Let the Comedy Chips Fall

I’m about to bare my comedy soul. I’m not going to worry on how the chips fall. I’m just going to be truthful in how I feel. Here we go…You ready? I might not think Amy Schumer is hilarious. Eeks, there, I said it. That filthy little thought is now out in the wild. I do think after saying such an unpopular thing about the “it" girl for women’s comedy, that I should totally examine why I feel this way. The truth of the matter is…I’m worried that maybe its professional jealousy. That I might be a petty little envious twat.

First, let me just say, I like Amy Schumer’s show. I know, it’s confusing to me as well. I think the writing is wonderfully well-crafted. The production is always first rate. The guests and performances are to die for. I admire the feminist slant on the writing. Her show is saying the things that have been needed to be said about women’s plight, since like for-fucking ever! I can’t even tell you how much I think the “12 Angry Men” parody is genius. Dare I say out loud that I think she’s capable in front of the camera, but her presence in the sketches doesn’t usually add much for me? She obviously doesn’t detract from the sketch, but it does kinda feel like anyone could be plugged into them and be “just fine” in them, just like she is. Hey, wait a minute… Maybe that’s exactly her point. Hmm…certainly something for me to chew on over the next couple of days.

Second, just because I don’t think she’s hilarious, it doesn’t mean I think everyone who thinks she is, is wrong. In fact, I’m happy for Amy Schumer. She obviously has comedy skillz and has worked her ass off. Just like many comedians before her, both male and female. I’m happy for her that she has won the lottery of “point of view” equals society’s “point in time” in wanting to embrace said views. Let’s face it, how many comics have you known that were kick-ass, but never hit the big time? Sure, sometimes it’s because their personal demons got in the way, but sometimes they were just a little, or a lot too soon for the masses to embrace. Maybe even they were too late, by just a hair.

Let’s talk about jealousy. Yesterday I started to think I am jealous after having read, then watched her acceptance speech at the Glamour Awards where she exclaimed, “I’m 160 pounds, and I can catch a dick whenever I want.” Hmm… Yup, totally jealous I am. I’m jealous because she will now be able to say whatever the hell she wants, to whomever she wants to, and she’ll get away with it. She’s done it! She’s kicked down the “women should be seen not heard” door hard and strong. And I might be envious as all get-out. You see I’ve crippled my own comedy career with the notion that I should be able to say anything I want. I learned early on not to vie for gigs where I had to go against my grain. I would tell myself, it’s just not worth it. I’d rather not make the money then have to squash my natural filthy sense of humor. If men can, why can’t I? It’s childish, I know. I’m a professional dammit! At this point I should be able to volley back and forth effortlessly with any kind of writing. I might be the poster child for how to screw up one’s career. When I was first starting out at the Comedy Store, a booker on the Tonight Show said to me, “Felicia, You’re just too dirty.” I replied, “I’m only a little bit dirty.” He looked down on me with a hint of pity in his eyes, “Even if you’re just a little dirty, it doesn’t matter, because one can still taste it in the soup.” Without missing a beat, me, a 21 year old girl, looked up at a man twice my age and replied, “Yeah, but without even a little bit of dirty, there wouldn’t be any flavor whatsoever in that soup.” Hence, I became dead to this person and the Tonight Show.

Years ago I read a quote by Margaret Cho, who said (I’m about to paraphrase), “It doesn’t matter how dirty a woman is on stage, she is still a feminist role model just for having the balls for seeking to be the center of attention in a world dominated by men.” Her having said that got me through a lot of doubts with my comedy. The messy little egomaniac that resides inside of me, likes to think maybe I was a teeny bit of a stepping stone in my own goofy way for other women who came up behind me, so that they can be accessible to the masses using whatever type of humor they find funny. I shouldn’t be jealous of Amy Schumer at all. I should be, and am happy that I get to see the change in our society where other’s did not, like Mom’s Mabley and Totie Fields, to name just a few, as there where many. But most of all, I should shed the filthy monkey that’s been sitting on my shoulder and get to writing some clean mutha-fucking jokes. Because the best thing about comedy is that if you keep at it, and constantly work on trying to grow, even when you are blinded temporarily by a little professional envy, anything is absolutely still possible. And yes, that’s a reference to Elayne Boosler’s glorious set she just had on the Tonight Show… Christ, don’t just wish me luck, wish all of us women luck!

sketch art by Jessica Wesolek