By Slade Ham
I wrote something about the Houston comedy scene a while back, and while I will definitely not take credit for the change, I have seen a change here since then. Quickly too, and not in a way that negated anything I said previously, but in the way where the wheat separates itself from the chaff, and the chaff (whatever chaff is) falls to the wayside.
And in the process, I’ve picked up a few things about myself as well.
I’ve reached a point in my career where I am no longer struggling at the bottom, no longer hoping that I can turn this into something that makes me a living. I’ve done that. I’ve jumped that hurdle. Still, there’s a point where you get reminded that being really good at something and being invincible are two different things.
My feature act, Sam Demaris, reminds me of that constantly when we’re on the road. Every time he pulls off a joke that I haven’t been able to make work, every time he hands me a hot crowd that I wasn’t sure could be won over, every time he hands me a well-crafted tag that I somehow overlooked. Every time he does that, I am reminded that there are things other people can do that I might not be able to. It’s a weird thing, because I’ve been working with Sam since he was an emcee and now I get to look at him as an equal.
Over the last few months, I tossed myself into the ring with a group of what I consider open mikers. Cockiness will let you do that. If nothing else, it was supposed to be free money and a chance to get a lot of face time on a documentary being shot about The Laff Stop’s Funniest Person in Houston Contest. The problem was that somewhere along the way, I let myself forget that this sort of thing is exactly what I’ve been fighting to be bigger than. Don’t misunderstand, it’s not a regret or an excuse. In fact, it is exactly what I needed.
It’s like watching a shark enter a hot dog eating contest at a state fair. Just because the shark is an apex predator in its environment doesn’t mean that it’s going to be any good when it comes to hot dogs. When you remove the things that make a shark a shark from the equation and put it’s food on a plate… when you remove its ability to do what it does – swim, hunt, kill – it really doesn’t matter that the shark is good at eating stuff. It’s not going to win. There’s always some little Asian kid that sits around and eats hot dogs all day.
And last night I had my ass handed to me by three kids that I honestly was not very worried about. It didn’t happen because I had a lack of respect for what they do, but because I was confused about what I do.
Over the last decade, I’ve learned some things about comedy from some amazingly talented people. I’ve worked really hard to develop a show that goes somewhere, that interlocks moments from my life together to create a bigger picture. Stories and observations that are uniquely mine, interwoven with punch lines and twists, that get brought together at the end of an hour in a way that hopefully gives whoever is the audience a better idea of who I am than they had when walked up there.
I don’t know how to do that in ten minutes. I’ve cultivated skills over the last few years that have forced me to sacrifice certain other skills. I’ve traded the short game for the long one. It makes it no less humbling however when those you have taught blow you out of the water. That’s the other weird thing. Of the three that won last night, I have had a solid hand in coaching at least two of them. I don’t care how much going out like I did last night frustrates me, there remains a sense of pride in watching those three bring it home.
And don’t get me wrong, this scene is still littered with a ton of bullshit hacks with miscounted delusions of grandeur, but there are now a few that might have what it takes to pick up the torch when a certain group of us sets it down.
And…my ego is still intact. More intact actually, I think. As proud of them as I am, I will probably still rub in the fact that beating me once doesn’t make you a pro. Ha Ha. And in typical fashion, Sam suggested to me last night, “Just close your first special with the phrase, ‘And not even in the Top 3? Seriously?’…”
Congratulations to Chase Duroussaeu (first place winner), John Gard (second place), and Ryan Thauburn (third place). Go look them up. If there is a chance for Houston to make a mark in the future, one of them will probably be leading the charge.
After me that is.
