What Woody Allen’s manager told him that changed his standup
On laughs vs. smiles.
Enjoyed this comment at YouTube about Norm Macdonald, Woody Allen, and Todd Glass:
There’s a great clip of Norm telling a story to Todd Glass about Woody Allen. He says that Woody Allen would come off stage and feel as though he didn’t do as well as other comedians. There wouldn’t be moments with huge laughter or applause compared to more punchy comics like Andrew Dice Clay.
But Woody Allen’s manager would tell him that it’s about what he leaves on the stage that matters. While Dice left the audience spent, like laughter was almost pulled out of them, Allen would leave a feeling of warmth with the crowd after his set.
Norm then compares Todd Glass to Allen, and says: ”It’s one thing to make people laugh, it’s another to make people smile.”.
To me, it is Norm’s comedy that is like Allen’s in the story. I can’t stop thinking about it after I’ve seen it, and i keep going back to rewatch it. When Norm tells a joke, I don’t say ”Nice.” at the end of it, as you might do when you recognize another comedian’s cleverness. Because there is almost nothing to hold onto in a Norm joke. Nothing to point out or deconstruct. And even long afterwards, if you’re reminded of or think back on one of his jokes, you smile.
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That Allen standup album was huge for me as a kid, and I’ve gone back to it many times and enjoyed it again. His approach to comedy in his standup period still sounds fresh and I’m still thinking about it four decades later. It’s his ideas and persona that stuck with me in a way other funny comics did not, probably for the reasons you get at here.
Also— I found interviews with comedians and a guy whose name escapes me at the moment (Larry Wilde maybe?) who wrote a book about comics and his recordings of the interviews are available. Allen’s interview with him about the standup period is fascinating. I imagine you’ve read this book but if not I can track it down for you.