rant · moment 7 of 19
Long Island's Warped View of Show Business and a Stolen Joke Riot
from This Is No Way To Live · #72
Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.
3 minTim describes Long Islanders' outdated Rat Pack-era idea of showbiz success (Vegas as the pinnacle), then tells a story about a comedy contest audience rioting in favor of a guy who got caught stealing a joke.
- 22:28Tim describes Long Island's outdated view of show business success, where making it in Vegas is the benchmark of entertainment achievement.
- 22:52Vegas comedy clubs attract big names like Ray Romano, but Long Island people are still living in the Rat Pack era.
- 23:15Talking to Long Islanders reveals they're frozen in time, unable to grasp how modern entertainment actually works.
- 23:38Tim recounts being asked by dinner guests whether doing stand-up every night—constant rejection—doesn't just destroy the meaningful part of you.
- 24:16His favorite Long Island comedy story involves a comedian caught stealing a joke during a comedy contest.
- 24:33When the audience was told there was a question about originality on one of the jokes, they sided entirely with the joke thief.
- 24:55A guy in the crowd shouted "It depends how you tell it" in defense of the stolen joke, getting immediate uniform support.
- 25:07The crowd booed not the joke thief, but the decision to not let him win the round.
- 25:19Long Island's entire experience of comedy is based on how you tell a joke, not on whether you actually wrote it.