Handling Annoying People, part 4

Years ago there was a 15 month period once when I kept getting booked with the same comedian for these 2-person shows. All over the country, I'd show up and he was there. I wouldn't have minded except this guy made it clear to me that he hated my act. He would make snide comments or give me unasked for tips on how to do comedy. I was having great shows, but I didn't like working with him. One of the weeks we worked together was at the Excaliber Casino on the Vegas strip, and one of the perks of working that gig was that you got to eat at the employee buffett for free all week. So I'm sitting there eating my lunch, and who plops down? Yeah, this guy. He then ruins my lunch by giving me more pointers on my act, that I didn't ask for. It was annoying.

My tips this week are on working with annoying people, and my tip today is to avoid them. Yeah, I realized the time frame when he ate lunch, and so I ate at a different time, I also showed up right before the show and left right after it so I didn't have to hang out with him. This helped tremendously with my mental state that week and for future weeks.

I've avoided other annoying people in the past, and it really is a good alternative to listening to them annoy me more. There used to be a comedy club owner who was really annoying, and you actually had to live at his house during the gig. The comics had a running joke, that we all had a library card in that town, because once you checked in, you immediately went to the library to hang out to avoid this person.

If you want read about some of the good and annoying people I've worked with, then check out my book on Amazon – "Convention Comedian: Stories and Wisdom From Two Decades of Chicken Dinners and Comedy Clubs" I have a whole chapter on them.

That's it for today. Take care and enjoy your journey.