Florentine is making his break for it
There's a myth that all a comedian (or a musician or an actor) needs is one big break - one gig that will make him or her a star. The reality is that comedians need every break they can get, whether they create it themselves or it comes from somewhere else.
Jim Florentine has had both, and he's still working at it. He'll play the Roxy tomorrow as part of "The Killers of Comedy" tour starring regulars from the "Howard Stern Show" like the Rev. Bob Levy, the Iron Sheik, Sal the Stockbroker, and Beetlejuice. Florentine has been a show regular since 2001, when Stern first heard his self-produced prank call CD series, "Terrorizing Telemarketers."
Getting on a show with a large national following was a break, but according to Florentine, it took five or six appearances over nine months before that translated into a boost in his audience. "It definitely takes a bunch of appearances before they get to know you," he says. "It takes some time."
Florentine had been a full-time stand-up for about eight years before he put those CDs out, headlining smaller clubs and taking the middle spot for bigger names at the bigger clubs. His knack for edgy improv made the prank calls fun, and when he got no takers for a CD, he formed his own Florentine Productions and put it out himself.
"Everything that I've put out on my own, I've brought it around first and tried to pitch to various TV outlets or record companies, and they've wanted nothing to do with it," he says.
If he had to spell out to people what was funny about his ideas, that's what he would do, eventually creating four "Terrorizing Telemarketers" CDs and two "Meet the Creeps" hidden-camera DVDs. That's when Stern came calling, and shortly after that, Florentine was tapped by producers Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla for Comedy Central's "Crank Yankers," an unlikely hit about puppets making crank calls. "I did it on my own, and then all of a sudden Comedy Central was knocking on my door," he says.
Now Florentine headlines bigger clubs and sells his T-shirts, CDs, and DVDs to a devoted following at the Killers of Comedy shows. But that's been no reason to slow down. He and pal Jim Norton are producing video shorts called "The Good Side of Bad News" for SuperDeluxe.com. The bits are too edgy for networks, but Florentine hopes it'll find a home on television somewhere. If not, it's still fun, and still good exposure.
"It'd have to be toned down somewhat," he says, "but it's just an outlet for us to vent and make a few bucks and let people pass the videos around on the Internet and get some more exposure."
Wasteland
It's the question on everyone's mind: If T.S. Eliot hosted a comedy show, what would it look like? OK, it's not on anyone's mind, really, but Neil Reynolds and a group of seven friends will answer it anyway tonight as "The Wasteland Comedy Hour," hosted by Reynolds as Eliot, kicks off a seven-show, Friday-night run at ImprovBoston.
Wasteland will be a sketch revue with special guest stars, mostly stand-up comedians (tonight it's Daniel Forlano). Each night has a theme - tonight it's "The Body" - and the group realized it needed some way to pull together a lot of disparate sketches, ranging from goofy to heavy satire.
"We thought that Eliot would be a fun sort of postmodern jerk of a host who could play the same function that Kermit plays in 'The Muppet Show,' " says Reynolds, "to buffer things that don't really fit well together and crack a joke here or there and sort of usher things along without actually getting in the way of the material."
"The Wasteland Comedy Hour" is at ImprovBoston (1253 Cambridge St., Cambridge) Fridays at 8 p.m., starting tonight through Dec. 14. Tickets are $16 at 617-576-1253 or improvboston.com.
Around town
David Alan Grier plays the Comedy Connection tonight and tomorrow . . . The Tony Moschetto Show plays the Comedy Studio Sunday with Erin Judge, Greg Rodrigues, and more. . . . Jimmy Tingle hosts the Comedy Benefit to End Family Homelessness with Jane Condon of "Last Comic Standing," Tissa Hami, and David Grabiner at the Somerville City Club Thursday. The show moved to the City Club after Jimmy Tingle's Off Broadway closed its doors earlier this week.
‘‘The Killers of Comedy’’
featuring Jim Florentine, the Iron Sheik , the Rev. Bob Levy, Shuli, Sal the Stockbroker, Yucko the Clown, and Beetlejuice
At the Roxy tomorrow at 8 p.m. for a 21-plus show.
Tickets are $25 at 617-931-2000 or ticketmaster.com. 