Stand-up Comedy

[Bill 213]

Or sit-down comedy....whatever works....

I've just been interested in getting into it as sort of a hobby on the side at nights and such away from work....I noticed we are starting to get more comedy nights and such in local places around here and I always tend to hit a few comedy clubs up when I go to NYC and it's always been a fascination of mine.  Has anyone ever done an open mic night or actually dabbled in stand up?  Any tips on working out material and how to keep the routine flowing (which I think would be my hardest part).  I tend to have a more darker, dry side to my sense of humor also so I don't know if that would hurt or help for stand-up. 

Any advice to get me on the level of Yakov Smirnof or Gilbert Godfried would be appreciated.

[Booker Floyd]

Id suggest watching really good comedians and taking notes.

[GNRreunioneventually]

yeah but dont like copy any one if you use the same subject reword it as much as posible so you don't seem like a plagiarizing poser.

[TAP]

Id suggest watching really good comedians and taking notes.

Definitely. Not for the material but for the timing and flow, it doesn't matter how funny you are if you can't deliver with confidence.

[Where is Hassan Nasrallah ?]

What is the deal with people ? Who are these people ?

thank you.
9 years of seinfeld.

[BBF Rocks]

What is the deal with people ? Who are these people ?

thank you.
9 years of seinfeld.

what is the deal with people who insist on putting spaces between their sentences and their question marks?
it pisses me off, i mean what is the deal? didn't these people go to school?




































































thank you.

[GeorgeSteele]

Here's a story for you on dealing with tough crowds:

One of the games my friends and I played when we were kids was "Make Me Laugh" (you've probably heard of it), where, you guessed it, one kid gets up in front of the group and tries to make everyone laugh.  Everyone else has to keep a straight face; first guy to laugh is "it" and is next to try to make us laugh.

During one game, the kid that was "it" was up there for an eternity and was just failing miserably.  We all had our stone faces on and were basically just glaring at the poor guy.  Finally, the frustrated kid loses his patience so he drops his pants and starts taking a piss.  Needless to say, laughter ensued.  We laughed so hard we literally could barely breathe.  Probably the closest I've come to dying laughing.

[Where is Hassan Nasrallah ?]

GeorgeSteele, you kids have strange games taking your wii wii's out and all.
but hey, not that there is anything wrong with that.

[babydolls]

Bill 213 - good luck! I have full respect for people with the guts to get up and do stand-up. ?it can be very daunting. ?We did a small lesson on it at drama school and the only things I remember us doing were:
Speaking to the group for 5 mins straight (5 mins can seem like a very long time if you cant think on your feet). not good to get yourself booked on a 30 min slot if you havent tried 5 or 10 mins.
Handling heckling (from people telling you to shut up, or a personal comment about your clothes, weight etc). Always good to have a couple of excellent put downs ready.
Pick on those in the front row
Maybe throw in a couple of impersonations if appropriate

I love stand up - have only done it once and it was a complete blur. ?I've seen a lot at festivals and smaller clubs and a lot of people try and incorporate their musical talents (Bill Bailey for example), which can be very clever as well.
People like Billy Connelly actually have quite a short attention span so they tend to jump around topics quickly and keep things moving. ?Whereas some stand-ups adopt a persona (like a geek or a complete chauvenist dickhead) and work through a character.

Go to an open mic night and see whats happening and you'll prob soon know what you feel most at ease doing. ?Good on ya!

[BBF Rocks]

well i say talk about different and current events that have happened not to long ago and make fun of them, or do ethnic jokes but be prepared and allert to who you make fun of, depending on who some will stab some will shoot you and some will just suicide bomb your ass.

whats some of your material? what things do/are you trying/going to focus on?

wtf? fucking racist

[Ganja4Life]

Here's a story for you on dealing with tough crowds:

One of the games my friends and I played when we were kids was "Make Me Laugh" (you've probably heard of it), where, you guessed it, one kid gets up in front of the group and tries to make everyone laugh.? Everyone else has to keep a straight face; first guy to laugh is "it" and is next to try to make us laugh.

During one game, the kid that was "it" was up there for an eternity and was just failing miserably.? We all had our stone faces on and were basically just glaring at the poor guy.? Finally, the frustrated kid loses his patience so he drops his pants and starts taking a piss.? Needless to say, laughter ensued.? We laughed so hard we literally could barely breathe.? Probably the closest I've come to dying laughing.

lmao thats fucking hilarious

[Danny Top Hat]

STOP!

If anyone else starts talking about race in this thread they'll get smited immediately. ?I'm done talking about racism.  I've let Jarmo know what's going on - he'll deal with it when he wants to.

So now, like....what's the deal with stand-up comedy?

[Where is Hassan Nasrallah ?]

yeah racist !!!

[Bill 213]

Perhaps I forgot to mention........NO KRAMER IMPERSONATIONS  !!!!!!!!  That won't be in my act. 

[GNRreunioneventually]

i didn't mean to be racist thats just what alot of comedians use in there arsenal of jokes. No harm ment 

I erased it but serioiusly i didn't mean to be racist, My bad

[SLCPUNK]

I worked a republican fund raiser once....bombed miserably.

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

Just have some material handy...things will fall into place. 

Straying from your material IS encouraged.  Take a risk, it might end up working out for you.

[The Dog]

Never done it myself, always wondered if I could (probably not, hahah).

The best ones have a ton of different bits that they can change in and out of their routine at whim.  its about looking comfortable and staying calm.

and, as costanza says, always leave on a high note      Conversely, if you know you are tanking , wrap it up QUICK.

Talking about current events is a sure fire way to get some laughs, especially our star crazed society.  But EVERY other comedian is likely to have similar jokes.