I clearly remember when George Carlin died.  He was (and still is) one of my comedy idols, and I take great pleasure in not only having met him at a book signing of his book, Brain Droppings, but also having made him laugh at said event.  I related how I used his HBO comedy special, “Doin’ It Again”, as a source for a research project I completed for a Language Differences and Language Change class for my teaching credential.  He was amazed that I got an “A” on the assignment, even remarking that, and I’m quoting him here, “Whenever I used my own shit, I always failed.  Maybe I should have quoted Danny Kaye.”  He then asked if I wanted him to sign the album, in addition to the book (I’m not an idiot – I said “yes”).  In fact, Carlin has quite readily admitted that Kaye was an inspiration of his.

I’ve gotten to meet a few people whose work I admire:  Carlin, Stan Lee, Christopher Titus, Garry Marshall.  Even ran into Kevin Pollack at a swap meet.  Later saw him at a celebrity event, and he gave a hint of recognition to me.  Then again, he may have mistaken me for someone else.

For the most part, the celebrities I’ve met have been friendly and gracious with their time.

There’s also a list of people whose work I not only admire, but also want to meet and work with. 

Monday afternoon, I learned of the death of Robin Williams, someone on that list.  I was a fan of his since “Mork and Mindy” (which was a spin-off from “Happy Days”, the episode of which I also watched -- yes, I’m that old!), and his “Inside the Actor’s Studio” appearance (whereby he performed what amounted to a version of the improv game “Props” with a woman’s pink scarf) had me in stitches.  I wanted to perform improv onstage with him, knowing that I would be left in his dust, serving as mere window dressing near a man with his caliber of talent.  But, I also know I would have learned so much from that experience, emerging as a better improviser.  And, while Williams was another comedy idol of mine, he himself has admitted that he idolized someone as well – Jonathan Winters.

I count myself lucky to be able to share the stage with the members of Split Decision.  They constantly challenge me onstage, making me into a better performer.  I learn a lot performing with them, as they all bring something unique to the table.

I don’t know if I will ever be anyone’s comedy idol.  But, if asked who the influences on my comedy are, I would no doubt have to include the group I perform with on a weekly basis. 

But, don’t tell them I said so.  Let’s just keep it amongst ourselves.

By Doug Kayne

Improvisation is a team sport. Yes, you can do it by yourself, but it’s much more rewarding with a partner (Yes I’m aware this sentence can also apply to a handful of other activities, no pun intended, but let’s stick with the subject of improvisation
for the purposes of this blog entry).
 
I’ve done stand-up comedy. I keep threatening myself to do it again.  My hat goes off to those who find success at it.  It’s just you and the audience.  One of the things I enjoy about improv the most is that you are a part of a team. When you have a good scene, it’s not about which person has the most laughs, the most lines, or anything that points to the individual’s performance.  It’s about teamwork.
 
Take, for example, the following video clip from our July 26, 2013 show. The game is Rubik’s Revenge.  The players are Chris Clarke and myself (Doug Kayne).  The situation is “The Signing of the Declaration of Independence”. 

There are a few things you should have noticed.  For one, Chris and I received the longest sustained laugh so far by any members of Split Decision after I uttered my first line. What’s interesting, though, is this:  Chris gave me the credit for the laugh,
since it was my line and I got the situation from the audience. I give him the credit, because my line by itself would not have garnered the laughter.  It was his reaction
that sold it.  Those fifteen seconds or so of laughter was the result of the two of us working together to create a situation.  
 
I owe the success of the situation to Chris.  He owes it to me. We owe it to an audience who let us take them on the journey.
 
So, who gets the credit? That’s an easy one:  WE do.
 
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.