In a recent episode of Real Time with Bill Maher Chris Rock was joking about why so many people who suck make it.  He was asked if there is room in the entertainment industry for people who are actually nice and just work hard.  His answer was an emphatic yes and in true Chris Rock style he explained why (I’m paraphrasing here):

‘So many people fuck themselves out of success.  They think the world owes them something so they go through life blaming everybody else for their shortcomings and never working hard or sticking around long enough to really make it.  When I was on Saturday Night Live there were so many great comedians that wanted the gig and even better comics who got the gig but spent years just writing the skits.  Conan OBrien was a writer on Saturday Night Live when I showed up.  That’s how tough the competition was.  He couldn’t even get on stage.  I remember the day I got called in to audition for (Executive Producer) Lorne Michaels.  It was between me and another black comic who was much funnier and well known than me at the time.  So there we were at Rockefeller Plaza waiting to meet the man who discovered Eddie Murphy, Tina Fey and many others.

Lorne Michaels has this thing – everybody knows it – he makes you wait at least six hours.  And you can see him through the doorway sitting there chillin, and his assistant comes to you two hours later and says ‘he’ll be right with you’.  It didn’t take me long to figure out that it was a mind game.  The other comic left after the first two hours, saying ‘this is bullshit I’m outta here – I don’t gotta take this, I’m a professional comic’.  A few hours later I finally got called in. The interview lasted two minutes.  Lorne Michaels said ‘yeah you’re funny’ and that was it.  I got the gig.   Needless to say I wasn’t great at first and I had a lot to learn but let’s just say I’m doing okay.’

.

 

My experience is that dealing with doubt builds perseverance and perseverance builds the survival skills a performer will need to weather the storms of the business.  Thinking about going to that audition?  Do it.  Thinking about calling that agent?  Do it.  Thinking about writing your own show? Do it.  But thinking that success is owed to you is a dead end.  Deserve’s got nothin to do with it.

It’s not easy to stick it out when things get tough and goodness knows I have my doubts sometimes but this story helped me put things in perspective.  I hope it helps you too. 

.

Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com