Batman Birdman Beetle Juice Man was once a funny man on the mic Larry David remembers the day he first met standup comic Michael ke in an Esquire profile I met him standing in line at catcher rising star in 1974 isn't that something then I saw him here and there doing stand up for a couple years and then he just wasn't around so where did Katon go Michael Keaton told Jimmy Fallon in 2017 that in his early career he was determined to succeed at standup he played clubs in his native Pittsburgh played uh some places where I shouldn't have been playing you just walk out nobody would announce you or anything didn't even have microphones I'm not lying no microphone you just kind of talk just kind of talk to people but Keaton persevered heading to New York to meet Comics Like Larry David and tackle places like the Gotham Comedy Club he told Fon that he spent years trying to figure out what kind of comedian he was maybe he was wacky Keaton tried out props a pre carat top technique that he says only worked for Steve Martin at the time he also bombed opening for Sher in Las Vegas facing an audience eating dinner while waiting to hear pop music he ultimately decided he just wasn't good enough at it