Over the last year I’ve had the opportunity to closely work with one of the most genius comedians you’ll ever run across. His name is Kyle Cease.
Loyal readers of my blog or those that know me via social media surely know who Kyle is. Since I started really getting to know him he’s transitioned his career from just being a stand up comedian to being a motivational and keynote speaker. His latest college tour has had a tremendous impact on thousands of students as he speaks about his own anxiety and panic attacks he used to suffer from.
Over the last few months we actually put together a product that helps people to rid themselves of panic attacks. You can check that out at www.panicfreelife.com if you like.
However, today is Funny Friday and talking about panic attacks really isn’t all that hilarious. So, lets move onto something that is chuckle worthy, something like… Kyle’s Cult.
Last year Kyle went through some incredible changes in his career. He used to run a program called Stand Up Bootcamp with Louie Anderson, and in the process of doing that he took on a ton of criticism from many comics. Many of them were downright malicious and total dicks accusing Kyle of all kinds of crap they knew little about. The misinformation and hate was astronomical and really gave me some insight into just how miserable many comics are in their lives.
However, throughout the whole ordeal I got to witness him become a warrior when it comes to his mission in life. At first the criticism and hatred bothered him. Then he used it as fuel to grow into a battle tested soldier of the stage. To this day he continues to help comics and people in need of a better life advance their dreams and aspirations.
Most comics agree that you can’t teach people to be funny. And that was never the goal of Stand Up Bootcamp. Instead, it was a avenue to help people get in touch with who they really are, so they can let that shine on the stage. You pretty much have to see it in action to really understand.
Well, you are in luck because you are about to see that right now. Well, I lied. You won’t see it, but you will be able to hear it on podcast #19 of Kyle’s Cult.
Many people wonder what it would be like to do stand up comedy for the first time. For most, it’s a very scary feeling. And rightfully so. You’re looking for validation or laughs from the crowd about every 20 seconds. If you fall flat on 2 or 3 jokes, five minutes can seem like an eternity.
In this episode of Kyle’s Cult, Kyle and Diego are broadcasting from a club in Denver. During the podcast, he brings up a student and has him do his first ever set from the stage. But it’s after the set that the magic starts. You’ll get to hear first hand how Kyle transforms this guys act into something that comes from his core instead of a few jokes written from his head.
Watching Kyle work with students is such a treat because he gets so submerged into the process and really helps to dig out the gems in each comedians personality. You gotta listen to truly understand.
So here is my stand up comedy debut at The Comedy Store in Hollywood California. I had a blast working with so many talented people this week. It truly was an amazing time and I feel super lucky to have met so many exceptional and fun people during the week.
I want to thank all the bootcampers that I spent the week with and especially Kyle Cease and Louie Anderson for being such amazing teachers and friends. They are truly great dudes. Also Kyle’s brother Kevin was pivotal in helping me out. And I can’t forget how valuable it was to be able to work on my set with Bret Ernst and Ruben Paul. Your feedback was incredibly worthy and helped out a ton. Thanks so much.
Hope you enjoy.
(WARNING: If you are offended by adult humor, drug jokes or sexual references please don’t view). However, if you did enjoy please feel free to share with others.
Day 2 of Stand Up Bootcamp was nuts. The morning started out with Harland Williams showing up. You probably know Harland from such movies as Dumb and Dumber, Something About Mary and Half Baked.
It was evident right away that Harland is a comedic genius. His ability to improvise and adapt to funny things around him are absolutely incredible. In fact, he tends to just wing most of his material instead of writing a structured set when performing stand up. It was very interesting to dig into the mind of Harland and see how he works. What he does is very raw and organic.
Of course what he does is just absurd too. His jokes are absolutely ridiculous at times and I think that is part of why we loved him so much. He was just being himself and not trying to do anything more. I think I resonated more with Harland than anybody so far because I’m such a free spirit as well. Plus we both tend to act like 8 year old kids more often then adults. I could tell Kyle was really inspired by Harland as well and was very appreciative to have him stop by and chat with us.
One memorable thing Harland said while there was… “Don’t bring the show to the people, bring the people to your show”. What he meant by that was you have to truly own what you are doing and believe in your bit. You run the mic, the stage and the crowd. Well, hopefully you run the crowd, if you bring the people to your show. Or who knows, maybe he meant something totally different and I just put those words into his mouth.
Next up was Allan Havey. Allan is a grizzled vet in the world of stand up, rocking the mic for about 30 years. One key thing that he said that made a lot of sense to me was that if you are auditioning for a part, you are auditioning for everyone in the room, not just the casting directors. You never know what is going to happen in 2 to 10 years from now and it’s just possible that the receptionist, a errand boy or even a competing actor may remember your audition at some point later. People move up and down the ladder to success all the time and you never know who the next casting director may be.
I also dug the advice Allan gave about having other shit going on in your life that people can’t take away from you. It’s not healthy to get so involved in comedy or acting that it becomes the only thing in your life that fulfills you. We need more. I totally got this advice big time as I can’t imagine someone trying to take surfing away from me. I need it way too much.
Allan also recommended a few books and movies which aren’t necessarily about comedy but were very helpful in advancing his career. They were… The Road Less Traveled, The Artist’s Way, True and False, Overnight and Every Little Step.
After hearing so much advice from men, it was refreshing to have Carol Leifer take the stage. Carol is a well respected comedian and writer. Her biggest gig is probably being a writer on Seinfeld.
Carol spent some time encouraging the bootcampers to really dig into writing personal stuff about their lives as people are much more engaged. Also you can write with so much more passion and authenticity when you are digging deep within yourself.
I love the title of Carol’s book… “When You Lie About Your Age The Terrorists Win”, mostly because it’s true. So don’t lie about your age. Especially if you are 17 and trying to sleep your way up the ladder.
The day didn’t stop here though. Louie and Kyle have this bootcamp stocked with folks who’ve been at this for a long time.
Tom Wilson joined along as well and told some amazing stories about the legends that frequented the Comedy Store. He worked at the Comedy Store back in the day as a door man. He also said he worked as a “Back Door Man”. I was like… “Tom, your lobbing me softballs with that one man”.
Tom told us a crazy story about being with John Belushi the night he died. He watched John depart from the Comedy Store only to never be seen again. It was pretty intense. RIP Belushi.
Most people will recognize Tom as the guy who played Biff in Back To The Future but he’s got an extensive background in Stand Up as well. His advice was invaluable.
Along with Tom was a gentleman named Jim Hope. It was interesting to hear Jim speak because he spent more time behind the scenes as a writer. I really dug hearing his perspective and how he managed his time in the crazy world of Hollywood television. I have to admit, all his hard work almost made me tired thinking about it. The guy is definitely dedicated to his craft and has put in a ton of time.
I liked it when Jim said to not hold onto ideas and pitches that don’t work. Sometimes you just have to let things go and move on. Also, he gave some great advice about not being too eager to have the big talent scouts see you too early as you may give them a chance to judge you before you are really ready. And once someone doesn’t like you, it’s really hard to turn that around.
I have so much more that I want to say about each comic and the value that they brought to the bootcamp, but I need to get my ass out of bed and back down to the Comedy Store for the next day. Plus I still need to write an act to perform on Sunday.
Speaking of Sunday, if you want to come down to the Comedy Store and see me and a slew of other talented comedians perform let me know. I’ll get you some free tickets to the show.
I wasn’t going to blog or mention anything about Stand up Bootcamp until I completed the entire experience, but I’m in the mood to write so fuck it. Plus I might as well crack out the stories while they are hot since I’m on this kick to blog every single day lately.
I’m currently in Los Angeles California attending Louie Anderson and Kyle Cease‘s Standup Bootcamp. I thought this event would be a great experience and opportunity to try something new and so far my hunch is correct.
Ever since I was a young kid I’ve always been fascinated with stand up comedy. My first crush as a kid was actually on Rosie O’Donnell back when she used to host Stand Up Spotlight on VH1. She was incredibly hilarious. Lots of people talk trash about her, but screw em. That chick did some serious time on the mic, and as a young kid I dug her.
Anyways, I’ve been following Kyle Cease’s comedy and online shenanigans ever since I met him at a Tony Robbins Date With Destiny seminar a few years ago. I instantly liked the guy and could tell he was a good and genuine soul. His comedy was hilarious too.
So when I saw that he and Louie were throwing a bootcamp in LA for comics I figured it would be a great adventure and I knew I could learn a ton of valuable info from some of the best working comedians in the business. Day 1 didn’t disappoint.
The day started out with Louie and Kyle giving a bit of background about themselves and their motivation for doing Stand Up Bootcamp. It’s obvious to me that this camp was created with a deep passion and desire to help comics that want to get better. There are no promises of fame, stardom or even paying gigs. But it’s clear that these guys care immensely about the people that want to seriously take their comedy to the next level.
The only goal here is to help people leave being a bit better than when they came. Ideally everyone would get a bunch of gigs and their own Comedy Central special, but I think the crowd understands realistic expectations and they are aware this isn’t the easiest business to crack. There are thousands of funny comics in this country that couldn’t put meals on the table on a consistent basis. You have to be beyond just good and funny. There are a lot of variables that need to fall in line to really become successful in this business. A small few may get some lucky breaks, but most of the guys on top are there for a reason. They busted their ass.
To be honest, I’m not sure I’d want to go on the road and do club after club after club. I kind of like just hanging out at the beach and doing my thing with the homies. My intentions and goals for this bootcamp are probably a lot different than many of the attendees. I just want to laugh and make others do the same and help out good people where I can. Whatever happens after that, we’ll see. I’m totally open to whatever the universe has in store for me.
Louie and Kyle really spilled their guts and gave some heart felt words that were very appropriate for the intro day. Most of it was about mastering your inner game and having the confidence to do what was necessary to achieve your goals in this industry. Then they brought out the guest speakers for the day.
Up first was a very impressive man by the name of Tim Sanders. Tim is a master networker, business genius, author and dynamic keynote speaker. One of his better known books is called The Likeability Factor.
The Likeability Factor
Tim gave an inspirational speech about the importance of giving without the expectations of reciprocity. The examples he used were clear indications that if you just do right by the people you are trying to serve, eventually all your hard work will pay off in a dramatic fashion. The things he was saying were so simple, yet so smart. However, in a world of me, me, me, me, me, sometimes the simple and right things to do aren’t so clear and obvious.
One thing Tim said that resonated deeply with me was… “Stop analyzing the usefulness of people. Instead, make people useful and powerful” (I hope I remembered the quote accurately).
That saying packed some serious weight with me. I love taking the responsibility of success off other people and placing it directly onto your own shoulders. It’s much easier for growth when your willing to blame yourself instead of others when shit doesn’t work out.
It was a real joy meeting Tim and within short time I could really tell he was a quality individual.
Up next was a man named Shore Slocumb. Shore provided some incredible motivation for the group and took us through a variety of exercises that proved our bodies can often do more than what our minds think they are limited to. His name instantly rang a bell in my head and I realized that I had met his wife a few years ago at a Tony Robbins event. She is a super rad lady, so it only made sense that he was going to be a champion as well. Shore lived up to the expectations. He rocked the mic.
It was awesome to talk to Shore because he’s the kind of guy that has a ton of passion for life and helping people. Listening to his stories about how he came up from being an electronic salesman to a motivational guru was very inspiring. Shore is the kind of guy that goes way above and beyond of what is expected of him to ensure others get the change they so desperate need. He’s truly a man with a big heart and I was super glad to have the chance to meet up with him.
It just so happens that Shore and I share a bunch of the same friends, so I’m sure I’ll see him again at some point in my travels.
Last, but definitely not least Ralphie May came up and crushed the mic. He gave a raw and unedited speech about the real expectations of the comedy world. There was no holding back here at all. His stories weren’t fuzzy layered feel good stuff that was intended to make the comics all giddy. He truly spilled his guts that was insanely insightful.
Ralphie didn’t have to do a gig like this. He wasn’t being paid. It was done out of the kindness of his heart and to help a few friends out. I think we were all so lucky we had a chance to see Ralphie on day one. It was a stark contrast from the feel good rah rah stuff that Tim and Shore delivered, but he’s a comic, not a personal development guy.
And holy shit is Ralphie funny. I mean this guy is beyond hilarious. Massively inappropriate too. The insight he gave about crowd control and working the mic was so valuable. You can tell he’d poured his blood, sweat and tears into this craft and he was damn serious about it.
His talk was more like a verbal beatdown for comics and I think it was just what we needed to hear. Nothing was held back and we really got to see the real Ralphie totally exposed. It was a gem and I felt very lucky to be able in attendance.
Here’s a clip of Ralphie below. You may remember him from being the runner up on Last Comic Standing quite a few years ago. The dude totally should of won, but hey, 2nd place ain’t bad. And if you compare his career against the guy who did win, I think we’d all say that Ralphie still won. Thanks for being you Ralphie.
