Alone Up There documentary

Remember back in September when we had filmmaker Sean Patrick Shaul on What's So Funny? It was just prior to the big premiere of his stand-up doc Alone Up There. As you heard on the show, the feature-length film is available online for a very reasonable 7 bucks. I watched it and it's really good. And I'm not just saying that because I was in it for probably upwards of 7 seconds. That's right, think of it as paying a buck a second to see me pontificate and all the big names in the movie are free! Names like Marc Maron, Eddie Pepitone, the Sklar Brothers, Iliza Shlesinger, Bobby Slayton, Brody Stevens and Moshe Kasher, along with a healthy sampling of local comics, like Simon King, Toby Hargraves, Darryl Lenox and fellow Canadians Mike MacDonald, Jeremy Hotz and Darren Frost.

There's a nice introductory section on the history of comedy with some great clips, followed by a large chunk on contemporary comics ruminating on what it takes to be a comedian, and a segment on Shaul himself attempting his first (and last) stand-up set. In Los Angeles, yet.

As a way for Sean to get the word out even more (it's already received some positive reviews), he's come up with a cool incentive for everyone interviewed in the film. We each have the potential to earn $1 on a given sale if the buyer includes our name in the coupon section.

I feel guilty even mentioning this for my brief appearance, but what the hell: a buck's a buck. I think the film is worth seeing anyway, even if you don't use my name when purchasing it. But if you want to, here's how you put a dollar in my pocket:

• Go to aloneupthere.thestandupcomedians.com and click on "Buy the show"
• When you get to the checkout screen, click on "I have a coupon".
• Enter "macpherson" (all lower-case letters)

Easy-peasy. Seven bucks for a movie about comedy and watch it from the comfort of your home in your underwear? And you give me a dollar in the process? It's a no-brainer. I'll buy you a coffee next time I see you.