Do You Ever Look Up Exes? How About Old Comedy Friends?
Play the exciting new game with me: They Still At It?
Over the course of working in comedy for the past — wow — almost two decades, I have met a lot and I mean a LOT of comedians. I’ve met famous comedians, unfamous comedians, infamous comedians who I wish I’d never met, and everyone in between.
So, I’ve created a game in my mind called, “They Still At It?” where I look them up and try to discern whether or not they’re still performing / doing stand-up.
Here are a few, in no particular order, who recently came to mind, and who I looked up to see if… They Still At It?
Legendary Wid
I met the Legendary Wid in the late 1990s when I was performing at open mics around Philadelphia, just dipping my toes into stand-up comedy. He was living in his car at the time, I was told. He was funny though, different, and very unique. He was a “prop” comic and had dozens of various tchotchkes on stage with him that he’d pull out in various moments of his act. I couldn’t find much that was too recent when I looked him up, but I did see a video on YouTube of him performing at Helium in Philadelphia two years ago, so I guess he’s still at it. This is comforting to me to know.
Clara Bijl
She almost looks like Tina Fey here! Clara was one of my earliest NYC comedy buds. We weren’t best friends or anything, but I’d often run into her at The Boston Comedy Club and other downtown venues where we worked out material. She was always very funny, and while a tad distant, nice to me. Then again, in the early 2000s, all female comedians were slightly wary of each other, and quietly competing for the coveted one spot on the roster for the female comedian. She is french, which is what a lot of her act was about, and she had a delightful french accent which I was almost as jealous of as I was her very slender figure. I haven’t seen or talked to her in a long time, but she appears to still be performing—as of 2019, she had a new album out and some press from the west coast area. Her IMDb page shows she was working on a TV series in 2021/22. More good news!
Dante Nero
Dante was a large, very muscular man who would often give me rides to and from comedy clubs. We became friends in the early 2000s in NYC while working out material on shows and open mics. He was really nice, very cool, like a big brother. I always felt very safe with him, like if anyone ever were to mess with me, he’d crack them. It looks like he has a podcast that is doing well and he has 20k+ followers on Instagram, so he is still active. Go, Dante!
Today’s comedy inspo:
How do you feel about Poor Things? | NPR
TW: Two dead comedians. RIP. Minn. Comedian killed in Colombia. | Instagram Neel Nanda dead at age 34. | USA Today
What’s going on with Marge Simpson? | Daily Mail
Until next time, friend. Please be kind to yourself and others.