Michael Kosta
Los Angeles, CA
Male, 30s
I'm Michael Kosta, stand-up comedian (yes, that's what I write on my tax returns). I've performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Conan, and Comedy Central, and I tour all over North America and Australia. Ask me anything about life as a stand-up.
If I write something that I think is too good to be true, too simple and obvious, I may quickly google the idea and see what comes up, but that doesn't happen very often. Very rarely do I write soemthing like that :) I'm not to concerned about my jokes being unique because if you write through your own personality, own point of view, they will be compltely unique and authentic to you. Even if someone gave me and you the same topic, call it "pay phones" we'd both probably write jokes that were very different and the ones that were the same, would be too obvious and not funny, most likely. The best solution is to write about YOURSELF. Just like our 1st grade teacher taught us, we are all special one of a kind snow flakes, so take advantage of that. Oh also, if you are performing a joke and 2 or 3 comedians come up to you and say "Yo, that joke is a lot like so and so's" joke... well then, you drop it. That's the deal.
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Did I rip him? Oh well that's not good. I like to be positive. I believe what I said was "Jeff Dunam was the highest paid comedian a few years ago with $35 million. Yes, a guy who talks out of his side of the mouth with puppets made $35 million one year." Maybe there are comics who respect him, I certainly dont love his comedy, but guess what? I'm sure he sleeps just fine at night. Comics like 'pure" stand up comics. I'm not saying its right or wrong but comics like and respect comedians who don't use sound cues, props, gimmicks, etc. That being said, I have used all of those. Its probably because he made $35 million last year.
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I defintely love what I do. Making people laugh is so fun and its a great feeling to see someone's face go from normal to laughing. I think I'll be happy as long as I am doing that, or trying to do that. Stand up is defintely one way to acheive that. The road is long and hard and can be a grind. I will always go on the road because I love to travel and meet new people and perform for new audiences, but I would like to have my own tv show or host a late night type talk show. Hosting is something I have always liked more than acting but I'll take whatever they will give me. You got any good leads?!?!
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Comics can be bitter. They can be angry people. Lots of times comedy comes from pain and people that experience pain, when they can access it, can be very funny. That being said I know plenty of comics who have lived great lives, had loving families, wives, husbands, etc. The single part probably has to do with traveling the road, partying too much. But there may be more to it, maybe someone who analyzes society and relationships for a living (afterall that is a what comic does) maybe they become disenchanted with it all, maybe they realize its full of shit, I don't know. My advice to you is try and find comics that are positive, optimisitc, excited about the craft. Those comics are more fun to hang with, become friends with and ultimately keep you in the comedy game and liking it. There is also the obvious "Sad Clown" theory. People who make people laugh for a living truly become sad and don't find it funny at all.
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iPhone & iPad Technician
Is Apple is still the young and hip brand or have mom and dad spoiled it?
Swim Instructor
Do parents ever get angry at you personally if their kid isn't learning fast enough?
Programmer
What lessons can you share about past and present start-ups you've worked with?
how many questions are you asking? Is the last sentence a question? Are you drunk?
It can get monotonus doing the same jokes over and over again, but hearing them laugh doesnt. Older jokes are more polished and stronger. Newer jokes can be more fun to perform because they are newer and fresher ideas but often times they are unpredictable and lack polish or strength.
I try to mix it up but if the audience is tough or I feel like the new jokes aren't working I will go back to a bit that I've been doing a while.
As far as your last sentence, I don't know what that means. If you want to do comedy, do it. There is no age requirement. Its not a sport. Just sign up. Or don't. I don't give a shit.
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Ha! I hope not! Sometimes I'll run into people who were at my show and I can tell they want me to be funny , or they try to crack a lot of jokes to me, that is so fucking annoying. Lots of times, once I tell someone I am a comedian, they try to tell joke after joke. For whatever reason this happens at a lot of hotel front desks. I have to tell them why I am in town and then they start zinging jokes at me. The people that know me best know that I am not capable or nor do I want to be funny all the time. There is nothing worse than a comedian who is always "on".
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For me, it is just weekends. But I know some comics that will go on a 6-8 week tour where they are gone every single day. The last couple of years I have gone to Australia for 4 weeks in a row. It can get long, very long. We are not with our bandmates or tour manager. We are by ourselves. And allthough that is nice for some of the time, it definitely can get lonely and boring. Hence why you see a lot of comics rely on drinking and drugs to help pass the time.
Ultimately a comic is in charge or how often he/she gets booked. My agent sends me the gigs and I can decide if I want them or not. That being said, if I keep saying no, my agent may stop working for me. They get paid, when I get paid.
In general, clubs work anywhere from Fri-Sat to Tues-Sunday. The rest of the time you could be home with your family, minus the evenings when you would probably do some spots in your town.
This March I was out of town for 6 days. In April, I will be out of town for 11 days. Not bad really.
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