Author Topic: Stand up comedy  (Read 6274 times)

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Re: Stand up comedy
« Reply #15 on: December 30, 2014, 11:20:43 PM »

Offline Beat LA

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Seems you (assuming that's you doing the standup) are a fan of observational humor specifically of the television variety.

How many times have you done standup?

Yeah, that's me (for better or worse, lol).  While I generally dabble in stories from the news, celebrities and TV provide an endless source of material, lol (as do politicians, of course.).  I started doing it in April of 2013, but I can't always get out there, so I don't exactly remember, haha.  There have been times when I've gone two weeks in a row, and then haven't gone for another few months.  It just depends, and it's not every week, anyway.  Take a look at the others, if you want.  Hopefully I've improved, lol.  I honestly have only put 3 of them on here (counting this one), because I wasn't sure how people would react, and I didn't want to bug anyone.  I'm also notoriously bad at self-promotion and advocacy, lol.  Anyway, I was really just hoping for some feedback.  Did you like any of it, lol?  Don't sugarcoat anything, btw.  Sorry for being so late in getting back to you.
Hey I didn't bother watching because I thought here's another self-promotion or typical "I want feed back to justify my ambitious desire to do this" video. I then read the post above and ironically feel that is comedy.

Um, thanks, lol? ;D I was afraid of coming off that way, quite honestly.  The last thing I'd want to do is sound like one of those posters on YouTube videos who says 'check out my music,' or whatever.  I'm not putting it up here get 'feedback to justify my ambitious desire to do this,' though.  No, I would like some feedback, but not for the reason you described.  I would greatly appreciate any and all critiques of my 'attempts' so that I can hopefully improve. :) That is all. ;D

you have my respect buddy, it takes a lot of balls to go up there and do that, and this is better than I could have ever done.   heres my feedback since it seems like youre genuinely interested in an honest response.



it seemed very choppy and unrehearsed.  lots of stopping and thinking, like what should I say next?  or what was supposed to come next. 

stand up is best when you feel like the comic is having a fluid conversation with the crowd, if that makes sense.  like its just a funny guy thats having a conversation with you.

Read over the response that I just posted to Monkhouse - it should explain what happens to me up there.  I knew that it would come off that way, though, because I was panicking.  And other people have mentioned the conversation part, before, but I don't know how to do it.  I try to engage the audience, but nothing really works, and half of the audience is talking among themselves at the bar, anyway (during everyone's performances - not just mine), so I can't really do anything about that.  I was all ready, and I thought that that was going to be a really good one, but it wasn't.  I guess that I haven't made any progress, then.  Sigh.  TP for the advice though, and for taking the time to watch it, even though it was horrible. :)

Re: Stand up comedy
« Reply #16 on: December 30, 2014, 11:28:55 PM »

Offline Beat LA

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Seems you (assuming that's you doing the standup) are a fan of observational humor specifically of the television variety.

How many times have you done standup?

Yeah, that's me (for better or worse, lol).  While I generally dabble in stories from the news, celebrities and TV provide an endless source of material, lol (as do politicians, of course.).  I started doing it in April of 2013, but I can't always get out there, so I don't exactly remember, haha.  There have been times when I've gone two weeks in a row, and then haven't gone for another few months.  It just depends, and it's not every week, anyway.  Take a look at the others, if you want.  Hopefully I've improved, lol.  I honestly have only put 3 of them on here (counting this one), because I wasn't sure how people would react, and I didn't want to bug anyone.  I'm also notoriously bad at self-promotion and advocacy, lol.  Anyway, I was really just hoping for some feedback.  Did you like any of it, lol?  Don't sugarcoat anything, btw.  Sorry for being so late in getting back to you.
Hey I didn't bother watching because I thought here's another self-promotion or typical "I want feed back to justify my ambitious desire to do this" video. I then read the post above and ironically feel that is comedy.

Um, thanks, lol? ;D I was afraid of coming off that way, quite honestly.  The last thing I'd want to do is sound like one of those posters on YouTube videos who says 'check out my music,' or whatever.  I'm not putting it up here get 'feedback to justify my ambitious desire to do this,' though.  No, I would like some feedback, but not for the reason you described.  I would greatly appreciate any and all critiques of my 'attempts' so that I can hopefully improve. :) That is all. ;D

Just take it easy though. I had a lot of problems at first performing songs, cause I was nervous, and would try to remember my lines. But just be confident and have fun.
Seems you (assuming that's you doing the standup) are a fan of observational humor specifically of the television variety.

How many times have you done standup?

Yeah, that's me (for better or worse, lol).  While I generally dabble in stories from the news, celebrities and TV provide an endless source of material, lol (as do politicians, of course.).  I started doing it in April of 2013, but I can't always get out there, so I don't exactly remember, haha.  There have been times when I've gone two weeks in a row, and then haven't gone for another few months.  It just depends, and it's not every week, anyway.  Take a look at the others, if you want.  Hopefully I've improved, lol.  I honestly have only put 3 of them on here (counting this one), because I wasn't sure how people would react, and I didn't want to bug anyone.  I'm also notoriously bad at self-promotion and advocacy, lol.  Anyway, I was really just hoping for some feedback.  Did you like any of it, lol?  Don't sugarcoat anything, btw.  Sorry for being so late in getting back to you.
Hey I didn't bother watching because I thought here's another self-promotion or typical "I want feed back to justify my ambitious desire to do this" video. I then read the post above and ironically feel that is comedy.

Um, thanks, lol? ;D I was afraid of coming off that way, quite honestly.  The last thing I'd want to do is sound like one of those posters on YouTube videos who says 'check out my music,' or whatever.  I'm not putting it up here get 'feedback to justify my ambitious desire to do this,' though.  No, I would like some feedback, but not for the reason you described.  I would greatly appreciate any and all critiques of my 'attempts' so that I can hopefully improve. :) That is all. ;D

you have my respect buddy, it takes a lot of balls to go up there and do that, and this is better than I could have ever done.   heres my feedback since it seems like youre genuinely interested in an honest response.



it seemed very choppy and unrehearsed.  lots of stopping and thinking, like what should I say next?  or what was supposed to come next. 

stand up is best when you feel like the comic is having a fluid conversation with the crowd, if that makes sense.  like its just a funny guy thats having a conversation with you. 


This.

That's never been me, though.  I'm just not a confident person.  Oh, don't get me wrong, I understand what you're saying, but I don't think that I can ever be like that.  I've had to play music during concerts, as well, albeit in band, lol, and I've had to do solos and such, but that was easier, lol, because the music was right there.  Oh, trust me, I was more nervous playing a certain part during a song than I am on stage, but it's just not the same, because I didn't have to talk, lol, or even show myself (most of the time).  This is different, though - much different.  Sigh.

Re: Stand up comedy
« Reply #17 on: December 30, 2014, 11:38:06 PM »

Offline Beat LA

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Seems you (assuming that's you doing the standup) are a fan of observational humor specifically of the television variety.

How many times have you done standup?

Yeah, that's me (for better or worse, lol).  While I generally dabble in stories from the news, celebrities and TV provide an endless source of material, lol (as do politicians, of course.).  I started doing it in April of 2013, but I can't always get out there, so I don't exactly remember, haha.  There have been times when I've gone two weeks in a row, and then haven't gone for another few months.  It just depends, and it's not every week, anyway.  Take a look at the others, if you want.  Hopefully I've improved, lol.  I honestly have only put 3 of them on here (counting this one), because I wasn't sure how people would react, and I didn't want to bug anyone.  I'm also notoriously bad at self-promotion and advocacy, lol.  Anyway, I was really just hoping for some feedback.  Did you like any of it, lol?  Don't sugarcoat anything, btw.  Sorry for being so late in getting back to you.
Hey I didn't bother watching because I thought here's another self-promotion or typical "I want feed back to justify my ambitious desire to do this" video. I then read the post above and ironically feel that is comedy.

Um, thanks, lol? ;D I was afraid of coming off that way, quite honestly.  The last thing I'd want to do is sound like one of those posters on YouTube videos who says 'check out my music,' or whatever.  I'm not putting it up here get 'feedback to justify my ambitious desire to do this,' though.  No, I would like some feedback, but not for the reason you described.  I would greatly appreciate any and all critiques of my 'attempts' so that I can hopefully improve. :) That is all. ;D

Okay here are some pointers.

Material is 60% of the battle 40% is delivery. By going up there and seeing what works you can compile a nice portfolio of working jokes. Every 3rd show perhaps at different venue just grab the best jokes from last two and knock it out the park. That is what a majority of stand up guys are judged on. Trying new jokes is the hardest part. If you have no fear of that then it's a good side hobby/job. Also if you know funny life stories or funny eccentric people that can go over well with the crowd. People enjoy "life comedy" a great deal as they want an escape often when viewing entertainment. Put it like this funny sitcoms the pinnacle of comedy $ have tons of little gags and jokes but it is the characters that capture the audience.

Good Luck Man.

Actually, I always do something new, because I find that everyone else at least repeats themselves for half of the time up there, and I don't like that, lol.  I'd rather try something new, because at least it's fresh, and I'm not boring people with the same jokes week after week.  That's how I look at it, anyway.  And I do have some quite eccentric people in my family, but I don't want to make fun of them, and I have more than enough material from other outlets, lol.  I know, I know, you'll probably say that that's my biggest mistake in not using them, but what if they find out?  Then what do I do?  I wouldn't want to ruin a relationship with a relative just for a joke that 1). won't be funny, and 2). won't be nearly enough to justify it, as in, it wouldn't exactly 'propel me to stardom,' lol.  TP for you, though.  Thanks. :)

Re: Stand up comedy
« Reply #18 on: December 30, 2014, 11:51:44 PM »

Offline Beat LA

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I watched the clip and you seemed more comfortable on stage than I remember from a previous video (I believe it was the first one you posted). Once you get totally comfortable, it will put the audience more at ease. That just comes with doing it more often.

I don't remember a lot of the material from the first one, but I thought the content of this one wasn't as deep as it could be. Pop culture and entertainment are low hanging fruit and you need to go one step beyond the expected. Jokes about how old Stallone is or how young Bieber is, for example, are too obvious to surprise the audience. You need to find that extra unique slant on the topic that distinguishes your take from a standard late-night monologue joke.

Part of that is the setup. I think you could set up a comedic context before getting into a joke. It can't just be that something is ridiculous or dumb or bad, but why it is so, and how does it affect you? For instance, with the INFO button bit, you could start out saying how you love the button (might get into a riff about how hard tv was to watch before it existed, as long as it's not too hackneyed) but the people who write the profiles "are the laziest failed writers who couldn't get a job writing fortune cookies (might be a better joke here, like Hallmark's, catalog copy, etc.). Then you go on into how they obviously haven't watched the programs they're writing about, or how some enterprising writers are starting to sneak their own opinions into what is supposed to be a simple synopsis. As if they were wannabe reviewers (plays into the failed writer angle). Now you've created a story for yourself about something you liked but had that one annoying defect, and also you've given the audience an image of failed twenty-something writers writing horrible copy online in their parent's basement for 10 cents a sentence. It doesn't matter if that's how the system actually works, of course. The way it actually works probably isn't funny, it's better to just wildly speculate. You could then go on into how this could be outsourced too and we're now getting descriptions from Indian people whose job it is to watch our mind-numbingly boring and crass television product. No wonder they write such horrible reviews (of everything besides musicals of course).

Anyway, I'm not an expert but I have watched a lot of standup and love comedy. Oh, I would start with a topic that immediately grabs 99 percent of the audience. If you haven't watched Dancing with the Stars the opener is confusing. If you lose an impartial audience on the opener it's hard for them to come back. I guess if your point was you like the show but since nobody reacted you were embarrassed for having seen it, it could work, but then I'd expect you to go in deeper into what funny reason you like the show that is unexpected.

Do you pretty much plan everything out ahead of time? Have you ever just worked on the same material over and over until it always gets a reaction? I imagine that starting out it can be hard to always be trying new material. Pros generally try to build their "minutes" up, as in "I have 15 solid minutes" that they know will kill in most circumstances.

I started out with Dancing with the Stars not because I like that show (I hate it), but because I know that it's popular, and the audience is mainly people from 22-35, maybe, so I figured that someone might have seen it, but as you witnessed, I guess that I was wrong.  The opener is the hardest part, and, while I understand what you're saying about diving deeper into an explanation, it's not a good idea to have to explain a bunch of stuff before a punchline, as you suggest, because that takes a lot of time, and people will tune you out before you get to the end.  It's got to be joke after joke after joke after joke, and you only have about 10 seconds to capture the audience, so the reason why I rushed is because you have to move quickly.  I watch a lot of stand up, too, btw, but I guess that that hasn't helped. 

Also, what is this magical topic that engages 99% of the audience?  Does it exist in nature, lol, because I can't find it, even though I'm sure that you're just talking about every day stuff, right?  I don't think that I'm ever going to be comfortable, though. :'( Sigh.  Thanks for the help, though, Shareef ;) ;D - TP.

Re: Stand up comedy
« Reply #19 on: December 31, 2014, 12:01:26 AM »

Offline Beat LA

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Beat LA, it takes a lot of balls to not only go up there but also share your comedy on the forum.  I tried to put together some sketch comedy videos before... they were kind of disastrous.  Here's a couple:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4__abxqF4k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMg0_E0KTZI

I made those a few years ago... they embarrass the heck out of me now, but at the time I thought they were mildly humorous. 

Good luck with your stand-up.  You'll likely improve every time you go on stage.   I would never have the guts to even attempt it.

TP for the videos, lol. ;D Which guy is you (if you're even in one of them)?

Re: Stand up comedy
« Reply #20 on: December 31, 2014, 12:53:09 AM »

Offline Beat LA

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Sorry for commenting again, but I just checked the 'progress' lol of this video on Youtube, and guess what?  Five people took the time to dislike my previous video where I referenced Mrs. Doubtfire!  Woo, woo - now that's progress (sarcasm). ;) ::) ;D Sigh.

Re: Stand up comedy
« Reply #21 on: January 02, 2015, 01:07:49 AM »

Offline obnoxiousmime

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I watched the clip and you seemed more comfortable on stage than I remember from a previous video (I believe it was the first one you posted). Once you get totally comfortable, it will put the audience more at ease. That just comes with doing it more often.

I don't remember a lot of the material from the first one, but I thought the content of this one wasn't as deep as it could be. Pop culture and entertainment are low hanging fruit and you need to go one step beyond the expected. Jokes about how old Stallone is or how young Bieber is, for example, are too obvious to surprise the audience. You need to find that extra unique slant on the topic that distinguishes your take from a standard late-night monologue joke.

Part of that is the setup. I think you could set up a comedic context before getting into a joke. It can't just be that something is ridiculous or dumb or bad, but why it is so, and how does it affect you? For instance, with the INFO button bit, you could start out saying how you love the button (might get into a riff about how hard tv was to watch before it existed, as long as it's not too hackneyed) but the people who write the profiles "are the laziest failed writers who couldn't get a job writing fortune cookies (might be a better joke here, like Hallmark's, catalog copy, etc.). Then you go on into how they obviously haven't watched the programs they're writing about, or how some enterprising writers are starting to sneak their own opinions into what is supposed to be a simple synopsis. As if they were wannabe reviewers (plays into the failed writer angle). Now you've created a story for yourself about something you liked but had that one annoying defect, and also you've given the audience an image of failed twenty-something writers writing horrible copy online in their parent's basement for 10 cents a sentence. It doesn't matter if that's how the system actually works, of course. The way it actually works probably isn't funny, it's better to just wildly speculate. You could then go on into how this could be outsourced too and we're now getting descriptions from Indian people whose job it is to watch our mind-numbingly boring and crass television product. No wonder they write such horrible reviews (of everything besides musicals of course).

Anyway, I'm not an expert but I have watched a lot of standup and love comedy. Oh, I would start with a topic that immediately grabs 99 percent of the audience. If you haven't watched Dancing with the Stars the opener is confusing. If you lose an impartial audience on the opener it's hard for them to come back. I guess if your point was you like the show but since nobody reacted you were embarrassed for having seen it, it could work, but then I'd expect you to go in deeper into what funny reason you like the show that is unexpected.

Do you pretty much plan everything out ahead of time? Have you ever just worked on the same material over and over until it always gets a reaction? I imagine that starting out it can be hard to always be trying new material. Pros generally try to build their "minutes" up, as in "I have 15 solid minutes" that they know will kill in most circumstances.

I started out with Dancing with the Stars not because I like that show (I hate it), but because I know that it's popular, and the audience is mainly people from 22-35, maybe, so I figured that someone might have seen it, but as you witnessed, I guess that I was wrong.  The opener is the hardest part, and, while I understand what you're saying about diving deeper into an explanation, it's not a good idea to have to explain a bunch of stuff before a punchline, as you suggest, because that takes a lot of time, and people will tune you out before you get to the end.  It's got to be joke after joke after joke after joke, and you only have about 10 seconds to capture the audience, so the reason why I rushed is because you have to move quickly.  I watch a lot of stand up, too, btw, but I guess that that hasn't helped. 

Also, what is this magical topic that engages 99% of the audience?  Does it exist in nature, lol, because I can't find it, even though I'm sure that you're just talking about every day stuff, right?  I don't think that I'm ever going to be comfortable, though. :'( Sigh.  Thanks for the help, though, Shareef ;) ;D - TP.

The topic doesn't need to "engage" them per say, it just needs to be something they have an opinion on or are aware of. Everybody has seen or has a general idea of the movie Titanic. Actually, now that I think about it it's fine to start with something like DWTS, because even people who haven't seen it have a vague idea of how it works. Your joke being a reference, however, requires people to have seen the show. So it's not really DWTS as a topic being the issue, just that the reference is too obscure for non-fans.

When I talked about setting a joke up, I didn't mean you had to go into a lot of exposition. Just providing some context can personalize the joke or give it added relevance, and of course there are jokes within the setting up as well. Or it could just be an angle from which to point out something ludicrous beyond just saying "this is ludicrous." It seems a lot of your jokes are just bringing up things that are dumb and then waiting for the audience to agree. That's not going to work.

For instance, it's not enough to just say "Grumpy Cat has a movie." People know it's ridiculous already, so that can't be the joke. You could do something like, "Hollywood is so bereft of ideas right now that Paramount is giving Grumpy Cat a movie. Grumpy Cat! Not to be outdone, Warner Bros announced a three-picture deal with Disgruntled Hamster." Or, something else. The joke needs to be something extra that accentuates how ridiculous it is.

Then you went into Maleficent but didn't connect it to your previous point about unoriginality. The joke afterward was outside of the original context and thus didn't hit, besides it also being kind of dated. I would pick a movie that stays on point or find a way to connect Maleficent. Like, "Or Maleficent, talk about recycling the same old ideas. If you haven't seen it, Angelina Jolie plays an evil fairy who, um, steals Brad Pitt from Jennifer Aniston." Still dated, but getting to the punchline in a less expected route. Obviously not a great joke, but you get my point.

Anyway, just keep working at it and you'll learn what works and what doesn't. Maybe instead of just haphazardly going from topic to topic (which can be hard to make cohesive and consistent) you can instead just do one topic for an entire set. Just destroy one topic, examining it inside and out, like how Jim Gaffigan deconstructs Hot Pockets for like half a show. It will help you avoid the transition issue for now and also force you to stick to a consistent POV on one thing throughout a set.

Oh, and to clarify I wasn't implying you hadn't watched a lot of standup. I was simply speaking as to my own credentials whether they be legitimate, illegitimate, or somewhere in between.

Good luck!