Featured Articles for Paste Magazine

HUSTLE CULTURE IS RUINING COMEDIANS

Hustle culture, aka the billionaire mindset, tells you to never get more than three hours of sleep, never stop networking, never say no. The less you take care of yourself, the more worth you have. Regardless of the industry, an obsession with “hustling” is a surefire path to burnout, yet it is hardly ever acknowledged in stand-up despite its high prevalence. No, you have to get up every day, do multiple shows a night, say yes to every gig, do every room. A too literal interpretation of Gladwell’s 10,000 hours rule, it’s perpetuated everywhere, from the club owner that requires two late night credits for a booking, to the indie booker that demands performers are getting up at least three times a week to do their basement showcase. Somewhere along the way, comedy became just a numbers game.

Surprise: prank shows are the absolute worst

Unlike stand-up, roasts, improv, sitcoms, and movies, pranks do not acquire the audience’s consent first. Their targets, the live audience, are not allowed in on the joke until after the big reveal. Once the prankster announces their true intentions, then and only then is it funny. Elsewhere in the comedy world, that’s on par with a comedian having to explain why their joke is funny, and if you have to do that you’ve failed. Even the third party observers, watching from our TVs, only know it’s a prank if told ahead of time, otherwise there’s no distinction between what we are watching and an actual traffic stop or Subway security camera footage.

Hacks is a show about fame, not stand-up

Hacks is not a show about comedy, it’s a show about fame. It’s about Vegas. It’s not indicative of the profession at large as the struggles on display are not unique but similarly felt by actors, musicians, and entertainers in general.