JUST FOR LAUGHS


by Betsy Rothstien

Flip Schultz, the 22 year old stand-up comedian who is about to go onstage and warm up the crowd for the others, says he has always been the class clown. At 8 years old he own a talent show; at 18 he faced his first real mike in a "crappy" bar called (In) Cahoots.

"Thankfully, things have been good," says Schultz, who subsidizes his dream by touring with a children's show in which he plays a prince and an evil stepsister.

But Schultz remembers all too well the days when his audience was primarily comprised of family members. Those were the days when he thought he was good.

"So I went back without my family and I *$!*$!," he recalls, mentioning the amount of sweating involved in bombing. Last September, things took a turn for Schultz when he showed up in Sawgrass Mills and won a contest called the Seinfeld Challenge.

His ultimate goal?

"To be recognizable," he says simply.

"You're such a shallow bastard," Sattee chides him. "You can be a serial killer and be recognized."

Schultz takes the jabbing from his friend in stride and says talking about his ex-girlfriend on stage is great fun.

"This is the one job you can be frank about what's happened," he says.