Independence Day

If you don’t know the Infamous Andrew Schulz by now, you should. He’s a 38-year-old stand-up comedian from New York with a wildly popular comedy podcast, Flagrant, co-hosted with stand-up comedian, Akaash Singh. He also co-hosts another successful podcast, Brilliant Idiots, with radio host, Charlamagne tha God. I saw Schulz live before the pandemic and saw early versions of some of the jokes in his new special, Infamous. In his comedy, he likes to joke about race, relationships, religion, and everything in between. In this climate, he’s edgy and controversial because his jokes are rooted in truth. One of the infamous mottos in Flagrant is “All facts, no feelings.” During the pandemic when comics were prevented from performing in front of audiences, he creatively took control of his career (as he’s done from the start, faced with so many no’s on his way up) by putting out hilarious and biting monologues on his Instagram that gave you, in his words, “No bias, no agenda, no filter” for seventeen weeks straight. You couldn’t hear the term “Turn your phone” without thinking of Schulz. He got a Netflix comedy special out of that when for years no one wanted to give him one. It wasn’t a stand-up special with a network yet; nevertheless, he took what he did on Instagram with his monologues and put it on a global streaming platform. Like the cool leader that he is, he also had his close-knit team work on that project, writing and directing it themselves. His hard work, resilient belief in himself, and perseverance in not stopping paid off.

Throughout his career, networks had continuously turned him down for a shot at his own stand-up special, so he decided to do something radical and was the first comic to put out his specials on YouTube. In July, he put out his fourth stand-up special, Infamous, but there’s a twist— it was supposed to be his first network special. He had sold it to an unnamed streamer, but after the streamer wanted to cut some of his jokes, Schulz bought it back (essentially, buying back his independence) and sold it on his own website, depending on his fans to recoup the money. He succeeded and proved that people do want raw comedy; we want to laugh, and we’re smart enough to understand he’s telling jokes—he’s not trying to be offensive or mean. It helps that he’s also amassed a large and loyal fan base who want to see him win, especially against censorship and woke culture. Not just anybody can make three times what it took to buy back a special. In fact, the special was so successful he had to put it back up after the initial two weeks of availability closed. His special opens with an unreleased song by the independent rapper Russ who has eschewed music labels to make the music he wants and keeps every penny he earns. They’re just some of the few independent artists making their own rules to bypass the gatekeepers. If you haven’t watched the Netflix film Dolemite Is My Name starring Eddie Murphy, I recommend you do because it’s about this exact thing, artists putting their careers in their own hands, ignoring the haters and naysayers, and creating the art they want. I also wrote about it in Dolemite Is My Name: Perseverance Is My Game.

In Infamous, Schulz provides an hour of belly laughs working the crowd like only he can, asking the audience if anyone really loves Joe Biden. “No,” he answers. “Biden ain’t got no merch!” he jokes. “That’s how I judge presidents now, can you move merch or can you not?” It’s my favorite bit from the special as he goes on to hilariously explain what it means for a white person to wear the MAGA hat. More than with any other special, it was important to support this one because freedom of expression is crucial in a democracy. The reason the streamer wanted to edit Schulz’s jokes is because of what happened with Netflix getting backlash over Dave Chappelle’s specials. Thankfully, this happened to Schulz who could buy back his special and still put it out unedited, the way he wanted to deliver his material to his fans. If that happened to a smaller comic he either has to go along with the edits or doesn’t get to put out a special. It’s deeply concerning and unnerving that our words are being examined to appease woke activists, which directly impacts a person’s ability to make a living. I care a lot about freedom of speech and just recently (next week I’m sure it’ll be something else) Beyoncé and Lizzo were both accused of using the word “spaz” in their lyrics because in the UK that word is an ableist slur. Both artists caved in and changed their lyrics, which I wish they wouldn’t have done. Words matter. So does context. Schulz’s audience understands that when he is speaking, he is joking. So, they can laugh. 

Throughout the years of listening to podcasts, strictly comedy podcasts, I’ve learned about the hidden truths of the entertainment industry. As someone who wants to get into a creative field, you look up to whatever industry you want to get into and it’s just not as easy to work in it as it seems. There’s so many barriers like racism, sexism, ageism, all the -ism’s! It’s only now that we’re having a larger discussion about diversity, but even that has leaned so left we haven’t found a balance of equality yet. There’s also the factor of how many followers you have on social media that makes you feel you have to practically be famous to make it; unfortunately, it’s not so much about the quality of work you want to reach people with. Following people like Schulz, however, gives you a glimmer of hope, and simply understanding it takes ten years to even get good at the thing you want to do. It’s scary to think of doing something independently, but if you want to own your work and make as much money as you can for yourself and your family, it’s the smartest route to take. You won’t have anyone trying to censor you or water down your work. In this cancel culture, it’s also the best way to continue delivering to your audience. It’s so inspiring to see the independent path some take to maintain control of their passion because as difficult as it may be it’s not impossible.

I’m taking a page from Schulz’s playbook to pursue my creative writing dreams by putting out my stories myself on my blog and working to be more consistent with monthly blog posts so I can grow my readership. If it’s one thing I’ve learned from seeing Schulz’s journey it’s that you can’t wait for someone to give you an opportunity to do what makes your soul soar; if no one wants to take a chance on you, then invest in yourself. Schulz has been making risky moves throughout his whole career because networks wouldn’t give him a chance and those decisions have only made him one of the biggest comics out right now. So, if you believe in yourself enough to make what you think is good material, and what people need to see, do it consistently enough and on your terms without playing by anyone’s rules. You won’t lose.