Mandatory Strategies For Working In Humor
The maternity nurse’s aid held me in front of my mom in the hospital bed. I’d just entered this world not more than a few hours earlier. It was 1954. “Congratulations, Ms. London,” I used to joke that the OB/GYN told my mom, “It’s a Realtor”. My parents owned a very old real estate stable family real estate company and were from a generation where, if and when an offspring arrived, especially a male, they were born to be bred.that is, bred into the family business, or made to be the prodigal son who as wrong even when he was right. Until this day, at age 53, I still get the feeling I do nothing right. And I may be right.
In my younger days, I was not aware of southern protocol and traditional family values, and, as I became more aware of my environment around me, I was certain I wanted to have something to do with humor as I grew older. How did I know this? I became a Realtor, and an unhappy and bad one at that.
I can remember being grounded, in trouble, about to get in trouble, or locked in my room with no going out with friends for some wrong-doing (never violent or terrible); just pulling pranks since I was very small.
Rarely do I remember my parents smiling and being happy around me except when they had friends over on weekends and were playing record albums by such comedy greats as Don Rickles, Tom Lehrer, Jack Benny, and the like. I introduced them to The Smothers Brothers as a teen, thinking I would earn brownie points but again given the pink slip for “developing radical taste in hum
My first shot at comedy was doing stand-up in New York City. Keep in mind this was straight off the farm from Mississippi to the Big Apple. I won’t “even go there” as to how awful I was. It was sort of like Dan Quayle in his memorable v.p. debate, but more like me debating, say, Steve Martin and my comparing myself to Lenny Bruce. Steve to me: “Mr. London, Lenny Bruce was a friend of mine, and you, sir, are no Lenny Bruce.” I guess you get the dismal picture of my short-lived stand-up career.
Years later I got hooked on humor writing, and was planning a book but decided on forming a group of artists and creating a cartoon instead. All of us were surprised when Londons Times Cartoons shot to the top of the Internet rating charts.
In my mid-40′s after a lengthy illness, I decided to start opening stores, selling products with my cartoon images which now amount to over 8500 in number and our counter shows over 8 million visitors since 2005. I have to admit this was quite a shock after only 25 visitors or so for so many years, as it was only a hobby.
Launching a comic strip is not an easy task, but an interesting and educational one. No matter what branch of humor in which one may find their niche, it is a growth experience and a process that can take months or years and even then is simply a crap-shoot.
If it is in your blood, you will know it, and no matter what you were “born to be”, will not matter. It will have to come out in some way, shape, or form. Educate yourself, hang out with others who have blazed the trail, learn all you can.and just do it.
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