WEBVTT - Ahoys and Haha's; Comedy On The High Seas

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<v Speaker 1>My favorite port is the Galveston, Texas Port. It's always

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<v Speaker 1>a good time with those people. If Texas are by

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<v Speaker 1>far the most fun people.

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<v Speaker 2>That's Rob Little. He's a stand up comedian and somewhat miraculously,

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<v Speaker 2>he's been doing comedy professionally for a whopping twenty five years,

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<v Speaker 2>and one of the main keys to rob success is

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<v Speaker 2>that he is tapped into a lucrative gig that not

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<v Speaker 2>only keeps him employed, but allows him to live a

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<v Speaker 2>life that most of us can only dream of, or

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<v Speaker 2>at the very least save up for all year to

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<v Speaker 2>live for just a few days, because one of Rob's

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<v Speaker 2>main gigs is to perform his sets on cruise ships.

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<v Speaker 2>But before we go aboard, let's take a look back

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<v Speaker 2>at the meandering road that eventually led Rob down to Port.

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<v Speaker 1>My hometown is Ping County, Michigan, where the cheese capital

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<v Speaker 1>of Michigan. Everybody's like, I thought it was Wisconsin. I'm like, oh, Michigan,

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<v Speaker 1>I said.

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<v Speaker 2>And while a dairytown in the Upper Midwest might seem

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<v Speaker 2>like an unlikely place to begin a life in comedy,

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<v Speaker 2>Rob's Michigan roots play heavily into his eventual success, and

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<v Speaker 2>it all started as he remembers on a family vacation

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<v Speaker 2>to Michigan's Mackinaw Island.

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<v Speaker 1>My parents were watching HBO late at night. They thought

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<v Speaker 1>we were asleep, and they were watching George Carland, and

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<v Speaker 1>I just remember them laughing so hard that I was like,

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<v Speaker 1>that's what I want to do when I grow up.

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<v Speaker 2>As wild as it may sound, to have your life

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<v Speaker 2>plan decided by the age of five, that's exactly what

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<v Speaker 2>happened for Rob. He knew then and there, while evesdropping

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<v Speaker 2>on his parents' laughter, that he wanted to be a

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<v Speaker 2>stand up comedian. But as committed to this life plan

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<v Speaker 2>as Rob was, he still got that Midwestern pragmatism, so

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<v Speaker 2>he understood that this was a dream that would take

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<v Speaker 2>some time to realize, which meant that he'd have to

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<v Speaker 2>take some other jobs in the meanwhile to pay the bills.

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<v Speaker 1>I worked at McDonald's and I won three national awards

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<v Speaker 1>when I worked there, and I won mister Mcopener, mister mcsmile,

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<v Speaker 1>and then the big one was mister mcservice. And I

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<v Speaker 1>got to do a real commercial on TV and a

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<v Speaker 1>photo layout and it was ridiculous.

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<v Speaker 2>What's mister Mcopener.

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<v Speaker 1>It's just not like I was the first one there

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<v Speaker 1>in the morning. But old people are rough on you

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<v Speaker 1>in the morning. Man. If they don't get their senior coffee,

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<v Speaker 1>they're pulling their teeth out.

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<v Speaker 2>Many people believe that to make a dream come true,

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<v Speaker 2>you first have to manifest it. We're told to say

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<v Speaker 2>our life goal is out loud or write them down.

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<v Speaker 1>And even in my senior book, when you're graduating, we

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<v Speaker 1>had to make predictions. And my prediction was I might

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<v Speaker 1>go to college, get my computer degree, and then I'm

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<v Speaker 1>going to be the best comedian I can be.

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<v Speaker 2>So is it any wonder then that Rob did go

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<v Speaker 2>off to college and get his computer programming degree, of

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<v Speaker 2>course not, because Rob's got that farm boy work ethic

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<v Speaker 2>matched with an unwavering dedication to his ultimate plan. And

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<v Speaker 2>the next step in that plan was to put that

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<v Speaker 2>programming degree to work earn a little money until he

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<v Speaker 2>figured out this whole comedy thing.

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<v Speaker 1>My first time about of college, I was worked for

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<v Speaker 1>GM and then I worked at kmart headquarters and I

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<v Speaker 1>did kmart dot com.

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<v Speaker 2>And with steady money coming in from computer programming, Rob

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<v Speaker 2>moved to Detroit to actively pursue comedy.

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<v Speaker 1>And I was at a bar one night and I

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<v Speaker 1>saw these passes in the window and it was for

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<v Speaker 1>an open mic night, and I was like what. I

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<v Speaker 1>grabbed all the passes and I went up to the bartender.

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<v Speaker 1>I goes, there's a comedy club and he's like, right there,

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<v Speaker 1>it's literally connected to the building. I was like what.

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<v Speaker 1>I ended up living at that club after that.

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<v Speaker 2>So that farm boy work ethic that made Rob an

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<v Speaker 2>award winner at Mickey D's and an in demand website

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<v Speaker 2>builder now focused itself on comedy stand up became Rob's life.

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<v Speaker 2>But all you math whiz is out there know that

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<v Speaker 2>you can't devote yourself one hundred percent to multiple things,

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<v Speaker 2>which meant something had to give.

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<v Speaker 1>And I became the worst computer programmer any of the

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<v Speaker 1>companies gonna have. I was making all this money, but

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<v Speaker 1>I was the worst employee.

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<v Speaker 2>But as Rob started to book himself for bigger and

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<v Speaker 2>bigger events, he just couldn't be bothered to show up

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<v Speaker 2>at the office anymore. So, while working for IBM, he

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<v Speaker 2>decided enough was enough. It was time to fulfill that

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<v Speaker 2>life plan he'd formulated at five years old and committed

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<v Speaker 2>to history in his high school yearbook.

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<v Speaker 1>I sent out a company why email telling people they

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<v Speaker 1>should quit their jobs and follow their dreams. And I'm

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<v Speaker 1>going to be a stand up comedian. Here's my website.

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<v Speaker 1>They wouldn't let me quit my IBM boss, let me

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<v Speaker 1>take a leave of absence. And the week after he

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<v Speaker 1>did that, the Detroit Free Press named me Michigan's best

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<v Speaker 1>up and coming comedian. And I sent him that and

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<v Speaker 1>he goes, oh, you're not coming back, are you? I goes,

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<v Speaker 1>I wasn't coming back, and they made me worse up

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<v Speaker 1>and coming comedian.

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<v Speaker 2>And from there Rob was off to the races. He

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<v Speaker 2>threw himself completely into comedy, and once again being in

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<v Speaker 2>Michigan played a big part in realizing his dreams.

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<v Speaker 1>Within a four hour radius, I could hit fifty clubs.

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<v Speaker 2>Probably eventually, though Rob had exhausted that circuit. So he

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<v Speaker 2>gave La a shot, didn't love it, gave New York

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<v Speaker 2>a try, really didn't like that. And then one day

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<v Speaker 2>his agent suggested he apply for cruise ships. And Rob thought,

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<v Speaker 2>cruise ships.

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<v Speaker 1>It wasn't even on my radar. And he said, hey,

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<v Speaker 1>why don't you come out in audition for these? And

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<v Speaker 1>I was like, okay, And when I did, a man

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<v Speaker 1>like instantly all the cruise lines were like, Yeah, we'll

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<v Speaker 1>take them.

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<v Speaker 2>When we come back from the break. We set sail

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<v Speaker 2>with Rob Little.

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<v Speaker 3>A strong work ethic, takes pride in a job well done.

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<v Speaker 2>We're back with comedian Rob Little, who, after a successful

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<v Speaker 2>few years of performing on dry land, has just booked

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<v Speaker 2>his first gig aboard cruise ships.

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<v Speaker 1>And the only difference is we have to do family

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<v Speaker 1>friendly shows on there, so you'll have little kids right

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<v Speaker 1>in the front row. And a lot of comics get

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<v Speaker 1>caught up by that. They get tripped up by it,

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<v Speaker 1>and they worry more about the kids. And it isn't

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<v Speaker 1>about the kids. They're gonna laugh if they see their

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<v Speaker 1>parents laughing.

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<v Speaker 2>And even with the adults in the audience. For many

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<v Speaker 2>of them, stand up comedy is not something they do

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<v Speaker 2>in everyday life. But on a cruise, all bets are off.

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<v Speaker 2>They'll drink a few my ties, hit the buffet, then

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<v Speaker 2>play a little shuffle board. So what the heck, why

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<v Speaker 2>not check out this stand up comedy guy.

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<v Speaker 1>People come right up and go, we don't normally go

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<v Speaker 1>to shows, and then they're like, we need to do

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<v Speaker 1>this more often. This was a good time, and they'll

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<v Speaker 1>come back to every one of your shows.

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<v Speaker 2>Rob's quickly learned that these cruise gigs are pretty ideal

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<v Speaker 2>for a comedian because comedy has become big business on cruises.

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<v Speaker 2>Most of the ships have large regal theaters, and if

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<v Speaker 2>a comedian does well, their subsequent shows will often sell out.

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<v Speaker 2>As hype circulates around the ship.

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<v Speaker 1>People are like, oh my god, you gotta go see

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<v Speaker 1>which one the bald one? You gotta see It's always

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<v Speaker 1>the bald, white, chubby guy or whatever they say, you know.

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<v Speaker 2>And for those few days aboard the ship, a comedian

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<v Speaker 2>can become a bit of a celebrity.

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<v Speaker 1>You like, you'd be walking around the ship and they're

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<v Speaker 1>like a rat, you know, and then come join as

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<v Speaker 1>you know, next thing you know, you're drinking, you're in

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<v Speaker 1>them and stuff like that.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, comedians would normally have to travel from one city

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<v Speaker 2>to the next to perform. Cruises offer consistent work and

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<v Speaker 2>a steady lucrative paycheck.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, financially, I make more than I even did IBM,

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<v Speaker 1>So it's definitely worked out in the long run for sure.

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<v Speaker 2>And with all the cruises out there now, a comedian

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<v Speaker 2>can really line up in gigs.

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<v Speaker 1>And this week coming up, I'll be doing my two

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and third cruise.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh my gosh.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. I keep track of them all night, keeople, like

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<v Speaker 1>a little diary of them.

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<v Speaker 2>That's incredible. But of course, a job is still a job,

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<v Speaker 2>and like any job, it has its pitfalls.

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<v Speaker 1>A lot of people think we only work one hour

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<v Speaker 1>a night, and that's so not true. That's the easiest

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<v Speaker 1>part of our job is going on stage. The rest

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<v Speaker 1>of the stuff we're online. We're too kick booking gigs,

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<v Speaker 1>or we're doing research on jokes, or we're making flyers,

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<v Speaker 1>we're promoting, we're doing all this other stuff.

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<v Speaker 2>And despite working a boarder ship packed with people, the

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<v Speaker 2>job can be surprisedly lonely.

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<v Speaker 1>You're surrounded by people that are on their vacation, but

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<v Speaker 1>you're not on vacation. You're working. People will say that too.

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<v Speaker 1>You're like, oh, man, you know, I'm not having a

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<v Speaker 1>great day. I'm kind of bummed out. I'm stuck on

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<v Speaker 1>the ship and people are like, oh, poor you, and

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<v Speaker 1>I'm like, you have no idea, man, I didn't choose

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<v Speaker 1>a vacation by myself.

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<v Speaker 2>It's even worse around the holidays.

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<v Speaker 1>I did a Thanksgiving one time. Oh my god. It

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<v Speaker 1>was like stabbing me in the heart. They're like, this

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<v Speaker 1>ain't a Thanksgiving. This is this is a prison. Is

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<v Speaker 1>what this is? You know. It's hard to say that

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<v Speaker 1>to people because they just say, oh, oh, you're in

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<v Speaker 1>Saint Martin. I'm like, yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>But in spite of the occasional workplace challenges, which let's

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<v Speaker 2>face it, every single job has, Rob Little realizes that

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<v Speaker 2>he did it. He freaking made his dreams come true.

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<v Speaker 1>I just love it. I literally just passed twenty five

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<v Speaker 1>years so I've been doing it.

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<v Speaker 2>Congrats. Wow.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks, that's a.

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<v Speaker 2>Pretty long career in comedy now.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I think so.

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<v Speaker 2>So the next time you're on a cruise and you

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<v Speaker 2>want to laugh and also see a guy living out

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<v Speaker 2>his dreams, a dream that he came up with way

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<v Speaker 2>back when he was five years old, just look for

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<v Speaker 2>the bald white guy, or, better yet, check out Rob's

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<v Speaker 2>itinerary and tour dates on his website roblittle dot com.

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<v Speaker 2>When's your next cruise ship out?

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<v Speaker 1>I actually go on one next week on a celebrity cruise.

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<v Speaker 1>And you have no clue where you're going, now that

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<v Speaker 1>you say that, I don't

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<v Speaker 2>From the job, I'm Avery Thompson.