Getting totally psyched at 8pm; Also Richard Belzer
by Will
Come out and see me do the stand-up at Rob Lathan and Adira Amram’s “Get Psyched” show. Also appearing: Sean Conroy, Jackie Clarke and Julie Klausner, Harry Terjanian, Richard Jones! Get Psyched! at RiFiFi. 332 East 11st street (btwn 1st and 2nd ave). Five measly bucks. 8pm
In honor of Rob Lathan, here’s a true story about the time Rob and I pitched sketch ideas to Richard Belzer. A few years ago, National Lampoon was (or maybe still is) putting together a radio show and solicited sketch ideas from the UCBT. Rob submitted some sketches he and I had put together. The editor didn’t read the material, but was impressed Rob had emailed and phoned to follow up so he invited us to their next pitch meeting — held inauspiciously at the Cosi sandwich shop next to Grand Central Station. Rob and I arrived to see the editor, a few writers and… Richard Belzer! Belzer was apparently representing the Old Guard of National Lampoon. The Belz! Munch! It was pretty exciting.
We read through about 15 ideas and no one liked any of them. Well, the editor liked one that had telemarketers disguising their advertisements as pornographic prank calls since telemarketing by phone was getting banned by the do-not-call list. Belzer preferred someone else’s idea for a singing nymphomaniac. Or was it a nymphomaniac dentist? I can’t remember. “THAT I like,” he said.
Even though we didn’t like the sketch ideas he was responding to, what I really was impressed by was how nice Belzer was. Say what you want about how far National Lampoon has often and maybe permanently fallen, it was cool to see someone from the salad days still giving a shit. And even though he didn’t like any of our ideas, he took pains to thank us for coming and to keep trying, assuring us how hard it was to come up with stuff that goes over at meetings. He was the big dog in that room, and was remarkably gracious about it. I liked him, even if I think a nymphomaniac dentist singing telegram is a not-good idea.
I hope Rob corrects me if I’m leaving anything major out.
Comments
Yep that’s all true. It was nice sharing a Buffolo Blue sandwich with the likes of The Belz. Another sketch The Belz and the NL staff loved was something along the lines of “Arnold Schwarzenegger Says Inappropriate Things”. Sadly, Will and I didn’t pitch that one.
Muppet Belz:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5121VjLwqZM
Not that this matters to anyone but I am madly in love with the Belz.