On the Road
SF Stand-up Competitionwritten by Richard Freedman
Kevin Pollak placed second. So did Ellen DeGeneres, Dane Cook and the San Francisco long-time comedy king, Robin Williams. Tom Simmons knew the history. It was no shame to be runner-up in the 34th Annual San Francisco International Stand-Up Comedy Competition.
First place, however, not only sounded better, at $5,000, the check looked nicer.
So the 15-year stand-up veteran from Greensboro, N.C., was thrilled when he edged Los Angeles veteran Danny Bevins when the week’s worth of nightly finals competition ended Oct. 3.
Competing in front of a sold-out last-night crowd at Cache Creek Casino in the remote town of Brooks -- about two hours from Sacramento -- the final five jockeyed for the top spot. Simmons and Bevins, however, were consistently in the first three and it was a race to the end.
When host Jack Gallagher broke the news, “I was relieved and excited,” Simmons said. “I knew it was either Danny or me that was going to win the overall. Whichever of us came out in front on the last show was going to come out in front. I had gone first and had a good set but felt like his set was incredible and connected.I gotta be honest I thought he caught me. So, when I realized I was the winner I was thrilled and at the same time felt bad for my friend.”
Two days later, after getting home, Simmons (see picture above) said he was confident but wary of judges who may have been swayed by Bevins’ hard-edged comedy vs. his take on family life.
“I wasn’t sure,” the winner said. “I had been paying attention to the numbers and knew I was in great shape because I had been consistent all week. I knew if I went on stage and performed the jokes with everything I had, that I would be hard to beat... so I just rehearsed and tweaked the set, tightening it and then tried to go on and perform. After the set, the waiting for everyone else to finish their sets was hard.”
Jon Fox, the event’s producer since Year One, wasn’t surprised Simmons emerged victorious.
The judges were swayed because the “common themes of childbirth,” said Fox, “and child raising; but with so many different takes and such a pleasing persona left the audience spellbound.” The entire competition included 20 nights of comedy, taking the comics on a 3,000 mile jaunt to California, Oregon and Nevada.
“From the beginning, we’ve been determined to take stand-up comedy to communities where it’s seldom seen. In a way, it’s missionary work,” Fox said. “And the talent this year was exceptional.”
Though the semi-finals week that eliminated half of the starting 20 was tough, Simmons, due to the long hours driving and broad range in venues, found the finals week was the most grueling. “Each night was different,” said Simmons. “A beautiful theater, a Vets center, a ballroom at a college, a ‘clean’ night, and the final night in a casino. I had to do a lot of prep work during the day to get ready. The college show had to be about 80 percent different. The clean set had to be rehearsed with words replaced; just working to make the right choices, and doing what it takes to be ready to perform it solidly. It was hard to do every night when you combine that with long drives.”
Simmons enjoyed the camaraderie with the other four comics. Yet, as his act attests, he’s got family to fret about. “The toughest part was taking the time away from my son in order to do this,” he said. “Actually, the toughest part was worrying about what the judges thought and standing there backstage as they read the results each night. The shows were in such awesome venues and so much fun to perform- it just was the only unfun part -- standing waiting to hear where you stood. Then I had to watch comics who were my friends not moving on in the contest.”
Simmons fulfilled a promise he made to comic friend Darryl Lenox, who placed second to Bevins in the San Francisco Competition
in 2000.
“Darryl’s competed a few times over the years and he made me promise him a few years ago that I would do it. This year it finally worked out and I didn’t have to break that promise again,” Simmons said.
Simmons said his wife was tickled he would be coming home with the five grand.
“She was very happy,” Simmons said. “I talked to her after the last show while I was waiting for the results. I was actually feeling sort of down ‘cause I didn’t think I had done enough from the first spot to win. I couldn’t watch my friends and root against them so I just went for a walk and talked to her. She was great; proud of me for being where I was. She has always been the best about comedy. She actually traveled and lived with me for 3 years in a motor home as I toured. That’s why we’re married. She gets it.”
Simmons said the prize money helps getting a car paid off and repaired, a car insulated, “and I’ll pay off the credit card bill I ran up during the contest.”
As for advice to future contests, “be prepared,” Simmons said. “The hardest part for me was getting out of the first round, doing 5-7 minutes. As the show lengthened it gets easier for the comics with the most experience. So, be sharp, consistent, and just bring the energy with you every night. There are a lot of good comedians who go on that stage and compete. Knowing your set inside and out is the key. Oh, and try to do it with a good friend, like I did this year... makes the drives easier and cuts the expenses in half. Plus, you get to remind him that he lost to you for the rest of your life.”
Following Simmons and Bevins were Maureen Langan from New York City, Jarrod Harris of Atlanta and Rodger Lizaola of Seattle.
After seeing semi-final sets of six to eight minutes and finals week sets of 15 to 20 minutes, Fox predicted good things for all the contestants.
“Bevins is a thoroughbred entered into a quarter horse race,” Fox said. “As the sets get longer, his socially insightful material has more and more impact. Harris is probably the first contestant we’ve had from the South who pretty much concentrates on the topic of where he comes from. Langan is the first woman to make the finals in 17 years.
And Lizaola is a minority taking on other minorities which makes his approach fresh, unusual and daring.”
In 34 years, Fox is able to pick his Top Five of the competition entries: DeGeneres, Bobby Slayton, Carvey, Patton Oswalt and Tommy Savitt; not that he consciously pulls for one comic over the other.
“I find I can do a much better job producing the event if I don’t get emotionally involved,” Fox said. “I will say that I was in love with Ellen before I realized she was gay, and even for a while afterwards.”
Richard Freedman is a writer from California.