Lesson on Art and Life from Stand-Up

I came across a fun book titled Comedy at the Edge — How Stand-up in the 1970s Changed America, by Richard Zoglin, who is an entertainment editor and writer at Time. It was a fun read because that groundbreaking period of entertainment  greatly influenced me. In fact, many of my sensitivities as a speaker, media producer, marketing communicator and writer came out of this heady time. This book reminded me of many lessons I learned in that  time:

1. BE TRUE TO YOUR VISION. Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Albert Brooks, Andy Kaufman - all of them had a unique view of comedy to express, whether it was expressing subject matter that was previously taboo, intricate wordplay, maintaining your unique vantage point (i.e., gender, race) or simply turning the tables on the audience through irony. If you have such a vision, whether you are the next Jackson Pollock or Le Corbusier, stick to it.
2.OLD METHODOLOGIES PASS. The comedians in this book fought against the standard way of making people laugh: Set up a situation, then deliver the payoff as a punchline. When was the last time you heard a comic tell a joke like that? (Henny Youngman and Rodney Dangerfield enjoyed late career success with their retro styles, but even they are long gone.) Stay current and either learn from others who are coming up or forge your own new style.
3. PRACTICE INCESSANTLY. I repeat what Geoff Colvin of Fortune has said so convincingly: Talent is overrated; success is almost always determined by hard work. These successful comics rose to the top of their craft by working and reworking their routines, and finding audiences for road tests of their material.
4. LEARN WHO AND WHAT INFLUENCES SUCCESS. Most of the success stories in the book are attributed to one person: Johnny Carson. For decades, he could make or break a young comic's career. But even those who never had the opportunity to appear on The Tonight Show found other platforms for success, such as the right nightclubs or other venues, such as colleges. For those of us in less glamorous fields, where can we make our marks? This is a reminder to network, meet more people and make our presence known through a variety of organizations, whether they are professional associations or the Rotary Club.
5. TIMING IS EVERYTHING, FOR BETTER OR WORSE. The book recounts not only the comics who reached stratospheric levels, but also those who were equally talented yet missed that big opportunity. A comic could be influential, with many up-and-comers imitating that person's style. Perhaps that person kept honing the craft, appearing on TV and in concert, yet never making that one hit movie or TV special that launches everything. The lesson learned: Stick at what you are doing, but have a back-up plan, because luck is bigger factor in success than many of us care to admit.
 
In fact, this very book is a testimony to that last lesson. I had heard of Zoglin's book, having read a few reviews of it, all positive. But I found it at the local dollar store, while lesser tomes have gone on to greater and less deserved success. So I encourage you to look for this book, support the author, and give him a bit more love than he might have otherwise received.