#comedy class

WEEK TWO

You made it!  You're alive and you're back for more.  That's great.

First, a huge round of applause for doing what the vast majority of people who think about doing stand-up never do. You did stand-up  Someone, somewhere, right now, is telling their friend at the bar how they always wanted to do it, and you have gone and actually done it.  The next time it comes up, you can be the only one in the conversation to say, “I've done stand-up”  And that's for the rest of your life. However it went, and we will delve into all the ways it could have gone soon enough, you deserve real praise for making it happen at all.  A character in Stephen King's “The Dead Zone” remarks on how the world is split into two groups: “bullshit people” and people who do what they say they're going to do.  It's a tough standard, but on this one thing at least, you're in group two.

It's a scary thing to do.  Those studies where people say they fear public speaking more than death aren't just something someone made up.  Even though stand-up comedy is far less likely to harm you than taking a shower, that fear is real.  Those of us who do this for a living felt it too, and sometimes still do.  It's just that our desire to do it is stronger.  And so was yours.  

Okay, that's enough. We have sufficiently admired your participation trophy.  Put it down, and get out your notes.  It's time to get to work. First things first:

The Answers to Last Week's Video Questions

I asked you to watch “Midlife Vices” and fill out the worksheet. There are many possible correct answers to these questions.  Everyone will be struck by different things when watching the special, and because the special is so good, there are a bunch of things you could've picked.   A highlight for me is The Obama/McCain bit.  His joke quickly cuts straight to the heart of the issue, and his exasperation as McCain is sold so well.

  But whatever your specific answers, there are two things I hope you saw.

I hope you recognized that this was the work of a true master.  You can’t get better than Giraldo.  Everything that makes up great comedy is on display here: a strong point of view, an energetic, compelling, and precise performance, and clear, engaging writing. “Midlife Vices" is a tour de force.

I also hope that watching Giraldo drew your attention to the performance side of stand-up. Reviews often focus solely on the content of a comedy special, as if only what the performer is saying counts, and not how they say it.  If that were true, why bother to perform the jokes at all?  Why not just print out the script and hand it out?  I wanted you to pay attention to all the movements and facial expressions that add up to create an effective stand-up act.  

If parts of it weren't your thing and you weren't feeling it, don't worry.  There are many clips of wildly different styles coming up and something will be sure to line up with your tastes.  Comedy isn't track and field, where you're either the fastest or you're not.  It's not even diving, where the judges all basically agree what a success looks like.  Lots of people can be equally good at the same time, and no one is going to like all of them.  Laughter is an involuntary reaction and there is no argument than can make something funny for you.  Just understand that there is a difference between comedy that isn't to your liking and comedy that isn't effective.  And if “Midlife Vices” wasn't your cup of tea, take some time to watch it again until you can understand why the people in that theater are going nuts.

Grinding

You should now have performed stand-up comedy three times.  Please wait until you have done that to continue.  You won't get anything out of reading ahead.  These lessons are just words until you can relate to them from experience on stage.

Ideally you were able to do all three sets in one week.  If that can't work for you because of your schedule or your area, you can space them across two weeks.  You will ultimately need to raise that to three if you intend to go professional, though.  Once or twice a week is fine for the purposes of this class, or to see if you even enjoy it. Beyond that, you simply will not improve quickly enough if you can't increase it to three or more.  Stand-up is a physical activity that relies on muscle memory.  The memory of how your last set felt must be fresh in your mind to learn from. Perform less than three times a week, and it fades.  You have to constantly re-learn lessons that don't stick.  You seriously handicap your rate of growth. You will have to consider changing your work schedule or city of residence if you decide to get serious about stand-up as more than a hobby.

However, if you are one of the lucky ones able to go up more than three times in week, don’t skip ahead to the next week of the class after three shots at it. Take advantage of your good fortune and practice the same lesson all week. You will have a really solid handle on it when Monday rolls around.

Give It Up, Everybody

It's best if you do your sets for this class free from any chemical influences. If you had a beer or a shot or a puff of weed before you went up this week, I understand.  I didn’t say anything about it in Week One because I just wanted you to get on stage and get started, whatever it took.  There is nothing wrong with having a small amount of a legal substance before you go up every now and then.  There is something wrong with needing it.  I’d like you to go up without it for the rest of the class.  

I understand some of you may like to calm your anxieties.  Fear of performing is natural.  I had it for years. Conquering that fear is part of stand-up, and learning to do it from within, on your own, is necessary to becoming a comedian. Using intoxicants to skip that step creates much bigger problems down the road, especially in a world that will never stop pushing free alcohol at you.  

I don’t care what you do after the show, but during this class’ duration, go up sober.  So many formative experiences happen here at the beginning. You owe it to yourself to observe them as carefully as possible.

This Mic Sucks

Hopefully at least one of your performances this week took place in a room that wasn’t empty, full of jaded comics who didn’t listen, or drunken patrons talking over the comedy.  Unfortunately, a lot of open mics fall in to one of these categories.  It’s something you are just going to have to deal with, the way a golfer accepts that sometimes the course is a goat track.  

The worse the circumstances, the harder it is to measure how well your jokes did.  When the audience isn't giving big laughs to anyone, you need to tune your ear to whatever they are giving out.  Watch comedy until someone on the show genuinely makes you laugh. Listen for the level of audience response to that joke.  That's what counts as a “win” in that room.  Get a laugh that big or higher, and your joke is a keeper.

Of course, difficult comedy nights don't need to stay that way.  Open Mics are direct reflections of the comics that populate them. If you want a more supportive Open Mic, be a part of that change.  If you want a great audience, work at being a great audience member.  Laugh when you think something’s funny. Watch the other comics’  sets. Keep your face out of your phone when someone’s doing their act. If someone you like is going up, tell the person next to you that this comic is funny.  They will be more likely to listen and laugh. Buy something from the venue.  Get to know the staff.  Tip well. Get them behind the show.  Just a couple comics working to foster the kind of environment where they would like to perform can make a big difference.

Assignment One

Think back on your experiences this week.  Answer these questions wherever you are writing all this shit.  As always, there is a copy in the Worksheets section.

How did it feel to go on stage?

What did you enjoy?

What did you not enjoy?

Who was your favorite performer of the night?

Why?

Assignment Two

Think of everyone you saw go up this week.  Which comic did you enjoy the most?  Fill out a Video Questions Worksheet about their performance. Compare the answers to the ones you gave for “Midlife Vices.”   Notice anywhere they were similar to Greg?  What did they do differently?

Assignment Three

Who was your least favorite performer of the night? Why?

Think back on their set.   Find the Unsuccessful Set Questions Worksheet in the back of the book, with all of the other handy worksheets.  They are like the Video Questions but flipped backwards.

Unsuccessful Set Questions

How would you describe the comic's stage character, that is to say, the personality they present in their act?

Were the jokes presented as true stories from life?  Or clearly false “jokes?”

Why do you think you didn't laugh?

Did anything work in their act?  Why do you think those bits worked and not the others?

How did the comic's use of their body fail to get laughs?

How did the comic's use of their face fail to get laughs?

How did their voice work fail to get laughs?

What did you notice that made their act uniquely unappealing?

How did the comic structure the jokes that they wrote?

Assignment Four

You are now the Head Writer for your own act and that act requires material.  Constantly.

Keep something to write in that fits in your pocket.  It could be a notebook, a journal, or an app on your phone.  Record anything you say throughout the week that makes someone else laugh. Record anything you think or see that makes you laugh.  You need to do this from now on. You cannot afford to waste anything that might become a joke.

I said this last week, but I'm saying it again.   Make sure you write the whole idea down.    You may think that one or two key words should be enough for you to remember what you meant.  Believe me, from experience, a lot of times it isn’t, and that idea never comes back.

Assignment Five

Once a week, look through what you have and try to form the writing into jokes.  Ask yourself why you thought it was funny, or why someone laughed when you said it.  Add in the information you would have to tell an audience for them to get it.

Assignment Six

Pull out the jokes you told last week.  Pick a title for each joke. Whatever feels like it will trigger the bit in your mind best.  The first thing you think of is usually the right one. “Lazy/Pot/Carl's Jr.” can now be written as “Carl's Jr.”  “Comedians don't hang out/Now I get it”  becomes “Comedians.”

Now list all of your jokes from last week this way, in the order you performed them in. Look them over.

Did any of them work?  Congratulations. You just did what most people who try stand-up never achieve. You got a laugh.   From scratch.  You thought of something, you performed it, and people laughed.  That moment is the basic building block of stand-up comedy, and you proved you can make it happen.  You can do this.

Did none of your bits work? Don’t despair or panic. You just had the same first set experience as some of the funniest comedians who ever lived.  It is so completely normal for your first set not to work that it isn’t worth a second thought.  On top of that, you just did the hardest thing there is to do in stand-up  You bombed. Congratulations, you just endured the worst thing comedy can do to you. You also found that it did not kill you. There is no longer anything to fear!

Now it’s time to figure out why the jokes aren't working.  I deliberately told you not to adjust anything last week, even when a joke didn't work on night one.  I wanted you to experience the frustration that only a bit that bombs can give you.  Now let's get under the hood and see if we can't stop it from happening again.

When a joke fails, the problem can only be two things: writing or performance.  Let's look at performance first.  Did you perform your material clearly?  Could they understand your words?  Let's find out.

Assignment Seven

Make an audio recording of your next set.  People often think they are talking clearly when in fact they are racing through their words, mumbling, or yelling. Make sure the audience can understand the jokes.  In our little corner of show business, that's the whole game. Green

Day can do a concert in Argentina and it won't matter if the crowd understands the words because the music carries the experience. Comedians need complete comprehension of our every word or the whole act is a failure.

Assignment Eight

Think about the audiences last week.  Were they comfortable with you? This is important.  Your friends laugh easily when you're hanging out because they know you and like you.  The audience just saw you for the first time.  They don't know how they feel yet.

Think about how you began your shows last week.  Did you start telling jokes from the minute your set began?  Just launching into your material at the top of the set can be jarring. You are a new element in the show. The audience needs time to take you in and get comfortable with you.

Next time you perform, take five seconds before you say anything at all. Let the audience get used to looking at you. Let them find a context for what you're going to say.  Then they will be ready to process your jokes.  If you have a specific character that you want them to see, you will want to be in character during this moment as well.  If not, just be yourself and let them get used to that.  

You may feel that five seconds is too long to wait at the top of every set.  I think I myself wait around two and a half.  But taking some amount of time before you start talking for the audience to get used to you can only improve their reaction.

Assignment Nine

At some point this week or next;  after you've done the five second pause; take ten seconds before opening your mouth. This is much longer than you normally would and will feel awkward in the room.

Doing this just once is fine, but I want you to watch the audience assess and scrutinize you.  It's going to happen every set for the rest of your life, and I want you to observe what it looks like closely without trying to tell jokes.  Study their faces.  Watch the wheels turn as they try to figure you out. They want to be comfortable enough with you to be able to laugh.

Maybe you can help them.  During this ten seconds, without using words, try to convey to the audience whatever you would like them to get about you or your stage character.  Act like the kind of person you want them to see.  You may even get a laugh or two from a facial expression.  See if you can see the audience's faces changed based on your actions.  

This exercise is also here as a toughness builder.  You need to get used to standing there in awkward silence so you're not afraid of it. Jokes will tank.  You will lose crowds.  Silences will occur and you need to be cool with that and not fear it.  

Silence can even be your friend.  A long pause like this can be helpful in the middle of a set

that’s gone haywire.  Say people in the audience begin talking to each other or a joke went down hard, a long pause can reset the table.  It can focus an audience’s attention. Silence and stillness can prompt people to look and listen more carefully.  Silence is a part of comedy, and the sooner you can tolerate it comfortably, the better.

Assignment Ten

Enough about the audience's comfort level for a second.  How about yours? Were you comfortable with your space?  Was the stool in your way? The mic stand? This can take you off your game.  A visibly annoyed comic is hard to enjoy.  

Next time you go up, before you start telling jokes, take time to ensure your performance space is how you like it. Hate that mic stand? Get it out of there. Want to sit on the stool? Do it.   Don't have a joke get ruined because you start walking across the stage and realize the microphone cord is three feet long, stop in your tracks, and flub the punchline.

We are our own Stage Manager as well as Director and Actor and Writer and everything else. Arranging the stage for your show is your job as well.  Even if that show is three minutes long on the middle of an open mic.

Check the tech as well. You may not have a sound engineer at an open mic, but if the microphone is off, broken, screeching, or covered in the spit of the last performer, deal with that before the set starts.  

Are You Joking?

If the audience could understand your jokes clearly, and you were comfortable enough and situated enough to give a competent performance and it still didn’t work at all, it’s time to look at your writing.  

If your approach isn't bearing fruit, you need to make sure your jokes are properly constructed. You may have just gotten a little nervous at that last bit.   Didn't I say there was no “right way” to write comedy?  Didn't I say I believed in letting you write whatever you like?  Of course.  A joke can be about anything in the world, it can be performed any way you like, but it has to be a joke.

All jokes have two things in common:  a moment where the comic sets up an expectation, and a moment when they fulfill that expectation in a surprising way.   What does that mean?  For a second, let's stop analyzing jokes and listen to one.  

“I used to drink a lot,” says Dave Attell to the crowd, in a knowing tone like he's over it now,“but that was way back... there.”  He points to the bar in the back of the club.

In this twelve word joke, it's easy to see both essential joke elements. Attell sets up the expectation that we are going to hear how long ago this drinking took place, but he surprises us by fulfilling it in a way we can't see coming.  His drinking didn't back in the past, but in the

back of this very room.  Our use of the word “back” to mean both time and distance allows Dave to hide the meaning switch until the very last word. All at once, our image of Dave turns in a second from brave recovered addict to a drunk so gone he's hammered right now.

A joke sets an expectation and delivers what was promised, but in a way you don't expect.  Once you know how to look for that, you will see these two elements at work throughout comedy.  In the hands of a master, it can be done so subtly, you can't see a joke there at all.  But if they said something and you laughed, those two things had to be present.  The trick was just done on too high a level to notice it.  But to get there you have to conquer the basics.  You have to learn to poach an egg before you can capture the essence of juevos rancheros in a foam.

Assignment Eleven

Let's dissect some jokes.  Anthony Jeselnik is an exceptional joke writer, and he works in a very old-school way.  His bits have perfect structure. Understanding what makes them work can help you diagnose why your jokes may not have clicked the way you wanted them to.

Google him on “Just For Laughs 2012” and a three minute clip will come up.

Answer all the Video Questions from the worksheet in the back of this book about Mr. Jeselnik's set.   The same way you did for Greg Giraldo. Asking these questions of each new comedian you encounter will deepen your understanding of the art form. Hopefully it will spark ideas on how to approach your own act as well.  All done?  This week let's take an extra step.

Write out Anthony’s jokes.  I’m serious. Word for word.  For each joke, circle the group of words with the most surprising element of the joke. This is the Punchline. This is where the audience’s expectations are fulfilled, but with an added twist they didn’t expect.

Now look through the other sentences in each joke you circled.  Answer these questions.

What did Anthony lead you to expect?

How did he do this?  

What did he give you instead?

What was the element in the resolution that was unexpected?

Now go back to your jokes from last week. Make sure what the audience is being told to expect is clear. Make sure the surprising element comes later, and after all the information they need to know for it to work. I am not asking you to Jeselnik-ize your own writing.  Be yourself.  I am simply asking you to identify the basic elements of joke structure. Then make sure your own jokes contain these elements, in whatever way you like. They gotta be in there somewhere, or you have written words, but not a joke.

Assignment Twelve

The elements of expectation and surprising fulfillment are not as easily identified in every comedian's act as they are in Mr. Jeselnik's. They are always there, however.

Google “James Adomian Just For Laughs Chicago” and watch the clip that comes up.

Adomian does not work in the strict set up/punch style Anthony uses. Stories and character monologues abound, all in a conversational style. Underneath it are the exact same elements.

Fill out a Video Questions Worksheet for Mr. Adomian's set.  Then go back through his act. Write down as many examples as you can of an expectation he sets up and its unexpected fulfillment.

See how many pairs you find. They will start to reveal themselves everywhere as you get better at spotting them. Once you have found such pairs in James’ act, write one of the jokes out as a two sentence joke.  In other words, strip away Adomian's conversational style and write his jokes in the most direct setup/punchline manner, the way Anthony Jeselnik might write it.  Do it a couple more times until it becomes second nature.

You can write any way you like, but the elements of expectation and a surprising fulfillment of that expectation are necessary for comedy writing to work.  They should always be present in your work. Even in the absurdist act of Steve Martin, in which a joke might simply be Martin standing there with a gas nozzle and gloating, these principles apply.

This is an actual Martin bit from Live at the Hollywood Bowl. For a long time, Martin stands silently, holding a gas nozzle.  No hose.  Then, looking smug, Steve says “I got this...”    

He pauses, very pleased with himself.

“For five bucks.”

Even here, you can find the essentials.  The silent pose with a bizarre prop is the set up.  Your expectations about a man with a broken piece of a gas pump kick in in your brain.  It's not normal.  Why is he doing this?  He’s going to have to address it at some point. Then he does.  He brags about the price.  The last thing you could have expected him to bring up.  Even in this strangest of comedy pieces, the two basic elements are there.

Assignment Thirteen

Get ready to do three more open mics.  Get out your jokes from last week. Write any that bits got a laugh down at the top of this week’s set list. I want you to open with those jokes this week.

Opening with something that you know has worked in the past is a good way to get the audience to trust that you are funny.  They are more likely to give your set a fair listen.

You will also get a quick read on the room. Open with something that usually works and you

can gauge what a decent joke gets from this crowd right off the bat.

You also start your set comfortably, not anxious from attempting something new.  You look confident, and the crowd gets comfortable quickly.

Assignment Fourteen

As you look over the jokes that work, think of ways you might improve them.

I hesitate to give you too much specific advice here.  I don’t want to influence the development of your own personal style.  Patton Oswalt said that giving a comedian advice only makes that comedian more like you.  That's not helpful.  After being funny, being unique is the most important thing in stand-up  I don't want to leave you completely in the dark though if you're feeling stuck.  I'll keep it as general as possible.

Could the setup line be shorter? Getting them to the surprise quicker?   Do you tell them more than they need to know to understand your joke? No one has ever said, “Man I wish that comic’s setups were longer.”

Punchlines should also aim for brevity.  The punchline is the moment our expectation gets its surprising fulfillment.  The quicker this happens, the bigger the punch.

  Here's a great example, by Paul F. Tompkins:  

”I love amusement parks…I think because I hate money.”

Quick wind up... and Pow!

He sets up the expectation with one sentence, and then surprises you with one word.  Nice and punchy.

On the other side of the issue, is the language colorful and specific? While brevity is your friend in comedy, bland colorless words are not.  Is “car” the best word for your joke? How bout “rust-bucket” or “82 Fiero?”  It seems contradictory to my last point, but it’s all about balance.  In general, the most vivid picture you can create in the audience’s sense memory, while using the least possible words, is the comedy sweet spot.

Assignment Fifteen

Once the words of a joke are as concise and colorful as you can make them, think for a moment about their content.

Look at the first joke on your list. What is your emotional point of view in this joke?  How do you feel about what you are saying?  Is this point of view clear in the writing?  Is it clear in the way you say it onstage?

  Do you love that “everyone has an Iphone,” or do you hate it?  Can the audience clearly tell? The audience must know this at all times, or they aren’t fully understanding you.  Make sure they can, with the both the writing and your delivery.

Apply these questions to the jokes that work, but don’t over-think it. If nothing obvious jumps out, let’s trust the jokes that worked to work again and not try to fix what isn’t broken. Just do them the way you did last week. If something from the above questions really strikes you, make the change. But don’t be afraid to go back to what worked if the change turned out to be a wrong move.

Assignment Sixteen

For this second week of open mics, make a list.  First do the jokes that did the best.

After that, do whatever unsuccessful joke from last week you feel you have the best shot at repairing. Whatever joke suggests the most obvious fix. Whatever joke you think you might best be able to help with the lessons from the James and Anthony assignments.

Fill up the rest of your set with new jokes. Make sure at least one minute of your set is all new, written this week.

DO NOT THROW THE UNSUCCESSFUL JOKES FROM LAST WEEK AWAY. Make a new file called “In the Shop” or whatever phrase you prefer. No idea is dead. There is always the possibility that you will return to it with a new perspective in the future.  We’re just putting them aside for now.

Go do three open mics.  Go to more if you can, and then turn ahead to Week Three.

I know I just put a lot of work on your desk this week, but I deliberately left the first week light. I didn’t want you to begin with anything guiding you but your natural comedic instincts.

I also didn’t want there to be a bunch of crap in your head that you were trying to remember while also trying to do one of the hardest things in show business. Some of the basics got saved for this week and you got it all in a big dump.  This is elementary stuff that you had to get eventually.  I would start the book with it, but I wanted to wait until you understood what doing stand-up felt like before dropping it on you.

Next week won’t be nearly as heavy in new ideas.  We will mostly elaborate on what we started here. I never want to add new elements beyond your ability to process them. Doing your act as a newcomer to stand-up comedy is hard enough.  If you ever feel like repeating a week, do it.  Move ahead only when you feel like you understand the lessons completely.

Living comedy legend Steve Martin is really teaching an online comedy course through Masterclass.

We’re not usually in the business of recommending comedy classes here at TCB, but John Roy’s Entirely Free Comedy Class is something special and unique that is truly helpful for those in stand-up comedy. It has helped those doing their first mics all the way to headliners who already have a very successful career in comedy. 

The course itself is self-guided with several lessons over several weeks that really let you develop to being whatever you really want to do in stand-up. Roy, who is an accomplished stand-up himself between albums, late night, touring etc., just revised, which is a great excuse for us to shine another light on it.

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to Class…

Beginning Standup Comedy Class Begins September 6 (more…)

Me: god! I sound like I'm 8!

A big concern of standup comedians is “finding their voice.”

This is a rather nebulous concept that basically boils down to finding the manner of communication most true to the comedian’s best self.

That didn’t sound any more specific, did it? How about “the act that is funny the way the comedian WANTS to be funny?” Not that one either? Guess what? Express the concept any way you want. It never gets any clearer. Each definition needs another explanation. It’s a slippery snake.

As I’ve said before, I don’t think there is some moment after some set where a robed Patton Oswalt hands you a glowing microphone and now you’re a comedy Jedi forever.

Like everything in comedy, I believe it’s a process of tiny choices that lead to constant tiny improvements you work on every day. And the way to work on finding your voice is to go through your act like a chimpanzee grooming it’s mate’s fur and make sure there are no bugs in it.

And by bugs I mean jokes that don’t fit the comedy you want to be doing. That aren’t the kind of jokes that make your comedy heroes your heroes. Getting that shit out of there is the first step to “finding your voice.”

Usually those jokes kill, too. That’s why you whistle pass the graveyard on a hack bit in your act. It’s too good. It makes the drunks laugh too consistently to get rid of, even though gnawing in the back of your mind is the knowledge that if you did that joke for Marc Maron, he’d be like, “really, man?” You have to throw those away to get to what you really want to be doing up there.

So here’s a practical example.

I was putting together a set about drinking. I wanted to get into the fact that my parents drank a lot when I grew up. You can hear the bit in its final form in the set I do on The Blackout Diaries here:

https://twitter.com/sean_m_flannery/status/562310399039901697

I wrote a bunch of of jokes around the topic, but there was no clean way to get into the bit. It was hard to get the audience on board with the concept. One night, I added this line: “I’m half Irish and half French. I surrender to booze.” Got a big laugh. (I was in a basement in Cedar Rapids). The other parts of the bit, which I hadn’t got to work before, also worked.

I did all sorts of rationalizing as to why it was okay to keep it in there. It was just an appetizer anyway, an easy laugh to get to a bit that I felt was substantial. Who cares if it was an obvious and hacky construction? It’s a one liner. Besides, it’s all true, isn’t it?

I did it one more time and never told it again. In fact, I’m embarrassed that I ever told it. I would have to find another way in to the drinking bit, but I wasn’t going to compromise the content standards of my act with a stale Judy Carter “How to Do Standup Comedy!” premise (I'm half this and I'm half that.) They even made that premise into a derisive montage on, of all unlikely defenders of pure comedy, Last Comic Standing.