The first computer I ever had (well, the first new computer, not counting a generous hand-me-down) was a PC Desktop. It came with a game that was basically a practice version of a WW2 fighter plane battle.
I liked shooting things as much as any boy and this threw in the gift of flight. I played and played. Oh, how I learned to fly and shoot. I took off and landed with the greatest aplomb. I soared and dived with the prowess of an eagle. I could shoot little buildings at the landing strip while flying upside down at an altitude of five feet. I was the greatest fighter pilot in that virtual landscape.
Problem was, I was the only fighter pilot in that virtual landscape. There were no other planes, not even computer generated opponents. I had no one to test the cut of my jib.
My new computer also came with a coupon that allowed me to play this game on line with others. I practiced until I was the Black Widow of the skies. Then, I cashed in the coupon.
The screen was alive with fire and bullets. I barely got a chance to look out the cockpit before I was going down, mortally wounded by a bogie on my six. I logged in again and, again, I was rendered to bloody scrap metal before I could make even one shot count.
I thought I was God’s gift to dog fighting, but I had stepped into a world where a lot of people had been doing it for a lot longer.
Something similar is going on at Twitter, but with one important difference.
There’s lot of comedians on Twitter and a lot of people who fancy themselves comedians. Twitter has heralded an age of mass communication within an age of mass communication.
Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of very funny people on Twitter.
But there are also a lot of people who should have done a little research before hitting that button. Why? Because what they think is an oh-so-original golden byte has been done already. A lot.
There are a ton of veteran comics, some well-known, some not (to the novice). It also seems, however, that a large chunk of the Twitter comedy scene consists of a new guard that has access to a worldwide forum without checking their work.
At the proud risk of sounding like a BSG geek, there are more than twelve models of comedians. It isn’t just Patton Oswalt, Louis CK, Dane Cook, Lisa Lampanelli, Lewis Black, Jeff Ross, Sarah Silverman, Eugene Mirman, Patrice Oneal, Bo Burnham, Mark Maron and Daniel Tosh.
There are hundreds and hundreds, possibly thousands and thousands, of full time comedians who have been at this for a long time and have already captured a lot of the meme-geist of the modern world in their respective bodies of work. A lot of it is copywritten, a lot of it has already been broadcast, but it gets eclipsed by the omnipotent search and destroy nature of Twitter.
I have many friends in the stand up comedy scene in both NYC and LA, as well as the UK Festivals. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a gaggle of comics talking shop, when one will suddenly ask the others, “I’ve got this new bit. I don’t think anybody’s done this already, right?”
They then try out the bit and a ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down’ consensus ensues. The ‘thumbs down’ is usually footnoted with the accreditation of the original writer performer.
Not only is this self-editing system not in place in the Twitter comedy world, there seems to be no way to point out the infraction in the faster-than-light tsunami of tweets.
It’s only a matter of time before an idiot comedy club audience member shouts out, “Hey! I read that on Twitter! You’re stealing from Twitter!” while a comic is in the middle of his or her signature piece that they’ve been doing for years.
Lifetimes of work and decades of honing and wordsmithing are being chiseled off and trotted away by people who have no clue.
No clue, but everybody’s ear.
*****
Postscript:
Since the original publishing of this post, at least two examples were brought to my attention. This is not a witch hunt. This is not talking trash about anybody. This is just trying show what I'm talking about.
Some time last year, Rob Delaney and Jenny Johnson were crowned the King and Queen of Twitter at (what I believe was) the National Lampoon Twitter Awards.
Rob Delaney is a very funny, talented and articulate guy. He has a lot going for him right now and more power to him. His personal back story is an amazing juxtaposition, as told in his one man show, Naked and Bloody. His Twitter style is not for everybody. It's a lot of bodily functions and uncomfortable sexual situations, but he's relentless and prolific. I've seen him eventually actually make even the most offended person laugh.
I'm not a comedian, let alone a standup comedian out there on the circuit. I just throw things up on the 140 as a way of working out and warming up. I submit for your approval:
Geniuses think alike. Some time later, Rob posted:
Rob Delaney doesn't know me from a hole in the wall. He didn't steal this from me. He thought of it himself. The difference is Rob has 290,366 followers. Probably more by the time I finish typing this sentence. I have... let's see... 74. But I'm on his heels like white on rice.
Like I said, I'm not a standup, but I would freak if I saw this happening to my act. I hear the rule used to be that the first person who did it on TV owned it. Well, even then, I'm sure a lot of people had to cross material out of their notebooks at 12:36 am on one night or another.
But it's not that easy to get on television (I'm sure some would argue with me, but you know what I mean). The Information Superhighway has changed the concepts of fame, notoriety and ownership.
Jenny Johnson is another very funny person and I don't think she's even a professional comic. She's a producer at a television news station somewhere in Texas. Again, her humor is not for the faint of heart. She swears like a sailor and her comments about her family can make a biker's jaw drop. I personally applaud her for her hysterical and unwavering attacks on Chris Brown (usually in response to one of his tweets) as she will never, ever let anybody forget what he did to Rhianna.
I was, however, disappointed to see this from her:
There IS a burlesque performer named Amber Alert, and she's been around for quite a while. Yes, it's a clever idea, but it was Amber Alert's clever idea. I wish Jenny had taken two seconds to Google the name to discover this. This is like saying, "Bozo would be a great name for a clown."
Has it all been done, people? Is it just a matter of who has the biggest megaphone?
No clue, but everybody’s ear.
*****
Postscript:
Since the original publishing of this post, at least two examples were brought to my attention. This is not a witch hunt. This is not talking trash about anybody. This is just trying show what I'm talking about.
Some time last year, Rob Delaney and Jenny Johnson were crowned the King and Queen of Twitter at (what I believe was) the National Lampoon Twitter Awards.
Rob Delaney is a very funny, talented and articulate guy. He has a lot going for him right now and more power to him. His personal back story is an amazing juxtaposition, as told in his one man show, Naked and Bloody. His Twitter style is not for everybody. It's a lot of bodily functions and uncomfortable sexual situations, but he's relentless and prolific. I've seen him eventually actually make even the most offended person laugh.
I'm not a comedian, let alone a standup comedian out there on the circuit. I just throw things up on the 140 as a way of working out and warming up. I submit for your approval:
Geniuses think alike. Some time later, Rob posted:
Rob Delaney doesn't know me from a hole in the wall. He didn't steal this from me. He thought of it himself. The difference is Rob has 290,366 followers. Probably more by the time I finish typing this sentence. I have... let's see... 74. But I'm on his heels like white on rice.
Like I said, I'm not a standup, but I would freak if I saw this happening to my act. I hear the rule used to be that the first person who did it on TV owned it. Well, even then, I'm sure a lot of people had to cross material out of their notebooks at 12:36 am on one night or another.
But it's not that easy to get on television (I'm sure some would argue with me, but you know what I mean). The Information Superhighway has changed the concepts of fame, notoriety and ownership.
Jenny Johnson is another very funny person and I don't think she's even a professional comic. She's a producer at a television news station somewhere in Texas. Again, her humor is not for the faint of heart. She swears like a sailor and her comments about her family can make a biker's jaw drop. I personally applaud her for her hysterical and unwavering attacks on Chris Brown (usually in response to one of his tweets) as she will never, ever let anybody forget what he did to Rhianna.
I was, however, disappointed to see this from her:
There IS a burlesque performer named Amber Alert, and she's been around for quite a while. Yes, it's a clever idea, but it was Amber Alert's clever idea. I wish Jenny had taken two seconds to Google the name to discover this. This is like saying, "Bozo would be a great name for a clown."
Has it all been done, people? Is it just a matter of who has the biggest megaphone?
