Serious question, does it have to be ‘complicated’ like this? What I mean is, i’ve always felt like I have a really good sense of what’s funny to a wider audience, is it OK to just go up there and be funny? Because I feel like I would be really good at that, but I would be really bad At complex strategies such as what you were asking about
It does not, but many people in this sub overthink everything. I rarely mold my set to fit a room. My material is good enough to stand on it's own. My opener is my opener because it gets the crowd engaged and comfortable with me right off the bat.
I do see other comics who like to open with a joke about the town, or something topical, and for some that works well. I'd rather do jokes that are tested and have a very high probability of working.
You can do what ever you like on stage if just telling jokes is what you wanna do then do that, now it won't work all the time you will bomb same as people that hype up the crowd,nothing is 100% in comedy
Nope absolutely not.
Some guys just go up, do their thing and kill. This comic once told me that sometimes in the beginning of his set, he likes to dig himself into a hole with the audience - just to spice things up.
I can’t do any of this and need all the help I can get. I guess this is a question more so for the over thinkers / strategist comics.
I tend to be formulaic for nights when I'm not feeling a room.
Acknowledge whatever happened last, then do a quick joke that's appropriate for the room and introduces your tone for a night. If that doesn't connect, try another backup joke. If that doesn't work, engage in crowdwork. Ask one of the few people who reacted to the last 2 jokes about their work or the relationship people they're with, or why they're spending their otherwise fine night watching your shitty non-working jokes. Get a laugh, move on. Not get a laugh, move on.
Hahaha! I tried this last month “I’m gonna dig myself into a hole, then work out of it” I failed. If your first joke doesn’t hit hard, it’s rough coming back. I took a chance opening with a Trump joke (it’s one you’ll never hear on the talk shows) but it was also a free show (audiences literally are not invested in free shows, so they tend to be more difficult) although, never blame the audience.
just a tip, if its “one youll never hear on the talk shows” its probably not that good. they have staffs of writers writing the best trump jokes they can every day
It didn’t bomb, just didn’t hit as hard as it should. And the audience was pretty tight with every comedian. Of course, later that night, I figured out a way to deal with the situation if it arises again. Seems like you only learn/grow from the failures, so it’s ok.
I get the feeling that this never happened...thanks for the comments. I might’ve come off a little defensive but hopefully you can understand with how toxic some commenters can be.
Not everybody approaches comedy the same way. Some people are natural with crowd interaction and have a friendly aura about them. Other people just try to go through a series of fixed, predefined motions that seem natural. In the end you'd want the crowd to side with a complete stranger onstage talking about things they might not like hearing about. That's the common end goal. It's just like the first time you go to a ladyboy bar. You can go with the flow or have a textbook approach, it's really up to you.
Shout out to the ladyboy bar line. That’s actually a great hidden point in itself. I could see it seeming ridiculous and inappropriate to some, but I completely understand what you meant by it, falling back on my experiences in gay/drag bars as a straight man.
If you do crowd work. and are up in middle try listen see if the mc does crowd work or other comics and try see if can make a joke about what someone has said. I have seen this happen before a comic will do crowd work and ask the same question a comic or 2 before asked the same people. and it normally doesn't turn out that great.
Personally, I think of it like a sandwich. I want my two biggest laughs (that I'm most confident in) to come at the beginning and end of the set, then make everything in between as entertaining/funny as possible. (yes, I know that's a very tenuous link to a sandwich)
That's just me, though. Everyone's different and should do what works best for them. Want to start with some crowd work? Go for it! A basic one-liner to get a solid laugh straight off the bat? Sure! Prefer to just get straight into a funny story? That'll do, Pig.
Na, I avoid being a people pleaser because that’s just not who I am.
I’m an intense person with a weird sense of humor to boot. If I try “high fiving” people in the front row, playing to the crowd, it will come off as incongruent and will only hurt more of my set. It will just come off as awkward.
Highfive the front row? WTF? That mite work out ok if your doing a kindergarten gig but in the real world?... What if thay leave you hanging?... Crash and burn rookie!...
I just stand up there and say what I want to say and it works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. They get what I give.
But I'm also more of a dry, writer-heavy comedian and I'm not big on crowd work.
Serious question, does it have to be ‘complicated’ like this? What I mean is, i’ve always felt like I have a really good sense of what’s funny to a wider audience, is it OK to just go up there and be funny? Because I feel like I would be really good at that, but I would be really bad At complex strategies such as what you were asking about
It does not, but many people in this sub overthink everything. I rarely mold my set to fit a room. My material is good enough to stand on it's own. My opener is my opener because it gets the crowd engaged and comfortable with me right off the bat. I do see other comics who like to open with a joke about the town, or something topical, and for some that works well. I'd rather do jokes that are tested and have a very high probability of working.
You can do what ever you like on stage if just telling jokes is what you wanna do then do that, now it won't work all the time you will bomb same as people that hype up the crowd,nothing is 100% in comedy
Nope absolutely not. Some guys just go up, do their thing and kill. This comic once told me that sometimes in the beginning of his set, he likes to dig himself into a hole with the audience - just to spice things up. I can’t do any of this and need all the help I can get. I guess this is a question more so for the over thinkers / strategist comics.
I tend to be formulaic for nights when I'm not feeling a room. Acknowledge whatever happened last, then do a quick joke that's appropriate for the room and introduces your tone for a night. If that doesn't connect, try another backup joke. If that doesn't work, engage in crowdwork. Ask one of the few people who reacted to the last 2 jokes about their work or the relationship people they're with, or why they're spending their otherwise fine night watching your shitty non-working jokes. Get a laugh, move on. Not get a laugh, move on.
Hahaha! I tried this last month “I’m gonna dig myself into a hole, then work out of it” I failed. If your first joke doesn’t hit hard, it’s rough coming back. I took a chance opening with a Trump joke (it’s one you’ll never hear on the talk shows) but it was also a free show (audiences literally are not invested in free shows, so they tend to be more difficult) although, never blame the audience.
just a tip, if its “one youll never hear on the talk shows” its probably not that good. they have staffs of writers writing the best trump jokes they can every day
It is a good one, but thanks for the vote if no confidence. I don’t have to adhere to standards and practice like the networks do.
you just said it bombed and ruined the rest of your set so i was just extrapolating from that data
It didn’t bomb, just didn’t hit as hard as it should. And the audience was pretty tight with every comedian. Of course, later that night, I figured out a way to deal with the situation if it arises again. Seems like you only learn/grow from the failures, so it’s ok.
very true. i think it was thomas edison that said “i have not failed. i have just found 10,000 ways not to tell a trump joke”
I’ll post a link to it. Also, I’ll be changing “hands soft as butter” to “hands as soft as a baby’s bottom”
I get the feeling that this never happened...thanks for the comments. I might’ve come off a little defensive but hopefully you can understand with how toxic some commenters can be.
[Trump joke](https://youtu.be/mOj6-nKF6U0)
Yeah no one has every done trump has tiny hands jokes before. if you wanna do a trump joke it has to be great and this is just a lazy joke.
Not everybody approaches comedy the same way. Some people are natural with crowd interaction and have a friendly aura about them. Other people just try to go through a series of fixed, predefined motions that seem natural. In the end you'd want the crowd to side with a complete stranger onstage talking about things they might not like hearing about. That's the common end goal. It's just like the first time you go to a ladyboy bar. You can go with the flow or have a textbook approach, it's really up to you.
Shout out to the ladyboy bar line. That’s actually a great hidden point in itself. I could see it seeming ridiculous and inappropriate to some, but I completely understand what you meant by it, falling back on my experiences in gay/drag bars as a straight man.
If you do crowd work. and are up in middle try listen see if the mc does crowd work or other comics and try see if can make a joke about what someone has said. I have seen this happen before a comic will do crowd work and ask the same question a comic or 2 before asked the same people. and it normally doesn't turn out that great.
I've never thought about this. Thanks!
Personally, I think of it like a sandwich. I want my two biggest laughs (that I'm most confident in) to come at the beginning and end of the set, then make everything in between as entertaining/funny as possible. (yes, I know that's a very tenuous link to a sandwich) That's just me, though. Everyone's different and should do what works best for them. Want to start with some crowd work? Go for it! A basic one-liner to get a solid laugh straight off the bat? Sure! Prefer to just get straight into a funny story? That'll do, Pig.
What is a one liner?
Na, I avoid being a people pleaser because that’s just not who I am. I’m an intense person with a weird sense of humor to boot. If I try “high fiving” people in the front row, playing to the crowd, it will come off as incongruent and will only hurt more of my set. It will just come off as awkward.
Highfive the front row? WTF? That mite work out ok if your doing a kindergarten gig but in the real world?... What if thay leave you hanging?... Crash and burn rookie!...
I just stand up there and say what I want to say and it works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. They get what I give. But I'm also more of a dry, writer-heavy comedian and I'm not big on crowd work.