It's Good To Be King
Looking For A Few Good Comedians
Oct 5th
The Rodney Kings Of Comedy are looking for a few good new comedians who are willing to travel to Staten Island, show up on time, perform, be funny, not destroy equipment, not shit on the room or the gig and help build a show into a paying gig and a franchise that will be fun and profitable for all. I may forget my act or the birthdays of all my friends but I never forget a comic who no shows, shows up late, cancels at the last minute because a better gig came up. I also never EVER forget loyalty. I remember the comics who do their job, book me on their shows as a polite gesture for giving them stagetime. One day I will be producing a show that pays and the people I am going to book are the people who are funny, loyal and professional NOW!!! If you are booked on a Rodney Kings Of Comedy show you are usually not obligated to bring guests but you are expected to INVITE guests. It is unacceptable to keep the show you are booked on a secret. I expect booked comedians to invite their friends and fans from the area even if those people don’t show up. At least try. I’m not really asking for much. Don’t complain that there’s no stage time out there besides open mics! The Rodney Kings Of Comedy will be on hiatus from Thanksgiving 2011-March 2012. If you want to apply to be a Rodney King Of Comedy in Spring 2012 please send videos of your comedy to my facebook or to my email monkeypants@si.rr.com . If you are a new comedian and you want to know what open mics are good for your needs and what bookers are fair and which aren’t send me an e-mail. I’m always around to help. There will be some good theme parties with giveaways, prizes, special guests & cash contests coming up so stay tuned. -Joseph James
R.I.P. Martini Red
Nov 12th
The Rodney Kings Of Comedy were going to have a 2 year anniversary show in Nov. 2010 but it turns out that Martini Red has been sold and is closing down. If I had known sooner I would have tried to find another venue. Since I am a comedian/garbage collector/snow removal whore I won’t really be able to book many shows over the winter. This will not stop the Rodney Kings Of Comedy from having shows in the future but it is a blow to me personally. Martini Red is the where I did my 1st open mic and probably my 2nd-25th. I started performing there back in spring 2004. I was still going to there on Monday nights whenever I could to do 10 minutes. I figured out a trick in the last 2 years, that if signed up and went on last most hosts would let me go on as long as I wanted to if there was still audience in the back room. I performed one night for over 45 minutes because the couple of people who were back there were still laughing and hanging on to my every word. I had orginally wanted The Rodney Kings Of Comedy to be a regular group of 5 or 6 comics and only substitute comics when regulars couldn’t make it. Eventually those original regulars phased themsevles out of the group and were replaced with new regulars, kind of like a season 1 cast and a season 2 cast with some guests each season. The only thing each show had in common was that I was on them and they were all at Martini Red. I’ve had other great nights at Martini Red seeing friends bands or dancing in a full room of people to an 80’s or dance dj. I’ve met a lot of great people and performed there for countless hours. I’ve booked and performed with a lot of funny, hardworking comedians, friends and former friends. It’s time to move on. R.I.P. Martini Red.
-Mr Monday Nite, Joseph James
The Rodney Kings Of Comedy 1-23-10 Joseph James & Le Le
Jan 26th
Your Host:
Still Hosting
(Below) Our Headliner, the craziest black guy I know or the blackest crazy guy I know, LE LE!!!
(Below) The Comedy Of Amy Carlson
Joseph James Web Interview With Comedian Amy Carlson
Joseph: ”What’s the most degrading thing you’ve ever done for stagetime, besides coming to Staten Island to be on The Rodney Kings Of Comedy?”
Amy: “Coming to Staten Island to be on The Rodney Kings Of Comedy is the most degrading thing I’ve ever done. Second most degrading would be pretending to like a guy who used to book me because I wanted the gigs, but I thought he was just the worst most miserable pile of swill on this planet and not at all funny. I must not have done a good job of pretending because he doesn’t book me anymore.”
Joseph : “Do you feel that you’re competing with the other female comics, with all the comics out there, or not competing at all (for money, gigs, stagetime)?”
Amy: “I feel like I am competing with the other females in a way because there are so few of us out there in comparison to the men. The good news is there are even fewer of us who are thought of as even marginally funny. In general I don’t think about competition because that’s not why I got into comedy. I don’t think I’m better than anyone and I don’t think anyone is necessarily better than me (at this level). We’re all out here trying to do the same thing and we each have a unique perspective to offer.”
Joseph : “ How do you feel about hecklers? Have you been heckled? How have you handled it?”
Amy: “Hecklers can be fun or they can be so disruptive that they ruin the show. I have dealt with both. I usually try to acknowledge a heckler and move on. It’s impossible to ignore them but you can’t let them steal your thunder. Most of the time you can shut them up with a good comeback that they are not smart or quick enough to come up with a good response to, and then you can go back into your material. ”
Joseph : “What’s unique about you and your comedy that should make fans come out and see you?”
Amy: “I don’t really know the answer to that yet, because at this stage I don’t really feel that I have found “my comedic voice”. I like raunch and I like pointing out the absurdities in life. I don’t know if that’s unique but I think it makes for a good show. I’d go see me.”
Joseph : “Who do you think is the most talented undiscovered comedy talent out there (not counting you or I of course).”
Amy: “There are actually two that come to mind. The first is Geno Bisconte. He’s not really undiscovered, he has a lot of credits and is well known in certain circles, but I think he should be getting a lot more recognition than he does. I hope he will soon. He’s really great. The second one, who is truly undiscovered, is Simeon Goodson. He’s fucking amazing and I expect to see big things from him in the future.”
Joseph : “Thanks Amy!”
For more of Amy check out www.myspace.com/smokespree
