As I was driving to Lima, Ohio recently for a show, I heard the radio station advertise a “Tom Goodwin” was performing at “Waldo and Stiemy’s Sports Bar and More”. How they got “Tom Goodwin” out of “Pat Godwin” is beyond me, because I sent the proper promotional material months in advance. Why I’m at such a place is not beyond me, I booked it. The commercial went on to say this “Tom Goodwin” was hilarious and making a name for himself so check out his show. Since I was doing a door deal with the club (I get paid a percentage of the tickets sold), I panicked. It’s hard enough to pack a place with the right name, let alone one with an extra letter and a different first name. John Mayer draws a crowd; Tim Mayek does not.
Thinking that this may be just the radio station’s mistake, I pulled in to the nearest gas station and got one of those weekly entertainment papers but there it was: Appearing tonight at “Waldo and Stiemy’s Sports Bar and More” (formerly Just jokin’)-Tom Goodwin. It was then and there I realized I’m not in show business. I may think I am, but I’m not. I get paid for making people laugh, put on a show and do some business, but I’m not in show business. I don’t have a personal manager, I don’t schmooze well or spend the day marketing myself. In fact, I don’t any of the necessary things that shape a career. I write, practice and perform. That should be enough, but it’s not even close.
People in show business have representation that looks after tiny details like not working at a place called “Waldo and Stiemy’s Sports Bar and More” and getting the performer’s name right. My friend, Daniel Tosh, who has a show on Comedy Central, is in show business. Tieve, the one-armed plate spinner I saw on “America’s Got Talent” is in show business. Hell, even the elusive and enigmatic “Tom Goodwin” is in show business but “Pat Godwin” is not.
Next week the “More” part of “Waldo and Stiemy’s Sports Bar and More” is presenting comedian Costaki Economopoulos and guess what? His name is spelled right on all the advertisements. Despite what I think about the venue he’s working or his agent’s booking skills, Costaki Economopoulus is definitely in show business.
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