CringeHumor

One afternoon in a booker’s office I heard someone estimate at any given time there are about 3,500 comedians working full time in the US.  I have no idea if that is even close to accurate, nor do I care to do the research.  I only told you that so if you call bullshit on the number I’m using as a basis for comparison you’ll know where it came from.

Of those 3,500, my guess is about 50 can be considered to have obtained some level of celebrity (that number I pulled right out of my ass).  That also happens to be about the same number of comics who moved to NY in the last year expecting to add themselves to the celebrity list.  Most of them won’t make it.  Probably less than 10 will ever see the backside of a television screen.  Yet many of them are outright hilarious and deserve much more than they get.

The first time I heard the name J Scott Homan, I was on the receiving end of a phone call from a club somewhere out west.  Another comic had just opened for him and felt it necessary to call and let me hear what was going on in the club.  What was going on, was J Scott was crushing.  Not just doing well, he was destroying the room and doing it in what appeared to be an effortless manner.  I had to learn more about this fellow.
About six months later, I found myself opening for Scott and on the first night I also found myself receiving multiple notes to stretch my set until Scott actually arrived at the club.  Apparently, he was driving around 13 hours from his gig the previous night, had hit several spots of traffic, and was heading to the club at about 90 mph.  When the doors to the back of the showroom kicked open, I assumed it was time to close up and did so as quickly as possible.  Scott looked exactly like a man who had been in the car for more than half the day.  We quickly said hello, and he rushed to the stage as he was introduced.

When I have found myself in similar situations, I’ve spent the first few minutes on stage trying to calm down.  I’ve been frustrated from the trip, adrenalin was running high, and it took a bit of time to adjust.  Scott walked on stage that night and didn’t say a word for what seemed like an eternity.  He silently looked around the room and then said, “That’s where I want you.” And then he proceeded to kill for his entire set.  The man had no idea what had happened on stage before he arrived at the club that night, nor did he give a shit.  He reset the room to his liking and then proved who was in ownership of the stage.

Scott has been around for years and the stories of what has happened both on and off stage are legendary (stop me one night and I’ll tell you a few).  He once stopped in a Knoxville, TN room to do a quick guest spot on his way to another gig.  The club manager didn’t know who he was and insisted on calling their home office to get permission.  When he did get the okay for 5 minutes between the emcee and the middle, he ripped so hard the headliner never recovered from it.  There are hundreds of stories just like that one, but his latest story is the one that’s stuck in my head right now.

This wasn't my big break He quit.  After over 20 years in the business he walked away from it all.  But what did he really walk away from?  He worked his ass off, managed to grab a few TV credits, was well respected by a large fan base and the clubs… and in the end he never got the break that I assure you he deserved.  The facts are, most of us aren’t going to get one.  We can work just as hard as Scott, have careers that are as long or longer, and they may go absolutely no where.  If you accept that going in and you’re still willing to keep trying, then at least you can say you deserve it if it comes.  If you’re funny, the rest of us may agree with you.

Scott, I’m going to miss seeing you out there.  You’ll always be on my list of the greats.

P.S.  I looked and could never actually find any video online that really represented how great of a comedian J Scott Homan actually is.  Here’s the Premium Blend episode he did, which is as close as I could get.

P.S.S.  Go buy my book on Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, or Sony.