“Your story’s going to be about me pretty much retiring from comedy,” says longtime Stanford & Sons main man Craig Glazer. “I’m closing Stanford’s downtown.”
Make that past tense.
“The last day was this past weekend,” Glazer says. “We’re closed now. You know, if I could pick it up and move it to Waldo I would, but downtown is just too dead.”
Here’s the deal…
“My brother Jeff Glazer passed away recently and sitting there every day watching him fade away was really hard on me and very difficult to watch. And to lose both brothers – both of them younger than me – caused me a lot of stress. And I got walking pneumonia. I’m going to be okay, but I’ll still be pretty weak for the next 4 to 8 weeks. I’ve lost 30 pounds and it’s going to take months for me to get back in shape. It’s been pretty dreadful.
As for trying to make it in downtown KC, “Downtown is getting better,” Glazer says. “But the truth is it’s still not busy enough. I’m right down here next to all these condos but it’s still like a ghost town – dead, dead, dead. And the thruth is comedy today is not doing well. It’s largely dependent on black acts and there are hardly any new white acts that draw well.”
The bottom line:
“I did my 40 plus years in the business and I gave people in Kansas City the chance to see a lot of up-and-coming comics like Lisa Lampanelli and Jim Jefferies. But that era is coming to an end, kind of like Vaudville. And nobody thought Vaudville would die.
“I’ve got a lot of stuff going on with The King of Sting. I just need to take a break, so that’s what I’m going to do. And for all of the people raving about downtown, just drive down here. It’s mostly dead.”
I’m a person that likes to see comedians and I had no clue he moved downtown until that shooting happened. People simply didn’t know it was there.
Because his shop failed downtown is dead. Because his business model didn’t succeed comedy is dead. Because he can’t draw a crowd and has people trying to murder each other after hours when no one is supposed to be inside, we are to believe he was a great help to KC?
Pfffft
Dick I know I suck with bringing movie and tv stars to a small venue weekly in Westport for decades, nobody has done that or ever will…oh I forgot you have done what for KC?
It just amazes me how so many wonderful things befall you, and yet when bad things occur (like you ruining the same business in at least 5 different locations) you insist it isn’t you fault. Take responsibility for your short comings in the same way you take the perceived notability for your successes. Writing a book about lying and stealing and then parlaying that into a “movie”. Whatever gets you by.
Yea!!!!
Get better.
🙂
“It’s largely dependent on black acts and there are hardly any new white acts that draw well.”
First of all, who cares if they are white or black acts, young or old? Complete and utter bullshit. Start bringing in some decent comics that people may have heard of and people will show up. Kate Quigley, Ari Schiffer, Joey Diaz (who will be at the Improv next month), Esther Ku…I could go on and on. I’ve seen plenty of great acts (and continue to do so) at the Improv. Kevin Pollak, Kevin Nealon, John Witherspoon, David Alan Grier, etc… I have to agree with some previous comments…just because your business failed, doesn’t mean the industry isn’t doing well.
CG – thanks for the years of great comedy in KC. Rest up and get healthy.
I’ll second that!
As fandom contemplates its collective fuzzy sports navel those other two local comedy acts the of late, late fraudroyals, and inveterate swiss chiefs one more disappointment theirs to come, adjure peace & robust health find you CG, as you contemplate that life is now yours century 21. All seriousness, nod an idiom circa early 20th century – ‘keep on keepin’ on.
Best (and I am),
Kerouac
😎
thank you K always liked you.
CG, you’ve got my number. Give me a call and I’ll buy lunch! The patio at Cafe Trio is my standard hang out. Easy trip down SMP for you. Let’s do it.
FYI, Craig lives in an apartment on the Plaza now…an even easier trip!
cool thanks Paul lets do it send me your phone number
Not afraid to share it here, it’s pretty easy to find!
913.486.7082
Hang in there Craig!
Thank you all, Stanfords was an era of great attention and media giant…the good far out weighted any bad and we gained national attention often that put KC in the limelight. So many stories so much fun so much hard work…it was a long run now on to new adventures.
Get healthy and good luck in the future, CG. As much as I might have disagreed with your perspective on politics, sports, et al from time to time, I’ve enjoyed you sharing your opinions. Take care.
Makes you wonder if political correctness has anything to do with downturn of comedy. Many great comedians have said as much. If you are white you can’t joke about blacks. If you are Christian you can’t joke about Muslims or Jews. Many a joke that was always taken as a joke is now offlimits. I thought, with all of the folks living downtown, that you might be successful there. Best of luck
It’s possible, I think there’s a lot more to this downfall though. I think a lot of people just stay at home and enjoy the tons of entertainment they have available at their fingertips. Going out isn’t the same as it used to be. It’s expensive, A LOT of people are fat and loud and rude..Wait, I’m just getting old and cranky: Get off of my lawn!
good luck glaze….hearne kept my first note off…but despiite my disagreeing with
you on baseball and football….you still have that never say die attitude.
If i was papajohns…i ‘d hire you right now to get their image back.
You’re the best pr guy i’ve ever seen…..and hope you and your family
are coping with the losses you’ve suffered.
Life is a roller coasster…hope the highs are not too high…lows not too low…
maybe you and I should do a tvshow togethr 2 LIVE JEWS!!!!!!!!!
good luck in the future….may god watch over you in these troubled times.
your biggest critic and your favortie guy to post on kcc. If not for you and I…
kcc would be dead…..take it easy…that pneumonia can kill ya…..see ya soon.
Boom boom
Truth is the Improv chain does what Stanford’s did and without all the backroom shenanigans. You sign a contract with Improv and you go around the country playing their rooms- no more dealing with the CG’s of the world.
Of course he could have gone after some of the many new acts out there during this new comedy boom. But he has no clue who those acts are. Or those acts are of the leftist clap-comedy variety and he turned them off to playing at his club.
Turn on a podcast and you can hear all sorts of comedians talking about playing gigs on the road no bigger than Stanford’s. It’s a young mans game and CG is very old, despite his insistence to the contrary.
Hard to argue that in recent years Stanford’s had far fewer up-and-coming comics.
Any time you move a business what 4 times in less than 10 years the consumer will be confused and feel left out. As radio has faded especially in the morning the ole trick of getting your comic on the various morning shows has lost it’s vigor, morning TV has kicked morning radio’s collective ass. The better daypart would be afternoon drive, a larger audience looking for something to do after work. The main point is the consumer had no idea where Stanford’s comedy club was and if the comic draw was weak, then there is no reason to spend the time to find the club, particularly given it’s stellar 3 star review on Yelp, but wait those 22 reviews are for a Stanford’s in Rosanna Sq. not the power and light district, what gives? The great promoter ignored social media when he moved? How can that be? Excuses aside, the club failed due to management, not the changing comedy world.
Good point, KK…
Clearly that can’t of helped. That said, they got forced out in KCK because the center thought it had a big dollar tenant that then fell through. The move to the Uptown was short-lived and probably overall an unwise one.
Now it’s a little fuzzy but back to KCK and 119th and Metcalf and downtown. That’s a pretty unfortunate, bumpy path
why not move to 18th and vine. If all the good acts are black…that area wouldLOVE
to have a real businessman.
Too bad 18th and vine was a racket the day they broke ground.
Actually, not long ago Craig was in talks with the city about just such a plan.