Would You Try Stand Up Comedy?

Tituscrow · #1 11-19-2011, 06:01 PM

Thought I'd run this question by you folks having just seen Jerry Sadowitz in Manchester...

I love going to see live stand-up comedy and I always come away really impressed with how fluid a good comedian can be. You know, punch line after punch line, effortlessly linking themes, having audiences continuously howling with laughter...

Anyway, as I guess us TB'ers are used to performing music- whether it's to half a dozen mates in the pub or thousands at a festival - then, being onstage is something we are comfortable with.

But we all get that little buzz when we deliver that killer impromptu one-liner that has our friends chuckling, don't we? Do we not allow ourselves a little grin when a witty post garners a few smileys or LOLs?

However, would anyone be confident or brave enough to try entertaining a room full of strangers and convincing them that we were funny guys? For an hour and a half?

I happen to think stand-up comedy is one of the most polarising and ruthless of the entertainment arts. Get it right and it's a beautiful thing to behold, but unfunny comedians dying on stage is a painful and cringeworthy thing to watch.

I know there's plenty of TBOT's out there who fancy themselves as a bit of a comedian (

), so come on...would you? Could you? Have you?

MakiSupaStar · #2 11-19-2011, 06:09 PM

I have but I'd only end up like Lenny Bruce or dead like George Carlin. Besides, I don't think people find me as funny as I look.

5StringBlues · #3 11-19-2011, 06:16 PM

Thought about it before.

It would all draw from my experiences as a child,which were a combination of hilarious and very painful.

So no.

Jim Nazium · #4 11-19-2011, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tituscrow

However, would anyone be confident or brave enough to try entertaining a room full of strangers and convincing them that we were funny guys? For an hour and a half?

Not even for ten minutes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tituscrow

I happen to think stand-up comedy is one of the most polarising and ruthless of the entertainment arts.

Totally agree. Playing music to a bored (or nonexisitent) audience is one thing, but to stand up there and drop your best punch lines and hear crickets chirping has to be just brutal.

tastybasslines · #5 11-19-2011, 06:58 PM

An older women who likes younger boys is called a Cougar. An older man who likes younger boys is called a Nittany Lion.

carlos840 · #6 11-19-2011, 08:38 PM

No way! I dont mind being on a stage in front of a large crowd if i can play bass, but to have to talk yet even make the audience laugh is not something i would do!

Check out Ross Noble, hes my favorite comedian, really funny and most of his shows are impro!

MJ5150 · #7 11-19-2011, 08:52 PM

I have before, and I'd love to again.

-Mike

jonathan_matos5 · #8 11-19-2011, 09:45 PM

a lot of the time my sense of humor is too dry for most people. often its when i crack myself up that people finally get the joke.

wdinc01 · #9 11-19-2011, 09:55 PM

I like to think that a lot of anecdotes I tell people could be used in a stand up routine, and while I would certainly like to give it a try, I wouldn't know how to go about doing it. I also think my sense of humor is too broad to be put on a stage. But its something I've thought about from time to time.

electracoyote · #10 11-19-2011, 09:58 PM

No way. ONe of the toughest gigs on the planet.

You may think you're funny because you make your girlfriend and co-workers laugh, but a room full of strangers is way different.

Unrepresented · #11 11-19-2011, 11:58 PM

Yes and no. In concept the idea sounds appealing but the idea of telling jokes I already know the punchline to doesn't excite me.

HaVIC5 · #12 11-20-2011, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unrepresented

Yes and no. In concept the idea sounds appealing but the idea of telling jokes I already know the punchline to doesn't excite me.

So...you don't tell jokes?

Tituscrow · #13 11-20-2011, 03:35 AM

Whilst I have no bother remembering the parts to 25+ songs played across a 2 hour set, I love the way a good comedian can remember their material. I wonder how they memorise their stuff and if it is a similar thought process to the way a musician remembers their parts?

Hey MJ- tell us when/where and how it went...and what was the nature of your material?

cardboardJoe · #14 11-20-2011, 05:35 AM

Every time I stand up, it's comedy.

sloasdaylight · #15 11-20-2011, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HaVIC5

So...you don't tell jokes?

Lol, I was thinking the same thing.

Tsal · #16 11-20-2011, 09:36 AM

I don't think anyone starts their stand-up career with a bang, though. A lot of amateur nights, bar/hosting gigs, etc. are required. Besides, you need to write a lot of material and practice your performance. I'd say it takes as much hard work as performing as a musician.

Tituscrow · #17 11-20-2011, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tsal

I don't think anyone starts their stand-up career with a bang, though. A lot of amateur nights, bar/hosting gigs, etc. are required. Besides, you need to write a lot of material and practice your performance. I'd say it takes as much hard work as performing as a musician.

I agree. But musicians can improve. Can someone inherently not funny 'improve' and become funnier?

Unrepresented · #18 11-20-2011, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HaVIC5

So...you don't tell jokes?

Quote:

Originally Posted by sloasdaylight

Lol, I was thinking the same thing.

I consider telling jokes to be the recital of a a setup leading to a punchline.

It's the recital part that (to me) lacks the fun.

Creating humor is the fun part, spotting ironies, playing with words and meaning, reversing ideologies, whatever. I do that all day. My conversations are filled with my dry sense of absurdity, but that's when they're new to me and hopefully somewhat entertaining to those around me.

At the risk of broaching a touchy subject, it's sorta like the difference between playing in a covers band and doing improvisational jams. It's all about the creation for me, not the performance.

JohnMCA72 · #19 11-20-2011, 10:17 AM

I've shared bills with comedians (magicians, too, & I lump them in the same category) & have utmost respect for them in general as performers. There's nowhere to hide when it's just you on the stage! There's no getting away with those awkward moments between songs when nothing's happening, no "it's all about the music", no break to tune or replace broken string. It's all them & if they aren't constantly engaging the audience they're dead.

I look to comedians (& magicians) to learn valuable lessons in stagecraft. Timing, pacing, levels of intensity, etc. don't leave much margin for error. We musicians can learn a lot from them.

jimc · #20 11-20-2011, 11:10 AM

Years ago I was in a band that shared the same agent as a comic. We would often do shows together. He was a great guy to hang with, in the dressing room he would have us rolling on the floor, but it didn't translate to the stage. We saw him die on stage so many times that we couldn't watch from the side of the stage anymore, he would come off stage looking like he had been hit by a train but still kept coming back for more. I wonder if he ever had a good gig, I certainly never saw it.

On the other hand I've been on the same bill as some successful comedians and most were total self absorbed a-hats.

It is a tough gig.