#train hobo

[jglovsky]

Train Hopping

Why my strong preference for always having indoor plumbing available is not the only reason I could never be a “hobo”...

READ MORE:  http://www.livingnebulously.blogspot.com/

[improvoctopus-blog]

A Train Hobo With A Chicken Bone

George Carlin died a few years back, and Jerry Seinfeld wrote a brief obituary for him in the New York Times. Here's a bit that stuck with me:

You could certainly say that George downright invented modern American stand-up comedy in many ways. Every comedian does a little George. I couldn’t even count the number of times I’ve been standing around with some comedians and someone talks about some idea for a joke and another comedian would say, “Carlin does it.” I’ve heard it my whole career: “Carlin does it,” “Carlin already did it,” “Carlin did it eight years ago.”

And he didn’t just “do” it. He worked over an idea like a diamond cutter with facets and angles and refractions of light. He made you sorry you ever thought you wanted to be a comedian. He was like a train hobo with a chicken bone. When he was done there was nothing left for anybody.

Takes a little bit of setup to appreciate, but that train hobo line really lodged itself in my brain.

It's become a bit of advice I give when students' gameplay feels on point but predictable. Find another angle to attack the game from. Come at it from so many directions that by the time your scene is edited there's nothing else left. Don't just hammer away at it from the same angle over and over again. Your continual pivoting will keep both you and the audience on your toes, which will result in a greater level of engagement with the show.

If you're not familiar with George Carlin, watch Jammin' In New York. It's certainly not the special that made him, or even the one comedy nerds will be quoting 30 years from now, but it's the CD of his I stole from my father in middle school and listened to obsessively. This version's extra funny, because it has Italian subtitles:

...and if you want to be exposed the same way I was, go rent Live At Carnegie Hall from Blockbuster and watch it a dozen times in the same weekend. It's good stuff!

[didderdad-blog]