waerth Posted December 21, 2008 Report Share Posted December 21, 2008 Today was a good day playing comedy. It can really become a drag sometimes. My boss refuses to change the jokes he is playing for 30 years ... because they made him famous ... and the audiences in the Bangkok haunts is not really coming to watch comedy anymore but are more interested in the girls. The only good shows are those we do outside of the normal haunts as these people have usually not seen the show live before so they like it. Yesterday (Saturday) was already a good day. We played for a crowd of the Valaya Alangkorn Rajabat University. They had a miss contest with the students in traditional customs and being the "Farang" all 15 of them wanted to take pictures with the "star" (no matter how small a star you are, like me, Thais still treat you as if you were Michael Jackson himself) ... many of them had boyfriends (or brothers??) with them so no opportunity to expand the phonenumber collection. Normally we all get an applause when we get up (we come up one by one) on stage. Sometimes small sometimes big. But when I got up this night, I am the last one usually, they actually screamed and shouted like I was some big rockstar. This always reflects in the performance on stage as it boosts the ego and makes you play better. After that we played in a small Karaoke in the Bang Na intersection area where the girls where happy to be relieved of their boredom ..... and after that Rama IX Cafe. I dread playing there nowadays as it is always the some old bored out of their skulls crowd. Same same this night. Tonight (Sunday night) we played at some Rajabat University in Saraburi for a crowd of Students, some local hotshots in the white uniforms and some police bigshots. Good crowd, students cheering and we were a big hit it seemed everyone had a good time and we had to do a lot of photographs and some autographs and waiing all the big hotshots and be in pictures with them (god knows who these people are but there are so many people deemed important in this country and it can never hurt if they know your face! So I am always nice to everyone... ) So in a good mood I entered the van back to Bangkok. Two good days, not moneywise, but audience wise. It is always good if your on stage and people react! It does something to you, it makes the blood flow faster pumps adrenaline into your system and makes you play the same old boring jokes 10X better. In the van we got a call .... Rama IX Cafe tonight. I felt bad when I heard it. I was very close to telling my boss I had another engagement but I need the money goddamnit. So when I went up on the stage in Rama IX Cafe I was slightly depressed. And then the cheering started and the applause came. And I looked at the audience and I saw it were part students and part families with children. Not the usual old geezers who are bored with life. So we had a very good show, even though playing the same jokes. People cheered, clapped and laughed. This is how it should be every night but unfortunately it isn't. Afterwards a Rama IX regular invited us to his table to eat and drink with him. So we did. And we got a small tip for sitting with him. All in all a nice end to the weekend. These weekends are why I play comedy for virtually nothing. Having people that appreciate the effort. Seeing a smile on the faces of kids and their parents. Hearing people laugh. It is difficult to explain how good it makes you feel inside to know that you have brightened up some people's day and made them feel good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Central Scrutinizer Posted December 22, 2008 Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 Waerth, Why not start your own comedy troupe? Maybe a collection of farang comediens who speak good Thai? I'd think that would be a unique and interesting concept that would sell easily to many clubs. And, it may be profitable as well. Why work for your 'boss' who seems a bit of a dullard and 'kii nieow' when you can work for yourself and possibly make some decent cash. Do many of the Thais remember you from your movie appearances? Cent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waerth Posted December 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 I started 5 years ago in a group called Tongkon Nana Chart (Goldstone International) which consisted of one Thai (the group leader) and 4 farangs. Because of the way he treated us we all left one by one approx 3,5 years ago. Joey (from Ghana) now plays with Nui Chuern Yim. I went to my current boss and an American named John S. went to Leu Feua. Tongkon could never get enough foreigners again to make it work so he operates in the margin now. The problem is pay and irregularity of the work. John is now back with Tongkon after things didn't work out with Leu Feua. John also started his own group at one time with another Thai, John and Shogun Champions. The problem is he did it after a fight with his boss and Shogun used to play with my boss and made himself generally disliked. The reason he is generally disliked is because he is in his early 20's, handsome, extremely talented and a total psychological nutcase (he can call you and hang up a 100 times at 4 in the morning and he thinks it is fun and more things like that. People generally do not respond well to that). John received help from 2 managers in the industry who gave him work and was worked against by one on instigation of his ex-boss. After some time because of Shoguns psychotic behaviour he lost more support and was cut off from work. In defense of the Thais he was given a fairly fair shot he just didn't take it good enough and he was to unprepared and unwilling to listen to advice of the Thai managers (John is very young and has an "I know all" attitude and made many enemies in his few years in Thailand with that. He is talented though which saves him.). Also none of the Thais even contemplated about going to immigration or the police for working without a work permit. He was treated like they do any other Thai starting a group (although a Thai would have received a lot more opposition, I think they liked the idea of a foreigner trying it). It is not easy Cent to start a group especially with "only" foreigners. I have seen that with Tongkon. inevitably there will be infighting and farangs telling you how they have some high friends bladiebladiebla. I have seen that shit. Apart from that if starting a farang group Tongkon will definitely be trying to work against you as it is his livelyhood! Then there is the logistics of it all. Renting transport, assembling 3 musicians every day you perform, getting the performances, making sure every teammember will be there at the most odd dates and times (interfering with other work), you have to have 5 comedians you see otherwise pay gets cut. People willing to work for the low payment, the discussions about how to share the pay (this is only with foreigners, because they do not accept the boss takes 50% and the rest of the group shares the rest together with renting the van etc). I am totally willing to contemplate the idea if I can find some financing/sponsoring as money talks. I have actually been told by some Thais that I should do a talkshow myself, two of these do talkshows themselves. Basically a "talkshow" is what we would call stand-up comedy or in the Netherlands a "cabaret". But again I need someone to write a script for me and I would need some time to practice and some money to survive that time. I know whom I would like to write the script. Shogun .... he is a pain in the ass, but a brilliant one. I just should not give him my phonenumber nor tell him where I life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted December 22, 2008 Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 Hi, "But again I need someone to write a script for me" Shouldn't you, as the comedian, right these yourself? I was always under the impression that the stand-up comedians wrote their own jokes / script. Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waerth Posted December 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 Not in Thailand. Stand-up comedy here is not the same as in the States. I would need a framework to work from and I could take it from there. See it as building a house, I need a foundation and a roof. The walls and decorations I can do myself depending on the situation. Many cmedians in the Netherlands also have scriptwriters. They provide them with a basic setup and they take it from there. I would also need a Thai manager btw for the taxes .... usually when doing a tv show they need a copy of my passport and visa and a copy of a Thai in whose name the tax is paid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dumsoda Posted December 22, 2008 Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 .... Now that's really funny shit.... ...why not script it..???? Jerry started "somewhere".... merry christmas DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorldFun Posted December 22, 2008 Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 glad you had a good weekend - cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted December 22, 2008 Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 OK Waerth Free food at the Texas on Wed. Maybe lay some plans for a comedy tour? There will be people there with $$$ Just a talking stage at this point, but you have to start somewhere... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waerth Posted December 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 Wednesday what time? Only if you are there .... and mr Bang and SD??? W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted December 23, 2008 Report Share Posted December 23, 2008 I'm checking to assure that the Xmas dinner is on Wed, as it might be on Thur. Whatever day, it is at 2:30 PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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