The Surprising Impact of Louis CK’s Advice
When you’re starting out as a comedian, you’ll encounter all kinds of advice, some insightful and some downright misguided. While certain pieces of advice can guide you toward success, others may leave you questioning their value—especially when they come from seasoned professionals.
Take, for instance, some advice from the famous Louis CK. Despite his impressive career, Louis, like many comedians, has had his missteps when it comes to giving advice. One night, it’s said that he approached Jeff Foxworthy after a performance and told him, “You really need to lose that accent. No one’s going to understand you.” Of course, Foxworthy went on to achieve massive success with his “You might be a redneck if…” routine, accent and all, eventually becoming one of the wealthiest comedians in the business.
In hindsight, Louis’ suggestion didn’t quite hold up, but it serves as a reminder that not all advice is worth following.
A Meeting with a Legend: George Carlin’s Game-Changing Guidance
My encounter with George Carlin is a moment I’ll never forget. It happened one spring while I was performing at a corporate gig in New York City. We ended up sharing a car from the Marriott Marquis Hotel to JFK Airport, a drive that, despite being only 15 miles, took well over an hour due to traffic.
As we talked, we discovered a few surprising similarities: we were both born in Manhattan, and he shared the same middle name as my father—Patrick. Even more coincidental, Carlin and my father had the same agent.
During our drive, I asked Carlin what advice he would give to a young comedian. His response was simple, yet profound: “There’s a line. Cross it.”
Curious, I pressed him for clarification. He explained, “Have you ever watched the news or read the newspaper and just called bullshit?” I nodded in agreement, as I often felt the same way. Carlin continued, “Take that frustration and make it your comedy. Whatever drives you crazy—make it funny.”
This advice from Carlin was a turning point for me. I had always wanted to tackle the issues that bothered me in society, but hearing it directly from a comedy legend gave me the permission I needed to dive in. I took his words to heart and began focusing on socio-political comedy, addressing topics like political hypocrisy, immigration, religion, and sexual preference. It felt liberating, and the audience responded with enthusiasm.
The Moment I Knew I Was On the Right Track
One night, I was performing at a well-known A-club in Northern California. The show was going well, and I transitioned into a bit about religion. When I jokingly asked, “Any Mormons in the room? Great, let’s talk about THESE PEOPLE!” I heard a loud, almost whiny, response from the audience: “Oh, really?” I quickly responded, “What? Are you Mormon?”
There was no answer. So I jokingly remarked, “Wow, you had balls a second ago! Now you’re like a turtle tucking his head back in his shell,” and mimicked the motion of a turtle retreating into its shell. The crowd roared with laughter.
The rest of the set went even better, and when I finished, the applause was overwhelming. A good portion of the audience stood up, and although it might not have been half the room, it felt like the entire venue was acknowledging my performance for the first time. That was the moment I knew I was on the right path.
The Clash: Artistic Voice vs. Club Owner’s Expectations
After the performance, the club owner approached me and, somewhat unexpectedly, admitted to being the one who had complained during my religious bit. He then said, “I prefer the quirky, weird Jerry. I don’t like this political Jerry.”
Now, I was taken aback. After all, the audience had loved it—half the room had even stood up to applaud. Still, the club owner was set on his opinion, and he said it with such force that it felt like an ultimatum: “If you keep doing this political stuff, I can’t work with you anymore.”
In that brief moment, my mind raced through a dozen potential responses. The one that stood out, however, was the old saying, “He who has the gold makes the rules.” So I simply said, “Okay. You’re the boss.”
Staying True to My Artistic Integrity
The following night, I decided to go back to doing my more “quirky” material, but as I was on stage, one audience member shouted, “Dude! Do that shit you did last night! I brought my friends to see you!” The table of people around him chimed in, agreeing.
At that moment, I remembered Carlin’s advice: “Take the shit that drives you crazy and make it funny.” I realized that no matter what the club owner thought, I couldn’t ignore my true voice. So, I made the decision to go for it again. I looked at the audience and asked, “Any Mormons here tonight? Great, let’s talk about THESE PEOPLE, shall we?”
That night, I was fired from the club. The owner didn’t like my political material, but the audience did. He took it personally, as though my material was an affront to him, despite the fact that it had brought in new fans.
The Inevitable Fallout
In the end, I understood that the club owner wasn’t running a comedy club; he was running a business—and his personal preferences had gotten in the way of his understanding of what the audience wanted. A few months later, the club went out of business—not because of me, but because the owner was a poor businessman. If I had continued to cater to his preferences, I would have stifled my own growth as a comedian, and eventually, I would have lost work there anyway.
The moral of the story is clear: not all advice is good advice. If you believe strongly in your comedic voice, don’t compromise it just to please someone else. Changing your style to satisfy a single person might inflate their ego, but it could also leave you without any real growth and fewer opportunities.
In other words, not all advice is good advice. Stick to your artistic integrity, and trust that your unique perspective will resonate with the right audience.
