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FIRST SOME THOUGHTS

I’ll say right off, Ellen Degeneres and I aren’t close friends.  We’ve know each other a long time, she’s always been as nice as can be. We shot our early HBO half hours together on the same night back to back in Chicago in 1989 at the Fillmore.

Over the years she’s left me messages when she’s liked one of my movies and said nice things about me to actors on her show, and when I’ve run into her at events she’s just been really sweet and funny. Yet, as I said, we aren’t close friends.

I do have a ton of respect for her though. For her journey. For her work. For her work-ethic. For her attention to detail, and her unique performance ability. So when the head hunters went looking for another trophy in what I believe should be looked back as the post Obama, ‘Days of dissatisfaction’, a time when anyone that could be taken down for anything was knee-capped, solely to make the angry liberals who had to suffer under Trump, feel as if they still had some modicum of power.

After this group of justice warriors brought down people that deserved to be brought down, they came through the streets and the halls, banging pots and pans bringing down anyone they deemed get-able, just to show themselves they could, and they would, regardless if it was a good kill or not.

It wasn’t that much different than a couple years ago when they were pulling down statues. Yeah, Jefferson Davis. For sure. All of the Confederates. ‘Bring them down.’ The steam built. They finally trashed the Abraham Lincoln statues. ‘’Yeah, he was a racist. No doubt’

What they did to Ellen was tantamount to having goneon  to Henry Winkler’s hometown and yanked their Fonzie statue down.

SOMEONE HAD TO PAY

The more popular they were the better.

Ellen Degeneres? She’s mean? Where’d you hear that?

You saw a clip? She was mean to Cardi B?

Really? Wait? What?

You heard some of her producers are mean to the employees?

People!!! People!!! Turn around. We’re not going to Scott Baio’s again today. We’ll shit on his lawn again later, we’re gonna bring down Ellen. Follow us!!!

She did the damn show for nineteen years! Nineteen years. Everybody loved her. Everybody used her to shill their shit shows and movies, tours and toys. She played along. It’s not easy doing a show like that. Did some producers she have working for her maybe get a little too big for their britches some times? It happens.

I did those shows for years. They were the gatekeepers. Everybody jumped when they snapped their fingers. They got used to all of us doing what they wanted when they wanted. They set rules. They liked the power they had. I’m damn sure a lot of it she had zero idea of, and a lot of it is just the way that f**cked up business runs.

‘THE ‘THEY’RE NOT NICE PEOPLE’ STORY

I also know when the ‘they’re not nice people’ story came out, the hack reporters and editors that needed a new angle jumped on it like an open ski lift, so screw them. It was already written. They could just cut and paste it and go. Lots of clicks. Lots of issues sold at the check stands. Was it ‘mean’ to trash Ellen, her employees, her family that way? Who cares? It was an angle. Was it ‘mean’ to talk to those hack reporters about your little inside gossip?

So, mean is mean when it’s someone else being mean but not when you’re being mean. Got it.

OKAY, MOVING ON.

‘For Your Approval’ The special is fantastic. It deals with her being labeled ‘mean’ in an honest and forthright way, and it’s funny. Let’s take as a baseline that she’s an excellent stand up comic.  She’s a consummate pro is what she is. One of the best observational comics working. When we all started she and Jerry Seinfeld, and Rich Jeni, were taking on the baton from then Jay Leno, who had been passed it from David Brenner who had picked it up from, yes, Bill Cosby. That great brand of comedy where you slap your head and say, ‘oh my god, that is so true. I do that too. That is so true!!’ ( And then the person next to you shushes you.)

Ellen was, and is, truly one of the best ever at this vein of stand up. She struts her powers in this lane in’ For Your Approval’ perfectly, smacking around parallel parking, aging, cars, and so much of day to day life in a vaccu-formed, crowd pleasing version of the ‘did-ja ever notice?’ routines that only she can deliver.

She’s so damn good at it, and now, at 66, which she talks about being, she’s so comfortable, so at ease up there, that she takes her time with all of these bits and routines, letting them breathe in a way that’s really a master class for any younger comic, or actually any comedian in general, on how to own your time on that stage. Moment by moment.

She is seriously an expert at what she does, and she knows it, which is fine, the audience needs a comedian to let them know that they’re in good hands. She may also be letting us know about her personal insecurities, her weaknesses as a person, but as far as how she can come out on the stage, hold a mic and tell routines that are going to make you bust out laughing, she’s got no problem in you understanding she’s got this down and you need to just lean back and take it in. For this hour here, she’s in charge. You are Ellen’s bitch.

ANOTHER LEVEL

There’s more to this though. There’s a reason I’m writing about her new special. If you follow this blog regularly, you know I write about specials that I really love, or very rarely, ones that I truly dislike. I’m full on in love again with the art form, yet, if this were just a good stand up special even about a top observational comics best of, or even final work, I wouldn’t do a piece on it.

These aren’t really specials anymore. They’re albums. They’re this year or twos new work for a certain shelf load of artists named comedians. They won’t all be specials. My favorite musician growing up was Bob Seger. Seger’s album’s are all good. Some are special. Some are ‘Stranger in Town’. Some are just albums. They’re’The Distance’. ‘The Fire Inside’.

Some specials are change agents. Some are uniquely shot, some are a career best, and some take you somewhere new. On a blissful ride. A couple years ago, Jerod Carmichael put out a special called ‘Rothaniel’, that was a blessing. So real and true, shot like an early jazz album by Bo Burnham that I thought it was one of the best things I’d ever seen or heard. Yes, he had a great bass line and a hook in that he came out as a gay man in the course of the special, but that was just one of it’s gifts. It had an authority about it. An accuracy to every routine. It harkened back to the best of Lily Tomlin. It was a damn special. For sure.

Ellen’s new special has a different kind of authenticity. A truthfulness not only carrying great observations, but so much pain, and even anger. There’s a hurt she can’t hide so she doesn’t try. You see it in her eyes because she wants you to see it. She wants you to laugh, she wants you to have a good time, but she needs you to know she’s been hit. That it cut her. She talks beautifully, masterfully, comedically, on how the loss of her show and the way she was branded has affected herself, her wife, her mother, the way she goes out into the world, and the way she feels about going forward. She is bravely in control of the whole ride. She’s not backing down.

She’s dressed perfectly yet she’s absolutely naked. Buck naked. You can see every crack and creak in her soul and her ego. She uses her bruises. That’s how good she is. Don’t let anyone kid you. Doing this hour, at this level. Being this honest. Keeping these laughs this consistent, keeping that audience having that good of a time is not on the same planet as easy. This is terrific. Clean. Concise. No swearing. No yelling. No button pushing, yet everything is said. It’s adroit, deft, excellent and exquisite. I felt sorry for the few critics that I read that didn’t get it. They’re ignorant. They don’t understand how hard it is to use these public struggles as a comedic through line and pull off a real hour of comedy.

Richard Pryor more or less invented it when he turned lighting himself on fire into the center of an epic set. I was so lucky to be a young doorman at the time at The Comedy Store and watch him scrape, cut, dig and discover that hour, night after night, for a solid eight months. It wasn’t anything close to a simple task to making lighting yourself on fire funny. The final product makes it look like it was,  but I watched him build it,  it just didn’t come out fully formed. Neither did the special Chris Rock did dealing with the Will Smith slap, or the one Marc Maron did dealing with the very public loss of the love of his life.

I only have one problem with the whole thing. Ellen says she’s done. That’s such a mistake. Such a profound gaffe. I’m sorry. You can’t come this far, get this good and then stop. You’re cheating yourself, cheating God, cheating us.

Take a break. Breathe, Ellen. Then get back up in the saddle and put another hour together. You’re one of the best there ever was, Lady. That’s a gift.

Watch ‘FOR YOUR APPROVAL’ on NETFLIX. You’ll love it.

ALSO; THIS MONDAY 9-30-24

Another great show at the Laugh Factory on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood. (all this plus VINNY FASLINE and KRISTY QUINN!

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Robert Klein was not only my biggest childhood inspiration to get into stand up, one of the most brilliant performers I ever saw live, but I’m honored to say over the years he’s become a friend. We were so lucky to work with him on Reign Over Me. Adam, myself, and even the late, great Donald Sutherland, were all so excited to be on set with him, and even more elated to come to realize not only was he a wonderful actor, a consummate pro, but one a hell of a great guy. In fact looking back on it, both he and Donald were both pretty amazing to be working with.

Enjoy the episode. It’s a lot of fun listening to Robert talk, discuss his life, and also to hear his beautiful serenity and happiness let alone to see how great he looks and feels at 82. He’s a rare bird.

So glad I had this chance to talk with him. I really hope you like it.

https://youtu.be/jImiiWvuJQo?si=fJdOAf7dkNWdew1L

Also, if you’re in LA. Great show tomorrow night at the Laugh Factory on Sunset. Come on out and have some fun.

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@samrubinoff is such a talented comic filmmaker. I personally think he's the next @JuddApatow . He's been making these great little films on @youtube with funny ass comics like @JoeListComedy , @TommyJPope and @rosebudbaker. We had him on STANDUPWORLD today @ofcmikebinder to talk… pic.twitter.com/3MLJjRJMJc

— Mike Binder (@MikeBinderjokes) July 6, 2024

Stand-Up Comic and Filmmaker: Sam Rubinoff

Is the guest on Standupworld this week. I’m really excited about it too. In a colosseum sized field of play for the world of stand up to exist today, Sam has a unique spot on the pitch. He’s carved a rare niche for himself by blending sharp wit with poignant storytelling.

His short films, frequently featuring some of today’s most in-demand stand-ups, have garnered a loyal following on YouTube. Among his most recurring collaborators is Joe List, who starred in Louis C.K.’s film “Fourth of July, and makes his own short films as well.

Sam’s work is not only funny, but deeply touching, earning him comparisons to Judd Apatow who I knew well in the early stages of his career. I personally find the two very similar.

STUCK IN PARK

Is his newest film, also starring, Joe List, as well as Keith Robinson, and the very talented Kerryn Feehan.

CIVIC DUTY

Another of my favorites is also a Joe List starrer, Civic Duty. He and Tommy Pope, who’s a strong comic as well, star in a funny little short that feels like something John Hughes would have done if he were just out started right now.

STAND UP CAREER

Sam’s jump into stand-up comedy started in small clubs and open mics across in and around the New York City area. Over the years, he’s performed at all the top clubs back there and has earned a reputation as a not only a comedian to watch, but a good guy that loves the craft and respects the artisans.

YOU TUBE PRESENC

CHECK OUT SAM’S YOU TUBE CHANNEL

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One of the standout features of Sam’s work is his collaborations with some of the cream of the crop of the newer stand-up comedians in the business. By bringing these talented individuals into his projects, Sam elevates his films and introduces his audience to a broader array of comedic voices. Not only, Joe List, Keith Robinson, Tommy Pope, Kerryn Feehan, but also, Rosebud Baker, Michael Blaustein, Shane Torres, and so many others.

Like I say, I think with a good hop of the ball, Sam could be the next Judd Apatow. I see so many similarities. He has a lot of Judd’s good instincts and intellect that gives his comedy another dimension that I love. Check him out. Also, dig a little into his series he did awhile back on You Tube that I love, Dog Days.

Thanks a lot! Appreciate the support here. Enjoy  Standupworld episode #72, .and let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Mike

Marlon Wayans is on a heater. No doubt about it. He’s been going non-stop since he was fifteen doing background stuff on In Living Color as the baby boy in what was to become the Jackson 5 of Comedy, the most brilliant funny family since the Marx bros.

He later busted out with his childhood bunk mate, brother Shawn, creating hit sitcoms and movies pretty much one after another for a good twenty five years. He’s also proved himself several times to be a fine actor with Darren Aronofsky and several other directors. The core thing about Marlon though is that he’s always been a work in progress. There’s no doubt about that.

Just look at this clip going crazy viral from the Daily Show last week. You feel so bad for this guy. Marlon has no fear here. He’s so into this character Quon, that he doesn’t even understand he’s destroying this guy.

He’s pushed himself time and time again to come up with new hills, buildings and boundaries to get over. New buttons to push. He’s perpetually uneasy with where he’s at in life which is a good journey creatively, even if it comes with a lot of baggage. I’m sure being the little brother your whole life doesn’t help, but if always chasing the milk cart through town your whole life is what gets you to great, Marlon doesn’t seem to be complaining.

The stand up thing that his brothers all took to with ease out of the gate came to him much later. He even talks in God Loves Me, an adventurous as can be one hour, one story special about his feelings on the infamous Chris Rock / Will Smith ‘Slap’ about Chris Rock messing with him onstage at the Laugh Factory very early on and putting a slap on him that stung for years. A slap that came to be one of the best gifts he ever got. Like a lot of his stuff, he cribbed from his life and just stayed with it, learned from his older brothers and comics like Rock about the gold there was to mined in fearlessness, and figured out how not to care about anything but getting laughs and pushing himself to create.

With his new special Good Grief, out now on Amazon Prime, Marlon has planted a bold flag. Mining the loss of his parents, the truths of his childhood, and the pain of getting older. He wants to be taken serious in the same lane of funny as his brother Damon, Dave Chappelle, Chris and even Mt. Olympus, Richard Pryor. I will say, in my opinion, with this hour, not only is he close to getting there, but he’s no doubt someone capable of working his way up into that rare air. He has the talent, the drive, the guts, the time on the boards behind him, as well as the deep need.

Marlon’s best years are coming just up the road now. He’s going to be someone that was right here in front of our eyes all these years and then, whamm, I could easily see him dropping an hour that’s going to floor everyone. He’s going to do in his mid-fifties what Rock did with Bring the Pain in his mid-thirties. Watch.

Check him out on the road. He’s out there everywhere these days. See him live. That’s the fun.

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Why is this year’s festival all about Tony Hinchcliffe? By the way, there’s no doubt that it is. Tony Hinchcliffe and Kill Tony are all over the city of Los Angeles this year in what feels like almost a form of a christening. While Netflix has literally lit up the heavens to make their stand up festival the most exquisite comedy festival of all times, it has also organically somehow turned into a combination stand up bar mitzvah and coronation for the little kid from Youngstown. The entire damn city, The Greek, The Hollywood Bowl, Chappell, and The Seinfeld lectures have all taken a backseat to the ascension of Tony Hinchcliffe, a mud slinging, pedal to the metal roaster, jester, heckler, and huckster, who somehow manages to stay extremely likable as the star of his own post-modern variety- talk show, that next to the Joe Rogan Experience, is the most important podcast let alone comedy program in the entertainment universe these days.

There is no one, save Rogan, that can right now make a stand up a star as bright, as fast, as current, and electric as Tony Hinchcliffe can. He’s already churned out at least three to five great new faces on the scene on his show, then brought them along on his sold out theater and arena stand up tours, taking complete unknowns like David Lucas, Hans Kim, William Montgomery, and quite a few others, giving them his imprint and confidence, turning them into top Comedy Club headliners and genuine ticket sellers with real wind at their backs to build solid careers going forward.

WHY THIS YEAR?

I think probably the number one reason is because Netflix needs Tony more than Tony needs Netflix. Don’t get me wrong. Netflix is still hot in stand up. They’re still the big dicked player in the paid streaming game. Especially seeing as how Showtime and Comedy Central tapped out, HBO got dry humped into being known as MAX, makes maybe four specials a year while also having some seriously shitty taste.  (Nikki Glaser? Really? Was Angelyne busy that week?)

The real thing though, as hot as Netflix is, the reason they had to make this Willy Wonka Oompa Loompa sized festival is because they know damn well their days with a massive amount of power in stand up streaming-ville are numbered.  They’re like Marvel, and Lucasfilms, trying to figure out where to go when they run out of stand up sidewalk. What do with their billions and their egos when this version of the party moves on. How to keep in the game without spending stupid money, which is how they got into it, but don’t seem to want to do that anymore.

They can make an unknown a little hot with their assortment packet fifteen minute Young Comedian type specials, but if you’re not steaming ahead full speed already with a couple killer Youtube specials or a hot podcast or podcast appearances first, (Matt Reeves, Leanne Morgan, Shane Gillis, etc) you can sadly have a dynamite one hour Netflix special and drop straight into the algorithm rabbit hole of Netflix’s custom made abyss. (Paul Virzi, Red Ollero, Brian Simpson,  Donell)  and I dare you to find Speshy Weshy or whatever that was called up there . A funny but a ‘not yet known stand up’ can see his dream of a Netflix special come true, only to come to feel he was better off projecting it to the neighbors on the broad side of his parents garage. The need to today get on Netflix feels similar to a comic ten years ago longing for a sitcom pilot or a tonight show spot. She needed it because it was what the people coming up before her had and did. The trail that was taken earlier, but it wasn’t the necessarily best way one to grow or to bloom on.

DOESN’T MAKE IT A BAD TRAIL

No, I’m not saying it’s not any good to have a Netflix special these days. It just means it isn’t what some newer comics think it is, and it won’t do for them what they hope it will. That’s a problem for them, and a bigger problem for Netflix. Not for the big names. Netflix is still the place for them for now as long as they continue to pay something for the big names, and they need them to keep the subscribers up. The smarter stand ups on the trail behind the present day hot shots though will find other ways to make it to the top of the hill before they cash in on a Netflix special, if they ever do. They’ll do their own thing and give it away free on Youtube and Tubi and Pluto, and anywhere they can in order to sell tickets and build a fan base, get out there and tour, rinse and repeat, until they’re in the driver’s seat like a Matt Rife,  Leanne Morgan, or others have.

OR THEY’LL GET LUCKY AND TONY WILL PULL THEIR NAME FROM THE BUCKET

Killer shots on Tony Hinchcliffe, Rogan, Theo, Tiger Belly, Bad Friends, or Are You Garbage, can do more these days then a non-erupting Netflix special. Way more. A great weekend at Skankfest? Brian Holtzman has a strong Youtube special, Mothership love, Skankfest stench, twenty years of running up hill, with zero Netflix affection of any kind. He’s selling more tickets than a lot of comics that are Netflix’s new love children.

The paradigm has so shifted that it has made sense for Netflix to take a sledgehammer and a blowtorch and build their face into the side of  the Mount Rushmore of Stand up festivals just for the sake of relevancy with the new stand ups and the new fans that may be tuned into Netflix for now  but may already have a foot or two out the door. Getting the cream of the new crop to participate isn’t a done deal if Tony himself and Kill Tony aren’t front and center in your giant dog and pony show.  Having Tony at the head of the parade meant Netflix knew which way the wind was blowing. Other than Rogan who is unattainable, no one can help them slow the long slow march out of Berlin that is inevitably coming one way or another. No one. Not Jerry, not Ricky, Not even doubling down on Dave’s like Letterman and Chappelle.

There’s only one forward thinking move, and it’s Tony, and that’s the reason for the inauguration.

IT STARTED WITH A YOUTUBE THEATRE SHOW

A show that sold out faster than you can switch off a Hannah Gadsby special. (If that’s her on the cover. It may be Truman Capote.)

Tony and his new found buddies at Netflix, didn’t stop with instantly selling out the Youtube theatre. He went on to sell out the Forum then add a return to the main room of the Comedy Store for shits and giggles. He’s also going to be a main player I’m sure when he appears on his long time friend and early mentor Jeff Ross’s Tom Brady Roast which is live today on Netflix. So basically, all week is TONY HINCHCLIFFE IS NOT A JOKE WEEK.

It’s nice. Sweet. When I did the Comedy Store doc, we did a piece on Tony and he and I sat on the stage and he talked about how he built his show and his career from a doorman and up in the belly room with the help of Mitzi,  Joe Rogan, folks like Jeff Ross, and Whitney Cummings to become a major force at the store, but he was sure back then he needed Netflix or a network or someone to take him all the way. He didn’t. 

He and his pal Brian Redban built something so unique, that has grown so organically, that if Joe is in fact the Johnny Carson for stand ups today, Kill Tony is the new SNL and it’s just getting started. He’s not only made himself a powerhouse, he’s going to make another fifty or so others forces to be reckoned with before he’s done. Watch.

THEY WILL COME KNOCKING

Someone at one of these monster corporate tech studio gorilla’s is going to come knocking very soon to get a piece of Tony. I don’t know who it is. Apple? Spotify? Hulu? Google? Youtube? Netflix? Kleenex?

I do know that’s the way it works now. They wait for you to build it, then they come in and pay. I will say this to my friend, Tony, don’t just say yes. You’ve worked too hard. You have something too important. Think it over long and well, and when you say yes, make them pay, of course, but more importantly make them do it your way. You’re worth it. You’re like Halley’s comet. A hot new phenom comic comes along every year or two. A star making comedy vehicle with a voice, a base, an innate forward sense of the media, the medium, and art form?

Once every 75-79 years.

If they don’t understand that, they’re too rich, too old, or too stupid, and you want nothing to do with them.

Congratulations!

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This is a great story. One because it’s unique, and a tad ironic, but more because she’s truly funny. Seriously strong. I try to stay out of the whole feminist, race, ‘if this were a white guy’ quizzes, but seriously, watch this set of hers on Don’t Tell Comedy. It’s strong as hell. I put it up against the first one you saw Shane Gillis do, the first one I saw Bill Hicks do, and a lot of others were I immediately bent the knee. She’s in that league.

Watch the set, read the LA TIMES piece on her. She’s pretty damn great.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-04-17/how-leslie-liao-left-netflixs-hr-department-to-return-as-a-rising-star-in-stand-up-comedy

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Who knows? Stand up is funny. She may have done great?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13168997/Dylan-Mulvaney-reboot-career-standup-comic-conservative-Bud-Light.html

@dylanmulvaney

BACK ON MY STAND UP COMEDY GAME

♬ original sound – Dylan Mulvaney

Also, if you’re in LA. Monday night, come to the Laugh Factory for a great show. An amazing line up. We’re building up the Monday night show, so come on out and support! Thanks.

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And also next Sunday, I’m at the Improv with Jimmy Shin and a group of very funny loons. Come on down;

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This is just a shout out to You Tube, make some rules and stick with them, will you? There’s a lot at stake to a lot of stand ups.  Watch this, or watch Fahim Anwar’s message. Or even better, watch his fantastic new special up on You Tube now.

If you’re in LA come see us tomorrow night for a great show at the Hwd Laugh Factory.

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