rant · moment 4 of 15
The Warm-Up Comic Who 'Makes It Work'
from It's A Small World After All · #79
Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.
5 minTim tells a long story about hanging out with an anonymous, well-paid warm-up comic for a big show who seems miserable and keeps justifying his life with hollow phrases like "what else do I need" and "you make it work," including a bit about the guy's wife cheating on him.
- 5:33A warm-up comic at a major late-night show makes good money but doesn't seem happy in the position.
- 6:17Tim compares the resentment a warm-up comic feels to watching other comedians perform actual sets on the show they're warming up.
- 7:01When Tim speaks to this warm-up comic, the guy doesn't seem thrilled and keeps saying things like 'I got wine, I got Chinese food, what else do I need?'
- 7:38Someone who constantly asks 'what else do I need' is trying to convince themselves not to commit suicide, not someone who has everything they want.
- 8:04The warm-up comic defended his wife having affairs defensively, saying it takes the pressure off him so he can watch TV shows.
- 8:37When Tim asked if the kids get sensitive about the situation, the comic replied 'you make it work' — accepting a bad situation rather than changing it.
- 9:09Taking a stable, well-paying comedy job is like accepting golden handcuffs — you make deals and get stuck.
- 9:36Tim explains that after having a great job for a while, people believe it will lead to other opportunities, but often it does not.
- 9:58The warm-up comic asked Tim 'what do you want' in a weird, heavy way, suggesting he's become a shell of himself.
- 10:16Even with something good and stable in comedy, the job rips out your soul and leaves you wanting a streaming show, a TV show, or an actual fanbase.
warm up comicslate night showscomedy industry deal-making