"A must read for anyone interested in open mic comedy or the pursuit of a dream."
Not Good Yet is a roller coaster ride of laughs, emotional struggles, and go-to insightful information from an aspiring comedian who attempted the impossible. To get good at comedy in just six months.
He gets on stage as much as possible. He organizes comedy shows. He checks out comedy in New York and Los Angeles. He reads, listens and breathes all things comedy. And in the end, (spoiler alert) he fails to get consistently good.
But there are glimmers of hope. The lessons he learns along the way will make you laugh, cry, and shake your head.
Interviews with a comedy transplant, an open mic veteran of nearly a decade, and a comedy club owner complement his stories of accomplishment and defeat.
Here is a partial list of chapters and comedians mentioned in the book:
• Not Good Yet, The Opener - Mark Masters, Gary Gulman, Louis C.K., Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan
• What’s In A Name - Sam Tallent, T.J. Miller
• The Comedy Marathon Analogy
• My First Open Mic - Orin Be, Uncle Paulie, Andy Hamilton
• Your First Open Mic - Alan Bromwell
• The Open Mic Experience - Meghan DePonceau, Andrew Schulz, Nicolai Roscoe, Ben Bryant
• New Talent Night in Denver - Deacon Gray, Josh Blue, Adam Cayton-Holland, Mike Stanley, Greg Baumhauer
• My Denver Comedy Class - Mike Hammock, Deacon Gray, Mike Coppolino, George Delgado, Michelle Herring, Sarah Benson, Louis Jesse Ricardo Martinez, Josh Grambo, Miljen Aljinovic, Brian Evans, Phil Corridor
• My Denver Comedy Elders - John Novosad, Sam Tallent, Brent Gill, Adam Cayton-Holland, Mitch Fatel, Al Jackson, Mike Stanley, Nancy Norton, Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, Brandt Tobler, Janae Burris, Alan Bromwell, Christie Buchele, Jose Macall, Derrick Stroup, Zac Maas, Nathan Lund, Ben Bryant, Michael Isaacs, Ben Duncan, Allison Rose, Austin Black, Nic Dean, Derek Walton, Sammy Anzer, Evan Johnson, Grayson Knight, Roger Stafford, Byron Graham, Roger Norquist, Caitie Hannan, Orin Be, Matt Cobos
• The Transplant - Michael Isaacs, Ben Duncan, Derek Stroup
• The Elder Statesman - Aaron Maslow, Christopher Titus
• The Comedy Club Owner - (Wende Curtis), Deacon Gray, Josh Blue
• Comedy Podcasts and Books - Joan Rivers, Ralphie May, Ari Shaffir, Geoffrey Asmus, Pete Holmes, Jesse David Fox, Joey CoCo Diaz, Mike Dorval, Gary Gulman, James Altucher, Dan Cummins, Joe Rogan, Tom Papa, Marc Maron, Andrew Schulz, Stu Melton, Anthony Crawford, Sam Tallent, Adam Cayton-Holland, J.D. Lopez, Brent Gill, Nathan Lund, Jeremy Pysher, Andres Becceril, Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, Christopher Titus, Noah Reynolds, Aaron Maslow, Steve Martin, Jay Sankey, Jim Gaffigan, Billy Crystal, Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Pryor
• One Way To Gain Hosting Experience - Aaron Maslow, Nic Dean
• Not on Facebook
• Comedy Festival Visit - Janeane Garofalo, Ron Funches, Jennifer O’Neill Smith, Mike Albanese, Gilbert Lawand, Nathan Macintosh, Kate Willet, Luke Mones, Kevin Yee, Chris Scopo, Allison Rose, John Michael Bond, Tom Delgado, Nathan Lund, Ryan Schutt, Maria Wojciechowski, Jeff Koehn, Christine Ferrera, Janeane Garofalo, Ron Funches, Bob Place, Geoff Tice, Trey Dunn, Kenny Deforest
(10+ more chapters and 50+ more comedians mentioned in the book)
Mark Masters is even surer now than when he started, that calling himself a comedian is a stretch. In spite of that, he is definitely available to perform at your showcase, work event, or dog’s birthday party. He has performed stand-up comedy in six of the United States, including stage time in New York City and Los Angeles. Which sounds more impressive now than it will after you read this book. You can ask him anything by dropping a note at his website, markmasters.co.
