"Stand up comedy will not make a comeback. Because it's never left."
With comedy clubs closed during the pandemic, these comedians have turned the NYC subway into their stage.
With comedy clubs closed during the pandemic, these comedians have turned the NYC subway into their stage.
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00The last time this many people were watching me on a train, I was making out with a stranger from the bar.
00:07Pre-pandemic, of course.
00:16The last time I did this on my show, someone came on the train, looked at me, handed me a dollar, and kept walking.
00:24And I was like, excuse you ma'am, this is actually Bushwick Sheik.
00:31It's very expensive to drive with a small body.
00:44Comics are not happy when they can't perform.
00:48A few comics have told me stand-up is the only thing they know how to do.
00:53It's their only skill set, and they need to perform for mental health reasons, for financial reasons.
01:00And I just came up with an idea, let's do a show in the train.
01:05Look, I do like masks. Masks are a good thing, because look, I'm talking to you all right now, you guys don't even know, I got braces on.
01:09Braces? That's not the joke, y'all. Braces? Braces at 26 years old is a weird place.
01:17What makes this different?
01:19This is different because obviously the setting is different, we're moving, it's like a lot of uncertainties going on.
01:25When I was performing, somebody was like trying to heckle, but you get that in the clubs too.
01:29This s*** is f***ing me up, right?
01:31Do it, let's see, man.
01:32Do it, let's see? You're watching it right now, man, what are you talking about?
01:36That's how you act when you know about that s***.
01:40We did it, I think back in December for the first time.
01:43It was very random, it was a very New York experience.
01:46I didn't think we were going to continue it this long, but it just worked.
01:59I don't know.
02:05Who the hell do we think we are, thinking that we're better than Zoom?
02:08Are you kidding me?
02:09Do you have any idea the sheer volume of shows I did in New York pre-COVID
02:14in front of like one uncomfortable couple in the back of a dive bar?
02:18Zoom and The One Train are so much better than much of what I've devoted my adult life to.
02:23Stand-up comedy will not make a comeback because it's never left.
02:27Promex took it in, and they wanted to perform anywhere they can,
02:34whether it was in the park or a church or on the subway.
02:38There were thousands of people that came to our shows that had never heard of us before.
02:43Because they can laugh at things like, what are we doing here?
02:47I hope years from now, or a decade from now, if I'm doing great and I've got a bunch of stuff going on,
02:53I'll be able to look back on this and be like, yeah, in the weirdest possible year,
02:58I performed on a One Train and somehow did okay doing comedy.