Help with my stand-up routine - any comics in the house?
- Thread starter DailyGeek
- Start date
I don't like them. The salad one is a one liner which has been stretched out too far and the toilet joke is far too predictable. Delivery can make or break a performance but to be honest, that material is mediocre at best.
Lose the predictability and aim for originality. The best comedians are original.
Lose the predictability and aim for originality. The best comedians are original.
Scuzi said:
I see what you are saying. Like I said, the delivery, as far as I can see, is what makes some mediocre stuff killer material sometimes. The stuff I've posted, I don't particularly like, and have trouble knowing whether its funny or not, hence me trying to seek opinions.
Written down stand up is rarely rib-tickling. If the responses I've had show anything, it's that humour is certainly subjective. Can't make everyone laugh - not yet anyway!
That's what I think, which is why I posted them. I have a ton of stuff that I love, a few bits however, like those I've posted, don't sit very well with me. I may well get rid of them, or just add them to an arsenal of stuff to use in an emergencypenski said:
penski said:
Honestly, I think i'd be better off just handling hecklers for 10-15 minutes than trying to stick to a performance. Maybe it's better for me to use poor material
DailyGeek said:Honestly, I think i'd be better off just handling hecklers for 10-15 minutes than trying to stick to a performance. Maybe it's better for me to use poor material
"I always seem to get a lot of hecklers and you look like a bunch of ****s...So who is going first?"
*n
Remember that not every gag/observation has to be a gold-winning belter.
With this in mind, given my observations of stand-up at all levels for years, start with what you think is your second-strongest material [get the audience on your side], end with your prime cuts [that's the only bit a crowd will likely remember anyway] and as for the rest... well, it's called 'filler' for a reason.
Most common amateur mistake: "pauses are bad". No they're not. Use them well, throw in gestures that might enhance what you've just said or allow you to segue into your next section. Pauses, in the hands of a naturally funny character, can bring the house down. They bulk up your slot, too
Get dynamic with your vocal delivery, too. Bring the audience into your world with whispers, ***** up their ears with loud emphasis as the material demands. You're not reading lines from an invisible whiteboard, you're delivering a performance.
The examples you've posted above need to be leaner [if I may stretch the meat analogy to breaking point]; the toilet gag only needs the first and last lines; and some of the salad sketch can be intimated with gestures/facial expressions.
Also, try and incorporate "double-whammy" punchlines: go for the laugh, then hit 'em with an unexpected bigger laugh. Build and build, not "Setup... gag. Setup... gag".
Just some thoughts. Good luck with it
With this in mind, given my observations of stand-up at all levels for years, start with what you think is your second-strongest material [get the audience on your side], end with your prime cuts [that's the only bit a crowd will likely remember anyway] and as for the rest... well, it's called 'filler' for a reason.
Most common amateur mistake: "pauses are bad". No they're not. Use them well, throw in gestures that might enhance what you've just said or allow you to segue into your next section. Pauses, in the hands of a naturally funny character, can bring the house down. They bulk up your slot, too
Get dynamic with your vocal delivery, too. Bring the audience into your world with whispers, ***** up their ears with loud emphasis as the material demands. You're not reading lines from an invisible whiteboard, you're delivering a performance.
The examples you've posted above need to be leaner [if I may stretch the meat analogy to breaking point]; the toilet gag only needs the first and last lines; and some of the salad sketch can be intimated with gestures/facial expressions.
Also, try and incorporate "double-whammy" punchlines: go for the laugh, then hit 'em with an unexpected bigger laugh. Build and build, not "Setup... gag. Setup... gag".
Just some thoughts. Good luck with it
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simisker said:Remember that not every gag/observation has to be a gold-winning belter.
With this in mind, given my observations of stand-up at all levels for years, start with what you think is your second-strongest material [get the audience on your side], end with your prime cuts [that's the only bit a crowd will likely remember anyway] and as for the rest... well, it's called 'filler' for a reason.
Most common amateur mistake: "pauses are bad". No they're not. Use them well, throw in gestures that might enhance what you've just said or allow you to segue into your next section. Pauses, in the hands of a naturally funny character, can bring the house down. They bulk up your slot, too
Get dynamic with your vocal delivery, too. Bring the audience into your world with whispers, ***** up their ears with loud emphasis as the material demands. You're not reading lines from an invisible whiteboard, you're delivering a performance.
The examples you've posted above need to be leaner [if I may stretch the meat analogy to breaking point]; the toilet gag only needs the first and last lines; and some of the salad sketch can be intimated with gestures/facial expressions.
Also, try and incorporate "double-whammy" punchlines: go for the laugh, then hit 'em with an unexpected bigger laugh. Build and build, not "Setup... gag. Setup... gag".
Just some thoughts. Good luck with it
You sound like you know what you are talking about. Thanks for the advice