To be a veteran in the realm of
comedy is no small feat. Most new comedians are either wholly unprepared
creatively for the expectations of an avid audience or by their inability to
adapt to a shifting market. Some drop by the wayside, victims of their own
unchecked vices while others fall prey to over inflated egos. More than a few
become a cartoon-like self-parody or, seemingly the worst fate of all, plunge
into irrelevant obscurity.
John Caponera came up through an
era when mirrored disco balls were replaced by tiny stages with garish
backdrops. He has risen through the ranks to become one of the country's
premier comedians with a innate ability to deliver exactly what the audience
wants. Beginning his career as a bartender at Zanies in 1979, he has traversed
the country's comedy club stages, acted in comedic as well as dramatic roles
and even starred in his own sitcom in 1994 called The Good Life. His latest CD release, Rain Delay (which was produced by Tom Griswold) highlights his
capacity for taking on diverse roles and creating comedy out of absolutely
nothing as he plays two radio announcers trying to kill time during a rain
delay.
DCP: I've seen some
comedians who have been shut out because they won't do commercials, sitcoms or
movie bits. Do you think your success has anything to do with the fact that you
can act and work almost any type of stand-up venue?
John: Why limit yourself and say, "Well, I'm just a
stand up, man and I'm not going to do movies or anything else." Hey, if
that's what you're happy with, more power to you. But don't belittle the next
guy that wants to do it all or wants to do what he can to make a living. I
mean, I wanted to act all along, so when I got my sitcom, I was ecstatic
because I had set out to be an actor and comedy was a way to use it as a
vehicle to get a sitcom.
DCP: What do you
think was the impetus of the eighties comedy boom?
John: I think it was just the right time and the right
place. Disco was coming to an end and a lot of those discos turned into comedy
clubs because the owners said, "You know what? All I need is a little
stage and a microphone. I have no overhead and I don't have to pay a band and
I'm in business!" A lot of people said "Shit! This isn't a hard
business to run! It's just a bar with comics and I can charge a cover
charge!" So, it wasn't really a hard transition. Yeah, that's what
happened. Disco was ending and it's low overhead to run a club and there wasn't
a lot of comedy going on TV. It got to be a cult thing to go to these comedy
clubs and they really started taking off. Then, all of a sudden, it reached a
point where it became inundated because all these shows started popping up on
TV and the novelty wore off.
DCP: I was always amazed
by the amount of comedians that came up through the eighties. It seemed like
they all brought each other up together.
John: You know, it was like a graduating class. There was
different eras and different guys came up. Like I came up with Emo (Phillips),
Judy Tenuta, Danny Storks, Kenny Rogerson, Lenny Clark, Don Gavin and Steve
Sweeney... I came up with those guys. Now you got guys that are coming up that,
they've seen you at the clubs and they go, 'I used to see you on TV all the
time!' and they're all in their thirties now and doing well, but you didn't
realize that you were an influence on other people. A lot of comics come up to
me and go, "Man, you're the reason I got into stand up." So, you
don't even realize that you're affecting people until later on.
DCP: There just
doesn't seem to be the camaraderie that there once was. It seems a bit more
cutthroat.
John: Yeah. I think that when we first started, there was
more of a camaraderie. It seemed like you went through the wars together. Now,
everybody is just on their own and it's dog eat dog, man. There was a little
more cohesiveness and togetherness before. Guys would watch out for each other
and go, 'Don't work for this place!' and we'd all stick together. Now, somebody
will cut you out on a moments notice to get the gig before you do.
DCP: What do you
think is the worst part of being a comedian?
John: I wish I didn't have to work the road. I have three
kids. I don't want to be on the road. Nobody wants to be the absentee father. I
want to watch my kids grow up. I don't want to be in a stinking Red Roof Inn in
Toledo, Ohio and I'm missing my kid's little league game because I gotta work.
It has a lot of downsides to it. I miss the baseball games and the basketball
games, plays and recitals... and it hurts! It hurts when you're not there. It
really does. See, this business isn't cut out for a guy with three kids. It
really isn't! Stand up comedy is cut out for the single guy or the married guy
with no kids that likes to travel. It was all great and dandy when I was in my
twenties and thirties. Then I had kids and it became a real job because I was
missing them growing up. And that's the truth of it. You're on the road...you
miss 'em. You know, it stings, right? It hurts to be gone and missing a lot of
their special moments because growing up. You can't get those back.
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