This post is for archived comments that have been moved from other posts.
The very best stand-up comedy tips on the planet for new comedians!
The very best stand-up comedy tips on the planet for new comedians!
This post is for archived comments that have been moved from other posts.
I like John Branyan’s comment here: “The more personal you are, the more the audience is going to relate, because it’s real….” I believe that to be true, and it is a very significant point. He speaks about the audience relating because they can recognize that you are then communicating with them, connecting with them.
In response to a different article on this site, I shared my view about the importance of having a ‘relationship’ with the audience. I agree that, if all you are doing is reciting jokes, it will be difficult to convince the audience that you are connecting. As you suggested in that same interview, Steve, too often it’s about “me, me, me, … I, I, I” and not about the audience at all.
Not a bad idea to consciously check from time to time that we’re not falling into that easy trap! Thanks!
I would think that “style” is “personality” and should be natural, therefore should just be. Perhaps if we are trying to “find our style” we are not comfortable and confident yet with who we are, or we are trying to emulate some other performer we admire, and that would be acting rather than just performing. I know we probably present different characters as we act out stories in our sets, but we often do that as we relate anecdotes and experiences in everyday life — again, as part of our natural individual personalities.
I am continually surprised at how many big-name comedians use material very similar to what some of the older comedians used years ago — material from Henny Youngman, Groucho Marx, Red Skelton, etc. I think of one current comedian in particular who, I understand, is originally from Canada but whose career is doing very well in the UK. At first, I was very impressed by his routines, but very soon they became repetitive and too familiar, with many of the one-liners and punchlines being predictable, not because I had heard THIS comedian so much, but because the jokes were things we laughed at as kids.
While I was disappointed to see this trend, it did help me resist the temptation to go for the obvious easy laughs and work harder to develop my own material. I cannot say that I have never used familiar lines, but when I have to do so, at least I try to put an original spin on it.