jim Jeffries' show "Alcoholocaust". Here is where the Zoofest pass came in handy. I got to walk in and see the show. For free. No ticket required. Awesome!

The show itself was remarkable. Funny, yes, in a very mainstream, way. (Disclaimer: I prefer 'alternative and non maintream acts). A full hour show with the most remarkable part for me being the last 25 minutes.

And from there (I am a boring man) I went home.

Friday, Friday, Friday!!!

Friday Afternoon, Andy Kindler made his state of the Industry address. I was working. Damn! Friday Afternoon Paul Provenza signed his new book Satiristas. I was working. Friday Afternoon, Doug Stanhope did a show across the street from the Festival at a local car wash. I was working. You get the picture. Next year I will be taking that week as part of my vacation. And that evening, I had a gig. More unauthorized comedy. But I got back to town sooner than I thought. I tried to get a rush ticket to the Alternative show. Sold out. I was able to hang about the hotel where the Festival was centered. I was not able to attend a party given for industry and comics. Damn you Zoofest pass! I did get to meet up with a couple of old aquaintances and buy a $5.00 coke. Hooray!

Saturday was, for me, what the festival was all about!

I got up bright and early (10 AM) and slowly made my way down to the venue. I attended a couple of industry conferences. I rubbernecked and looked about for famous people. I had a $5.00 bottle of water and hung out on the patio with some old aquaintances. Mostly fun.

At 7 PM was a screening of the new TV show Children's Hospital. It's holarious. Set in a fictitious hospital, the show covers the relationships, sex lives and even, sometimes, the medical goings on. It will be on the Adult Swim portion of Cartoon Network and it is hilarious. Watch it. Support it. Go to Adultswim.com and view it.Then com back. Do it now, I'll wait!

I'm going to end this post here and continue tomorrow.

Sufficeth to say it was an awesome time and in the next post I name drop.