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doing stand-up comedy

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ds
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Ds

Ds

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hey everyone! so i've thought and thought and googled, and chacha'd to find information about doing some stand up comedy.
i think i can do it, doesn't sound hard, and since i'm a funny guy, and i've made many many smiles and lols i think it will be the perfect thing for me!
i've kept a notebook of stories,jokes,funny times, and wtfLOLtimes.

I'm not sure what the next step is. There are local comedy clubs here in town, I don't know how i should approach them, would it be sort of the same thing like if i were playing guitar (they want a audition?) Don't know what to do.
any help, advice, information, or experience is appreciated!
 
I am active in my local comedy scene.

you aren't going to make any money, until you are famous. which is sorta like my side-carreer as a musician but for comedy this is true times twenty.

when you start out, here is how it will be. you either get to perform at a bar's "comedy night" where you will have a 5 minute time slot in like 4 hours worth of comedians. at the end of the night, the crowd will judge who was their favorite and you will either win a percentage of the door or if no door cost a twenty dollar bar tab (lol).

then you might get better, and then you get to host your own comedy night. some nicer clubs pay you to put this together and to be the MC. for every local show my band does, we employ a local comedian to be an MC between bands to talk to the audience mid-bands and to make fun of the bands that just went on. there is some money in this.

plan C is you get famous and everybody loves you. which is a very difficult stance to attain as a comedian.

but good luck. I've done some stand up myself and I love it. the world needs more comedians out there... or maybe less actually. comedians are assholes
 
find a club near you that has a regular client base that give you the "vibe" that these are people you would hang out with.As Axl blaze said above,start slow,find out if you are getting paid,if you have to audition,or find a fun little place that has open mic comedy night.I know how you feel-Ii would do routines at parties and my therapist thinks it would have been a good direction to take my like.Unfortunately I had a near fatal car accident in Jan 2006 and the heart surgery that saved my life cut a nerve and now my right vocal chord is paralyzed so it is hard to hear me.I also used to be a damn good singer,but that shit is gone with the wind too ;-) Go for it man.Chase your dreams and you will eventually catch them.

Good luck,man.

Peace n love............................skillz<3
 
I make people laugh all the time... like too much really. I have always pondered on the idea of doing stand up but i feel like my comedy only works in a social environment where i can get input and keep it going. The only thing i can think of that doesnt need this in my comedic repertoire is my storytelling.. but a crowd doesnt want to hear storytelling for 5 minutes.
 
moonyham said:
I make people laugh all the time... like too much really. I have always pondered on the idea of doing stand up but i feel like my comedy only works in a social environment where i can get input and keep it going. The only thing i can think of that doesnt need this in my comedic repertoire is my storytelling.. but a crowd doesnt want to hear storytelling for 5 minutes.
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I feel ya, input is a necessity. I wouldn't be able to do stand up
 
I have been told by a decent number of people to do stand up.... but to be honest... i have huge stage freight.... If i didn't have the GAD issues that i do have... i bet i do decent... but until i get insurance and get medicated properly & get some therapy ......that is just on a back burner for now....

Good luck with it if you follow through...but you have to have your heart in it...
 
hobhead said:
open mike night - watch them ignore you .
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True, at certain venues you will be ignored. But it is still a good experience and being up on stage helps you deal with any butterflies or nervousness you may have. Once you do become able to control your nerves (if indeed it is a problem), then who knows, you might end up in a place where people DO pay attention and you'll be ready to blow them away. YMMV.

BTW, I'm not a comedian, I'm speaking from the standpoint of a musician. Regardless of whether you're telling jokes or playing a guitar and singing, the butterflies are all the same.

Good luck, man %)
 
I would imagine telling jokes is way more frightening than playing guitar on stage. I have done the latter plenty of times, and the guitar, and your abilities on it, kind of acts as a shield from the audience. Also, you aren't trying to get a rise out of the audience with some sort of punch line every 30 seconds like in stand-up. People will usually clap at the end of any song, unless it drags on, but if a joke falls flat, it really falls flat, and you're still up there with 4 more minutes to go. I can imagine that feeling would be a lot shittier.

But the only way to do it is to do it. That's why open mics are so Key. They are there, not necessarily to get immediate gratification, but for building chops. And for a comedian chops comes in the form of timing, confidence, and charisma. And lots of good comedians tell stories. If you can tell a captivating story and add in some humor, you're good.
Just my two cents. Go for it. Always go for it.
 
CoffeeDrinker said:
I would imagine telling jokes is way more frightening than playing guitar on stage. I have done the latter plenty of times, and the guitar, and your abilities on it, kind of acts as a shield from the audience. Also, you aren't trying to get a rise out of the audience with some sort of punch line every 30 seconds like in stand-up. People will usually clap at the end of any song, unless it drags on, but if a joke falls flat, it really falls flat, and you're still up there with 4 more minutes to go. I can imagine that feeling would be a lot shittier.
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I wasn't trying to say that one was easier or harder than the other, I was simply stating the physiological effects are the same ie. sweating, heart racing, etc. Also, you're assuming that said guitar player is a good, confident guitar player. IOW it's all relative to the person up there; some people may, believe it or not, be MORE comfortable telling jokes than playing and singing 8o So for you to sit there and say one is more difficult than the other is absurd.

BTW, I've never done "stand-up comedy" per se, but I used to do corporate training where I had to captivate the attention of an audience of up to 50 people for an hour and a half. To be in front of a room for that long and to keep everyone awake, you HAVE to have confidence, charisma, and a wicked sense of humor. I had many people tell me that I should do traditional stand-up comedy, it just wasn't anything I ever wanted to do. That being said, I personally get way more nervous getting ready to play guitar and sing for 15 minutes than I ever did getting ready to keep the attention of 50 people for an hour and a half. It's all relative.

But the only way to do it is to do it. That's why open mics are so Key. They are there, not necessarily to get immediate gratification, but for building chops. And for a comedian chops comes in the form of timing, confidence, and charisma. And lots of good comedians tell stories. If you can tell a captivating story and add in some humor, you're good.
Just my two cents. Go for it. Always go for it.
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At least we can agree on that ^ :D
 
Not really much insight, but I just want to add that smooth transitions are everything. Talking about one *shock* topic, then skipping to another with some obviously made-up story is stilted and overdone.

The best comedians IMO are either really passionate about their social commentary and manage to make it funny, or have a knack for finding those little quirks in life that nobody realizes until it's brought to their attention.
 
Have you been watching "The Last Comic Standing" ?
I think that you might find that helpful.
Perhaps next time you can audition.
(You can watch it on Hulu!)
 
What Cyc said.

Amuse your audience. Public speaking is a horrendous fear for many. To me, it is nothing, but authoritatively saying something you think is funny goes further than asking a washed-out jerk for advice.

What successful comedians have in their favor is the ability to relate to others while seeing the humor in life as a whole.
 
If you are looking for direction as to where to start, I would definitely WORK diligently on at least a 5 minute routine. Work on transitions and how to go about presenting jokes, how to integrate them with eachother, and PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE in front of friends or family you are comfortable with.

In my opinion, if you can't get them to laugh (not like a pity "o i feel bad so I will giggle akwardly" laugh) then you need to work on your routine more.

And also, there is no problem with having the same 5 min routine, it's hard to write jokes, but it's all about presentation, and once you get it down, just take it around town to some open mic nights and see how it works out.

AND DON'T FORGET, EVERY (I STRESS THE EVERY) GREAT COMIC BOMBS SOMETIME IN THEIR LIFE, JUST DON'T LET IT STOP YOU, KEEP YOUR HEAD UP AND KEEP TRYIN :)

best of luck, comedy is a tough and harsh field, i wish you the best
 
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