Make me laugh
It's often weird what things you discover about people you know. For instance, I know of at least three people who have dabbled in stand-up comedy. One of my classmates at Northwestern went into the business right after graduation, although I'm not sure what he's up to now (the fact that he could pass as a young version of Michael Richards probably helped his cause). Recently, my friend Steve has been doing regular gigs in New York City when he's not miserable at his day job. From what I've heard, he's pretty decent -- although that doesn't surprise me. The oddest of the three is chronicled here -- a journalism professor that really helped me get interested in the business even before high school.