Chester and Spike

Chester and Spike
Originally uploaded by icemakk.

I saw an old episode of Bugs Bunny recently with Chester and Spike in it. Just to jog your memory Spike was the big, ugly, gruff dog that walked around thinking he was a somebody when in reality he was just a dumb thug.
Chester was his little buddy (who so wanted to be like Spike, god knows why?) and just jumped up and down saying
“Hey Spike hey Spike….what are we gonna do next? Hey Spike!”
Yep. He was just a little mindless follower of some thug. Easy for Spike to manipulate and funny to watch as they both looked like morons in all their failed ventures.

The cartoon reminded me of 2 idiots in Edmonton. One a loud mouth schmuck, that is delusional about the power he thinks he wields, and the other such a wanna-be schmuck that he can’t seem to think for himself. Pathetic souls to say the least.

Recently the Chester idiot had the gall to label me a hack. Are you kidding me? This coming from a guy whose act is practically all hack/stock premises based on over-done racial stereotypes? Stereotypes that are sadly, commonplace notions that anyone could write. Hell most of them are from racial jokes and already written. Sure he delivers them well, (he has good stage presence) but to think that his act, made almost entirely of racial crutches, is somehow free of ridicule and then to take a shot at my well-written act? Puh-leeze.

Chester (Howie), why don’t you grunt out a big fart so you can blast Spike’s (andrew’s) paw out of your ass and stop being his little puppet? He is making you look like a drooling fool. Your blog/journal drips of his influence, albeit it seems to be written at a 7th grade level. You just re-write much of his nonsense in an attempt to…to… what the heck are you attempting to prove anyway? That you are secretly in love with Nancy for doing her job? That you are happy not to lose work to me? Who cares.

I thought you were more respectable than that but then again, when you work for an agency that seems to condone and encourage the immature antics of you 2, I am glad to be working for more reputable firms.

By the way, an agent is not a “boss” it is someone who promotes and sells an act so they can make a commission. That is all. The act is the boss. Good agents don’t try to restrict your career path. Good agents don’t say “I have no work but you are not allowed to work anywhere else.” A bad boss may try that but a good agent will not.

That’s right, I now get to work with real agents that work for commissions off of what they book for me. They work for me. They don’t dictate rules as though I was an employee. They don’t tell me I can’t work elsewhere even though they themselves have no work at times. My agents don’t get upset if I set up some of my own concert shows or even smaller gigs in neighbourhoods that want comedy shows.
Your agency has rules about this as it is all about control. So much control you call them your boss even though all comics are self employed artists!Who is the idiot now?

My agents don’t take a whopping 25% of my income, even when I set up my own gigs.
25%??!
In the USA, law does not allow commissions that high. Unfortunately Canada has no such protection for performers, which is why the industry here has been a bit messed up for many years. Thankfully it is changing.

I now pay 20% or less and if I have a gig of my own I am not expected to hand it over to my master…er…boss….I mean agent just so they can have 25% of something I created.

Chester and Spike you two are happy where you are. Enjoy your little closed society. I wish you well.
I am happy where I am so accept it and grow the f**k up. Spike won’t as he thrives on controversy and I am sure some sort of slanderous drivel is forthcoming. Chester, you have a chance to be a big man and leave it alone….but it may be hard to as a puppet.

To all who stop by to read, Merry Christmas or whatever it is you celebrate.

Daryl Makk

Side Note: Nancy is a great booking agent that I would gladly work with again I just don’t want to be a slave to restrictive rules of the company that only sees things one way. Too bad she is not allowed to book me because a boss told her not to, even though I always delivered time and again.