Chapter 1: The Seed
Figuring out that I wanted to be a comic in the 1970's was not easy for me.
Presbyterians from small towns don't really know how to jump into the lights of show business. Although my grandfather did do 2 vaudeville tours back in the early 20's as a "hoofer", before he settled down.
Growing up in the 60's I loved watching Red Skelton with my Grandmother. And I would always hope there would be a comic on THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW on Sunday nights. Bill Cosby was the best, and I loved Bob Newhart , and George Carlin .
When George Carlin did his bit WONDERFUL WINO, with Al Sleet the Hippy-Dippy weatherman, it just made me giddy. He was definitely not Alan King . He was outrageous and funny. I was in high school when AM/FM came out. I didn't have any rock LP's but I had all of Carlin's records.
As a performer I did whatever plays I could in high school and performed with the school chorus, and church choir. A seed was inside of me, but I didn’t really know what it was a seed of. I knew I wanted to do something, but what?
I went off to THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA after graduating high school. I remember walking into the theater during while they were auditioning for some play; they all seemed to be having a lot of fun. I was studying whatever you study when you first go to college, I was telling myself I had to study science or math or something that sounded like college. I walked out and I was unhappy, I didn’t want to be in college. I dropped out and I enlisted in the ARMY.
When I enlisted in the Army I was trained as a TV production specialist, but I wanted to be in front of the camera. I remember being home on leave at some point and seeing Freddy Prinze go on THE TONIGHT SHOW, and become a star. I watched it with my father. How does a guy the same age as me get to do something like that? How does it happen? I WANT TO DO THAT!
The Army kept seeing me as a potential Officer. They sent me to the West Point Prep School. I finished the year but it was during the talent show that I had my greatest night. I did stand-up for the first time at a talent show and killed with a set of; teacher impersonations, fart jokes, a stolen line from Bob Hope that alluded to the Washington monument looking like the government giving the "bird" to the rest of the country, all mixed in with a liberal splash of Bill Cosby’s delivery.
It was also at the Prep School that I heard Richard Pryor for the first time. One of the black guys in my Platoon would listen to his records. (I have to admit, that I really didn't "get" Richard at that time, eventually that would change). I also saw the Movie LENNY , and it was compelling. The lifestyle, the hipness, the antihero image, and saying wild things that got you in trouble, it resonated. I wanted to cause some trouble too.
I started West Point in the summer of 1975. I joined the Cadet acting troop and was a chorus member of both THE MUSIC MAN and ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, as well as a non-speaking role in THE DEVIL'S DISCIPLE. My plebe year was the same year that SNL started, we were not allowed to watch TV, but somewhere I saw an episode, and it was adding fertilizer to the seed in me. New Years I was at someone's house who had this new thing called HBO, and they showed some comedy specials, one was Robert Kline , one was Steve Martin , and one was from THE COMEDY STORE, (I remember it had Bob Shaw and Tim Thomerson on it) and I was mesmerized. I remember doing another smaller talent show for my company, this time I was making fun of the Tactical Officer in front of the Company, and it wasn't very funny.
The next thing I knew Freddy Prinze was dead and I just knew that if I didn't try and pursue my dream I would regret it for the rest of my life. I resigned from the Academy in February 1977.
I went to Florida Atlantic University as a Theatre Major, and in 13 months I had done a bunch of plays and still I wanted so much more. It was during this time that I started doing talent contests at bars in South Florida. I went to one show, it started at 9 and I was there at 8. I saw the audience come in, the place filled up, the acts all went up one after another. "When am I going up?" I asked. "Later" he said. Eventually the audience started to leave, he put me up after the audience was gone, while the bar crew was cleaning up, and I stood there and did my act.
Steve Martin was now a mega star, the biggest thing going, I must have listened to his album “Let’s Get Small” a hundred times God it was funny. I am sure that many of the Comics of my generation are doing it because he just made it look, possible.
I found a place in Fort Lauderdale, a nightclub, FRIENDS, and they had a talent contest on Sunday nights hosted by a ventriloquist, PETER MICHAELS (later PETER HEFTY ) and his dummy JUSTIN. I went up and won one night. I came back a lot and he let me perform guest sets. One night I saw a guy go up and do a set and just kill, he had a real polish to his act, his name was TED HOLUM and we spoke after the show. He was a comic from Chicago. It was March of 78 and he told me about the comedy scene that existed in the Chicago area. THE CHICAGO HYSTERICAL SOCIETY. He said he had 2 clubs, THE COMEDY WOMB (where comedians are born) and THE COMEDY COTTAGE. He said if I moved up there he would let me do 10 SETS PER WEEK!!!!! There was no money but I COULD DO 10 SETS PER WEEK!!!
I dropped out of FAU and was gone within 2 weeks. My father was disappointed. My mother was worried. And I was going to try and do what I had always wanted to do, even before I even knew how to say it, I was going to be a COMEDIAN.
Presbyterians from small towns don't really know how to jump into the lights of show business. Although my grandfather did do 2 vaudeville tours back in the early 20's as a "hoofer", before he settled down.
Growing up in the 60's I loved watching Red Skelton with my Grandmother. And I would always hope there would be a comic on THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW on Sunday nights. Bill Cosby was the best, and I loved Bob Newhart , and George Carlin .
When George Carlin did his bit WONDERFUL WINO, with Al Sleet the Hippy-Dippy weatherman, it just made me giddy. He was definitely not Alan King . He was outrageous and funny. I was in high school when AM/FM came out. I didn't have any rock LP's but I had all of Carlin's records.
As a performer I did whatever plays I could in high school and performed with the school chorus, and church choir. A seed was inside of me, but I didn’t really know what it was a seed of. I knew I wanted to do something, but what?
I went off to THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA after graduating high school. I remember walking into the theater during while they were auditioning for some play; they all seemed to be having a lot of fun. I was studying whatever you study when you first go to college, I was telling myself I had to study science or math or something that sounded like college. I walked out and I was unhappy, I didn’t want to be in college. I dropped out and I enlisted in the ARMY.
When I enlisted in the Army I was trained as a TV production specialist, but I wanted to be in front of the camera. I remember being home on leave at some point and seeing Freddy Prinze go on THE TONIGHT SHOW, and become a star. I watched it with my father. How does a guy the same age as me get to do something like that? How does it happen? I WANT TO DO THAT!
The Army kept seeing me as a potential Officer. They sent me to the West Point Prep School. I finished the year but it was during the talent show that I had my greatest night. I did stand-up for the first time at a talent show and killed with a set of; teacher impersonations, fart jokes, a stolen line from Bob Hope that alluded to the Washington monument looking like the government giving the "bird" to the rest of the country, all mixed in with a liberal splash of Bill Cosby’s delivery.
It was also at the Prep School that I heard Richard Pryor for the first time. One of the black guys in my Platoon would listen to his records. (I have to admit, that I really didn't "get" Richard at that time, eventually that would change). I also saw the Movie LENNY , and it was compelling. The lifestyle, the hipness, the antihero image, and saying wild things that got you in trouble, it resonated. I wanted to cause some trouble too.
I started West Point in the summer of 1975. I joined the Cadet acting troop and was a chorus member of both THE MUSIC MAN and ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, as well as a non-speaking role in THE DEVIL'S DISCIPLE. My plebe year was the same year that SNL started, we were not allowed to watch TV, but somewhere I saw an episode, and it was adding fertilizer to the seed in me. New Years I was at someone's house who had this new thing called HBO, and they showed some comedy specials, one was Robert Kline , one was Steve Martin , and one was from THE COMEDY STORE, (I remember it had Bob Shaw and Tim Thomerson on it) and I was mesmerized. I remember doing another smaller talent show for my company, this time I was making fun of the Tactical Officer in front of the Company, and it wasn't very funny.
The next thing I knew Freddy Prinze was dead and I just knew that if I didn't try and pursue my dream I would regret it for the rest of my life. I resigned from the Academy in February 1977.
I went to Florida Atlantic University as a Theatre Major, and in 13 months I had done a bunch of plays and still I wanted so much more. It was during this time that I started doing talent contests at bars in South Florida. I went to one show, it started at 9 and I was there at 8. I saw the audience come in, the place filled up, the acts all went up one after another. "When am I going up?" I asked. "Later" he said. Eventually the audience started to leave, he put me up after the audience was gone, while the bar crew was cleaning up, and I stood there and did my act.
Steve Martin was now a mega star, the biggest thing going, I must have listened to his album “Let’s Get Small” a hundred times God it was funny. I am sure that many of the Comics of my generation are doing it because he just made it look, possible.
I found a place in Fort Lauderdale, a nightclub, FRIENDS, and they had a talent contest on Sunday nights hosted by a ventriloquist, PETER MICHAELS (later PETER HEFTY ) and his dummy JUSTIN. I went up and won one night. I came back a lot and he let me perform guest sets. One night I saw a guy go up and do a set and just kill, he had a real polish to his act, his name was TED HOLUM and we spoke after the show. He was a comic from Chicago. It was March of 78 and he told me about the comedy scene that existed in the Chicago area. THE CHICAGO HYSTERICAL SOCIETY. He said he had 2 clubs, THE COMEDY WOMB (where comedians are born) and THE COMEDY COTTAGE. He said if I moved up there he would let me do 10 SETS PER WEEK!!!!! There was no money but I COULD DO 10 SETS PER WEEK!!!
I dropped out of FAU and was gone within 2 weeks. My father was disappointed. My mother was worried. And I was going to try and do what I had always wanted to do, even before I even knew how to say it, I was going to be a COMEDIAN.