If Comedian’s gave up their Day Jobs
Published: 6th June, 2011
ADVERTISING FEATURE
EVER wondered what a comedian would have done if he or she didn’t end up following their chosen career? Many people believe that being a stand up comic is a calling; like being a priest but with cheaper dressing rooms and added hecklers.
Take, for example, Eddie Izzard. If he wasn’t wowing people on stage with his extravagant dress and surreal sense of humour he would make an excellent teacher. Imagine a class run by Izzard, full of jokes about cats; all delivered with excellent comic timing.
Most comedians’ are particularly happy clowns, laughing and joking their way through an otherwise depressing outlook, but this is not always the case, Jack Dee being a case in point. Even so, it seems comedy is like an antidote to any comedian’s situation, almost as vital as breathing itself.
Michael McIntyre famously confessed in his recent autobiography that trying to break into comedy nearly bankrupt him. He said in a Daily Mail article in 2009 “I was £40,000 in debt-credit cards, loans, all that, with absolutely no assets, and often no way of actually meeting the rent. It was at the point where they were cutting up my credit cards in front of me in shops”. He turned all of this heartache into the comedy that he delivered on stage.
What a quick turn-around comedy proved to be for McIntyre, who is now one of the biggest earning British comics. He says he never thought of comedy as his path, even after watching his father’s stuff (who was also a comedy writer). After his stint on Britain’s Got Talent, McIntyre may prove that he has a lot more aces up his sleeve and perhaps TV presenting will be his next big gig.
As for other comedians, Jay Larson recently tweeted: “If I wasn’t a comedian I’d work at the jewellery counter somewhere, I love the little door”. Although nobody is too sure how seriously a tweet should be taken, it is fair to say that most comedians probably have hidden passions or other talents that they put to one side to pursue comedy.
Many comedians initially dream of being actors. Russell Brand is the perfect example of this having attended drama school as a child. He kept plugging away on stage before success with TV presenting and then, finally comedy led to Hollywood.
Ricky Gervais is another excellent comic who did not always want to be a comedian. He sang with the unsuccessful group Seona Dancing in the 80s, which he now regards as an important lesson in failure. Without the support of his parents, Gervais plugged away, even when he was on the dole eventually earning his big break by writing the smash hit sitcom “The Office”.
All the greatest comics can boast sold out concerts to their name, but it is not always so easy for the lesser lights of the comedy scene. Many artists have thought about different career paths or have even given up comedy entirely to take a more reliably paying job. Who knows, the person that serves you dinner next week could have been the next Spike Milligan.
When comedian Lucy Porter was asked what she would do if she were not a comic she said: “I honestly don’t think I could do anything else; I’ve been out of the labour market too long. I harbour a secret desire to go back to university, do a social anthropology course and make documentaries”.
While for some comic’s tours and gigs is their life, for others there are other ways to satisfy their comedy muse, such as by writing, acting or producing.
Lighten up your summer by checking out some live acts at one of nine highlight venues found across the UK and support up and coming comics as they attempt to break through to the mainstream.
Then again, if you have a slight penchant for comedy and see yourself as the next Michael McIntyre or Russell Howard, what better way to learn than to check out quality live shows for yourself!