On Why Recording Comedy Albums Is Important

I saw Andy Kindler tonight.

It's 11:15 tonight, on a Sunday, and I just got home from a comedy show. I saw Andy Kindler tonight. I was so psyched, and he killed it.

It was amazing, but good luck looking for a merch table afterwards. Most of the comedians who come through London, Ontario don't have them. Here's why they should:

I started listening to comedy before podcasts existed, so to me, the only comedians who existed were the ones who put out albums: Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Bill Cosby, etc. I live in the 10th largest Canadian city. It's not a priority for visiting American comedians. It's only a priority for visiting Canadian comedians when they're part of the Yuk Yuk's regime, which is awful.

If you didn't know, Yuk Yuk's forces their comedians to sign a contract that says they can only appear at other Yuk Yuk's. It's the worst, most restrictive contract you can imagine for a Canadian comedian trying to become known, and also the only way to get on any type of a national tour for them.

Just For Laughs just finished in Toronto this week. I saw Andy Kindler tonight.

I have seen a ton of Canadian comedians and haven't been able to share their hilarity with my friends except for tiny bits they've done, unless they've made albums.

Here's the thing: It used to be that it took tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars to make an album. Comedians used to carry bulky tape recorders in their pockets to record their sets for practice. But the people--the audience--don't demand DVDs anymore. They never did. They ask for the only thing they ever wanted--jokes. A CD album is the same as seeing a comedian on DVD, as long as it's not physical comedy.

So now we're way past the age of bulky tape recorders. You could have a mic or two in the audience and another on the comedian, and do a decent recording for $50. Hell, they could do a decent recording of themselves with their phone in their pocket while on stage.

See, audiences aren't that interested in the slick, presented version of comedy. Audiences don't give a shit about how you present the comedy. They just want to see their comedy heroes make some jokes and they want to revel in those jokes. That's why comedians shouldn't worry about their "Hour Specials" or what they're wearing for their recorded specials--they should just put out some recordings. Because no matter how many cities they go to, no matter how many fans they have, there are always those of us in small towns who will only ever know them through their recorded work.

They need to record some work. Andy Kindler put out an amazing show tonight, but every year he does a "State of the Industry" talk at JFL. He didn't do any of that tonight. We were treated to vintage Kindler (which is amazing), but he checked how much time he had left no less than 3 separate times in a room full of laughs; he played it like someone just waiting to play out his time as if he was failing on stage in a room full of people who loved him.

The biggest failing of west coast comedians is that they aren't as accessible as east-coast comedians. And the biggest failing of east-coast comedians is that they haven't figured out Louis CK's recording schedule. They have audiences available to them that they can't see. They just need to put out their work.

And that's why it's important that comedians record their shows. Because there's always someone who wants to hear it.