That’s the problem with ‘ripped from the headlines’ jokes – Everyone rushes to get one out, and as a result, they’re weak. I’ll do the occasional topical bit as an opener but only if it’s that day and it’s a decent joke.

Mmmmm doughnuts. 10 years since the last Dunkin’ Donuts closed in Dublin, can’t say I miss it. Tim Horton’s is so much better anyway.

I never trust any pandemic that’s killed as many Americans as I have.

And just as many Mexican babies, too.

I always try jokes in front of my wife… if she laughs I know it sucks… if she just stares at me like a dog trying to figure out how a can opener works, it’s golden!!!

— Dennis

I like doing jokes from the local news when I’m on the road. I think it makes it a little more personal. You can tell the news stories that are going to produce a slew of nauseatingly hacky jokes (Swine flu, Janet Jackson, black president). I cringe at the thought.

Agree with Brian…..I do have a look at topical comedy but try to avoid the obvious topics. A good example not involving myself includes when I travelled to a town in the UK called Huddersfield and my friend bought the local paper whose headline included a story on sheep theft. He just rifted on it and did the best on the night and subsequently was asked back to perform at their pro-night….asshbole!

Also, Dominic , as someone with now 7 months of comedy under my belt the best way to get the best material is to write and then go on stage. Simple. When you get yourself up there you will find what works for auidences and your style…therefore helping your writing. I wrote for three years before having the balls to do it and as a result I’ve abandoned at least half the stuff I wrote becuase it just wouldn’t work.

Simply getting on stage is the best way to figure it out….and you’ll learn what works and what doesn’t for your writing and performing in the future.

You say you don’t like the improv class; fine. But stick at it and find the best bits in it. Meet people and sound them out about comedy nights near you….or even starting your own.

Get used to performing and USE IT as an outlet for your writing. Just because it’s improv doesn’t mean you can’t bring your pre-formed ideas in there.

And don’t sign up for any classes ever again…..the stage is your class room, padawan.

I like your improv story, Dennis. It sounds like a classic case of why two comedian egos make for terrible improv.

I’m a big fan of improv from a more theatrical standpoint. I don’t care if it’s all that funny, I think sketch and standup are always going to be funnier anyway. But if it’s creative and interesting, it’s usually worth watching. I’ve seen some groups do long form shows and create a really good show. But if I just feel like laughing, it’s not worth the search to find an improv show that’s very funny.

I couldn’t tell, are you talking about sketch comedy as well as improv, Brian? You said something like “Whether it’s pure improvisation or if they spend all week writing”. Second City and similar organizations do both, but they are (in some cases nominally) different formats.

A few points to make, so perhaps I’ll make different posts to cover them:

Dominic, it’s sounds like you have that “brand-new comedian” smell to you (note: that smell is the perfect mixture of nausea, anxiety, and gin), and over time you’ll find your own way to get comfortable with material. Here’s mine:

STEP 1: AM I LAUGHING? I do not throw a new joke into the fray unless it makes me physically laugh when I’m either writing it or thinking about it. I know of a few comics who think their sense of humor is so much better than a civilian’s, so they don’t have to laugh at something and it will still be funny. There is one word which describes all of these comics: shitty.

STEP 2: THE MISSUS. Much like Dennis, my wife is the first runner for every joke I tell. We have very similar styles of humor, so if she thinks something is funny, I know it’s good. Her word is not the end-all-be-all though, because I have told (and still tell) jokes which she flat-out hates.

STEP 3: THE FIRST 3 OPEN MICS. The first three times I tell this joke onstage, I try not to alter a single word of how I originally wrote it. Sometimes a crowd may not be into a joke, sometimes a crowd won’t laugh because they can tell you are uncomfortable with a joke, sometimes you plain just fuck the joke up. Give it 3 tries before you edit. If after that, you’re still not satisfied, start your editing process.

As one of the layman I can appreciate improv but I really prefer stand-up. When it’s done well improv can be very entertaining and a nice change from straight stand-up, but from what I’ve seen if all the stars aren’t in alignment it can be grueling for both the audience and entertainers. I can very easily see it devolving into a litany of profanity and potty humor.

How’s this for an even worse pig flu gag than the one on the show?

“I think I’ve contracted pig flu. My entire body has come out in nasty rashers”.

(Thank you I’m here all week etc…)

I’ve never seen anyone go from being a stand up to becoming an improver. Though it often works the other way. Improv requires being self-less. A great improviser should be more concerned with making the other person look good. And obviously, Stand up has always been about ‘look at me.’

I think we love improv for the same reason we love watching an improvised moment in stand up. There’s a definite ‘wow’ factor, it brings us into The Now, and it causes a hint of stress in the audience which can then be released. Any joke done in comedy is funnier if it’s done in improv.

Does anybody know a stand up comedian that successfully broke into improv?

i’m not feeling well, and i think i might have swine flu.. for breakfast today I ate eggs and a mexican.

wocka wocka wocka.

British comedian Paul Merton was a stand-up for years before joining the original Whose Line Is It Anyway. He still reguarly perfoms improv with the Comedy Store Players.

I don’t remember seeing the “self-absorbed, ego-centric assholes who didn’t get enough love as a child” part in the comedian how-to books, but that is definitely rule #1 in being funny. Everything else in those books is filler.

On improv: I think your criticisms of improv are valid, from a comics perspective. However, when considering the audience, the jokes aren’t the same old thing. They haven’t heard them before. For them, its comedy that they get to feel a part of. Comedy they can contribute to. Its the difference between a detached, noncommittal, make me laugh attitude versus being a part of the creative process.

That isn’t a criticism of stand-up. In fact, I think it illustrates how much harder stand-up is. You’re all alone. Roaring laughter or crickets, it all comes down to your ability to be one man against the world. You’ve said it before, “Its all about me.”

That being said, it makes sense for a true, die hard, stand-up comedian to hate a collaborative form of comedy, like improv, that is heavily reliant on other performers and the audience. You give up the control and have to share the lime light.

I guess it comes down to what you’re looking for from comedy. Why you do it. Why you watch it.

good idea Dennis…whats the site? lets get rolling

I just added Brian to the list… so somebody has to “Second” him.

—D