Jimmy Pardo: (talking about ignoring requests from headliners when you're a feature not to do crowd work) I ignored one guy.
Jimmy Dore: I thought it was in general that you were like, "Hey, this is my act. This is what I do."
JP: No, because nobody ever said anything to me because nobody ever really had trouble following me. Even though I did crowd work for 30 minutes. Only one time did somebody say 'hey, I'm having trouble following you..." Two times. One guy I did say, "That's my act." And then that guy and I... it was tense the rest of the week.
This other guy... I wish I would have understood what he was getting at. He was not, he should not have been headlining and I should not have been featuring. And because I should not have been featuring...
JD: You should have been headlining?
JP: Oh yeah, over this guy, yes. I shouldn't have been opening. I should have been open miking! So I went out and didn't have an act so I worked the crowd for 30 minutes. And by the way, 25 is plenty. 30 minutes in the middle... that extra 5 means a lot.
JD: I know! People don't realize that. People don't...
JP: So this guy, Mike, I don't even think he's a comic anymore. After the first night he said, "I really need to ask... don't do that crowd work. I'm treading water myself." But I'm insecure and I have that mindset, "You can't follow me! You can't follow me!" I go, "That's my act. Do what you gotta do."
It wasn't until maybe a year later that I was like, "Oh no. He needed me to not work the crowd because he didn't... he shouldn't... he couldn't fill the time either." He needed to work the crowd to fill the time. Like we both were in the wrong spot. And I didn't set him up well on a show. I didn't do him any good by going up and working the crowd in front of him. And if I ever see him, I'll tell him that. And I will! Because there are like five things in my life and that's honestly one of them that are like, "When I see that man, I will apologize for being so self involved that I have to do well at Lassen's Comedy Club in the basement of a bar in Homewood, Illinois that I sandbagged this other performer."
Comedy and Everything Else Episode #137: Jimmy Pardo / aprox 1:04:00
Jimmy Pardo: Well then on Sunday I was hosting a Comedy Showcase for Conan (O'Brien) at The Comedy Store. I was hosting it. And I walked out and instantly realized nobody is there to see me. And so I got dry mouth, I, I, I became timid. Like every… like I wish I could see a video of it to see me walk out with the swagger, go, “Hey everybody,” and realize ‘oh, I’m the first guy…”. And by what you already said – the MC has been undervalued. So here’s a roomful of people that don’t know, and please pardon this, that the great Jimmy Pardo is… that they’re lucky I’m hosting. And I was, “Hey, everybody… (oh, nobody is here to see me)… we got a great show.” And all of a sudden nerves hit like I’ve never experienced, like I haven’t experienced that in years. And that’s a month and half ago. The answer is yes.
Jimmy Dore: That is so funny that you say that. I had a similar experience almost a month and a half ago. I’m not kidding. I was on stage, I don’t want to say where, I don’t know what the hell happened but I got dry mouth, I was in my head, I was like, “What if they don’t laugh at this next thing?” And I literally panicked. I’ve never panicked on stage. But I didn’t panic and run, I just kind of like (breathes deeply)… I didn’t know why this was happening and so I was just like I’m going to do one more joke, I don’t care how it goes, and I’m getting off stage. And I did one more joke, and I realized I can’t get off right now, so I did one more and then I said something and I got off. And nobody said anything. I wasn’t a great performance but I got through it and nobody said anything like, “Hey, what’s your problem?” I went home and I told Stef, “I don’t know what the hell happened tonight.” And I started asking my friends if they ever got nervous, and it turns out, yeah, people still do get nervous.
Comedy and Everything Else Episode 137: Jimmy Pardo / aprox 1:28:00
(thanks Mark)
Jimmy Dore: Its just that thing that we’re doing is very… in the words of Jerry Seinfeld, “It’s amazingly delicate.” People have no idea how delicate comedy is, or even just performing. You know, and to do it at a certain level. You know it’s not just about doing it, we want to do it at a certain level… and the little things that can screw it up. And I don’t think its being a diva. Instead, comedians have such a trial-by-fire… we have everything thrown at us.
Jimmy Pardo: Everything is by fire.
JD: Yeah, everything. My wife Stef (Zamorano), who comes from the sketch world – she was at Acme, and when she comes to some gigs, stand up gigs, her mind is blown at how people act… there’s no reverence for the stage. There’s, you know, people on stage taking pictures before the show, or that kind of shit. Its not like Bill Cosby is going to sit down on the chair and everybody is going to….
JP: No, you’re right. “Hey its your birthday, get up there and take a picture.”
JD: And they’ll come up to you, “Could you fuck with…” This isn’t a carnival. This isn’t a side show. But people think that. Because when comedy is done well it looks effortless.
Comedy and Everything Else Episode 137: Jimmy Pardo / aprox 1:14:00
