Kyle Cease

[RoyalDutchOfDukes]

Kevin, I applaud your restraint in not going for the tired "you live in your mom's basement and you're jealous" cliches and instead putting a fresh spin on it by implying that anyone who is making fun of your brother's endeavor is 17 and not serious about making money. Repeating the same slam over and over was good too! 12 points!

P.S. Thanks for letting me know that good comics don't put down other comics. I'll be sure to let David Cross know he needs to stop putting down Dane Cook and Larry The Cable Guy, I'm sure he'll be really embarrassed that he forgot such a elementary rule of comedy. That was in Robert Klein's Rules Of Order, right? I want to make sure so I can cite it for him in my email. You know, now that I think of it, that might be in the Friar's Code. If you could provide me with the correct source I'd really appreciate it, I don't want to embarrass myself.

[aenemaTron]

Don't bother with Robert Klein. Good comics know how to stop their legs.

[RoyalDutchOfDukes]

hey just wondering, are any of you paid working comics, or wait.. i dont mean like you made 50 dollars at a barmitzfah, I mean are any of you headliners? Im guessing not, because good comics don't put down other comics. I have a feeling that most of you are probably 17? Well check this out. We are doing this thing called Stand-Up bootcamp, and it will give you the opportunity to sit down for 2 full 8-10 hour days days (out of the 5) to actually be coached one-on one on your material by 6-8 different headliners, at about 2-4 hrs each person, (or more, its up to you). You can develop a real relationship with these people. Oh, and you will get booked in many places. also, you will become funny. Oh, and you will talk to allot of people and become motivated to make allot of money. Just thought you would like to know, maybe you will start to actually feel good about stand up. When that happens, you will suddenly be focused on your own career and life. It's really a good feeling. Oh, but just to let you all know, it's hard to get booked when your under 18. But don't worry! If you get involved and start becoming more positive to other people, by the time you hit 18 you will be really good and easily respected in the industry, because you will have had sooooooo much time learning and working on all of this.

You know what else strikes me as awesome about this post? It's always a really good idea to insult your audience and then try to sell them on something you want them to pay you money for! Like all those McDonald's commercials that have that guy yelling "Hey fatso! Come get a Big Mac, you pathetic lardass! Come on!"

I really want to go to this bootcamp now!

[scamboogah]

Don't bother with Robert Klein. Good comics know how to stop their legs.

Update your references, Tron, we're all 17 here.

Nice to see Kevin carrying the torch of Bill Kinison, Jim Belushi, and every other would-be forklift operator who turned a genetic lottery ticket into a lifetime of emulating Colonel Tom Parker....

[aenemaTron]

Just don't bust on Joe "Joey Bags" Birbiglia, he's one of the good ones.

[Trial]

Ladies and Gentleman, Cease and DeCease.

(Kyle and Kevin)

[RoyalDutchOfDukes]

Kevin, can you explain the hierarchy of stand-up comedy to me, an ignorant 17 year old? I can infer from your post that it's good to be a headliner, because apparently their opinions are worth more, but I'm not sure how one becomes a headliner other than paying other headliners money to pretend to be your friend and give you invaluable tips on how to become a household name like Kyle Cease. Also, at what point do you have the surgery to remove your sense of humor about yourself and what you do and then have your lips implanted directly onto Kyle's ass? I'm a little concerned about that part of it because I do have a heart condition and I'm afraid that might disqualify me from the program.

[Dogwelder]

I would love to hear Kevin Cease's review of an Andy Kindler set.

[Chase Roper]

I deleted some of my previous posts (placed 'deleted by user' in paranthesesi (like this one!)) because while I am a little bit at odds over how the bootcamp worked or didn't in my own life, I can't say that it is useless fro everyone. The experience I had was amazing, I want to reiterate that. But my angry posts earlier were more coming more from some frusterations over personal things w/ friends and didn't belong in a public forum.

Like someone said about a page back - the comedy bootcamp could easily be compared to a Tony Robbins event, and there are many people who love and need those sort of motivational workshops to push them to take action in their lives. Then again, if its not for you its not for you. But Lovitz, Callen, Byrn, Ernst, Anderson, Porter, and the like are excited about this thing - then it stands to reason that it can't be all bad for everyone, just maybe not for some.

Some of my favorite comics are negative toward other comics so I agree about David Cross, Andy Kindler, whoever else. I'd be willing to bet they weren't shitting on headliners when they themselves were starting out though. I think that's the basic point they are trying to make here.

Now I'm going to take Alex Mac up on drink offer. . .

[Kyle Cease]

Hi you guys. This is cool. Thank you for this thread. No one at all does not have to come that doesn't want to come. It is an offer that other people have really liked. It is different, new and exciting. I find it funny when people who haven't been there talk bad about it. That is like reviewing a movie that they haven't seen. Stu Baker went and featured in Seattle for me, emcee was Dartanion London, David Liu became a feature in both Seattle and Pittsburgh, Myke Dehu featured in Santa Barbara and is now a regular at the ICE House along with Roy Brewster, Shawna Whitlock, Jimmy Shaw, Stu Baker, others. Chet Wilde learned the skills to become a steady house emcee and is now working for a year straight. Masha Tivyan and Steve Monroe are headlining the jon lovitz comedy club and Halli Borgfjord is now running rooms in la, is a feature at Zanies in Chicago, and is being considered for naca. Chase Roper and I shot a video with Bret Ernst that was considered for an andy kaufman award. same with Shawna whitlock, who is also now working for me. These connections ended up happening for these people because they persued them, and made them with me at this event. The people who cared and showed drive really really made a lot happen with themselves.
I am at a point in my career where I feel that if we work together we can make a new boom in comedy with comics supporting other comics. It is the greatest connections you can have. You would rather have 100 comics supporting you over watching you fall. This is an opportunity. If you would rather keep your sense of connection here and slam me, thats totally cool. I love love love to help new comics and watch them actually succeed. It is fun to see. It is change and different for me, versus just watching comics suffer and acting like we are a competition. The reason amazon sells so many things is they say "Here are other books you would like." If comics did that, clubs would constantly be packed and there would be more of them in my opinion.

The next one has some great names who love to work with other comics, take them on the road, whatever. Also, Andy Kindler is one of my favorite comics. My favorite comics are Paul F tompkins, Kindler, Steve Martin, Louie CK, Patton Oswalt, david cross. The sentence that comedy central chose to put up was a parody of hacky comedy, not the actual joke. If you watched the whole set you would see that. I also have 4 year old youtube clips that you are commenting on and they are while I was still developing. Since they are a part of my life, I let them stay up here, sorry if you don't like them. Feel free to continue saying what you need to say, I do not care at all. It has been nice watching some of the links to your stand up and seeing what is out there. Best to you all. Kyle Cease

[scamboogah]

Thank you for cutting and pasting that heartfelt post.

[bao]

Is it me, or did Kyle Cease just take all of the fun out of this thread? Well, maybe not all of the fun …

I am in absolutely no position to say whether or not the Boot Camp is effective. However, I can make a couple of observations about the ad:

1. Is “Boot Camp” a little strong for this thing? I was imagining R. Lee Ermey or even Warren Oates, but … between Louie Anderson and Kyle Cease this is more like a pajama party presided over by Dr. Phil and Leo Buscaglia. But, then, who wouldn’t love to have Gunnery Sergeant Hartman get in their face and tell them how “amazing” they are? I guess this is what Boot Camp looks like when you pay by the hour.

2. Was Biff from Back to the Future just up in my grill?

3. To what degree is this just a mediated way for people to pay for stage time? Two times we’re shown in the video that we can get stage time just for being at the Boot Camp, without anyone seeing our material beforehand. Seems to be the selling point.

4. Is that Ant doling out advice with the gravity of Beano Cook? I haven’t seen someone that unfunny be that smug since … well, since the last time I watched Last Comic Standing.

5. Kevin Cease has a killer smoke machine. Speaking of which, is it just me, or does Kevin Cease look like what would happen if John Mark Karr got raped by Kip Winger’s stubble beard? If only he had Winger’s sense of humor. Sorry, but look at the bright side: at least I’m not putting down any comedians.

All in good fun … (seriously)

EDIT: Please note that I realize points 2,4, and 5 are just ugly cheapshots. Don't take them personally, they are there for humor. And, yes, I realize that Biff makes more money than me.

[RoyalDutchOfDukes]

Bao can I go to your comedy boot camp? We can make each other BFF bracelets and give each other unlimited stage-time...in our hearts.

[James Smann]

Holy fuck! It's like an atom bomb of words exploded in this thread.

My only observations on all of this are as follows.

-I'm 29 years old

-I attended a comedy workshop when I was 19 or 20

-They didn't call it a bootcamp. But they did pretty much the same things as this "bootcamp" (callback) says it does. Except at that time Chris Titus was all the rage and he and his agent were present at the showcases we put on every night. That was cool meeting him and his agent at the time was really a swell guy. I have no problems with people taking this workshops to work on material, find inspiration, learn about the industry, etc.

-All the above being said, I've also learned that tons of knowledge can be gleaned by simply performing, or creating comedy. I started "doing comedy" about 10 years ago, and the workshop was a blip on my Experience Radar. I'm still not known, not headlining, and outside of a few hundred people in the world, not many know me or my material. So who the fuck's to say what's right, wrong or indifferent in trying to "make it" as a paid comic.

-Brother Cease seems like an absolute cockface and Kyle would do well to not let his brother be his Internet Spokesman. Kyle comes off, at the very least, as someone who you don't want to pee on his feet when he's not paying attention.

-Fuck you, faggots.

[Alex Mac]

Is it me, or did Kyle Cease just take all of the fun out of this thread? Well, maybe not all of the fun …

Permit me, then, to take some of the fun away for a minute and really weigh this thing down. Sorry in advance, guys!

My general problem here is not with Kyle or his comedy. In fact, in the first parts of this thread, I talk about how I genuinely like some of what Kyle does because he has the confidence to just do it.

What I do take offense to, however, is the implication that my objection to the idea of the "bootcamp" and the general beating that Alec got from Kevin and the others somehow makes me disrespectful or even ignorant. I don't like the idea that standup can be given this "8 Simple Steps!" approach because I think it is an organic and living art. To boil it down to certain choice steps and sell that approach is very much against my artistic sensibility. And, if I dare speak for most of the posters of AST, against a lot of ours in general. Maybe it works for some people, but in my mind the best learning come only from doing. From the real world experience of things.

But beyond that, I don't like how responses towards this disagreement contain a sort of maganimity that exists only to hide a general sene of condescension. As if our objections somehow proove that we "don't get it". I can only speak for myself but I think that we do understand that there are games to be played in the world of standup. Working in Boston and Providence has brought me opportunities to learn and grow as a performer snd that also means understanding the politics of standup. New guys shouldn't talk bad publically about established acts, particularly if they might work with them. Always be complementary. Always be kind. But this is a two way process. A reciprocal one. New Guys give defference to the old guard and in turn, those with more experience don't lord it over the lesser dogs. They don't give advice unsolicited.

Or make threats.

Because that is just a rude as anything else the little guy could do. Here's an example: Now, I can only speak from experience but there is a booker in Boston (no names!) that has blacklisted a lot of good, kind, and hard working comics from their clubs for even the smallest offense like taking a spot before someone else with they were asked to by the other comic. It is disproportional and rude, speaking only to a sense of ego that is not healthy. And so are some of the thinly veiled threats made on the part of certain individuals in this thread and elsewhere.

Personally, I am starstruck by anyone who is comfortable on stage and who has done more than me. Their oppinion is worth a great deal to me. And I give them all the respect I can. Getting the chance to work with people like Brian Kiley and Michael Ian Black has been a gift that I am completely undeserving of. And I would never really think about being anything more than my unassuming, overly neurotic, and nervous self towards them or any comic who has done more than I. Heck, I even get worried about the opinions of people here at AST because I respect their comic sensibilities. But this time, I felt compelled to say something. Kevin, I will explain this so that you might understand: You got mad at Alec for insulting your brother in the wide ether of the internet where I am sure there are far worse things being said. But then you went and insulted Alex directly. And here's a secret: he's like some wierd half brother I've never met who also happens to do comedy. To mock his efforts and his completely whole devotion to what he does means you are mocking most people who also feel the same way he does. People like me and others who have different ideas about what constitutes good comedy and what path to take to create it. And I don't like that.

PS. Fart.

[soce]

slow clap

That gets props from me. I love that movie!

[RoyalDutchOfDukes]

Permit me, then, to take some of the fun away for a minute and really weigh this thing down. Sorry in advance, guys!

My general problem here is not with Kyle or his comedy. In fact, in the first parts of this thread, I talk about how I genuinely like some of what Kyle does because he has the confidence to just do it.

What I do take offense to, however, is the implication that my objection to the idea of the "bootcamp" and the general beating that Alec got from Kevin and the others somehow makes me disrespectful or even ignorant. I don't like the idea that standup can be given this "8 Simple Steps!" approach because I think it is an organic and living art. To boil it down to certain choice steps and sell that approach is very much against my artistic sensibility. And, if I dare speak for most of the posters of AST, against a lot of ours in general. Maybe it works for some people, but in my mind the best learning come only from doing. From the real world experience of things.

But beyond that, I don't like how responses towards this disagreement contain a sort of maganimity that exists only to hide a general sene of condescension. As if our objections somehow proove that we "don't get it". I can only speak for myself but I think that we do understand that there are games to be played in the world of standup. Working in Boston and Providence has brought me opportunities to learn and grow as a performer snd that also means understanding the politics of standup. New guys shouldn't talk bad publically about established acts, particularly if they might work with them. Always be complementary. Always be kind. But this is a two way process. A reciprocal one. New Guys give defference to the old guard and in turn, those with more experience don't lord it over the lesser dogs. They don't give advice unsolicited.

Or make threats.

Because that is just a rude as anything else the little guy could do. Here's an example: Now, I can only speak from experience but there is a booker in Boston (no names!) that has blacklisted a lot of good, kind, and hard working comics from their clubs for even the smallest offense like taking a spot before someone else with they were asked to by the other comic. It is disproportional and rude, speaking only to a sense of ego that is not healthy. And so are some of the thinly veiled threats made on the part of certain individuals in this thread and elsewhere.

Personally, I am starstruck by anyone who is comfortable on stage and who has done more than me. Their oppinion is worth a great deal to me. And I give them all the respect I can. Getting the chance to work with people like Brian Kiley and Michael Ian Black has been a gift that I am completely undeserving of. And I would never really think about being anything more than my unassuming, overly neurotic, and nervous self towards them or any comic who has done more than I. Heck, I even get worried about the opinions of people here at AST because I respect their comic sensibilities. But this time, I felt compelled to say something. Kevin, I will explain this so that you might understand: You got mad at Alec for insulting your brother in the wide ether of the internet where I am sure there are far worse things being said. But then you went and insulted Alex directly. And here's a secret: he's like some wierd half brother I've never met who also happens to do comedy. To mock his efforts and his completely whole devotion to what he does means you are mocking most people who also feel the same way he does. People like me and others who have different ideas about what constitutes good comedy and what path to take to create it. And I don't like that.

PS. Fart.

I hope to god you're a headliner after talking out of turn like that, boy.

[RoyalDutchOfDukes]

I am wondering really, who is on this forum, are you all comics? Paid? Headliners? Openers? Because we are doing this thing called Stand-Up bootcamp, and it will give you the opportunity to sit down for 2 full 8-10 hour days days (out of the 5) to actually be coached one-on one on your material by 6-8 different headliners, at about 2-4 hrs each person, (or more, its up to you). You can develop a real relationship with these people. Oh, and you will get booked in many places. also, you will become funny. Oh, and you will talk to allot of people and become motivated to make allot of money. Just thought you would like to know, maybe you will start to actually feel good about stand up. When that happens, you will suddenly be focused on your own career and life. It's really a good feeling. If you get involved and start becoming more positive to other people, by the time you hit 18 you will be really good and easily respected in the industry, because you will have had soo much time learning and working on all of this.

Kevin! You took out most of the insults and all of the numerous repetitions of implying we're all 17 but then you forgot one at the end! This is worse than when Lucas put out the special editions!

[AggroCrag]

Easy there with all of the replies on that post, Dutch. We got bowtie spinning training at 0800 and I want you rested.

[aenemaTron]

You guys, seriously, it's kind of shameful how this has all spiraled out of control. I think we need to clean house, much like I would clean your house for 4 hours a week at a base rate of $80 a week not including windows. We need to calm down, and I can offer my services as a meditation advisor in my two-acre Rancho de Calm where you will be taught how to relax next to the professionally serene.