This is Rob Long with Martini Shot for The Ankler.
I never know how much of a life recap I need to do, so just in case, here’s a quick one: As some of you know, I’m currently a student at Princeton Theological Seminary, working toward a Master of Divinity degree and, eventually, ordination in the Episcopal Church. I know, I know. It’s a lot.
I’m the oldest person in most of my classes, older than some of my professors, and I came to this from many years in the television business, successful years I feel I need to say, and you’ll find out why in a minute. But my new perch means I sometimes see my two worlds collide in ways that are, let’s say, instructive.
Last week, a classmate of mine — a young guy, very sharp — was putting together a short stand-up routine for a seminary event. He tried some of it out on me, and it was pretty good. Funny, confident, a clear point of view. And he asked me if I had any suggestions for some jokes he could add. And because I am who I am and I cannot help myself, I pitched a joke to him. He nodded, sort of, and said, “Huh, yeah.” So I made another pitch. And he looked at me, not unkindly, and said: “Too wordy.”
Too wordy.
I need to stop for a second. I have been a professional comedy writer for decades. Three-plus decades. I have written for one of the most successful sitcoms in the history of American television. I have been handsomely remunerated for my skills in writing and producing comedy for a wide audience. And a seminary student doing his first open mic just gave me a note.
Too wordy. Too wordy?
Which got me thinking about who gets to give notes, and why, and what happens when you find yourself, without quite meaning to, on the wrong side of that transaction. Because it doesn’t matter — at least not to me, unfortunately — if you don’t know anything about anything and that the joke isn’t wordy — what matters is that I now need to explain why you’re wrong and I’m right and even though I need to explain that I know I can’t, so I don’t. But, you know.
Once, I had a show on the air, and it was doing pretty well. I know, I know, but that did occasionally happen.