Mission Statements

[jester]

Scot said:

"Pretension is telling people you are there to entertain them when you just want therapy and to get some special message to them about how lesbianism is great.

I think a lot of people are tired of that "Everyone's different"-"The government sucks"-"I'm smarter than you" comedy. Why are they still laughing at it? Because they need to laugh. They prefer something better.

I want to give people an escape from the crap in their lives: politics, commercialism, racism, bocacciolism, the kids, the parents, etc."

His Mission Statement said:

"Scot Nery is a creative juggler and producer of various entertainment devices. He crafts and performs shows focused on the end result of audience enjoyment.

Other performers may seek a political outlet or group therapy, scot just wants to make you feel good.

[jester]

Scotts mission statement is very interesting as it opens up the old argument about Alternative Comedy.

Alternative Comedians (I mean the original comics in the 80s, not the contemporary comics who carry that badge today.) were accused of carrying a message or of being "politically correct."

Actually they were politically correct but as Ade Edmundson and Rick Mayall demonstrate, they weren't about spreading a message, they were just not in favour of endorsing or promoting bigotry, offensive stereotypes and lazy comedy conventions.

Scotts mission statement implies that he resents artistic aspirations in performance and that there is something wrong with that. I think this comes from a feeling that perhaps these performers are looking down on him.

Todays comedians often look down upon us street performers because we use props. I know that whenever I perform in a comedy club the comics make awfull assumptions about me when they see my costume.

I personally think that higher artistic aspirations are often successful in performance, and that it should be encouraged.

Scotts statement is certainly "anti-intellectual" in my opinion. Many of the "old guard" comics were very "anti intellectual" in the 80s in Britain. We were about 15 years behing the states who went through this in the late 60s.

Intelligent performances are not necessarily about propaganda, sometimes there are things that need to be said, over and over again. I think while we laugh audiences need to be reminded that all isn't right in the world, but we have the power to help make it better.

[scot]

Mostly I see that extra stuff as content audiences often aren't asking for. I get bored with it. I don't care about a lot of comedians opinions who are usually self-centered and unphilosophical.

I assume there are plenty of other people who agree with me, or at least, wouldn't mind some uncut comedy.

The statement on the front page of my site is aimed at my future audience and fans. It's not to get bookings or express my importance in the performing community.

If you see me perform, you'll notice "artistry." My art is mental-escape and comedy. Many people in the know have said that my comedy style is all mine and that no one else could do a show successfully the way I do.

I like art, and appreciate the subjectivity of it. I don't condone or enjoy using that subjectivity as an excuse for poor craftsmanship.

Activism is a nuisance (not unnecessary) and does not fit in with the experience I try to create.

Subjectivity and activism in comedy are found well placed with Doug Stanhope; but I can't think of another comedian right now who couldn't benefit from a nip and tuck in that area, and I've seen a lot of comedians.

Scot

[Airborne Dan]

Hey Jester, Scott,

Get a fucking room!

[scot]

Dan,
You know more about joke history than I do since you're both a joke and history. Was "get a room" ever funny?
Scot

[newyorkstreetdean]

not to sound pretentious, but;

Scot (sp?), "get a room" was indeed quite funny at one point up to somewhere around 7th grade. But if you are very careful, you will notice that Dan did not tell you to "get a room". He said to "Get a fucking room!".
You see, the added "fucking" and the added "!" makes the old "get a room" quite funny. Clearly a comedic scholar able to use their comedy (or art) as a "mental-escape", a person who most certainly, or so you have told us has "'artistery'" of said art can respect the pedagogue that Dan has displayed.
Or maybe Dan is saying that comedic "mission statements" are ment to be broken.
Perhaps Dan is just telling you to relax, yes even in regards to the way people spell your name.
Or, the most obscure of possibilities, maybe Dan was just making a fucking joke. Did he use too much subjectivity or activism for you?

[scot]

nice post. seriously. All except one word. I didn't know what pedagogue meant either until I just looked it up.

[Airborne Dan]

Here, here! And a triple word score to newyorkstreetdean for using pedagogue in a post on pnet!

[martin ewen]

I have no idea how old you are scot but I'm of the opinion that at some point you'll look back on

"Other performers may seek a political outlet or group therapy, scot just wants to make you feel good."
And smile in an uneasy, self depreciating way.

The humour as I see it is how stridently you strive to be shallow.
Gay san-fran jokes are a nano particle away from the use of a rubber chicken.
But as 'making you feel good' is your objective its all good.
Leaving the pressing need for strangers to feel good around you aside, what is it exactly that drives you to be the performer you are?
Perhaps the answer would make more fitting content for your mission statement.
Reacting against 'Other performers' dilutes YOUR ability to explain yourself. Unless your mission is to appeal consistantly to people who find thought painful.
If in fact it has nothing to do with you (laughable) and everything to do with your place on the earth being to make people feel good, then you would be a lot more affective training to be some sort of doctor or working at Starbucks.
Like the new bitter you though, now if you could just work it into your show.

[scot]

martin:
Para #1
26

Para #2
I always smile that way

Para #3
You're right. It's an old video, but what matters is not my artistic integrity as much as the audience's enjoyment.

"...you to be the performer you are?"
I want people to feel good.

"...ability to explain yourself."
I'm not reacting against other performers. I'm comparing myself. When I'm going to a show, I wonder how it will compare to other things I've seen -- keep in mind, the mission statement is for future audiences.

"...people who find thought painful."
Have you ever watched television? People love it.

At least 90% of the live shows I watch are set up as a continuation or a loose copy of what other shows are. Their promo follows a similar pattern. I'm trying to establish performances which have their roots in the seats. What I make on stage is derived from the things I've observed audiences want. Same goes for my promo.

I work on this stuff a lot and think about it constantly. You all might be right. Maybe the best way to do things is the way they are already done. I have a different theory and time will tell.

If you have more questions and counterpoints please post them here.

[Ivan Bellari]

rubber chicken

the rubberchicken is art at it's pinnacle
DO NOT MOCK THE RUBBER CHICKEN
it's funny...

no i don't know why ...

i do know that NYSdean used big words and now i am confused and hungry.

[jester]

Yes people love television, they love McDonalds. Lots of people loved Hitler, Breznev and Mussolinni.

Lots of people love allsorts of crap. Just giving people what they want in the here and now is not art. It is pandering to their frailties.

Art is about giving them a little more, and the truth is people love stuff to think about too. People like art. And some of the "light" stuff you see on TV is in fact more artistic than you would think.

The trouble with "Light" "Easy" stuff that panders to moronity is it is in fact normally manipulative and provided by people who are smart but sinister with many hidden subtexts and agendas. A bit like putting medicine in sweets.

I prefer my artists to work on an overt and not subliminal level rather than spread the notion of "we are powerless, political correctness is a bad thing, ignorance is good thing, blah blah blah."

[Evan Young]

putting the f back in art

art is about feelings, emotions, and all that kind of stuff. and it's not effective unless it manages to connect to people.
If you manage to make a connection and get a reactionary feeling of laughter and fun from a dick joke, it's effective art.
If you create an extreemly poiniant, creative, origional routien about somthing important to the health of the world; and it fails to entertain.... it's failed art.

Ever listen to a christian radio station? It drives me nuts how they use Jesus as an excuse to write songs that are clearly bad. I hear a lot of bad stuff on the radio, but the jesus songs arn't catchy or clever, or fun, or anything but bad.

On the same note, good political entertainment, comedy, whatever, can be exausting. David Cross is one of my favorate comedians, and he has some great, scathing, opinionated political comentary. I laugh my ass off and when I'm done I'm pissed off about stuff. On the other hand, I recently rented Ellen Degeneras' HBO special. I can't tell you how releived I was when she didn't say a damn thing about being gay. And, by the way, it's a really funny special. It's calm, relaxing, and I laughed my ass off.

I, personaly, can relate to scot's mission statment.

"I'm just an artist who understood his time." Pablo Picaso (I think)

[scot]

Art by it's definition isn't effective. Once art has an effect, it's useful and no longer

This site helps to define art.
I found it looking for Scott McCloud's Definition

Which is summarized there to this:

In short, all Art is completely useless. Note that not everything that is useless is Art; but to be a work of Art, a thing must have no practical value. A teapot is not a work of Art. A sterling sliver teapot with an intricately engraved design, an ebony handle, and gold accents is artistic, but it is not a work of art. After all, you can use it to make tea. Fill it with concrete, pound railroad spikes through it, encase it in Lucite, and it becomes Art. Likewise, a sword made of steel might be artistic; a sword made of glass is Art. (Yes, yes, you can certainly utilize a glass sword as a weapon, but you can also bash someone over the head with the Mona Lisa.)

[Airborne Dan]

Speaking of people who love Hitler, I had this nightmare one time wherein the Airborne Comedians get booked at a show in Somewhere, USA for an absurd amount of $. They treat my partner Joel and I with the upmost in hospitality. Stretch limo rides from the airport to the hotel and the show.

The show is to be held in a beautiful tent that seats about a thousand people. Inside the tent along with the thousand seats are state of the art lighting and sound.

There's a buzz in the air about our show that evening. People are very excited and so are we!

We're backstage about a half hour before we go on and we sit and stretch listening to the sold out crowd walking in to the tent.

I tell Joel I'm going to try to sneak a peek at the audience as they're filing in. I pull the curtain back just the slightest amount, I can see them. Then the horror.

They are all dressed in white sheets and either wearing or carrying a mask to match. Then I notice the few who aren't in white sheets are wearing Nazi uniforms.

"Oh my God, Joel, It's a fucking clan meeting" I tell Joel.

"Ha Ha, real funny."

"I'm not kidding...look".

Joel peeks through the curtain. "Holy shit"! He says. What are we going to do"?

"I don't know". I say.

Just then the emcee comes back stage and says, "you ready boys? All right then". He walks on stage to introduce us. "BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WELCOME TO THIS EVENING'S SHOW!" His voice comes booming through the P.A.. There's a great round of applause and cheering.

"What the hell can we do"? I say. We can't go on and perform for these people."

..."TONIGHT WE HAVCE AN ACT FOR YOU ALL THE WAY FROM BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS"...

"But what about all the money there paying us" I say?

..."YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE SOME OF THE MOST AMAZING JUGGLING YOU EVER WILL"...

"Yeah, and if we don't do the show, they'll probably lynch us" Joel replies.

..."HERE THEY ARE"...

"You're right, what the hell are we going to do"?

..."PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR"...

At that moment of most dire panic and indecision the solution comes to me, it's crystal clear and so obvious I can't believe we didn't think of it earlier.

..."THE AIRBORNE COMEDIANS"!

The curtain opens, there is thunderous applause. Then just as we are about to put my brilliant plan of escape into action... I wake up.