Thursday, July 11, 2019

28 Mort Sahl Viewers Can't Be Wrong...

The last man standing...actually sitting...is STILL on the air. Or in the ether. Or whatever you call it when you're streaming a video.

Ambient lighting might be good for Mort, but ambient sound isn't, but chances are even if his weekly hour of informal talking didn't look like it was done with a Best Buy camcorder on a tripod, few would be viewing.

As so many have discovered, the Internet is vast and most of it is FREE. There's so much on YouTube and Vimeo and other famous platforms, that most don't even stray to lesser known areas such as DailyMotion or Periscope. The latter is where, when is Twitter and Facebook owner bothers to mention it an give a link, is where Mort's show is streamed.

Mort conducts the hour at about 7pm local time, in what looks to be the concession lobby of a local theater. About two dozen chairs are strewn, admission is less than $20, and Mort is now shown already seated and ready to ready to discuss the local news. As well as anecdotes from the past, and perhaps a few audience questions.

A big problem with the Internet is that it's so loaded with attention-seekers, it's hard to get any message through, like "I'm appearing at a club near you" or "You can watch me work for almost nothing, and you can get entertained for FREE, if you can just find me on the Internet..." As Mort found years ago, people got used to getting their topical fix of jokes via Carson, Leno, and now Colbert.

Competition increases. Would be-Morts (who most likely think they are the next Dave or the next Jon Stewart) sit behind a desk and then upload their rants to YouTube, waiting to GO VIRAL. Comedy clubs are no longer in vogue and it's up to obscure restaurants and bars to have "open mike" nights. You can't keep a stand-up down. He might sit, but he's not sitting it out.

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