I have always dealt with anxiety and had issues with meeting new people, so the concept of getting on stage to make a crowd laugh would be a daunting task. Though there are thousands of individuals within the United States who face this fear and perform for packed rooms regularly. If getting over stage fright wasn’t enough, you must also be prepared for a highly competitive industry where those who want to succeed must regularly hustle for new gigs. But how can you get out there and meet new audiences in a global landscape like COVID-19? If you were a stand-up comic starting off in March, then you would have noticed comedy clubs across the country shut down due to executive orders and COVID-19 health alarms. There have been new alternatives popping up from virtual stand-ups to drive-in comedy events, but many stand-up comics have mentioned it still doesn’t cover their losses from missed gigs. How have local comics been transitioning during this pandemic and are they confident in the industry when events start to open up? I’ve reached out to Dan Danzy to get an understanding behind what the comedic world will experience during COVID-19. Dan is a stand-up comic who was the runner up in the Funniest Comic in Texas 2018 pageant, has thousands of shows appearing on major stations, and has worked with comedic icons like Jim Jefferies and Dana Gould.
Bob DiBuono, a headlining comedian with 20 years’ experience, has stated that comedians are “all scared to get back onstage again because we haven’t been up there to do it. There’s a lot of rust”. How have you been sharpening your craft during a time of capacity regulations and do you think there will be a smooth transition when performing in front of a large, live audience again?
For me it’s not about rust, I have asthma and that’s kept me a little fearful of the stage. After 15 years, I only feel the rust about 30 seconds to a minute in and then gradually get more comfortable through the set, so I’m not worried about that at all. The one or two shows I’ve done there’s just been a lot of anxiety about catching it. As far as sharpening the craft though, the pandemic has given me time to reinvent and tweak the stage persona and think of not only new material but a new direction for that material. As far as the transition goes, comics really don’t mind the size of the crowd. We’re used to performing to any size of audiences. The attendance will be a gradual thing, right now it’s at 50% and I’d say if the numbers go down that percentage will increase in time. I also think that more people will be flocking to comedy shows when it’s safe because everyone has been so sick and tired of living the way we have. It’s the best kind of crowd to perform to, a crowd that is as fed up as the performer is. If you’re a professional comic right now, 50% maybe annoying, but there are people seeing you that are just as annoyed as you are. So yea I think the transition will be smooth because there will be something to relate to immediately because we’re all in this together, we’re all annoyed of it, and we all want to laugh about the ridiculousness of it all. When a comic goes up to strangers with that kind of advantage, the transition is bound to be smooth. When full attendance is back, everything will be business as usual, I’m personally excited to hear all the jokes that come out of this experience from my peers and the comedians I look up to.
With alternatives to in-person stand-up popping up, like the Blue Starlite Drive-In Theater or virtual Coast to Coast Comedy Tour, is there an easy transition for a stand-up comic to these platforms and can that sense of community be held together if not in a packed bar?
There is no easy transition to these shows. Drive ins replace laughter with horn honking and the virtual experience has no laughter. You just kind of have to assume you did well at both, and I don’t see any real progression from that. You have to learn from bad sets, you have SEE the audience not laughing in order to know how to get better. Drive Ins, anyone could be honking at you for any reason. Virtual audience, they are watching a web cam, I guess you could go by the comments but there is nothing like a packed bar or club on a weekend. I don’t think there’s a sense of community there, I think it’s more of a desperate times desperate measures type thing. I’m not frowning upon anyone that does it, I just think needing to see your audience right there in front of you is key. You have to see them enjoy you, you have to see them despise you in order for real growth to happen.
Comedian Roy Wood Jr. has spoken about doing events post 9/11 and comedy during that period. Roy stated that “you could do a joke and it would land and then half the crowd would just look over at the TV and see an explosion and it was back to zero again”. Would you say attendees are more emotionally drained during this pandemic or are they eager to have a good laugh?
Like I said earlier, I definitely think people will want to laugh at everything that’s happened. 9/11 was different in the sense of our culture was attacked by another one. Covid is Mother Nature, out of our control, there was nothing we could have done as regular citizens. Similarly our government could have prepared more and the jokes about them are definitely coming. I think with that difference more people are inclined to laugh about it, the ones that are emotionally drained aren’t coming out to shows right now that are being held at 50% capacity but they’ll come out when it’s all over with. They’ll want jokes to tell their coworkers, friends, family members, etc.
With many comedy clubs still closed or under heavy restrictions, stand-up comics have had to take a larger grip on promotions, brand enhancement, and digital distribution. Do you see any long-term change on the relationship between comics and comedy clubs?
Not really. Professionals should have already had a grip on marketing themselves, it’s required to succeed. Clubs didn’t really pay well to begin with so merchandise, social media, websites, etc, have always been key pre-Covid. As far as the relationship between clubs and comics, I don’t really see a change, I do however see a clearer understanding of one another in the terms of paying bills. I think comics now understand how many lives are affected at the favorite club when there is a pandemic, and I think the clubs understand how much of the roster is affected when doors across the country aren’t open but I don’t think there will be a pay increase. Maybe better lodging for road comics? One can hope.
You hear many comics reflect positively on the “90s stand-up bust” because it cut out bad performers in an over-saturated market. You also hear of upcoming comics with high potential who left stand-up due to the uncertainties in the profession and overall industry. Are you more optimistic or pessimistic on the comedic talent pool in a post-COVID landscape?
No idea. Maybe and maybe not. The 90s didn’t have content creators and podcasts. I honestly see more people going in the direction than stand up or improv, they may dabble in either just to learn techniques but that’s where the market is right now in 2020. I’ve branched out into Twitch and Youtube the past couple years as part of necessity to adapting and growing with audiences and finding a new audience. I see more people going in that direction because a pandemic can’t put a hold on that, which can be done from the safety of your own home. I am optimistic that the professionals in the current stand up pool will come out of this with better material and a better perspective of the world around them. There will always be newcomers that come to the club open mic with bright eyes and new ideas, that won’t change but I don’t think there will be a boom or a bust even. I think more people will have their feet dipped in different creative markets.
“So John what do you do for a living?”
“Oh I’m a comedian, actor, instagram model, snapchat influencer, tik tocker, twitch streamer, youtuber, facebook antagonizer, tweet writer, app creator, podcaster, activist, uber driver, and I also make and sell my own scented candles.“
Is that optimistic or pessimistic? I’ll let you be the judge…candles available at dandanzy.com
