Recently, a friend informed me that he was “resigning” from standup comedy. He cited the reasons (paraphrasing) as a loss of interest and not taking it seriously enough. I wish him the best, and I guess many people quit comedy-careers to move on, but how? What does it mean to quit comedy? As I approached 50 years of age, I dipped my toe into the comedy-quicksand. I began writing as mid-life-crisis therapy, and as I continued to write, I felt compelled to hear my material on the stage. Within a year, I discovered my passion for standup. I have progressed at a rate which I consider adequate and realistic. Not an overnight success, but good enough to earn the respect of my comedic friends. Money and fame don’t matter so long as I’m improving. Unfortunately, I fully expect to become a great comic around the time I lose the physical ability to perform. It’s an inevitable congruence. I could devote more hours to the craft, but I’ve found that it takes time for comedic-maturity to come to me, so I’m limited in how fast I can grow.
I cannot imagine my life without comedy. I cannot imagine how anyone that has the passion, can quit. I’m interested to see how long it takes my friend to find an open mic. My bet is 4-6 months. I’m an addict; I’ll die if I can’t be part of this industry. If I suck, so be it! I’ll be a suck-ass comedian till they kick me out! If I’m good, you’ll eventually hear about me. If I’m somewhere in between, I’ll need therapy, but I won’t stop. When I joined the workshop @ Comedy Zone / Jax, I was told that there are no qualifiers; I am now officially a comedian. At the time, I thought it was a BS pronouncement and I didn’t take it seriously. Now I realize that when someone enters this field, they can’t leave! It’s like the Mafia; it becomes your life! I’ve heard Baptist friends say: “If you lose your salvation, you never had it.” I guess if you quit comedy, you never loved it!
UPDATE: It took slightly longer but, he’s back!