Maine comedian Bob Marley: “I’ve got mad respect for anybody that says, ‘OK, I’ll try this.’” Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald
Bob Marley doesn’t need much introduction. He’s been performing Maine-style comedy as long as anyone can remember and his is arguably the most recognizable name in Maine comedy.
Marley has been on the big shows, with David Letterman, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson . . . and that’s just to name a few. His success in comedy also brought him to the big screen where he had roles in big time movies like “Boondock Saints” and “All Saints Day.”
Marley is huge. But at one time, he was just another funny guy looking to make a go of things in the smallest of comedy venues. And because of that, Marley still has a ton of respect for all the people currently working in comedy and those still looking to make their marks.
“I wish I could take a night and go to some of these smaller clubs,” Marley says. “I wouldn’t even want to go on. I’d just find one of those younger comics, grab them by the shoulders and say, ‘Kill it bud. You’re doing great.’ I’ve got mad respect for anybody that says, ‘OK, I’ll try this.’”
Marley himself draws crowds that can fill arenas these days, yet he still has a fondness for the comedy clubs and for the dinky little bars here and there that offer up comedy nights.
“Those smaller venues are a great place to earn your bones,” Marley says. “In those small rooms, you’ve got no place to hide.”
Marley still performs five to eight shows each week all around the country. When he got started, it was almost necessary for a young comic to travel to New York or Los Angeles because that’s where the clubs were. That’s where a comedian could get some attention.
These days? Any aspiring comic can put his or her work up on their own personal YouTube channel. They can create their own websites in hopes of attracting a bigger audience. There are myriad ways for an aspiring comic to get their material out into the world these days. Social media alone is almost like a cheat code.
Eventually, though, that aspiring wit will need to get themselves up on a stage in front of an audience. To the people who are tempted to give it a go, Marley’s advice is pretty clear.
“One hundred percent, get up there and try it — and don’t make rocket science out of it, either. Just get up on stage and try it. Write the jokes and try the jokes, that’s it.”
Maine won’t run out of comedy any time soon, Marley says, because there are plenty of people with talent and ambition coming along every day, hoping to make names for themselves under the bright stage lights of the clubs.
“If they’re out there hammering all these clubs around Maine and they’ve got enough passion to keep doing it,” Marley says, “I think they all got a good shot of doing pretty well.”
You can find out more about Marley, including his rugged touring schedule at bmarley.com.
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