A LOT EASIER THAN I THOUGHT
Welcome to the Portland Freelancer, which I guess is me in blog form. Wait, let's just say it's named after what I am.
I make a living as a freelance comedy writer, and I’ve worked for newspapers and various comedians. I’ve even had scripts optioned for actual money by Hollywood. Still, my main dent in the armor that is show business – and the topic that will eventually have you screaming “Enough, for God’s sake, enough” – is that I’ve sold over 500 jokes to Jay Leno. 501 to be exact.
If you are out there, and somehow connect with this, you are among the first, for on this day, January 9th, 2006, I have fathered a baby blog. Yes, after cringing in trepidation over how hard the blog birthing process would be, I now realize it is a snap, which is why this first post is called “A Lot Easier Than I Thought.”
posted by Bill McDonald @ 2:49 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
And here I thought it was a post about Margie Boule.
bill,
Your best joke yet.
Jack's funnier, though.
So, here's what I want to know.
Are you the guy who is responsible for the ongoing onslaught of "Bill Clinton's a Horny Dude!" jokes from Leno - six years after the end of the Clinton presidency?
Or, are you the guy who's bravely slogging on, trying to send Leno non-Clinton jokes while his producers seem fixated on the ex-president's libido?
Kari, thanks for being the first one to pose a question. And secondly, no, I don’t send Clinton jokes anymore. These days I’m mainly trying to do good and save the world. Of course, while he was in office, I cashed in. After all, his administration has been called the Golden Age of Comedy. Wait, during one of Dick Cheney’s heart episodes, I sold one. I said the heart problems made me appreciate Bill Clinton more. His only problem was an organ that worked too well.
You have been assimilated. Just don't drink any Kool-Aid you might be offered...!
I have your second question.
How much does Jay Leno pay per joke?
Does he pay up front...or it a sliding scale, depending on how long people laughed...if they clapped....
One crucial thing about the Leno gig is that it led to my main job writing for over 140 radio stations. I won’t tell you what they pay me but it’s enough.
Leno pays $75 a joke plus he sent me a $700 bonus this year. But it’s so much more in terms of a feeling that I’m contributing to the fun side of the world. They go on in over 70 countries. Millions of people hopefully laughing. I want “Over 500 Jokes on the Tonight Show” on my tombstone.
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