Me and Bill Murray
In March 2013 I bought a 24" x 36" poster of Bill Murray and had it framed.
Back then I was working closely with Ryan — out of my flat’s spare bedroom — which we’d equipped as an office.
Things were a bit rough for me personally and professionally around then and he told me the story of one of his friends who while at college was trying to make it as a stand-up comedian.
His friend was attending a major comedy festival and was having a drink at the bar when Bill Murray walked in. They got talking about the festival, about comedy and about how he was hoping to become a professional comedian one day.
Bill asked him what his backup plan was if he didn’t make it as a comedian and he replied that he was studying law at college and that he could always become a lawyer.
Bill’s response — “F*ck your backup plan!”
Bill knew that if he wasn’t prepared to commit wholeheartedly to being a comedian then he didn’t have what it would take. Having a backup plan was going to sabotage his efforts.
The giant Bill Murray poster, an embodiment of Bill’s words, played a part in keeping me going through those difficult times and it still sits in my living room as a reminder.
Ryan’s friend now lives in Los Angeles, works as a full-time comedy writer and still doesn’t have a backup plan.
