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Episode #4 - Comedy Talks with Marco Trinidad
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Dave talks to Marco while they are both driving about comedy origins, joke writing and balancing family & comedy.
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What's up everybody? Welcome to the Comedy Podcast, where comedy meets your or slash my commute. I'm your host, Dave Thompson. And why I have a wonderful guest this episode for episode number four. I have the wonderful Marco Trinidad. Everybody say what's up to Marco. Marco, how you doing? Good, good. How you doing, Dave? It's good to uh good to call you. Absolutely. It's fantastic. Now, we have listeners here at the Carmody Podcast, and we know that we don't do video, we do audio only because this podcast is supposed to be enjoyed in the car, and you are also in the car, same as me. So, freaking, what kind of car do you drive? That's the first question.
SPEAKER_00Oh, uh, I drive a 2021 Mazda CX30. Let's go, dude. How many miles on that thing? Uh I'm at 101,425.
SPEAKER_01Let's go, baby. 100k club it is, baby. Let's go. I I don't think it's a comedian if your car doesn't have over 100,000 miles on it.
SPEAKER_00That's true. And at least one thing missing on it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think you get a pass though. If you've been doing comedy for seven plus years and you have a new car, that's because your old one blew up. So I think you get a pass. Yeah, yeah. That makes sense. That makes sense. That's cool, man. But well, freak it. What were you gonna say?
SPEAKER_00Oh, but it had to have blown up. There's no other reason.
SPEAKER_01It had to have blown up, and it had to have blown up on your way to a show that was a big deal for you, that really got you nervous. So much so that you had to take an Uber from your car broken down on the side of the road to the show. Then you did the show, you Ubered back to your car, then you had a toad.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's right.
SPEAKER_01That's how it's supposed to go. Freaking love that. Uh Marco, obviously, I I know you. We've done shows together. I've booked you on shows and stuff. Uh, but for the people maybe that don't know you, Marco, tell us a little bit about yourself. I know you're from the IE, you do comedy out here, you just started your own comedy game show. Tell the tell the people a little bit about you.
SPEAKER_00Alright, so yeah, uh I'm you know, I'm Marco Trinidad. I uh I grew up in the IE, uh, grew up in Corona most of my life. Uh you know, uh joined the Marine Corps and I was like I was gone for about eight years. I was on the East Coast for about eight years, and uh, I've been back for a couple of years now. Um, I've been really enjoying it. You know, I started stand up out there my first year, but I've really enjoyed it out here in the IE.
SPEAKER_01Oh, okay. So you started stand up on the East Coast? Yeah. I uh started in like DC. Oh shoot. What so for people like myself that have never been to the East Coast, I've never done comedy in DC, I don't know anyone from DC. What what what is kind of different about comedy out there than over here, like in our area of the IE in Los Angeles?
SPEAKER_00It's funny because like I will I'll say there's like there's some very like like in the weeds things that I'll say. I've never I didn't know what in the hole or on deck meant until I came out here. We didn't they didn't do that out there. I don't know if they do it now, but they didn't do it when I was there. That's like a very like in the weeds type of thing, but other than that, the audiences were different. A lot of you know, prior military or current real military, you got your good, you know, your contractors out there, things like that. So the audiences were definitely different.
SPEAKER_01Did you ever do com so you did comedy around other people in the military? Uh yeah, but I was already out by then. Um, I see. I was gonna say, did you ever do like bits? And there's like a general or a colonel sitting there, and you're just like, oh god, I hope he likes I hope he likes this. None of them that were in charge of me, so I was free to say whatever, you know. Okay. He's like, he's like, drop and give me 30. Just swimming on stage, and you just gotta pop a squat and freaking drop down, I'd be freaking hilarious. I just gave him a 30. What are you talking about? Yeah, you just gave him a good 30. Yeah. So so you started comedy on the East Coast, and then how many years did you say you've been doing comedy out? Uh three years now. Three years now. Three years now. Nice. So, as far as comedy in the IE, we already kind of discussed the you know, uh 8-8 difference, a little bit of a difference from from this. By the way, if you don't know what uh not you, but for the audience, on deck and and in the hole. On deck is the next person coming up to the stage, in the hole is the person after the next person, just to get it in your brain. Because you we have when you have comic brain, you be thinking about your set because you know you're coming up, and then as soon as they say on deck, or if it's a show where they're saying in the hole, there's like that shot of adrenaline and that just that just hits the brain, and you're just like, Oh baby, I better get up, I better get moving. Some people, some people that's when they hit the the the smelling salts, some people that's when they snort the poke, some people they freaking slap themselves on the cheeks or whatever it is they gotta do, because it's coming. You know, you know that it's gonna happen. You're getting close.
SPEAKER_00Um for me, for me, it's when like I that's when whenever I'm on deck, that's when I have to be for some reason.
SPEAKER_01You know what I'm saying? Okay, look, real talk. The last like three shows I did, I I I because I usually go to the bathroom and everything before. I don't want to have to poop or anything like that. I also be careful what I eat show day because I don't want to be like eating some crazy spicy food and then have uh and then have a problem. Dude, I had gas so bad like the last two or three shows, I don't know why. And it hit me like I had to rip like fatties, dude, like before I went on stage or on stage. And and I'm like, I better get a huge laugh right now so I can rip cheese. You know what I'm saying? That's funny. I better, I better, because if they hear it, I'm gonna have to explain it, and I'm gonna explain it, I'm not gonna hide it. Um just kind of had to deal with whatever happened up there, you know? It's just what it is.
SPEAKER_00If this joke, if this joke bombs, it's about to get a lot worse. Dude, Shriek, I'm telling you.
SPEAKER_01Alright, but yeah, so you know, you've been doing comedy three years now. You just started producing your own comedy show, comedy game show. Um, tell the people where to find the comedy game show and a little bit about it.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so uh thank you. Yeah, so it's um, so it's at uh it's in Corona on 6th Street at uh T-shirt avenue. It's like a t-shirt shop. So it's a really cool vibe. If you grew up in Corona, if you grew up in the IE, you know exactly what kind of t-shirt shop I'm thinking of. You know the type, the kind that you find like at the Swap Meet and stuff, the ones that you know put put your faces on shirts type of thing. But it's really uh so it's a really cool vibe. It's it's a very like for me, a familiar vibe. Um and uh yeah, the way I got started was uh my my girlfriend, she uh she does a lot of uh you know uh outreach, she does a lot of mutual aid through like free market pop-ups and stuff. So she she helps out, you know, cloth with you know, clothing drives and all that good stuff. And uh she got with the owner of the store who runs her own clothing drives and they wanted to do like do a fundraising event. Uh and the the lady who runs the store really wanted to do comedy, but she didn't really know you know anybody out there in the comedy scene. She, you know, my girlfriend was like, Oh, my boyfriend does you know, stand up, I'm sure we can get something together. Boom. Uh her yeah, and it just worked out. Her only thing was that she wanted it to be an interactive experience, and that kind of threw me for a loop for a little bit, and then uh after a while, you know, I I just kind of came up with like the game show idea, and then yeah, it it it I think though we had we just finished our first uh show back in April, and it was a lot of fun, and we got the next show coming up May 2nd, and uh the stuff I've been cooking cooking up for this one I'm really excited for. I think uh yeah, the format's only gonna get tighter from here.
SPEAKER_01Let's go. We love it tight. Now, freaking so the show's coming out May 2nd, and that's a Saturday?
SPEAKER_00Yep, Saturday, May 2nd. Uh doors open 7:30, uh, show starts at 8.
SPEAKER_01Love that. So if you guys are listening, support Marco Trinidad stuff. Um, I'm really excited about this show. I'm gonna I'm gonna have to check it out sometime. I gotta get out there and freaking see it if I'm not booked that day. Because it sounded like a really cool idea when when you were talking to me about it. And now to now to see that the first one was a success, and and and that was your first show that you produced, right? That was the first show that you booked, you put on, you made the flyer, all that first one?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's the very first one.
SPEAKER_01Awesome. Congratulations, man. That's freaking awesome. It's great to hear. Thanks, man.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it was uh yeah, it was it was a lot. It was a lot, is what I come to learn.
SPEAKER_01It is a lot. Producing shows is really hard. Um, that's why I wanted to do it, because I feel like if if not you, then who? You know, exactly. And and I'm glad to see more people popping up starting to do it. Uh and so I'm I'm glad to see that you have have done that, which is really awesome. Because, you know, the the thing is really is that like yes, it is a lot of work, and there's a lot that goes into it, and there's a lot of like stupid upkeep stuff. You know, you have to reach back out to people that are asking questions on Eventbrite, or you know, people are asking about you know prices of stuff or reaching out to you about groups or comics or canceling or or or whatever the things are, the venue's trying to talk to, but all that stuff at the end when you're when you're sitting there and and you're seeing the show and you're seeing the people enjoy it, it really is worth it because those those people out there in Corona, if they have a good experience with a local comedy show, it's it's a much higher chance that they'll go back to your show and maybe bring friends to your show or just have it in the back of their head. And when they see someone else locally that's producing a show, they'll be more inclined to go to it because you put on a show that they enjoyed, so they hope, hey, you know, I went to this local comedy show and it was great, so let's try another one, you know. So it really does help rise the tide for everybody if there's if there's producers that are putting on good shows and and the audience is really enjoying it in our community.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, I yeah, I agree. I will say, yeah, the after the show, I will say, yeah, it was probably one of the most satisfying experiences that I've had, you know, when it comes to doing since I started comedy or involving comedy. So yeah, it's high risk, but definitely high reward. It was very it was very gratifying.
SPEAKER_01Freaking love that. Well, let's move from the producer uh kind of uh questions and stuff over to some actual comedy, like joke writing. Now, as far as as far as writing jokes, do you do you have a process of how you like to approach topics or do you do you do like morning pages and then work off that? Do you write bits throughout the day? What's kind of your process to how you get from writing on the page to the stage?
SPEAKER_00I'll be honest, I think I I kind of wish I was a little more more organized that way, but usually it typically boils down to do I think this is funny? And it'll come either up in a conversation or I'll think about you know a memory or something that made me laugh, or something that just happened to me that made me laugh, and or something that something will happen. I'll just uh in a way I'll kind of obsess over it, and you know eventually it'll make me laugh, and then I'll determine, okay, I might want to try that on stage, and then I'll try it on stage, and then uh from that first time after that first time that I tried on stage, that's when I'll write down kind of what I wrote, yeah, or kind of what I said. Uh to like Do you listen back to your set?
SPEAKER_01Do you record it?
SPEAKER_00Yes. Uh yeah, I record them, I don't record them as much as I should, but I do record them, especially if it's like a brand new bit. Yeah, I should definitely record them all. But uh, but yeah, then from there, yeah. I'll have like a basic rough draft, but just kind of let the idea flow out, and then from there I'll I'll chop it up, sharpen it up, you know, until I have a bit that I like.
SPEAKER_01I I tend to do the the same thing a lot. I I like well I do write sometimes first and then perform it, but a lot of times I'm just taking an idea or like you said, like something that made me laugh, something that happened, or some feeling I had or whatever, and I'll kind of just take that to the stage and just see like what parts of it seem interesting to the crowd or what parts seems kind of funny, and then afterward kind of write it, punch it from there to see like is this thought even worth exploring? Um some people think that's a waste of time and that you should just make the joke first and and and punch it up first, but I don't know. I I kind of like to bare bones it. But yeah, me too. Me too. Like, I feel like it just depends on like what how how you like to get to the joke. Um but yeah, like as far as you starting off by saying, you know, you want to do things that that make you laugh, I think that's far and beyond number one of what comics should do, and what I hope comics do is does this make you laugh? And you know, if if it makes you laugh, then sometimes I get concerned because I'm like, that made you laugh. That's also true. That's also true. Did you audibly say this in your bathroom in the mirror and then you're like, this is gonna kill? You know what I'm saying? First of all, we're all guilty of this, but some of us worse than others are guilty of others. But yeah, so I mean that's that's great to hear that. As as far as uh bits right now, is there any is there any bits right now that you've worked on recently where you're really happy with the result of how the bit worked out?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, there's one, there's one that I'm really happy with right now just because it was it actually happened from a conversation in the car. Um This is a car really exclusive. Yeah, where this was like, and this is this is fairly fresh. I'm still working out the kinks, but from like from first thought to first try was was a lot more successful than I thought it was gonna be. So it made me happy. But it was it was basically someone like called me asking me if I wanted to hear like a crazy story they had. And I did I like I took a pause, I took a genuine pause and thought about it. I was like, I actually don't want to hear this story.
SPEAKER_01Like I don't somebody's calling you because they they could have called anyone in their contacts. Give me an estimate. I'm gonna let you finish, but give me an estimate. How many contacts do you think this person has in their phone? Is this a popular person?
SPEAKER_00Uh sure, yeah, I think so. I'd say so.
SPEAKER_01Like you like hundreds of contacts in this person's phone?
SPEAKER_00Uh no, I would say less than a hundred, but I don't know. I don't think I have one, but yeah.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so this person could have called almost a hundred people, chose to call you, and you were just like, I'm good. You know, it's not even that I don't have free time. I just I'm good.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I was actually making this drive, so I had like an hour and a half.
SPEAKER_01I had time. I would rather be on the Carmody podcast than listen to this person talk about their story. Wow. Wow, no. So bad is that's your mom. That's crazy.
SPEAKER_00No, I would never. That's insane, dude. But uh, yeah, it was just it was just funny because like it I don't know, because I realized, you know, the space that we have in our brains is is is not it's finite, you know what I mean? Like this that could be like a memory with my son or something, you know? I don't need to hear this, I don't need to hear this story. So I don't know. It was it was cool because I well but from the first time that I said that bit or tried that bit on stage, it felt like people knew exactly what I was talking about. And I always like things like that when I can find something that people find relatable like that. So it was cool. Yeah, I'm I it's it's one I'm excited to keep working on.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's all that's freaking awesome. And yeah, I agree. When you when you get a bit that maybe isn't is just something that people just aren't saying, but it's something that people are feeling, and it does get that relatability that way, even before the joke is like quote unquote finished, and it's just like what's the premise of this joke? That's freaking awesome to hear. Because yeah, there's times where people be like, yo, let me freaking tell you a story, and you're like, honestly, I I can't take a story right now. You know what I'm saying? I really can't take a story, and I respect that. I respect that, you know, because it's uh it's hard. Sometimes I feel like I be talking too much to people, and and and I'll like back off for a little bit, and I'll just be like, hey, let me give this person their space. And I've noticed being an adult that that does wonders, just like giving some people some space, and then maybe hitting them up next week and just being like, hey, it's been a little bit since we talked, and just want to check in, see how you're doing, and kind of ease back into it. Like, what's not that we're not friends, it's just maybe I'm being a little bit overbearing. Maybe I'm dumping too much freaking stuff on you right now.
SPEAKER_00That's quite a bit. But even then, I feel like at this point we're all adults, you know what I mean. If anyone's offended that, oh, he has a re dude, we we're all just trying to hang in there, you know? I think we should all have that kind of empathy towards each other at this point, you know?
SPEAKER_01No, for sure, for sure. But I will say in the comedy community specifically, a lot of people can say a lot of jargon. And I'm I'm not gonna say this person's name. Um eventually I'm gonna have a Patreon, but I'm not gonna say this person's name. This this there's a person that's a comedian that called me at 9.30 p.m. one time. I was home with my family, and this person was like, I need to talk to you. I was like, okay, like what's going on? Like, everything stopped in my family's world to have a conversation. So I could have a conversation with this person, and this person just wanted to complain about why they weren't getting enough opportunities and how I got the opportunities that I got. Oh my god. And I'm like, dude, it's a guy, obviously. I'm like, dude, freaking this is like I'm at home with my family. And you're like sitting wherever you're sitting at, being like, I'm unhappy with where I'm at. I'm like, dog, just go out and go to a mic. Yeah. Like, that's all it is. Just just go, just go do it. You know what I mean? Speaking of mics, it's an easy transition. As far as getting up on stage, do you have goals that you set for yourself for the week or for the month of how much stage time you want or maybe how many mics you want to do a week?
SPEAKER_00Uh I mean, recently, recently it's been at least uh at least twice a week. And if I can hit up multiple mics in those two days that I go do it, uh, not including anything that I get booked. Uh yeah, I try to I try to hit up as many mics as I can uh in those two days uh in a week. What are like the main two days that you go out?
SPEAKER_01Uh it's usually Mondays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays. Oh shoot. Well, Thursdays are great for us out in the IE because you can hit multiple. And Wednesdays, Wednesdays are good too. Like yesterday I did Above the Iron and then I did the Improv School of Redlands. Those are two easy ones to hit. Um but yeah, no, it's great to be able to like do a double header or more during during those days where you know you're gonna do it anyway. Um because it's hard to try and get out every single night to to freaking get up at mics and get booked for spots. It's it's hard.
SPEAKER_00It is tough, especially you you got kids, so you understand. It's it's uh it's a grind, it's a balance for sure. How how how would you say um how how are you taking taken to that balance of being a father and also a comedian and stuff like that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's a great question. Yeah, I talked about it a little bit in my last podcast, the episode 3.5 one. I talked a little bit about it, like that I'm not at this point willing to like sacrifice my marriage and my you know, my kids on the altar of comedy. Because I could do it if I wanted to. Like I could be at the comedy store every night, be there waiting for my moment, you know, get in as a door guy. I think I'm funny enough to be able to grind through that system, to be able to do it and and get better through that system, to be able to excel in doing that at a club, but it's just not feasible with the fact that I actually want to be a good dad and I want to be a good husband and I want to be president. Now it's so hard because like if you listen to there's there's clips of Joe Rogan talking with Burt Kreischer and a few other people about uh that the hardest thing to do is to start your comedy in your 30s, and it's impossible to do in your 40s. And so starting it, I started it when I was 30, and so automatically I was like, okay, well, this is somebody who's been doing it for a long time, and he's like saying it's like really hard to do, and it is really hard to do as a dad and being married and stuff because. Because my my kids want my attention, they want my time more than anything. And my wife also wants my attention and my time. And I didn't do comedy when we got married. You know, we're about to celebrate 11 years of marriage next week. Thanks, man. And she didn't like sign up for being a comedy wife. You know what I mean? So this is all kind of new to her. But the way that I kind of fit it in is because I do DoorDash and I drive everywhere for work, I can go out and do a day's work where I'm nearby wherever I'm gonna be doing comedy and make money for the day as if I was at work, do the comedy, and then go home. So it's it it's it's great in the sense that like I have that flexibility to be able to do that, and I can kind of start when I want to and whatever, but uh it's it's not sustainable for many, many years. I can already tell that like I'm not gonna be five years in being like this is what I do still. Like, I'm definitely trying to figure out a better way to be able to do it and also get as much comedy nearby in the IE as possible because the the less I have to drive to go to do spots and to do shows, the better. So anything I can do to help people produce or produce myself or whatever that we can do here in the IE is way better for my family because that's less time I'm driving and more time I'm at home.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01But yeah, I mean, I I think at the beginning I definitely did like a lot, like I was doing like 40 to 50 mics a week when I started. I was killing myself. But now I'm way more leveled out, you know. I I usually get like around a dozen a week and then and then shows. I'm booked most weeks on at least a show, some weeks no, and then other weeks multiple. Um, but it it just really depends uh as far as like what my schedule is for like what days I take off with my family. But I've really honed in, and I hope anybody listening, if you're doing comedy, definitely do this. If you have certain days you're with your family or whatever, they're coming for you, Marco. I hear that. You got the fuzz on you, Doug. Um if you have a day that you're having with your family, like be in the moment of be with your family, live, uh, and enjoy watching your kids, enjoy being with your significant other, whatever the thing is. That's living is where the bits come from. And everybody in comedy is talking about this right now. Like, we're doing too much comedy, we're too involved with social media, we're too involved with producing, we're we're not being hands-off enough to where we can live to also have bits. Like, this isn't like how we're doing comedy now and and and basing our comedy careers now is not how the old comedians used to do it. This it's not even close. They used to go out every night, do spots, and go home. They didn't have all the social media to the extent that we have, and the need for clips that we have. I mean, there are people that go out all night and then they edit, and then they they set future posts at 8 a.m. or 10 a.m. or 12 p.m. and then they sleep, they get up, they go work three part-time jobs, then they go back out, and they have not one second to live. And and they're just like, oh my god, I gotta get to 10,000 followers, I gotta get to 20,000 followers, and they have no seconds to live and just appreciate life. You know, that's gonna burn you out. That's gonna burn you out, man. It's gonna freaking burn you out, you're gonna get sick, and you're gonna get sick of it. Like, even if you like become really successful that way, it's not gonna be worth it because you're gonna be freaking just so tired all the time. You know what I mean? Yeah, like I really do think there's a good way to balance the grind. Um with being able to like be relevant still, like, you know, maybe, maybe, yes, you want people in LA to remember you and you want opportunities in certain clubs. Maybe go out once or twice a week, you know, two days a week out in the IE, and then once or twice a week out in LA, and then do your shows. You know, it doesn't it doesn't have to be a thing where you're gonna just murder your murder your your family values and everything that you love just because you want to be funny, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so we've seen a lot of people do that, and there's a better way.
SPEAKER_01There's a better way. Yeah, and I I I for one definitely don't want to do that. I see myself being in this for a long time, and and the longevity thing for me is not making my family hate it. Because if my family hates it, then I'm gonna start hating it because I love them more than I love anything else. And I know and I know some people would probably say to that, oh well, you definitely don't, you're you're you're not in this. Like you'd never make it if you think like that. Um I just I I I think that's I think that's just stupid though. I think I think I see I see successful people that have families and they have children that are that I would aspire to be any day of the week. Yeah, absolutely. You know what I mean? Like Nate Bargotzzi, for example, is married, has children, Netflix specials, is the most financially successful comedian over the last few years. And he has time to go to church on Sunday, he has time to go out with his family and do sports and stuff. So, how is that possible? I understand that he put in the grind at the beginning, and that I still need to do that and get the grind in, but at some point there's gotta be some sort of let up to where you can live and and have a family and also be able to do comedy.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, uh, you know, some will say it takes more work to do that, but I mean it's worth it. I would say it's worth it if you'd be able to maintain what's important to you and also find success in comedy. I mean, any any any good thing is gonna take work, so that's that's no reason not to do it.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely, but yeah, that was a long uh freaking drawn-out thing for a question that you had for me. I appreciate it. I appreciate it. I was like, man, we only got 90 seconds left. This is crazy. Uh so Michael, you already you already told us about your show that's coming up on May 2nd. Um, where can people find you on the social medias? What should they be looking for?
SPEAKER_00You can find me at any platform, you know, Instagram, YouTube, all the Facebook, everything on it. Freaking Grindr. Yeah, yeah. Find me on Grinder at Marco Does Comedy. If you find me there, then I don't know. You you're you get a special prize.
SPEAKER_01Oh Lord. Uh that's freaking great. Well, Marco, freaking, thank you so much for for pulling up to be able to be on this pod. You pulled up virtually, and uh yeah, I had for those that don't know, I had lost my guest for this episode, and I posted, I needed a guest, and Marco responded because he was already on his phone, I'm sure. He responded within like 60 seconds of me posting that. He's like, Yeah, I'm gonna be driving too, so this is gonna work out perfect. And I think it was great. Freaking Marco, you're a great guy, uh, great comic, very funny. You guys please go check this guy out, follow his page, share his stuff. Uh, it's got a show coming up May 2nd. What's it what's it called? What's the name of this? Marco does a game show. Marco does a game show game show. Freaking follow this guy, Marco Trinidad, all the platforms. Marco, drive safe. Freaking, thanks for being on, dog. Appreciate you. Thank you, you too. Thank you for having me. Absolutely, guys. Until next time, this is Carmody. I'm Dave Thompson. Follow us on social media.