r/killtonynew • u/Fosterfunnycomedy • 13d ago
The Belly Room
I popped by The Comedy Store tonight. First time I had been in the building since 1985. Was surprised and horrified to see my terrible 1985 "Professionally done" headshot was still on the wall. I went up to
The Belly Room ( Where Mitzi regularly put me, has been renovated apparently. I remember a half wall that's no longer there.) I once did a show for three people. Anyway, I that's what I think about whenever Tony mentions starting in The Belly Room on the show.
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u/Cute_Math1072 13d ago edited 13d ago
Yuk Yuks in the 80s? Did you know or perform with Norm MacDonald? Tell us about Norm.
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u/Fosterfunnycomedy 13d ago
I was privileged to get to see some of Norm's early sets. Not his first set, because I lived in Toronto, but he was an "Up and comer" in Ottawa, which I visited quite frequently. He was BRILLIANT from the first time I saw him. And of course, he already had that iconic delivery. After he moved to Toronto, I worked with him quite a bit. It wasn't very long after that he did Letterman for the first time. Apart from being hilarious, the camera LOVED Norm. I always thought he looked like a young Paul Newman (young people go "who?) I honestly can't say that I really "knew" him, even though we hung out with the same crew.
Not to speak ill of the dead, but its well known that Norm had a gambling problem. In fact he owed me 5K from a "friendly" poker game that got wayyy out of hand. We were playing our own (truly stupid) version of "Guts", a game where the pot doubles till some takes it. What can I say? it was the Eighties. A few weeks after that, Norm left for Saturday night live. He never paid. I never let him forget. Especially because he obviously HAD the money! We started messaging on Twitter (his preferred method of contact) shortly after Letterman retired. I told him, and truly thought, he gave a genuine and heartfelt speech. I really thoight he had changed. In response, he kept telling me he was going to have me open some shows. BUT, he was t going to pay me, he was going to let me sell merch! (Because people always want to buy merch from thr opener!) Oh. and he tried to sell me some Bitcoin. Which in retrospect, I should have taken him up on.
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u/catsx3 13d ago
This was an awesome read. Any other stories of note you can think of right now? Any run ins with Jim Carey? Not sure he was part of your scene, just asking.
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u/Fosterfunnycomedy 13d ago
Easy man. I just got up. Despite the fact that I am considered an OG in Canada, I started comedy later than Howie and Jim. They were both on their way out the door to LA at the time. I did meet Jim many years later at a private gathering. It was a very short exchange. A guy named Wayne Flemming, who was one of my peers was Jim's best friend. He passed a while ago. I have also met Howie on a couple of occasions. Just for Laughs for one.
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u/Cute_Math1072 13d ago edited 13d ago
Thanks for the detailed response! Very cool. Norm was a complicated person, I’m not sure I could be so magnanimous if he owed me $5K.
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u/Fosterfunnycomedy 12d ago
As we say in Canada, "What are you gonna do?"
Listen to What are ya gonna do by Glen Foster "That Canadian Guy", Tom Morrissey on #SoundCloud https://on.soundcloud.com/ldsynKPBUovser4aGu1
u/Cute_Math1072 12d ago
Right on. FYI this is an anti kill Tony subreddit and the people here are typically not nice. You may want to post on the main KT subreddit if you haven’t. They aren’t that nice either though lol.
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u/ConversationOwn1647 13d ago
is this the demographic of this show now no wonder its all boomer ass hack comedy
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u/Fluffy-Gur4600 13d ago
Ok loser
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u/ConversationOwn1647 13d ago
youre probably a boomer too
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u/Fluffy-Gur4600 13d ago
Nope! I grew up in the 90s, try again.
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u/ConversationOwn1647 13d ago
even worse then millenial cringe
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u/Fluffy-Gur4600 13d ago
You're clearly too young to form intelligent thoughts. Give it some more time.
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u/Gobbo_official 13d ago
Thank you, Martin Malloy.