I doubt that anyone else has been following the Patton Oswalt twitter incident, so I'll give you the readers digest version. Last Thursday evening a Mr. Patton Oswalt was performing a free show in a small club outside of LA when he noticed that an audience member was recording his material on a camera phone. After politely asking the lady to stop he was told that "He would want to see this stuff later", as if he wasn't recording his set already to look over later. While the lady did eventually stop recording Mr. Oswalt asked the lady to leave, which she did somewhat begrudgingly, and Patton Oswalt then turned his comedic talent on the lady.
Keep in mind that this is a highly condensed version of the supposed events, and I was not there so my validity is somewhat questionable, but I think it's important to consider what was actually happening.
Let's start with Patton Oswalt, the comedian. Oswalt is one of my favorite comics active today, his blend of acerbic wit and knowledgeable diction are a refreshing change from the typical "You ever notice that" comedians. He has been active on the comedy circuit for more than twenty years, with roles in popular sitcoms like Seinfeld and King of Queens, and has worked on developing his certain special blend for the entirety of his career. For gods sake the man was given the starring role in a Disney Pixar film (Ratatouille), so I think it's safe to say the guy has made a name for himself. But none of this would have been possible if every show he ever performed was captured on film, ready to be place on the internet for millions to view.
Comedy is hard work. I only tried it twice and both times were a nerve wracking experience. You spend hours going over what you want to say, obsessing over wording and timing, only to stand up in front of total strangers and lay it all out for people to critique and judge. If you're good people laugh and things go great; but if you mess up, flub a joke or touch a nerve, things go from bad to worse in an instant. (Take note that my previous experiences consist of a middle school talent show and an open mic night at a bar in Colorado Springs so I'm no expert) So I can only imagine the kind of pressure that professional comedians face when they are creating new material. These traveling bards live by the laughs they can raise from an audience, which can be pretty hard if every one in the crowd has seen your "new" material a week before on youtube.
So good for you Patton Oswalt, for putting those rude audience members in their place. While his reaction might be viewed as rude by some, those are probably the same people who leave their cell phones on when they go to the theater and keep their hats on when they enter a building (more on that specific topic later).
Also, I've decided to give stand up another chance. I'll be preforming at Comedy Work's new talent night sometime in the next two months, I'll keep you posted.
Until next time fearless readers
MW
Keep in mind that this is a highly condensed version of the supposed events, and I was not there so my validity is somewhat questionable, but I think it's important to consider what was actually happening.
Let's start with Patton Oswalt, the comedian. Oswalt is one of my favorite comics active today, his blend of acerbic wit and knowledgeable diction are a refreshing change from the typical "You ever notice that" comedians. He has been active on the comedy circuit for more than twenty years, with roles in popular sitcoms like Seinfeld and King of Queens, and has worked on developing his certain special blend for the entirety of his career. For gods sake the man was given the starring role in a Disney Pixar film (Ratatouille), so I think it's safe to say the guy has made a name for himself. But none of this would have been possible if every show he ever performed was captured on film, ready to be place on the internet for millions to view.
Comedy is hard work. I only tried it twice and both times were a nerve wracking experience. You spend hours going over what you want to say, obsessing over wording and timing, only to stand up in front of total strangers and lay it all out for people to critique and judge. If you're good people laugh and things go great; but if you mess up, flub a joke or touch a nerve, things go from bad to worse in an instant. (Take note that my previous experiences consist of a middle school talent show and an open mic night at a bar in Colorado Springs so I'm no expert) So I can only imagine the kind of pressure that professional comedians face when they are creating new material. These traveling bards live by the laughs they can raise from an audience, which can be pretty hard if every one in the crowd has seen your "new" material a week before on youtube.
So good for you Patton Oswalt, for putting those rude audience members in their place. While his reaction might be viewed as rude by some, those are probably the same people who leave their cell phones on when they go to the theater and keep their hats on when they enter a building (more on that specific topic later).
Also, I've decided to give stand up another chance. I'll be preforming at Comedy Work's new talent night sometime in the next two months, I'll keep you posted.
Until next time fearless readers
MW
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