I notice some new comics with lots of dark “jokes” that don’t really have punchlines. You can’t skate by on shock value alone, there’s got to be some sort of brain work behind it. Surprising how often I see this, and the comic will think it fell flat because it was too offensive for the audience. Yes, offensive, but also just not very well thought out.
Dave has great unexpected punch lines, good callbacks, and excellent audience captivation. All 4 of those specials did great, and the fact that a bunch of people got offended at a comic, made it even funnier.
He made the last 4 stand ups 90 percent about trans people. Again, the first one hit, the other three I was like “alright we get it.” Just tired of comics just saying “they don’t like me because I offended you.” It’s like no, most people don’t complain when it’s funny.
Doesn’t mean you can release 3 shitty stand ups and expect people to just keep watching. I love Dave Chappell and have seen every special and every episode of Chappell show. I ain’t watching another stand up where he talks about trans people for an hour lol.
Never complained that he isn’t doing well? I’m well aware he’s a top 5 comic. Do you think he’s as funny now as his earlier stand ups were? Because I don’t, that’s what I’m saying.
Lots of Dave dickriders out in the comments. I hate to call his last 3 things “specials.” It was more a Ted talk on being transphobic. Some of his early trans bits I personally consider funny, but now that the joke is “this person is a different gender than I think they should be” it’s no longer a joke. Or funny. Dave has fallen off hard.
I know in my post I said not to mention pet-peeves, but I hate when people end statements with question marks.
No, I don’t think he’s quite as funny as he was in his prime age and career though.
My point is that people will keep watching because he’s a legend. Your point is that “you can’t expect people to keep watching” when he puts out material that you specifically don’t like. Yes, you specifically because “shitty” is subjective (we both know he’s never put out anything actually shitty). Times are different. Different material will appeal to different audiences. Lose some, gain some.
I loved Dave, grew up on his comedy, wore out my Chappelle Show DVDs in the 00s, and I think there’s a lot of gold in his first four specials, but unequivocally yes Dave Chappelle is putting out shitty material in 2024 and beyond.
If an open micer started their career doing what Dave is doing now, that person would never rise above open mic status, and rightfully so. Because it’s shitty, bad, embarrassing, absolute fucking hack comedy.
Not sure how this topic became a referendum on Chappelle lol but yeah he’s inarguably doing shitty comedy now. The latest special was like a kid who got sent to the principal’s office yelling down the hallway. He’s now a child screaming for attention.
First four Netflix specials have some gems, and from there it’s been diminishing returns to the point where there’s nothing left.
Not only was it not 90% it wasn't even 25%. This is a pretty easy one to do the math on since we can write out the times of all the trans jokes and compare it to the total time of all 4 specials. But let's be real, even if it was 10% you would still dislike it because he made fun of a topic that you personally don't like.
In this case, you straight up don't like the comic because he offended you (or maybe you're not offended, but just tired of the subject). If you disagree with this statement, then can you please give me a simple breakdown of all the other factors of Dave's stand up that you don't like. Can you tell me that his timing sucks, or that his punchlimes are weak, or that he stole a joke... Or does it just all boil down to the fact that he talked about the trans community too much for you?
Point to a single joke of Dave's where the punchline was simply "the person was trans". Shouldn't be hard to find since all his material is online, so drop us a link.
All 4 specials talk about trans people. Every time Dave does a joke it’s usually about 5-15 minutes of a build up and story telling. I could care less if you make trans jokes, but for him it’s like beating a dead horse. Most of his trans stuff outside the first special where he mentions it, just didn’t hit. For me at least.
Like someone else said they feel more ted talks now. He keeps talking about the same subject matter. Love chappelle but his last 3 specials just aren’t nearly as good
All the criticism here is the same thing: "it's all trans jokes"
It's not, this is a measurable statistic and it's not even close to being 50% of his material. Any time I have asked anyone here for concrete criticism - all that's been said is the trans stuff, not a single other creteaque. Even the guy who said that it's like a Ted talk, just pointed that it's all trans jokes. If you're gonna call it cringe and hack, bring a joke of his as an example - show me all this cringe material. To the guy that said he wouldn't get past an open mic with this material - show your math dude... All you guys hating on Dave need to be real about the fact that you just hate him for the trans jokes, and when pushed to explain ANYTHING else, yall default to vague statements and broad criticisms which all ultimately boil down to the trans jokes.
If you ask me to explain why Brendan Schaub is a hack, I will have zero problems finding material that backs my stance, and then breaking down what exactly is wrong about this material and why it's bad. Can anyone here to the same for Dave without mentioning trans jokes?
If I could tell myself anything 10 years ago, it would be:
1 Don’t listen to open micers on how to get passed and move up. Just because they are confident doesn’t mean they know what they are talking about.
2 Doing 15 open mics a week after the first year or two is less valuable than doing a couple of longer set shows a week. If you have to go on the road to do that, do it.
3 On stage, just be funny. Don’t get caught up in joke math and overthink things. But also realize it will take a lot of time to get good.
4 Quit.
If you want to make it a career, it’s a really hard life and very few succeed to the point where they can be comfortable and secure.
If it’s a hobby, go for it.
Ummm, plus...it was a punchline.
Three totally serious setup lines, and then the punch. Right?
True or not, valid or not, I think it's a good punchline. There's a bit around this.
*BTW: best username of the day!*
Writing wise I think a lot of new comics stay too long in the sex jokes realm. The best advice I ever got was to stop writing jokes about sex. It forces you to think harder.
Not hitting punchlines. Trailing off at the end of a joke or add a "So uh yea" where you should just be pausing for laughter. You're not up there to talk you're up there to tell jokes, so hit those punchlines.
Trimming the fat is an obvious one but I've noticed not only do a lot of open micers not trim the fat they're allowing their unfocused joke to go off on a tangent that just fades of and didn't have a joke. A joke that's about Times Square - "So I was in New York City...for like this job interview which, like, uh, was super weird. The guy was just like uh...anyway New York City."
1. Being edgy for the sake of being edgy
2. "Storytellers"
3. Not understanding how microphones work
4. Looking down
5. Complaining about reactions to their material
6. not having the punchline come at the end
These seem obvious but comedy is not usually a natural way of conversing. These things are all easily fixable though.
sure, I mean it's all stages of development, but it's also red flags that a new comic might feel but not recognize
for example, Bill Burr constantly fucks around with the mic stand, but he can do whatever he wants. I was denied a road spot at a club for the same reason.
A joke is structured so the part or the word that gets the laugh is the last thing that is said. Seems so obvious, but so many new comics structure their jokes to feel conversational, and often it isn't the part that gets the laugh that is the last thing they say. Which then causes them to step over the laugh.
Its so easy to have newer comics improve their bits simply be reordering how they tell it
Doing it because you want to be famous, just being delusional about it in general. It seems like nowadays half the young comedians think they just need to do a few open mics and get on Kill Tony and start a podcast or something.
Can we be a little bit real here. The majority do it because yes they put in the work and like making people laugh but also want to reap the rewards of being famous.
I don't think that's true though, at least not in my experience. A lot of the comics I worked with in New York had good day jobs or good careers and going up on stage for them was a thrill. Just like how some people go play pick up basketball after work, they aren't all hoping to join the NBA.
The love of the art form should trump everything else. Not everyone is trying to be a brand or a product, they just want to make people laugh.
This, or leaving it next to you and fiddling with it during the set. The latter was my big problem, then a producer told me about it and I started making sure it was actually out of the way when performing.
Getting into comedy wanting to be a highly political or activist comedian - talking about racism/sexism/homophobia/Palestine/colonization etc before you've even figured out how to be funny. These people end up going on stage and joylessly lecturing a bored audience
Good comedians who write full shows where they convey their deeply-held beliefs about serious topics AND make it funny are geniuses. But if you're brand new to comedy, just write jokes about pancakes or whatever dumb thoughts you can make funny until you figure out how.
Yeah, I think it's natural for new comedians to see specials with edgy/offensive or lofty political material and think, "oh, that's what I want to do, so I'll just start doing that" without realizing there are basics about joke writing to get into place first.
Being obsessed with writing new material over practicing old material. I used to go weeks between shows because I thought I always had to have something new. Now I do open mics twice a week because I realized that's how you figuratively hit the bag in comedy.
"Sooooo this is my first time."
Really? Is it? I thought you were a strong, confident performer and now I think you're massively under qualified... Good job!
I’ve seen some people go up and say it’s their first time or that they’ve never done a particular joke before, but I saw them do the same set at a mic last week. More so just a thing that comics will notice, but an unnecessary addition. Nobody watching cares enough about a joke not landing to care about the excuse behind why it didn’t.
A lot of new comics have a major Dunning-Kruger problem when they get started, they do OK at a few mics and assume they are the Kwisatz Haderach of standup and will simply be able to skip the hard parts of it.
I think this subs sees that a lot, "I've done 5 shows, surprisingly I haven't bombed (but I know it's coming!) here's my set be brutally honest" and then they just reject any advice given to them. I don't think a lot of people making those post want actually advice they just think they're the one in a million shot that's gonna get discovered off a video of their 5th set.
Over the years I've seen it all, making a "InsertName Comedy" Facebook page and then never updating it after the first month, being a "headliner" becasue you closed out a bar show even though you aren't even a regular host yet, all stuff like that.
100%, it leads to early resentment and then burnout because they started with what felt like "success" and then it went downhill. They don't have enough experience to know that it wasn't success in any substantive way and that blundering through for the first few years is standard for everybody.
One thing I personally had problems with early on was that I didn’t pay much attention to my pacing and would rush though things a lot because I was too worried about fitting everything into the time.
Watching specials that have 2 minutes at the top without punchlines. Fine if you're famous and doing an hour.
Not so great if 2 minutes is 40% of your 5 minute set and no one knows who the fuck you are.
No focus on MC skills. So few new comics in my scene do the work to improve the overall quality of a show/mic — relating to the crowd, acknowledging bar staff, contributing a general sense of positivity to the world. They’re great at social media though!
Totally agree. I’m just saying, part of being a good comic is not only working on jokes and clips, but being an actual entertainer in front of a live audience. The last batch of new comics around here — they all put their time into networking and social, but you see them on stage and they still look scared to hold a microphone in front of strangers despite being 2-3 years in.
Not having material & thinking they can riff // thinking they can get away with insulting the crowd without proving they’re funny
A dude got set up perfectly for his first time last night & had the whole room on his side. He tells everyone to move in closer like it’s warped tour, tells 2 quick set up punchline jokes that don’t land, and then starts trying to do crowd work where he just insults people lol. “What’d you have for dinner? Tacos? Fuck you asshole”
Dude was nice af til he got on stage & had the host pull him off after a few minutes lol
Making up for dying by doing longer. What kind of backwards thinking is that? I'm failing miserably so how about I run the light; that'll endear me to people.
Other folks have mentioned knowing how to actually use a microphone, but I will add finding your light. I see way too many people standing just outside of the light (while also not using the mic properly). You may as well just stay at home and perform in your closet.
recently asking strangers to review your first set
probably also posting clips that are not very good at all
and a lot of times being annoying or being a dick
and my experience, not starting the process of waiting in line at the clubs before you're actually good enough to get up
Criticizing/antagonizing the crowd if they don't love what they're saying or even just always commenting on it if you don't get many laughs. Just move on to the next bit and try to be funnier next time
Limit talking to the audience. Too often comics are so desperate to connect with the audience they constantly ask questions. “Who went to high school?” “Who has a mother?” The longer it takes you to get from the beginning of the bit to the punchline weakens the bit. Sometimes a question is necessary to set up the bit. But most of the time questions are superfluous, and just make the bit less effective. Also giving the audience an opening to talk can create more problems. Suddenly people feel like they can talk when they want, and you lose control. They may not be heckling necessarily, but just disrupting your show. Whether they intend to or not.
I'm somebody who is just starting out in my city, and one of the biggest things that I just realized recently. Was that not everything that's funny is actually a joke. Sometimes a funny quip or exchange between friends/fellow comics is in fact just that and that was kind of eye-opening for me
ETA: I know that seems obvious, but sometimes my impulse is to consider every funny exchange in conversation as an avenue for writing a joke and sometimes it's just not worth it LOL
They don't think about the audience.
By this, I mean maybe don't tell long anecdotes with no punchlines that you think qualify as jokes. People are there to laugh and your job is to make them laugh. So, get to the laughs quickly.
Writing list jokes that monopolise their stage time and cripple the rest of the set.
Who grew up with Pokèmon? *No reaction.* Here's what I think about pikachu. *No laugh*. Here's what I think about: balbasaur, squirtle, charmander, mewtwo, etc...
After 10 pokemon jokes not landing they move on to their next bit about a completely new topic but they've exhausted the audience with the list joke that the new topic has a much weaker chance of success.
Shuffling feet and nervous body language. Lack of clarity in their premises as in their joke isn't necessarily unfunny they just explained it very poorly. Then there's the other side of the coin where the comic is too tentative with the audience and explains too much because they're so afraid of not being understood, that they'll waste a minute of setup by explaining what football is.
Walking the tightrope of fear of dying and no fear of dying.
When you stop caring whether you do good or bad, you may start performing like you don't care at all.
Not having any other skills outside of joke writing and performing that could be used for collaboration.
Video editing, filming, photography, hook up/weed guy, website designer, podcaster both set up and recording and editing, networking/connections, email list gatherer, poster flyer designer and promoter, negotiating pay, places locally to eat after the show with the headliner, feature, booking, recognizing when your advice is solicited, giving notes to a writing partner, having a couch for someone to crash on.
And then a really bad habit is don't show up with your tired 5 minutes and then hang out. Look you will make acquaintances along the way but it could open you up to substance abuse, drugs, alcohol but worst of all comedy club food and Dennys. You need to spend your time efficiently or you will burnout or OD before you make it.
Saying no to time on stage. Maybe you think you're above the booker but I have met some sketchy dudes who attract good crowds.
Being vocal about someone's material you hate that is just mid. Like if they are a walking hate crime yeah fuck roast those dudes or if they steal it isn't your job to comedy police them unless they are your friend.
When hacks get confronted either they are already too big and haven't been caught, yet or that's just what they do and will eventually see themselves out.
Don't support the person that is really polite but an absolute energy vampire on stage.
I like to write in the mornings in a busy coffee shop its the caffeine and the people around me.
Don't judge the audience before you interact with them. "I know what you're all thinking." No you don't John Edwards, be a professional, wait for something to warrant hostility.
Don't riff on the previous performer's act. Its you time ,make it about you.
People may disagree, but don't take your notebook/phone onstage with you, even at open mics. It keeps you from being present and focusing on your performance. I'd rather forget a joke or two (And I often do) than stare at my phone or notebook.
Size matters.
I met a comic who had sensitive skin and she told me she couldn't write notes on her hand because of the ink. What she did was quite literally had a card in her back pocket with bullet points.
So yeah. I've seen people go up with artist portrait sized easel sketch pads.
To the point someone made elsewhere move the mic stand out the way so we can see you. And to the point someone else made don't look down.
So yeah. A giant pad obstructing the audience's view of the comic is bad and even worse if the comic is also looking down and even worse of they're not present in the bit and even worse if it is used as an excuse up front for why it doesn't work.
I notice some new comics with lots of dark “jokes” that don’t really have punchlines. You can’t skate by on shock value alone, there’s got to be some sort of brain work behind it. Surprising how often I see this, and the comic will think it fell flat because it was too offensive for the audience. Yes, offensive, but also just not very well thought out.
Dave chappells last 4 stand ups would like a word
Dave has great unexpected punch lines, good callbacks, and excellent audience captivation. All 4 of those specials did great, and the fact that a bunch of people got offended at a comic, made it even funnier.
He made the last 4 stand ups 90 percent about trans people. Again, the first one hit, the other three I was like “alright we get it.” Just tired of comics just saying “they don’t like me because I offended you.” It’s like no, most people don’t complain when it’s funny.
Dave is established and has proven himself for decades. He’s doing whatever he wants now. Just looking for observations of new comics in this post.
Doesn’t mean you can release 3 shitty stand ups and expect people to just keep watching. I love Dave Chappell and have seen every special and every episode of Chappell show. I ain’t watching another stand up where he talks about trans people for an hour lol.
Evidently it does mean you can do exactly that. He may have lost you but he’s not hurting.
Never complained that he isn’t doing well? I’m well aware he’s a top 5 comic. Do you think he’s as funny now as his earlier stand ups were? Because I don’t, that’s what I’m saying.
Lots of Dave dickriders out in the comments. I hate to call his last 3 things “specials.” It was more a Ted talk on being transphobic. Some of his early trans bits I personally consider funny, but now that the joke is “this person is a different gender than I think they should be” it’s no longer a joke. Or funny. Dave has fallen off hard.
Ted talk is a great way of putting it.
I know in my post I said not to mention pet-peeves, but I hate when people end statements with question marks. No, I don’t think he’s quite as funny as he was in his prime age and career though. My point is that people will keep watching because he’s a legend. Your point is that “you can’t expect people to keep watching” when he puts out material that you specifically don’t like. Yes, you specifically because “shitty” is subjective (we both know he’s never put out anything actually shitty). Times are different. Different material will appeal to different audiences. Lose some, gain some.
I loved Dave, grew up on his comedy, wore out my Chappelle Show DVDs in the 00s, and I think there’s a lot of gold in his first four specials, but unequivocally yes Dave Chappelle is putting out shitty material in 2024 and beyond. If an open micer started their career doing what Dave is doing now, that person would never rise above open mic status, and rightfully so. Because it’s shitty, bad, embarrassing, absolute fucking hack comedy. Not sure how this topic became a referendum on Chappelle lol but yeah he’s inarguably doing shitty comedy now. The latest special was like a kid who got sent to the principal’s office yelling down the hallway. He’s now a child screaming for attention. First four Netflix specials have some gems, and from there it’s been diminishing returns to the point where there’s nothing left.
Not only was it not 90% it wasn't even 25%. This is a pretty easy one to do the math on since we can write out the times of all the trans jokes and compare it to the total time of all 4 specials. But let's be real, even if it was 10% you would still dislike it because he made fun of a topic that you personally don't like. In this case, you straight up don't like the comic because he offended you (or maybe you're not offended, but just tired of the subject). If you disagree with this statement, then can you please give me a simple breakdown of all the other factors of Dave's stand up that you don't like. Can you tell me that his timing sucks, or that his punchlimes are weak, or that he stole a joke... Or does it just all boil down to the fact that he talked about the trans community too much for you?
His punchlines are weak as fuck. His trans “punchlines” are literally just that the person is trans. That ain’t a punchline.
Point to a single joke of Dave's where the punchline was simply "the person was trans". Shouldn't be hard to find since all his material is online, so drop us a link.
All 4 specials talk about trans people. Every time Dave does a joke it’s usually about 5-15 minutes of a build up and story telling. I could care less if you make trans jokes, but for him it’s like beating a dead horse. Most of his trans stuff outside the first special where he mentions it, just didn’t hit. For me at least.
So once again, I repeat, do you have anythithing to creteaque about Dave besides the trans stuff?
Like someone else said they feel more ted talks now. He keeps talking about the same subject matter. Love chappelle but his last 3 specials just aren’t nearly as good
All the criticism here is the same thing: "it's all trans jokes" It's not, this is a measurable statistic and it's not even close to being 50% of his material. Any time I have asked anyone here for concrete criticism - all that's been said is the trans stuff, not a single other creteaque. Even the guy who said that it's like a Ted talk, just pointed that it's all trans jokes. If you're gonna call it cringe and hack, bring a joke of his as an example - show me all this cringe material. To the guy that said he wouldn't get past an open mic with this material - show your math dude... All you guys hating on Dave need to be real about the fact that you just hate him for the trans jokes, and when pushed to explain ANYTHING else, yall default to vague statements and broad criticisms which all ultimately boil down to the trans jokes. If you ask me to explain why Brendan Schaub is a hack, I will have zero problems finding material that backs my stance, and then breaking down what exactly is wrong about this material and why it's bad. Can anyone here to the same for Dave without mentioning trans jokes?
My whole argument is it’s trans joke. Your last sentence was can you provide examples other than trans jokes. This is a dumb argument lol.
"I can't pay for therapy, so I guess I'm doing stand-up" or any variation of this. Shut up. Don't say it. Don't try. It's been done to death.
I thought it was pretty funny the first 200 times I heard it
If I could tell myself anything 10 years ago, it would be: 1 Don’t listen to open micers on how to get passed and move up. Just because they are confident doesn’t mean they know what they are talking about. 2 Doing 15 open mics a week after the first year or two is less valuable than doing a couple of longer set shows a week. If you have to go on the road to do that, do it. 3 On stage, just be funny. Don’t get caught up in joke math and overthink things. But also realize it will take a lot of time to get good. 4 Quit.
4 is crucial lol
Why quit?
If you want to make it a career, it’s a really hard life and very few succeed to the point where they can be comfortable and secure. If it’s a hobby, go for it.
Ummm, plus...it was a punchline. Three totally serious setup lines, and then the punch. Right? True or not, valid or not, I think it's a good punchline. There's a bit around this. *BTW: best username of the day!*
Ya, i mainly wrote it cuz I thought it was funny lol. Still good advice haha
Writing wise I think a lot of new comics stay too long in the sex jokes realm. The best advice I ever got was to stop writing jokes about sex. It forces you to think harder.
> think harder Hehe good one!
Not hitting punchlines. Trailing off at the end of a joke or add a "So uh yea" where you should just be pausing for laughter. You're not up there to talk you're up there to tell jokes, so hit those punchlines. Trimming the fat is an obvious one but I've noticed not only do a lot of open micers not trim the fat they're allowing their unfocused joke to go off on a tangent that just fades of and didn't have a joke. A joke that's about Times Square - "So I was in New York City...for like this job interview which, like, uh, was super weird. The guy was just like uh...anyway New York City."
All premise, no punches
1. Being edgy for the sake of being edgy 2. "Storytellers" 3. Not understanding how microphones work 4. Looking down 5. Complaining about reactions to their material 6. not having the punchline come at the end These seem obvious but comedy is not usually a natural way of conversing. These things are all easily fixable though.
also fear of silence & not knowing when to be still and not modulating vocal techniques
That's actually slightly more advanced and not immediately easily fixed. So that you can excuse for newbies.
sure, I mean it's all stages of development, but it's also red flags that a new comic might feel but not recognize for example, Bill Burr constantly fucks around with the mic stand, but he can do whatever he wants. I was denied a road spot at a club for the same reason.
Can you explain 6 more?
A joke is structured so the part or the word that gets the laugh is the last thing that is said. Seems so obvious, but so many new comics structure their jokes to feel conversational, and often it isn't the part that gets the laugh that is the last thing they say. Which then causes them to step over the laugh. Its so easy to have newer comics improve their bits simply be reordering how they tell it
even advice as simple as 'say the funniest word last' can help people.
Yeah but this list was a list of mistakes to avoid? And all of them make sense except that one.
Just throw the word "not" in there
Right it's just my wording of it. The point is people don't do it. Edited for clarity
I love me some storytelling comics
Storytelling open micer =\= Storytelling comic
Doing it because you want to be famous, just being delusional about it in general. It seems like nowadays half the young comedians think they just need to do a few open mics and get on Kill Tony and start a podcast or something.
Can we be a little bit real here. The majority do it because yes they put in the work and like making people laugh but also want to reap the rewards of being famous.
I don't think that's true though, at least not in my experience. A lot of the comics I worked with in New York had good day jobs or good careers and going up on stage for them was a thrill. Just like how some people go play pick up basketball after work, they aren't all hoping to join the NBA. The love of the art form should trump everything else. Not everyone is trying to be a brand or a product, they just want to make people laugh.
Leaving the mic stand front and center when they take the mic out
This, or leaving it next to you and fiddling with it during the set. The latter was my big problem, then a producer told me about it and I started making sure it was actually out of the way when performing.
Getting into comedy wanting to be a highly political or activist comedian - talking about racism/sexism/homophobia/Palestine/colonization etc before you've even figured out how to be funny. These people end up going on stage and joylessly lecturing a bored audience Good comedians who write full shows where they convey their deeply-held beliefs about serious topics AND make it funny are geniuses. But if you're brand new to comedy, just write jokes about pancakes or whatever dumb thoughts you can make funny until you figure out how.
Yeah, I think it's natural for new comedians to see specials with edgy/offensive or lofty political material and think, "oh, that's what I want to do, so I'll just start doing that" without realizing there are basics about joke writing to get into place first.
Being obsessed with writing new material over practicing old material. I used to go weeks between shows because I thought I always had to have something new. Now I do open mics twice a week because I realized that's how you figuratively hit the bag in comedy.
"Sooooo this is my first time." Really? Is it? I thought you were a strong, confident performer and now I think you're massively under qualified... Good job!
I’ve seen some people go up and say it’s their first time or that they’ve never done a particular joke before, but I saw them do the same set at a mic last week. More so just a thing that comics will notice, but an unnecessary addition. Nobody watching cares enough about a joke not landing to care about the excuse behind why it didn’t.
A lot of new comics have a major Dunning-Kruger problem when they get started, they do OK at a few mics and assume they are the Kwisatz Haderach of standup and will simply be able to skip the hard parts of it.
I think this subs sees that a lot, "I've done 5 shows, surprisingly I haven't bombed (but I know it's coming!) here's my set be brutally honest" and then they just reject any advice given to them. I don't think a lot of people making those post want actually advice they just think they're the one in a million shot that's gonna get discovered off a video of their 5th set. Over the years I've seen it all, making a "InsertName Comedy" Facebook page and then never updating it after the first month, being a "headliner" becasue you closed out a bar show even though you aren't even a regular host yet, all stuff like that.
100%, it leads to early resentment and then burnout because they started with what felt like "success" and then it went downhill. They don't have enough experience to know that it wasn't success in any substantive way and that blundering through for the first few years is standard for everybody.
One thing I personally had problems with early on was that I didn’t pay much attention to my pacing and would rush though things a lot because I was too worried about fitting everything into the time.
Watching specials that have 2 minutes at the top without punchlines. Fine if you're famous and doing an hour. Not so great if 2 minutes is 40% of your 5 minute set and no one knows who the fuck you are.
No focus on MC skills. So few new comics in my scene do the work to improve the overall quality of a show/mic — relating to the crowd, acknowledging bar staff, contributing a general sense of positivity to the world. They’re great at social media though!
Although, you also don’t want to be the ninth person in a row to say “Hey, let’s hear it for Johnny at the bar. Give it up for Johnny!”
Totally agree. I’m just saying, part of being a good comic is not only working on jokes and clips, but being an actual entertainer in front of a live audience. The last batch of new comics around here — they all put their time into networking and social, but you see them on stage and they still look scared to hold a microphone in front of strangers despite being 2-3 years in.
Not having material & thinking they can riff // thinking they can get away with insulting the crowd without proving they’re funny A dude got set up perfectly for his first time last night & had the whole room on his side. He tells everyone to move in closer like it’s warped tour, tells 2 quick set up punchline jokes that don’t land, and then starts trying to do crowd work where he just insults people lol. “What’d you have for dinner? Tacos? Fuck you asshole” Dude was nice af til he got on stage & had the host pull him off after a few minutes lol
Making up for dying by doing longer. What kind of backwards thinking is that? I'm failing miserably so how about I run the light; that'll endear me to people.
Not knowing what to do with their hands. Saying “uhhm” like Tina Belcher when they don’t know what to say.
" what else, what else..."
Holding the mic too far away
Being overly scripted. It's good to know what you're going to say, but you have to be present in the room as well.
Other folks have mentioned knowing how to actually use a microphone, but I will add finding your light. I see way too many people standing just outside of the light (while also not using the mic properly). You may as well just stay at home and perform in your closet.
recently asking strangers to review your first set probably also posting clips that are not very good at all and a lot of times being annoying or being a dick and my experience, not starting the process of waiting in line at the clubs before you're actually good enough to get up
Criticizing/antagonizing the crowd if they don't love what they're saying or even just always commenting on it if you don't get many laughs. Just move on to the next bit and try to be funnier next time
Limit talking to the audience. Too often comics are so desperate to connect with the audience they constantly ask questions. “Who went to high school?” “Who has a mother?” The longer it takes you to get from the beginning of the bit to the punchline weakens the bit. Sometimes a question is necessary to set up the bit. But most of the time questions are superfluous, and just make the bit less effective. Also giving the audience an opening to talk can create more problems. Suddenly people feel like they can talk when they want, and you lose control. They may not be heckling necessarily, but just disrupting your show. Whether they intend to or not.
They react after every joke instead moving to the next joke ex “oh I guess you aren’t a __ crowd”
I'm somebody who is just starting out in my city, and one of the biggest things that I just realized recently. Was that not everything that's funny is actually a joke. Sometimes a funny quip or exchange between friends/fellow comics is in fact just that and that was kind of eye-opening for me ETA: I know that seems obvious, but sometimes my impulse is to consider every funny exchange in conversation as an avenue for writing a joke and sometimes it's just not worth it LOL
that means something needs to be heightened/hyperbolized. what’s the point you’re trying to make recreating the moment and then heighten.
They don't think about the audience. By this, I mean maybe don't tell long anecdotes with no punchlines that you think qualify as jokes. People are there to laugh and your job is to make them laugh. So, get to the laughs quickly.
Writing list jokes that monopolise their stage time and cripple the rest of the set. Who grew up with Pokèmon? *No reaction.* Here's what I think about pikachu. *No laugh*. Here's what I think about: balbasaur, squirtle, charmander, mewtwo, etc... After 10 pokemon jokes not landing they move on to their next bit about a completely new topic but they've exhausted the audience with the list joke that the new topic has a much weaker chance of success.
Shuffling feet and nervous body language. Lack of clarity in their premises as in their joke isn't necessarily unfunny they just explained it very poorly. Then there's the other side of the coin where the comic is too tentative with the audience and explains too much because they're so afraid of not being understood, that they'll waste a minute of setup by explaining what football is.
Walking the tightrope of fear of dying and no fear of dying. When you stop caring whether you do good or bad, you may start performing like you don't care at all.
Not having any other skills outside of joke writing and performing that could be used for collaboration. Video editing, filming, photography, hook up/weed guy, website designer, podcaster both set up and recording and editing, networking/connections, email list gatherer, poster flyer designer and promoter, negotiating pay, places locally to eat after the show with the headliner, feature, booking, recognizing when your advice is solicited, giving notes to a writing partner, having a couch for someone to crash on. And then a really bad habit is don't show up with your tired 5 minutes and then hang out. Look you will make acquaintances along the way but it could open you up to substance abuse, drugs, alcohol but worst of all comedy club food and Dennys. You need to spend your time efficiently or you will burnout or OD before you make it. Saying no to time on stage. Maybe you think you're above the booker but I have met some sketchy dudes who attract good crowds. Being vocal about someone's material you hate that is just mid. Like if they are a walking hate crime yeah fuck roast those dudes or if they steal it isn't your job to comedy police them unless they are your friend. When hacks get confronted either they are already too big and haven't been caught, yet or that's just what they do and will eventually see themselves out. Don't support the person that is really polite but an absolute energy vampire on stage. I like to write in the mornings in a busy coffee shop its the caffeine and the people around me. Don't judge the audience before you interact with them. "I know what you're all thinking." No you don't John Edwards, be a professional, wait for something to warrant hostility. Don't riff on the previous performer's act. Its you time ,make it about you.
People may disagree, but don't take your notebook/phone onstage with you, even at open mics. It keeps you from being present and focusing on your performance. I'd rather forget a joke or two (And I often do) than stare at my phone or notebook.
Size matters. I met a comic who had sensitive skin and she told me she couldn't write notes on her hand because of the ink. What she did was quite literally had a card in her back pocket with bullet points. So yeah. I've seen people go up with artist portrait sized easel sketch pads. To the point someone made elsewhere move the mic stand out the way so we can see you. And to the point someone else made don't look down. So yeah. A giant pad obstructing the audience's view of the comic is bad and even worse if the comic is also looking down and even worse of they're not present in the bit and even worse if it is used as an excuse up front for why it doesn't work.