Fake it 'til you make it

Last night I compered (MC'd) a lovely stand-up gig in Bedford.

Afterward we acts sat around backstage chatting about our comedy 'careers' and as is often the way the least established of us bemoaned his lack of opportunity. When I asked why he didn't put his name forward to compere he balked; it wasn't something he'd ever done before. There was also a time when he'd never done stand-up but in his mind this was different.

The dirty little secret about compering is that promoters usually see it as a pretty low risk decision, especially a gigs like last night where there are already three or four reliable acts on the bill*. The trick to getting into compering is stick to shows like Bedford and just fake it 'til you make it.

I like that phrase, fake it 'til you make it. It smacks of bravado and backing yourself and grabbing the brass ring. There's also more than a whiff of sharp practice as it has you ignore the fact that whomever is taking you on is unknowingly carrying a risk. But, hey, caveat emptor and all that, huh?

Fake it 'til you make it is how the world works. At least the world of showbiz. Said best it's the wonderful advice that jazz legend George Melly gave his friend Humphrey Lyttelton who was doubting ability to write restaurant criticism: -

By the time they find out you know nothing about it, you will know something about it

* The exception to this rule is the New Act competition where there is likely to be as many as ten comics of vastly varying ability. These are the gigs when a great compere really does make or break the night.

Author's note: fake it 'til you make it is not recommended as career advice for pilots, surgeons, American presidents or Scottish Prime Ministers