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The stand-up life

Tuesday, 1st September 2009

Or how an LA comedy club served as finishing school for a generation of performers intent on grabbing Johnny Carson's attention and then conquering the known universe:

The Comedy Store's power and mystique had much to do with the fact that Carson's scouts regularly found new talent there for "The Tonight Show," ready to "deliver a fast-paced, joke-filled, laugh-packed set no shorter than five minutes and no longer than six." The comics faced boozed-up hecklers and intense competition. One night, Ringo Starr made the mistake of heckling a young Letterman. "Oh, that makes sense," Letterman sneered at the ex-Beatle. "You ruined your career, and now you've come here to ruin mine."

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