公众人物毕业演讲第207期:杰雷诺2014爱默生学院(5)

So I go over there and this guy says

I said yeah, I want to be a comedian

I said, I've been trying to do it for about a year

He said, a year, you're supposed to be if you join the union in three months

I could find you right now, you could be a violation

I said, well, how much does it take to join

He said, $300 I said, I don't have $300 and then

he said those magic words, how much you got

You know, I knew I was making a mistake you know you just wanted to believe

I just knew I was making a mistake, I just wanted to believe

So I gave him all the money that I have

I said, I have $75.

He said, oh, give me that.

Then he gives me his business card, there writes back on the business card, union man

He says, you show this card to any club

I felt like cocoa and fame, remember that movie

So I got this card that says union man

and I go back to the nightclub and I handed it to the guy

and the guy breaks out laughing and he says we don't hire comedians, get lost

Okay, now I'm stupid and broke

I used to drive to New York every single night

to try and get out the improv in New York City

At the time, that was the only place that featured unknown comedians

That drive to New York every night or everyday after class rather

and I sleep in the alley a couple blocks from the improv

It was the only dead end alley around

So it was pretty quiet until midnight

when the prostitutes who bring their customers there

and I'm sleeping, I'm like 50 feet away, I'm going

really is this show business?

This is what a college degree gets me?

but my saving grace was Emerson College because no matter how awful gives were