Lee Camp

Comedy & Activism

Jul 15, 2013

TA
Stage· 166 messages
Jul 15, 2013
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 3:07 AM

★ Spotlighted from Blake Ian

Well THIS looks awesome.

Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 6:39 PM

★ Spotlighted from Jordan Sudy

Monday meets Comedy. Thank goodness.

Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 6:57 PM

★ Spotlighted from Jordan Birnbaum

My Monday just got way better.

Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 6:59 PM

★ Spotlighted from Kelly Carlin

Two of my favorite humans earth!

Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:00 PM

Hey folks, welcome to my Tawk with Ted - or Ted Tawk if you will.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:00 PM

Ha! Hello Lee and all.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:01 PM

Some quick notes for those new to Tawkers - Ted and I can't see everything you say in the "audience" - We can only see things that are voted up. So vote for the comments you like.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:01 PM

Give 'em a thumbs up if they're good.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:01 PM

Also tell people you're over here with us and get some more asses in the seats, as it were. OK, enough with the house keeping
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:02 PM

Welcome, Ted, world famous comedian from Comedy Central, Letterman, Conan, and everywhere. How ya doin?
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:02 PM

I'm great, thanks Lee. Thanks for asking me to tawk with you.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:03 PM

I've never asked you this - have you been an activist of some sort your whole life or that came later?
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:03 PM

No, I am relatively new to activism. Occupy Wall Street is what "converted" me from interested observer to active participant.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:04 PM

Ah, okay, but I know you were active in starting a comedian union in NYC about a decade ago. I was new to NY then.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:04 PM

I grew up in a family that talked a lot about social issues, social justice, so it was always something I cared about.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:04 PM

Yes, I was one of the comics who started the NYC Comedians Coalition.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:05 PM

How was that experience for someone behind the scenes? Miserable? or exciting?
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:05 PM

★ Spotlighted from Jordan Birnbaum

Going to have to cover the George Zimmerman verdict, or is that a distraction?

Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:05 PM

We'll get to that Jordan...
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:05 PM

It was exciting, invigorating, exasperating. Everything that activism is. We worked to increase the pay of NY comics. Our pay had been the same since the mid 80s.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:06 PM

Trying to get several hundred comedians organized was an interesting task but we were able to do it and make some positive changes.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:06 PM

Yeah, it was quite impressive. ...I was gonna get to this later, but as long as you mentioned it - why has the comedy boom of the 80's and 90's disappeared in your opinion? Or has it?
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:07 PM

★ Spotlighted from Rachel McDonnell

That's probably a fun group of people to get organized though. :)

TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:08 PM

I don't think it has. I think comedy is booming right now, actually. There are more clubs than ever and more diverse "scenes" within comedy, representing more diverse voices.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:08 PM

★ Spotlighted from Durable Brad

Who do you think of as a modern day Mark Twain?

Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:08 PM

Fair point. How about political comedy or at least politically active comedians like you and me - Why do you feel there aren't more?
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:09 PM

To answer Brad, I think George Carlin is the pinnacle. Chris Rock and Louis CK and Doug Standhope and my man Lee Camp are doing great stuff along those lines.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:09 PM

@Brad - I would say it was George Carlin until he left us. (which was very rude of him!)
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:10 PM

I think it's hard, Lee. It's a harder task than just simply being entertaining. And you have to be relatively informed, too, so that's a problem.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:10 PM

I'm really curious - were you worried during Occupy that it would hurt your bookings at all?
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:10 PM

I also love Matt Burke, who is a Long Island based comic who does social commentary. He's in the Bill HIcks mold.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:11 PM

You had (and continue to have ) a huge career opening for people like Louis CK and Lewis Black - Did you worry about losing bookings?
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:11 PM

No, I never thought about it. The same as with the NY Comedians Coaltion; I proceed along the path that compels me and I figure everything else will work itself out from there.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:11 PM

George Carlin and Bill Hicks
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:11 PM

Oddly enough, most of the bookings you mention came after my OWS involvement, so no- it hasn't seemed to hurt.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:12 PM

That's good to hear. I've lost some but I've gained some and this path is ultimately much more rewarding.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:13 PM

What was it about OWS that drew you out? I mean, there's the obvious reasons but I suppose people could argue the issues were there before OWS. And it wasn't like you showed up reluctantly after months - I saw you down in Zuccotti in the first week.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:13 PM

★ Spotlighted from Durable Brad

Chris rock has been very supportive of the President to the point of calling him our dad. Why do you think he's softened on government?

TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:13 PM

Yes, I think that's usually the balance. It's the same with people who follow you on social media; maybe you'll lose a certain amount who are like "Enough already with the activism" but you'll gain as many or more who say "I dig your comedy & activis
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:14 PM

Yes, I went down to Zuccotti Park the third day and kept going back. Again, it's that intuitive thing of recognizing something that resonates with you and compels you to get involved.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:14 PM

Yeah, and I find the people who both love your comedy and care about the issues are the types of fans that will stick with you and fight for you - as opposed to someone who only finds you funny.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:15 PM

It was an environment of compassionate, well informed people who were confronting injustice on myriad levels. And I fell in love with the whole scene.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:15 PM

I agree. I prefer folks who are open to those types of issues as fans, but I get that it's not for everyone.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:16 PM

We've been at a lot of events and protests together, and I feel like I'm the anger and you're the zen. Ha. Do you get angry? What do you do with it? Do you go home and break all your dishes when we aren't looking?
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:16 PM

★ Spotlighted from Jordan Birnbaum

Anyone else watch The Newsroom last night? Looks like we're going to be revisiting OWS this season quite a bit...they should have cast Lee and Ted!

Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:17 PM

@Jordan - Yes, saw that.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:18 PM

@Jordan - The most unrealistic part was the idea of the media covering OWS before it even started.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:18 PM

★ Spotlighted from Rachel McDonnell

the thing I find bizarre about becoming a fan of someone like Lee or Ted is that people seem so shocked by the truth and by people who tell the truth it actually fascinates me a little. I don't understand that.

TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:18 PM

Ha, my dishes are in good condition. Yes, I do get angry; that's part of why I'm out there. But we could be angry 24/7 if we wanted to. So I try to take the long view and see that we are part of a long history of struggle. But anger is part of it.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:19 PM

@Ted Yeah, you do have to take the long view, otherwise it will break you. Seeing things like the abortion law in TX is just really rough if you don't take a step back and see the big picture.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:19 PM

★ Spotlighted from Durable Brad

If only there was a remedy for cognitive dissonance.

TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:19 PM

Rachel, I agree- some folks seem to want to compartmentalize, "Why don't you just tell jokes?" But I think it's part of who I am as a person so if I can bring that to the stage, I do.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:20 PM

Exactly. There are so many examples of that. If anger was our default, we might not get anything done. Anger, as you so beautifully demonstrate, has to morph into thought and action.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:20 PM

I am so grateful for you both! Its one thing to talk about the state of the world but you also show up, as a human being to contribute to bettering society
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:20 PM

Thanks Bell. Seeing as you don't have a photo, I'm wondering if you're my mom.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:22 PM

@Ted - speaking of action, I saw you were marching for Trayvon the other day. Any thoughts? I'm doing an MOC on it today about how this needs to be about much more than this one case.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:22 PM

Yes, I was there yesterday. It's such an overwhelming thing. As you say, it's not just about this one case, though it is unspeakably tragic.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:23 PM

★ Spotlighted from Durable Brad

The big picture is scary.

TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:23 PM

There's so much to consider. Again, taking the long view- America is a country that historically disenfranchises and criminalizes black and brown skin.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:24 PM

Yeah, some of the facts are mind-blowing, like the fact that the number one determinate of whether a person gets the death penalty is race OF THE VICTIM, meaning killing a black person is not a big deal - as we're seeing with Trayvon Martin.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:24 PM

Recent cases like Sean Bell, Ramarley Graham, Kimani Gray, Shantel Davis... it's really an epidemic, so it's hard to look at a single case when unarmed black people are being murdered regularly.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:25 PM

Does thinking about it ever bring you to a place where it's hard to be funny? Or does comedy help keep you sane? (I think for me it's the second.)
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:25 PM

★ Spotlighted from Rachel McDonnell

yeah and when you make it funny I think it does make it easier for people to think about..

TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:26 PM

Exactly. And the fact that Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin in February and wasn't arrested until six weeks later in April. He walked into the police station himself.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:26 PM

★ Spotlighted from Rebecca Westbrook Toker

You guys have found an audience for your rants - and I appreciate hearing people say the things that I think. But how do you talk to "regular people"? Most people DO NOT WANT TO HEAR THIS SHIT. Advice?

Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:26 PM

@Rebecca - I think comedy is a great way to get people willing to talk about it.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:27 PM

★ Spotlighted from Sophia Belita

did you just claim to be sane, lee??

Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:27 PM

@Sophia - Fair point.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:27 PM

That is a struggle sometimes but it's our job. A lot of people don't feel like going to their job a lot of the time. I can "power through" and get up on stage to share my thoughts.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:27 PM

But honestly, I find that often times when I am most burnt out and don't particularly feel like performing, I can be surprised by how great it goes.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:28 PM

@Ted - Yeah, I often find that if I'm torn apart before I go onstage, my mood is different afterward. Sometimes just yelling about this shit gets it off my chest.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:29 PM

Definitely. I think there is something about the shared experience that can be uplifting and therapeutic in ways, for both audience and performer.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:29 PM

When you started in comedy did you ever think it might one day be connected to activism and the day's news? Or was it just about comedy?
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:29 PM

When I started, I didn't really have that scope or perspective.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:30 PM

That evolved over time as I grew up and traveled and was exposed to more. And I think 9/11 and the Bush years were a shift for me, too.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:30 PM

Yeah, nothing slaps you awake like the Bush years
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:31 PM

So I went from being an introspective joke writer to having a more worldly view and incorporating social commentary, because it was on my mind.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:31 PM

As Dave Attel woulda said - It wakes you up like a tongue in the ass.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:31 PM

Yeah, that packed a wallop.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:31 PM

Good morning!
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:32 PM

Is live performance your favorite medium? Or you like comedic acting, etc. too?
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:32 PM

★ Spotlighted from Jordan Birnbaum

@Lee before or after a shower?

TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:33 PM

I actually started out acting in plays in HS, college, community theater. I did a lot of musical theater; that's how I got my early performance chops, singing "I just met a girl named Maria!"
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:33 PM

★ Spotlighted from Durable Brad

Identifying with victims is the hallmark of empathy. Humor often comes from the irony of that realization.

Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:33 PM

So you were standing up for minorities even then!
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:33 PM

So I love acting but yes, comedy is my favorite because it's direct, personal and uncompromised. It's your thoughts to a roomful of people.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:33 PM

Haha! Yes, I sympathized with The Sharks.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:34 PM

You just did a web series called "Teacher Lounge" - How was that experience?
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:34 PM

★ Spotlighted from Rachel McDonnell

wohoo to theater and the arts! <3

TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:35 PM

It was great. My writing partner, Hollis James, and I wrote a web series called Teachers Lounge based on my experience as a former NYC elementary school music teacher.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:35 PM

We shot four episodes featuring Lewis Black, Judy Gold, Judah Friedlander, Ted Leo and Janeane Garofalo.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:36 PM

Amazing comics - all of them.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:36 PM

The basic idea is I'm the music teacher, Hollis is the janitor and we're always hanging out in the Teacher's Lounge. Then other comics come in playing faculty.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:36 PM

Was it pure fun? Or was it challenging?
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:37 PM

Yes, definitely! It was a thrill to have all these folks say "Yes." So where it's at now is we are pitching it as a half hour pilot for TV. We're in the process of going through pitch meetings.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:37 PM

It was both.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:37 PM

It was a thrill to write it and have these folks say yes. The shooting and all of the organizing of schedules, etc. was challenging but in the best ways.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:38 PM

I like organizing and I like being hands on and DIY so I enjoyed the whole process.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:38 PM

Yeah, tell me about it. It took me 6 months just to schedule you for this Tawk. Your business manager's dog wouldn't forward you the emails. It was a mess.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:38 PM

★ Spotlighted from Durable Brad

Have you considered working on a comedic screenplay about your OWS experience?

TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:38 PM

I have to tawk to that dog.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:39 PM

@Brad - I'll let Ted answer that, but in my opinion, it's hard to make comedy about OWS without it looking like you're making fun of it. Maybe it's possible though.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:39 PM

Brad- it takes me a while to process things but I think I have a book or something in me regarding OWS and my experiences with it. But it's ongoing so we'll see.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:39 PM

Much more fun (in my opinion) to make fun of the corporate titans of dickery.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:40 PM

Agreed, Lee. I don't know that I'd necessarily have a comedic take on it, but maybe in spots.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:40 PM

We got about ten minutes left, if anyone has questions for Ted, shout 'em out.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:40 PM

That's another part of the evolution; allowing folks to see that you have various sides and I don't always want or need to be funny. You know, Lee?
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:41 PM

Yeah, I could a memoir that was quite funny at times, like your story you tell about being arrested is pretty hilarious at times, but it's meant to be much more than funny. It's really heartfelt and awesome in other ways.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:41 PM

"Something's coming! I don't know what it is, but it is gonna be GREAT!" - West Side Story
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:42 PM

Exactly. So you have to get comfortable with the different colors and allow yourself to express them, so that the need or expectation isn't always the one color of hilarity.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:42 PM

Since you like to take the longview, what's the longview, Ted? Where are we hairless monkeys gonna take this planet?
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:42 PM

★ Spotlighted from Rachel McDonnell

is there a link to the webseries?

TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:42 PM

You can see a promo teaser for Teachers Lounge at www.tedalexandro.com.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:43 PM

★ Spotlighted from Sophia Belita

does it ever bother you that people expect you to be funny all the time?

TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:43 PM

I honestly don't know what the hairless monkeys have in store. I think the mission is to always make the next decision and take the next step.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:44 PM

Tap into the activism circles and see what is going on. Show up and participate. That's what I try to do. Your body is the biggest statement you can make; your presence. Where do you put yourself?
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:44 PM

@Sophia - Yeah, it can be annoying if I'm trying to hit on a serious subject. The worst is when you're on a radio program or something they're being idiots and expecting you to be an idiot too.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:45 PM

Sophia- I agree with Lee, it can be somewhat annoying but I'm comfortable not being funny. In fact, I'm pretty good at it; so I'm fine with it.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:45 PM

@Ted - And what that speaks to is that we have to remember we completely outnumber "them." Those of us who want a fair, equal, and just world WAY outnumber those fighting against it.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:45 PM

I spend most of my time not being funny.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:45 PM

@Ted - I don't know, when i've seen you, you suck at not being funny.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:46 PM

★ Spotlighted from Jordan Birnbaum

Is OWS going to make a comeback? What's it waiting for?

TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:46 PM

That is so true, Lee. The media and all outlets of information overwhelmingly keep that suppressed but I agree that most people want a just, fair, equitable world for all.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:46 PM

★ Spotlighted from Sophia Belita

i think you both suck at not being funny..

TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:47 PM

People express it in other ways. Like a video of a bear rescuing a kitten or something. I think they're saying "Why can't we all love one another?"
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:47 PM

Don't call it a comeback!- LL Cool J
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:47 PM

Ha. That's true. Maybe I should stop being so hard on all those viral kitten video people.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:48 PM

Jordan- OWS hasn't disappeared. It was made up of human beings. After the NYPD brutally evicted Zuccotti Park, all those folks got to work on other things. Occupy Sandy for example.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:48 PM

And Strike Debt and Occupy Foreclosures...
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:48 PM

I agree, things are still very much bubbling.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:49 PM

The question is simply when enough people will wake up to hit the tipping point .
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:49 PM

★ Spotlighted from Susan Tribby

we have to find a way to communicate with the other side - the teaparty side, for instance

TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:49 PM

Absolutely, Lee. So many great things going on without the media spotlight that Zuccotti Park and the various Occupations nationwide provided. But those folks are all still out there doing good things.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:50 PM

That is a good question, Lee. I was contemplating the word "activist" the other day. Even that seems odd, that there has to be a word for taking action and getting involved. If everyone did it, it wouldn't be called "activism" it would be being human
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:50 PM

Totally.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:51 PM

I think we need to continue to find a way to keep fighting together, keep getting the word and the news out - whether be comedy or other art forms. I recently started a "clarity collective" tumblr where I want to highlight all kinds of activist art.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:51 PM

www.Clarity-Collective.tumblr.com
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:51 PM

I think people think activism is all consuming, too. You can still have a full life. You can show up to a rally for Justice for Trayvon at 6pm and be home at 8pm for your favorite whatever show.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:52 PM

Damn straight. Or in your case, you can be onstage with Louis CK at 6pm and at the rally at 8pm.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:52 PM

That's great stuff, Lee. Yes, getting the word out about all the good stuff going on is key. And I've met some of the most passionate, informed, interesting people through activism, so I encourage everyone to partake
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:52 PM

Such as yourself, Mr. Lee Camp.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:52 PM

Aw sucks.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:52 PM

Where to next for you?
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:53 PM

Yes, definitely.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:53 PM

Is it a summer protesting in NYC for you or elsewhere?
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:53 PM

★ Spotlighted from Jordan Birnbaum

Wow - you guys were really awesome. And Lee and Ted didn't stink, either.

Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:53 PM

★ Spotlighted from Rachel McDonnell

people want to be "blissfully ignorant" but there will come a time when they no longer have that option.. this corruption will and has touched everyone in one way or another if the people can realize that then change may be possible

TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:53 PM

Yesterday I did a show at Tompkins Square Park at 3pm and then went to the rally at 6pm. Still made it home at 9 for my stories.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:53 PM

HA. A lot of Judge Joe Brown for you, huh?
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:54 PM

I will be home in NYC for most of the summer. I'll be performing around the NY clubs.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:54 PM

Yes, Judge Joe Brown and reruns of Judge Judy.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:54 PM

Awesome. How best can everyone keep in touch with you and your shows?
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:54 PM

I'm also involved with Occupy Astoria Long Island City, which a bunch of us started up in my neighborhood. We are very active.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:55 PM

Folks can check out www.occupyastorialic.org for that stuff.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:55 PM

Or as I like to call it "You are all very human."
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:55 PM

For my shows it's all at www.tedalexandro.com
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:55 PM

★ Spotlighted from Sophia Belita

I love you guys! Thank you so much for all you do! Keep Fighting! :-)

TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:55 PM

hahaha, yes we are!
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:56 PM

Thank you Ted so much for doing this. Everybody please keep in touch at LeeCamp.net and TedAlexandro.com
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:56 PM

And we'll see you all at the next march!
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:56 PM

Thank you, Lee. Great chatting with you and everyone. Thanks to all who came by.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:56 PM

Yessir! I'll see you soon, pal. Thanks for all you do.
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:56 PM

★ Spotlighted from Rebecca Westbrook Toker

Thank you both. :)

Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:57 PM

Honor to chat with ya. Keep fighting, everybody.
TA

Ted Alexandro · 7:57 PM

Peace, y'all!
Lee Camp

Lee Camp · 7:57 PM

★ Spotlighted from Rachel McDonnell

Thanks Ted! Thanks Lee! :)