Latest / Caught on the Mike... / "Too Much Information?" with stand up comic, producer, and writer Christine Tomlinson

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"Too Much Information?" with stand up comic, producer, and writer Christine Tomlinson · Caught on the Mike...

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_02: Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_02: Listener discretion is advised.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_02: On this episode of the show, I welcome stand-up comedian, Christine Almoston.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_02: She called in from Denver, Colorado, and we've talked a little bit about Google as both a stand-up comedian and a co-producer.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_02: Ladies and gentlemen, this is Caught on the Mic.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_02: Ladies and gentlemen, coming from the Mile High City, it is stand-up comic producer and writer Christine Tomlinson.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_02: How are you today?
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: I'm great.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for having me.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks for being here.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_02: We've been following each other since I started this thing almost two years ago now.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we started at the same time.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_02: Right, right, right, right.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_02: Because you had a podcast at the time as well.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_02: And the power of social media just kind of connecting us all one person at a time.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_01: I know who would have thought I'd be talking to a Huskers fan.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: Cornhuskers?
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_02: I am not a Huskers fan, but I live in Nebraska and it's kind of part of the fucking uniform as we have to have Corn Huskers gear.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, uh, for those of you listening, I am rocking a starch white Nebraska Cornhuskers hat.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_02: It looks fucking awesome.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_02: You can check it out on my social media because I'm I think I recorded like 10 fucking TikTok videos today.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: But it's it's like it's Raiders colors too.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: Like I double hate your hat.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_02: Oh my gosh, I forgot about the Raiders Broncos rivalry.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: I know you're like, well, let's get Christine on here and piss her off immediately.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_02: Well, at least it's not a Raiders hat.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_02: There is a Raiders hat that I want.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_02: It's like black on black.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_02: It oh, it looks so good.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_02: But I know I would be hung because a good chunk of my podcast guests are MMA fighters from Colorado.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_02: So I would get my ass beat and a heartbeat.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_02: Let's talk a little bit about you.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_02: Let's talk about how you got into comedy, who you are, where you're from.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_02: Introduce yourself and fire away.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I am Christine Tomlinson.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: I actually started, I hit rock bottom.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: That's where I started two years ago.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, like lost everything.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: I have my mom and had a husband and just kind of was on the verge of losing everything.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I was, I had nothing.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, what do I want to do?
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_01: And so I really, really I like bringing joy to people and I like creating experiences for people that makes them happy.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: And everybody, it was like pandemic time.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: It was in the middle of the pandemic, I was all alone and miserable.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_01: And so I'm just like made it my mission to make everybody around me happy.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and also um just do it by telling jokes because everybody, well, a lot of comedians are like, oh, my friends say I'm so funny.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's like it was kind of that similar thing.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: And so I was like, well, first step is go to an open mic.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: Because I Googled it.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, how do I become a stand-up comedian?
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: And they're like, write a joke, step one.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: Step two, say that an open mic.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_01: And there was nothing open.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm like going around to any bar that was still open, which was mostly none of them.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, Do you have a microphone?
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: Can I just talk in front of the people who are here?
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: And they're like, get out.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_01: And so there weren't very many opportunities.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_01: So I started creating them.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_01: I just had this passion and I wanted to do it.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's where the producing started coming from is I like there weren't opportunities, so I had to make them.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_02: That's amazing because one thing that I've noticed by following you on social media, you were doing like outdoor shows at people's houses on the front lawn during the heat of the pandemic.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I don't like rules.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_01: Don't tell me to stay home.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_01: I have three kids, get me out of here.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_02: So the the sense of humor that kind of led you to this, is this something you've had your whole life, or is it something that you've just recently developed?
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_02: Or come kind of talk about that?
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, I had no personality whatsoever for a really long time.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: So I grew up in a very conservative culty church school from until ninth grade.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: I was it was like me and five other of the same kids in the basement of a church, didn't learn science kind of place.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I had no personality, and then I started going to public high school and I realized I had no idea about anything and I had to learn it quickly.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I kind of everybody just naturally laughed at me because I was different and quirky because I had this weird upbringing, and so I just like leaned into that.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, well, they think this is funny.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: So well, it's kind of clowning.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_02: That's funny because it seems like everybody that's kind of had a sheltered background, whenever they're given the opportunity to come out of their shell, they really come out of their fucking shell.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: Pay attention to me.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_02: Right, right.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: I have something to say.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_02: So if you were to describe your your style of comedy, how would you describe it?
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: Well, it's storytelling.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: So most of my jokes are just store is stories from my life because they're very I have a lot, I do have a lot of really unique experiences that are that are very interesting.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: So mostly I just talk about that.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_01: And it's not really the traditional like setup, punchline, set up, punchline, because I mean, it's my stories are interesting and they they they keep people's attention.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: I'm still I'm only two years in, so I'm still I'm still working on on the writing side of it, like being a more technically sound writer, but I just always storytelling is what I do best.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: I'm pretty good at that.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: But what I talk about, what I talk about is, you know, I have three kids.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: I mentioned I've been through my private school thing.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_01: I've had to turn into a normal human after that in high school, and then be an adult and have kids and get married and then get divorced.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: So I have a ton of stuff that I talk about.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_01: And I my perspective, like it's pretty dark.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_01: Usually, my like, you know, I don't have very good, a good understanding of social cues.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't, I didn't grow up learning what you can and can't talk about.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: So then I just once I started learning things, I just talk about all of it, and everybody's like, you can't say that.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, why?
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: So it's really nothing is off limits, is is kind of what I what I say.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, but humor's humor is such a great defense mechanism too, whenever you're dealing with your like hardships and you're dealing with social dynamics and emotional intelligence and social cues.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_02: It's such a good way to break the ice and actually get to know people, right?
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: And how I one of the ways I started writing, because I I did start, I started and I just kind of had a really sharp trajectory um right out the gate.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I even had um friends in Denver be like, How do you what did you do?
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: How did you know how to do this?
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_01: And I really what I started doing, I would journal a lot.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: Like I would go through a hard time, I would journal, and then I would change the story to make me laugh.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: Like I really just started writing comedy to make myself feel better.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, wow, this is really sad.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: What would make this funny?
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_01: So I just naturally would re just rewrite my story, and then I'd start telling it to people and they would laugh.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, you talked a little bit about creating your own experiences, creating your own movement, um, creating your own opportunities, which is huge.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I think that's something that a lot of artists in particular, whether they be a musician, a comedian, a podcaster, they kind of take for granted that you know, the best way to push yourself forward is to create those opportunities if they're not immediately handed to you, but it's also a way to sharpen your skills and make you better at your craft.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_02: So have you surrounded yourself with a pretty core group of comedians that you've kind of learned from and borrowed from, and you know, gotten that feedback so you can sharpen it up a little bit?
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I wouldn't I wouldn't say it's necessarily a core group.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: And it's changed, it's kind of evolved, especially during the pandemic.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: There were only the people who were willing to break the rules and go out and do comedy anyway, you know, because it's my a lot of people think that's really bad.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I don't sorry.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, I'm really sorry.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, so those were the first people I started with, the ones that were like so hardcore dedicated to comedy, they're like, the pandemic's not gonna keep us from doing the thing we love.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_01: And a lot of comedians, it's like all they have.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: They're like, I have to do this.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: And so it was really, it was a really big deal that there weren't as many opportunities.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: And a lot of people were depressed and killing themselves.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like, honestly, like it was it was a tough time.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: So I did start with that core, I guess.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: But everybody I've come across, like in the in between, like everybody I've come across has been a teacher to me.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: Like, even the new open micers that have gone up for the first time, it's some somebody I can learn from, is how I look at it.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: And certainly booking, being able to produce my own shows and book headliners who have been doing this for 20 plus years, like I definitely like that's like a personal workshop for me.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm paying them, but I also I'm like I'm paying them to like give me a class, basically, and I pay attention to everything, but everybody's doing all the time.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_02: So, yeah, and again, like following you on social media, something you know, you and I I think first talked about a year ago, and then just following you since I watch your posts and it's just growing, and your your opportunities are growing, the clubs look a little bit nicer, the presentations a little bit sharper.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_02: And in for me, it's really exciting when I see people that I've known or that I've met evolving and like pushing that trajectory forward.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_02: So something's working.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thank you.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's just being having humility and being a student, I think, has gotten me so far.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like, there's so much ego in the entertainment biz anyway, that like just continually keeping my ego in check has been really helpful.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, I get that too.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, I've I've mentioned it probably no less than a million times on my show.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_02: I originally come from the music world, you know.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_02: I played in bands for so many years, I sang in bands, and I was always like this close, this close.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_02: My very last show was playing with Avenge Sevenfold and Three Days Grace, and I was like, that's my Super Bowl moment.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_02: I'm done.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not gonna get bigger than this, I'm not gonna be this big famous rock star.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_02: So, like, I had to admit to myself that I'm done.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, you fast forward a couple years later, and you know, you always have that creative itch inside of you that you gotta do something a little bit more.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_02: So that's how this podcasting thing came about.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_02: And I I know exactly what you're saying because long diatribe aside, it's through listening to other people and developing these conversations and these relationships that this venture of my own has grown.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: By the way, I the reason you quit when you did is because you decided.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: I'm never gonna be bigger than this.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: You told yourself I'm never gonna be bigger than this, and then you did it.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_01: If you decided to be bigger than that, you won't have been.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I'll tell you little, little, little stunt thing about the music business.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um if you're still trying to make it at age 35, it is a very ageist industry, and you've got to be like, all right, you have to be honest with yourself and say, Yeah.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I've I've got kids also, so it's it's one of those things that's like I either I either shoot the shot and become a deadbeat dad, or I okay, that's fair.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_01: So you made a decision.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_02: So and and and I just I don't think I could live with my kids.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_02: Right?
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_02: Find me at at like seven o'clock on a Sunday night before they get picked up for their mom's house.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, I'm pretty much at that point.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_02: It's like, fuck them kids.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I should have been a rock star.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: I'm trying to find balance.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_01: They're like, mom, we haven't seen you.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, you were invited to the bar, you didn't want to come.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_02: So, how has parenting influenced your comedy?
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, well, it's interesting.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_01: There's like this whole thing of like there's so many rules that, and again, I hate rules.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: I don't do rules, and there's so many rules of things you're supposed to talk about, things you shouldn't talk about.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like they're they're like, oh, don't don't joke about your kids.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_01: Louie already did that, blah, blah, blah.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm just like, that's most of my life, and that's so relatable.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: That's the thing, is joking about some like relatability is so much of a hurdle.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: And then, like, people who are buying tickets, a large majority of them are you know, couples who are on a date night and their kids are at home, and so they can relate with my my stories about my kids.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: So I you're not supposed to joke about your kids or whatever.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_01: I do it all the time.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_01: It's helpful.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I do have a weird perspective, it's not traditional or new at all.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's different.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: So it actually is a little challenging the relatability side of it, but I try to get them to relate in other ways and just hit them with my philosophies.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_01: And they're like, whoa!
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_02: Right, right, right.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_02: And you you you look at the um the most, I don't know, um, the most profound comedians, usually it they fall into different categories.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_02: There's the dick and fart jokes, and then there's the relationship side of it, up to and including sexuality and family lifestyle, and this, that, and the other thing.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_02: And so it's funny to see who ends up being the most successful for the longest, based in those categories.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_02: If I'm off base, you know, maybe.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I feel like everybody starts off with dick and fart jokes.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody just starts off in comedy talking about their genitals, but then hopefully you graduate from there.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's like the low-hanging fruit.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_01: That's what a lot of my mentors have said.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_01: They're like when you're first starting out, you're like, ah, that's funny.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_01: They're like, yeah, that is the low-hanging fruit talking about that.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: But let's try to do this in a way that is a little classier, Christine.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_02: She's alluding to the balls, is what she's talking about.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: There you go.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: See low-hanging fruit.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's not all Dick and Fart jokes.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes it's nut sacks.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_02: So, what are some challenges that you've run into producing your own shows and putting together your own shows as being a promoter as well?
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think so, just again, given starting during a pandemic, getting people comfortable coming out again.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_01: So it's gotten a lot better now.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, in the last six months, I would say.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: But like for the first year, I was trying to do it, just getting people comfortable getting out of the house and being around people again and in larger groups or whatever.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: And even then, we had restrictions on how many people could fit in a room.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: So we had kind of unique challenges, you know, like post-pandemic.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: I don't even know if it's post yet.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_01: I'm still hearing stuff about it.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't even know if we're post-pandemic, whatever feels a little more normal.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but that's that I think um there's always politics.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_01: There's politics in every scene.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: And so um just trying to be able to navigate that because there again, there's all kinds of just unspoken rules or rules with like who who you should book or who you shouldn't, or how many of what?
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_01: Like, there's just a lot of a lot of politicking, I guess.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_02: I that's kind of where I was going next with this, is polit or not necessarily politics, but is comedy becoming a dangerous sport because of what you can and cannot say anymore?
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_01: Well, technically, comedy, you're supposed to be comedians, are supposed to be the ones who get to say anything.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: They're like the last people who are allowed to joke about everything.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: And like I said, I nothing should be off limits.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_01: But you say you're saying can and can't say there is like that social pressure because a comedian should be able to say whatever they want just because we don't want them to be censored.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's where the best art comes from, is not being censored.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_01: But then also, you know, if you're a comedian, you don't want to just come out and say, unless I'm Dave Chappelle, like we talked about, I'm Dave Chappelle, I can say that and get away with because I'm like, first of all, he's map does it masterfully, but also he ha he's already arrived.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's not like you can take anything from him.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_01: But a new comedian starting out, if I came out the gates with that, I could get blacklisted from all kinds of places easily.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_01: So I technically can, but am I going to?
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_01: Probably not.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you look at people like Dave Chappelle, George Carlin, and people of the like, they're kind of the modern philosophers, they're the philosophers of the 2020th and 21st era and beyond.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_02: And um, you know, the people that tend to criticize their brand of comedy generally aren't actually listening to their comedy, they are listening to sound bits and and clips and the exploitative way that the news media blows it up or blows up a soundbite.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_02: You know, and that you went to exactly where I was going with what kind of pressure does that put on an up-and-coming comedian?
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_02: Because I would think that somebody would be chambering a lot of their act in fear of getting blacklisted or something along those lines.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it waters it down.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_01: I think there's so much watered-down comedy because there are a lot of comedians that are afraid to be in that position.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_01: But also, like with that, you know, you have this one end trying, trying to push this way.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_01: Anytime that you have something pushing this way, you're gonna have something else that rises up against it.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_01: It's just there's always gonna be a that balance.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, I think there there will be, you know, new generations of comedians that that come push up against it, I think.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: And and everything seems to go in cycles.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_01: So it's just kind of a it's a weird thing right now.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_01: But I but it's gonna take pushing that barrier.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like you have to push it back, or it is gonna it'll take it over, but then it's gonna cycle back around because that's just the way it is.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: Or the pen you can look at it like a pendulum swinging back and forth.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_02: So you know, we talked about Dave Chappelle, and we actually talked about it before we pressed record, and something in particular that happened just this last week is Dave Chappelle was booked at First Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_02: And First Avenue is a famed club.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_02: It is the club in Purple Rain.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_02: If you were a Prince fan, you have seen First Avenue.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_02: First Avenue is covered in stars with the names of every person that's ever played there, up to and including Prince.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_02: Now, Prince had a movie in the 80s where uh a woman was thrown into a dumpster, and Prince's name has not been uh taken off First Avenue, yet 150 signatures kicked Dave Chappelle out of First Avenue last week, and he got moved to another venue where the other venue sold out two more days worth of shows.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_02: So it does seem like there is a societal pushback to you know smaller voices.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_02: I don't think Dave is out to harm anybody, I don't think he's out to disenfranchise anybody, and I don't think any other comedian is out to be able to do that.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and if you ever listen to him speak, too, he's not he's a a genuinely good person.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_01: If you really just like that's that's the reality of it.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, he's had millions of experiences that prove the opposite of what some what this group is trying to prove, I guess.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_01: And then you have, you know, you the people who are boycotting him from this one venue or whatever, that's just making a statement.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: They're just making a political statement, they're not affecting him one way or the other.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_01: And again, there was another venue for him to go to, right?
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_01: And and his support probably increased, you know what I mean?
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_01: Because they're like, oh, that's bullshit, let's go support Dave.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: So really, that's just that that's the opposite side, just meeting the other opposition and kind of balancing it out again, or you know, so it's too bad.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_01: And they're we're talking about it now, which is I guess what they wanted because they want the conversation to be happening, but really that's just them.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_02: They probably probably didn't even listen to it, and they're just yeah, that's exactly what I was getting at because there's a there's a fine line between advocacy and virtue signaling, and yeah, that's the term I was thinking.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_02: I really do think that most of the people that strike out against comedians in particular are j are falling in that latter category.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_02: They're just virtue signaling.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_02: There's not there is not a comedian that I have ever listened to, at least in my generation, or at least that's come out in the last.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: 10, 20 years that is intentionally being malicious or harmful.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_02: They're just trying to make people laugh and trying to make light of life experiences to a certain degree.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: So and there's, I mean, yeah, you're right.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_01: There's and there's only so there's only so many things you can joke about, and there's a you know, and again, we're supposed to be the ones who are allowed to make fun of everything.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_01: Everything.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_01: Don't, you know, if we make fun of everything but this, you know, that aren't we, you know, being prejudiced against that one thing by not including them in it?
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like we make fun of all of it.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_02: Right, right, right.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: But the other side of that is people not being able to handle their emotion, like my emotions.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_01: If I'm feeling a thing, I need to change the world around me instead of dealing with my own feelings.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_01: So we are caught.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, we're in general coddling a generation of people by by stepping back and being like, oh, sorry, I made you feel that way.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't make you anything.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: That's just your feelings, and deal with it.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's where generation I came from.
• 23:00
  unknown: Right.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_02: I'm glad you mentioned that because I have so I've got three girls.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_02: Uh there, I've got twin stepdaughters that are 16.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_02: My daughter's 15.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_02: So, yes, I've got three girls the same exact age.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_02: My son is 13.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_02: So I I've mentioned this a million times on my show, also.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_02: But when dealing with kids and being a parent yourself, and you've got older children as well, um, what how do you interpret their the way that they see society and they see comedy like versus how we saw it when we were their age?
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_01: Well, it's interesting.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: So I have an 18-year-old son that I have brought to shows, and I and he has a girlfriend, and we've talked about comedy in general, and I'll I'll bring him to shows and there's not laughing.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, did you not think that was funny?
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like, they're it's not just a matter of whether they think it's funny or not, or should or shouldn't say it, but they're also worried about who's looking at them laughing and what they're gonna think.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_01: And so there's this whole thing, and I'm like, do you think it's funny, then laugh?
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_01: If you don't think it's funny, then don't laugh.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: But like, but it makes it really hard when I get younger crowds too.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's kind of a similar thing where it's just like it's just so tense.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_01: I forgot what your question was.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_02: No, no, no, no, no.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_02: You hit it, you hit it, you hit it right on the head.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_02: And my question is, is do you think that that's kind of a byproduct of that generation coming up in the age of social media, too?
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like everybody's watching, and there's this right, but there's just more pressure.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_01: Hard, hard.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's it seems like it's harder to be an individual because you're like everybody's publicly calling each other out for everything, and there's such an external focus.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, probably I think probably has a lot to do with that.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_01: But it's crazy because I didn't raise my kids that way, and my 18-year-old, you know, went up in the public school system, and his friends and peers, you know, he got his perspective from that.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I'm sure he took some of my stuff away from it also, but for right now, that's where he's at.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_02: I've cracked jokes in front of the girls a few times or like, Dad, you can't say that.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_02: It's like, I don't mean it in a harmful way.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not like I'm not saying anything denigrating or like like I'm not trying to say anything negative about anybody or that, but there's you can't say that, Dad.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_01: I don't explain myself to my kids.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_01: You can't tell me what I can't or can't say.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I freaking can.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_01: How did it make you feel?
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_01: Do you want to talk about that?
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_01: We can talk about your feelings.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_01: Don't talk about me and what I can say.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like my conversation is my kids.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, yeah, if you are feeling a thing, we can talk about that.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_01: But don't comment me because you didn't like something that I said.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_02: Right, right, absolutely.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_02: So, what are some unique vehicles you have found to promote your shows and promote your comedy that maybe most people aren't thinking of right now?
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I do a lot of grassroots marketing.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_01: Like I go places and talk to people.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_01: It's very one-on-one.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I do email blasts, I do Facebook posts, those are the cheapest, and you hit the most people at once.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_01: But those aren't necessarily turning into sales.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: They probably are a percentage of them, but I go, I build relationships.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's just one person at a time.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: Let's get it, you know, people come to a lot of my shows because they like me.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_01: They like hanging out with me.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_01: They do it with so mine is really grassroots.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'll go to a place, I'll I get to know the staff, I get to know the staff's friends, I give free tickets, I they like me.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_01: They, and then, you know, if I'm not there, then I'm reaching out to them.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_01: I have their cell phone number, I'm sending them a text message and saying, hey, the show is coming up, tell your friends, and they they mark it for me.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they're they're having those conversations, they're having get togethers.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_01: And then when we have the show, I make a point to make sure it is fun.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_01: Like you're gonna have fun.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_01: If you're not having fun, then I'll come in and you know, come from a different angle.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_01: It's just that that's the hosting side of it.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I can produce a show and just send it off, but I want to make sure it's a really, really good show once you're there because then there's a good buzz about it.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_01: They're talking to their friends and then they come to the next one and bring more people.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, it's it seems obvious, but it does take more work.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_01: It's it, but it's worth it.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_01: It's I I have fun doing it too.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_01: I like hanging out with people and getting them to have a good time.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_01: That's I'm focused on creating a fun experience for people that they go away, you know, even after the show is over, if they're still talking about it and it's still making them happy.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_01: That's really cool.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's it's reciprocal investability, like people investing in you because you're taking the time to invest in them.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_02: And that's something that social media has actually taken away from grassroots promotion in a big way.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um Facebook, when it was in its early days, was really effective, but they say Facebook now, you're just promoting to people you've already promoted to a hundred times.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, exactly.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_02: It's an it's an echo chamber, and after a while, people stop listening.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um the one that I would surprise you, maybe, maybe not, especially people of our age group, um, TikTok.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: No, that doesn't surprise me.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_01: I'm teenagers.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_01: I hate that it works so well.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_01: I need it.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_02: I do too.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_02: I do too.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_02: But it is the it is the last organic form of promotion left.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_02: And I I was explaining this to a group of my friends, and they're like, So what do you mean?
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_02: Like, hey, it's the last true algorithm.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_02: And I say, Well, you know, you go on Facebook and you know Instagram is owned by Facebook, so they're controlling what people see, they're controlling their interest scope, and they're feeding people the things that they think people want to see, and they'll shadow ban things that are outside the realms of that, unless you're paying for impressions, unless you're paying for ads.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_02: But TikTok, if you go on a TikTok, you watch five comedians.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_02: Guess what that your for you feed is gonna start showing you a bunch of comedians, right?
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know, so it's still really organic, and that algorithm is generated by people that like engage with those interest ranges, so it's just it's crazy.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_02: So I don't know if you if you've considered using TikTok, throwing some clips up on that.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_02: I suggest I have.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_01: I actually started my first video I ever did trend it.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_01: It was like 42,000 views and it was great, but I just I was old and I'm in the Facebook habit.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_01: I need to do the TikToks.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_01: I know I do, I know, I know.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_01: By the time I got on it, it's gonna be on to the next thing, though.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, dang.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_02: So I'll I'll spend a Sunday or like a Monday afternoon, and I'll sit here at my desk and I'll like record 10 one-minute videos, and I'll be like, okay, there's my videos for the week.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_02: I'll just post those throughout throughout the week and you know, I'm done.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like a total fucking dumbass doing it.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_02: But it's been so it's been such good growth organically, like, and it feels so it feels so legitimate doing it that way.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and it's interesting because I used to worry about I'm like, I want to make sure the video quality is good, I want to make sure the content's really good, but you don't really have to do that if you're just trying to get out there and promote, like you I'm seeing some of these videos that are that are getting millions of views is not anything fancy, it's just some random thought.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_01: Somebody's taking a selfie in their car.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like right.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_02: But you are right though.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_02: You are right though, thinking that though.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, sometimes the quality, the if you do focus on the the little fine-tuning details about the quality and such, people will engage with that a little bit more unless they think it's too polished.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_02: Now I've run into that as well.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I feel like I mean, rather than I'm not posting anything right now, I need to just at least be posting something.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_01: It's like a barrier.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, it needs to be perfect or nothing at all.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_01: No, Christine, just post a thing on the internet.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_01: Let's do it.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Christine, you gotta you what you need to do is put your 18-year-old to work and have him film clips of your set and start posting like 30-second to one-minute clips of your set because I think I think the world would fall in love with you if they saw it.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I do need it.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_01: That's actually I did start video.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_01: I I recorded every set audio, but I have not been doing video.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_01: I actually just started doing video like the last couple weeks.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: So trust me.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_01: I know I don't want to get my 18-year-old involved.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_01: He's a he's my worst critic.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_01: He's like, that's cringy, mom.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, okay, go away.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_02: Well, then he's paying, he's paying less attention to what you're saying, more and more attention to the quality of it, you know.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_02: It's like, oh man, man, I know you hated this joke, but this clip is sharp as fuck, you know?
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_02: So you mentioned before we started recording that you might possibly be starting a new podcast here soon.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I've been talking to a few people about it.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_01: I have a I'm gonna kind of do a rebranding, um, and I'll have a new YouTube channel that has um all of it's my comedy and um podcasts, um, just kind of rebranding.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_01: I have a website, Christy Lee.com, and so it's just kind of tying all that in and having more of a being more of like an internet personality type of podcast that is a lot more focused.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_01: Because I started, I had my co-host Christina, she's a she's so fun, and we have amazing banter back and forth, and we always have a good time when we're together, but it was during the pandemic, and we were just like, What do you want to do?
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know, what do you want to do?
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like podcasts, we're like, sure.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_01: And so we just started recording ourselves and our friends, you know, other comedians that just we just were bored and wanted to talk comedy, and so that's what we ended up doing.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_01: And um, it started getting just a little repetitive because we didn't really have um any goals in mind, we just started it.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm just doing a little rebranding and gonna get that out hopefully in the next couple months.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_02: It's always good to kind of resharpen your focus, you know.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_02: We've I I've brought that up multiple times in our conversation here because that's that's even something that I'm doing in real time with my show.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_02: Because sometimes I feel like it gets a little bit repetitive and a little bit monotonous, and it's like rinse, wash, repeat.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_02: I'm more like an entertainment tonight interviewer than I am a podcaster.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_02: But sometimes that's kind of the way it has to go because you're doing things remote, like our conversation right now might be a totally different conversation if we were sitting in the room, same room versus doing it remote, right?
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yep, absolutely.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_02: So cool.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_02: So, what else is in the works for you here in the near future?
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm always well, I I'm producing, I've been going on the road.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_01: I'm featuring for a highliner.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we're gonna be doing Missouri um at the end of August, Arizona in November.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm always doing like my personal stand-up comedy.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a feature level right now.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_01: And then I also do other spots just around town.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I also am I am talking to a few other venues.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_01: Like I've got, I'm working on a mountain run.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_01: Right now, I have one mountain show and I want to make it a run.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_01: So I've been talking to a lot of different venues, trying to get a three-day run so that I can get, you know, if I can get a good headliner out for three nights in a row, I can pay them a set amount and they can have more shows.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_01: And um, so I'm working on that.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_01: And then I also have uh two other venues around um town that I'm working on.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_01: So having more shows.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_01: I don't want to have too I don't want to have too many because like I said, I like making sure it's a quality show.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_01: And so, you know, I'm not going for quantity.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_01: I just want I I want an um, I just have a vision of how many I want per month and um how I'm gonna do that, and also be able to still do my stand-up comedy because I don't the last thing I want is just to only do producing so that it cuts into stand-up comedy because that's really um I find a lot of joy doing that, that side of it.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_01: So just trying to keep it balanced.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I'll the podcast podcast coming up.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_02: That's amazing.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_02: That's amazing, and you know, your mindset is right for it.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um you know, back in the day when I was promoting and playing music, I used to have this rule around the towns that I played in.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_02: It's like one show every six weeks, because if you give them more than that, then you overexpose yourself and you start to become a less valuable commodity.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_02: So you have to give people a reason to come see you time and time again.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_02: And it sounds like you're kind of figuring out a plan to make that happen for yourself.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and also like hosting the shows.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_01: So I host my um shows as well.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_01: Now, when I have when I have as many as I am planning on, I won't be able to host every single show.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_01: But it is helpful to me because I do have regulars that come back month after month, and I want to make sure that I give them something new.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_01: Like I will still open or close you, you know, with my strongest, but I always try to have new jokes for them.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm always writing because I want to make sure I don't stagnate in that side of it and have them like Christine.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_01: We've already heard your set six months in a row.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_01: Can you please say something new?
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_01: You know, so that's good.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_01: It keeps me accountable that way.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_02: Sure.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_02: So what would be your advice for making the world a better place today?
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_02: What could people do to make the world a better place right now?
• 36:24
  SPEAKER_01: Focus more on on yourself and your your own personal growth.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_01: I I think that being selfish has a negative connotation, but I think like a lot of times people are so like they aren't paying attention to themselves enough to realize that the problem that they're having around them has everything to do with inside of them.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_01: So really focus, focus on on yourself and and making, you know, following following your own intuition and what makes you happy, because then you'll be a happier person.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_01: And your interactions with everybody are different after that.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_01: It like it really does.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_01: It's so so little to do with what's going on around you and and what's going on inside you.
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_02: So fantastic.
• 37:05
  SPEAKER_02: Where can everybody find you online?
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Christy Lee.com.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_01: It's C-H-R-I-S-T-I-L-E-I-G-H, and um Christy Lee5280 is my Instagram.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_02: Sweet.
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_02: I will link those in the description of the podcast so all of my listeners can check it out, follow along, go to our Instagram page, follow her, um, because I cannot compliment you enough how much growth I've seen from hundreds of miles away just in the past two years.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_02: So I expect you to double that in the next two years, okay?
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm on it.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_02: Well, hey, Christine, thank you for doing the show.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_02: I think uh the world's a better place with you in it.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, thank you so much.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_01: You're wonderful.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate you.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_02: Once again, I want to thank Christine for doing the show today.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_02: It was a great pleasure finally making this happen.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_02: Make sure you give her a follow on social media.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_02: Check out her website, which is linked in the episode description.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_02: Give her a follow on Instagram.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_02: While you are following people on social media, make sure you are giving Caught on the Mike a follow on Twitter, on Instagram, on Facebook, and on TikTok.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_02: I make videos all the time.
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_02: Hit me up on my website, www.cotonthemic.com.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_02: I always appreciate those five-star reviews on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_02: There are some big, exciting things coming down the pipeline.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_02: I can't wait to share them with you.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_02: This has been Caught on the Mic with Michael Clark.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_02: I'm Michael Clark.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_02: Until next time, thank you.