I have trouble falling asleep sometimes. Recently I’ve gotten in the habit of listening to stand-up comedy as I lie in bed. On the one hand it seems that having something playing helps me fall asleep; on the other hand, I’m wondering if stand-up comedy is too energetic, and might keep me up longer. It’s hard to tell on my own whether it helps or hurts. I remember reading about the effects of different media (books, music, TV) on falling asleep, and how each affected sleeping time; is anyone aware of research on this topic?

By: Rex

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What you write on the page may look or read funny on the page, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to get laughs on the stage.

That kinda rhymes, doesn’t it? Let’s reduce it to a memorable phrase: What’s funny on the page isn’t always funny onstage.

And vice versa…

What’s funny onstage isn’t always funny on the page.

I was baffled when an experienced comedian said to me, “That’s really cute, you’re still writing down jokes…”

I thought, “How else can you do it? What is this guy… Lazy? Jaded?”

Maybe so, but he might also have been referring to the saying I made up above, and what I said in part 13 of comedy writing secret #2…

For a bit to work onstage, it has to

* Be phrased the way you say stuff, not the way you write stuff

* Be visual and memorable for you

If you’re a really literal person, a good writer, a logician, you may find a funny concept or a play on words that seems clever but a live audience will groan at. Wordplay can be a nice touch on a bit, but don’t make it central- that stopped being funny in the 80’s.

I don’t mean to come off like I know everything about this incredible art, but I do know a lot of great comedians say you must learn stand-up comedy onstage.

At my first open mic, I did a bit that I thought was really funny, but it didn’t get laughs. In retrospect, it was interesting, but not funny. I quickly learned that what is clever is not necessarily funny. What’s funny? What people laugh at.

I’ve already been amazed at how people will laugh at something that would never be funny on the page- all I did was have an attitude or emotion about something that happened. Maybe I did a “take” like Carson used to do. Or I just said a thing ****** or was weird. Then they laughed- not the moment before. Point is: sometimes a funny punch isn’t clever.

So back to writing down jokes- some of the more experienced comedians I talk to say that when they have a funny idea, they may not write it down- they may just go onstage and see what comes out of their mouth- that’s not a bad idea, because maybe some jokes get killed by the writing process- what comes out onstage is you being you in person, and you’re in a totally different frame of mind from sitting down and writing.

You learn stand up comedy while doing it. I’m not a neurologist, but I’ve read enough to know that our brain has different sets of memories and synaptic connections depending on what setting we’re in and what we’re doing- for example, there is a whole set of things you know about driving a car that get cued up when you get in the car to drive. There’s muscle memory, there are automatic reactions you’ve learned, but there’s also the state-dependent stuff. You can’t learn comedy offstage because you have to get up there and get used to the lights, the microphone, the audience, coming on and offstage, what to say first, how to end, a whole bunch of things you can’t learn by just imagining it.

That’s not to say you can’t use the kind of practice visualization some professional athletes use- imagining themselves doing the activity, perhaps in slow motion- that’s useful when you already know how to do something and want to refine it, or get in extra practice-

Just the other night, I had one of my best stand up comedy sets so far, and what was great was I threw in an idea (the “Carter Cart” my rickety version of the Dane Train) I had on the phone with another comedian, Rob Black- we just joked about it 4 hours before the set, and I got that in, it was funny, and partly because I thought it was so funny and it was also self-deprecating… and then the train that always goes by the San Diego Comedy Coop made it a call-back and I went into more detail about it-

I also integrated crowd work well and did a bit (”LMAO”) that I hadn’t planned on doing as a result of some of the interaction. That in particular was thrilling when I thought about it the next day because I’ve seen Zoltan do sets with lots of crowd work where he seems to go seamlessly from crowd interaction to bits to crowd to bits… and it was a glimpse of what it would be like not to need a set list.

So the best stuff, to me, comes spontaneously, because the crowd interaction draws them in and boosts how much they’ll laugh at anything. They want to be comfortable with you and to enjoy you, and so you have to enjoy yourself and be positive toward them. And interested in them. It’s actually a really social thing, and it has made me more outgoing in a lot of situations, which is a big deal for a former introvert and occasional social phobic.

By: Brian Carter

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Going back to the 80’s era, a few sitcom programmes were aired on TV such as Basi & Co, Second chance, The New Masquerade, Koko Close, which thrilled the Nigerian viewers, especially Lagosians with various hilarious episodes. Sitcom was definitely “it”. However, one man decided to take the bull by the horn and introduce stand up comedy to the Nigerian populace. Opa Benson’s, “Nite of a thousand laughs” which made its debut on to the entertainment scene on October 1st 1995, made the desired impact, which some doubting Thomases never believed could happen. It became a regular event with its acceptability gaining more grounds over time.

Various comedians came together under this platform to reel out rib cracking jokes. However, Tee- A (Babatunde Adewale), decided to take comedy to a higher dimension and was the first to stage a one man comedy show in the country, with the slogan “Live N Naked”. Other comedians seeing the endless possibilities such individual shows created followed suit. Ayo Makun’s “A.Y Live”, Bright Okpocha’s “Basket mouth uncensored”, Julius Agwu’s “Crack ya ribs” have become regular shows. Comedians such as Owen gee, Koffi, Gordons, I go die, Teju baby face, Gbenga Adeyinka the first, Basorge Tara jnr have graced their events.

On an annual basis, new comedians on the block are inducted into the comedy world to join the old members. They proudly refer to themselves as “Comedians of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with Alleluya Atuyota Akporobomeriere a.k.a Ali Baba as their Grand commander in chief. A few females have carved niches for themselves in this male dominating field such as Princess, Mandy, Lepacious Bose, and Helen Paul a.k.a tatafo. Ayo Makun, beside his regular stand up comedy event has gone a step further in his noble quest to discover young talented comedians seeking the opportunity to jump start a potential stand up comedy career. His monthly talent show coupled with his TV programme “The A.Y.show” has witnessed young people coming into the field. Bumi Davies (though not a comedian) organises the “Stand up Nigeria” monthly stand up comedy show which entertains Nigerians as well.

Fame and fortune have accompanied these comedians with some being engaged as comperes in corporate/social events, and also endorsing companies products by way of adverts for eg Hollandia Milk (Ali Baba, Julius Agwu), and Glo ( Basket mouth). Corporate bodies even sponsor these stand up comedy shows. A better life has been guaranteed for comedians who possess the laughter medicine and are skilled in administering sufficient dosages of it to the audience. Besides the creeping threat of re-cycled jokes which some comedians are kicking against, and the need for other states to become beneficiaries of the laughter sphere, stand up comedy has not done badly in the Nigerian entertainment circuit and with certitude is here to stay!

By: Augusta Okon

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I wanted to download some stand-up comedy for my Ipod, so I can listen to it at work. Where can I download some stand-up comedy?

By: Mark d

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Marketing Strategies

Hi all,

My friends have been pressuring me that I should try to be a Comedian since they say I tell the most hillarious jokes and stories, they suggested I should try my local Stand Up Comedy Clubs. I was wondering, how do you apply or audition? I just want to give it a shot to see either if I am that good as they say I am or not. And what are the do’s and don’ts can you give from a complete amateur who never did anything like this? Thanks for any help and suggestions

By: David Webster

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Marketing Strategy

George Lopez was born on April 23, 1961. He was born to a Mexican-American family in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles, California. He was abandoned by his parents at a young age and raised by his grandmother. This early life experience has provided Lopez with much of his stand up comedy material. He talks much of his upbringing, and he pokes fun at the Mexican American culture of California. Poverty and financial hardship is another subject of his often biting and satirical humor.

After working his way up through the ranks in the comedy clubs of Los Angles, Lopez moved into the mainstream with a series of albums and a television show. He is an example of the new generation comedian that is multi-talented. His first comedy album, “Right Now Right Now” was released in 2001. It was followed by another called “Team Leader” which garnered an Emmy nomination in 2004. He also is the subject of an autobiography that made the New York Times best seller list. It was written by Armen Keteyian.

The event that propelled him into national stardom was “The George Lopez Show”. He is the co-creator, writer, producer and star of this popular ABC prime time sitcom that is now in its 6th season. One result of the show was to pave the way for his inclusion on Forbes Magazine’s “The 100 Top Celebrities List”. He is ranked number 85 on the list, but his e-score rank is 43rd. The e-score rank is a combination of factors that rates popularity a bit higher than earnings or power within the industry. His salary according to Forbes exceeds 12 million dollars per year.

Despite his success on television, Lopez continues to do live shows. He is booked into some of the most prestigious venues, and generally plays to sold out crowds. His earning from touring alone exceeded 8.5 million last year according to his official web site. George Lopez recently suffered from a serious illness, and received a kidney transplant. The donor was his wife Ann, and the experience was the subject of a recent show on his series.

Despite his position as one of the foremost Hispanic comedians in the country, he has been involved in some controversy. He is engaged in a little feud with fellow Hispanic comedian, Carlos Mencia, whom he accused of stealing some of his material. He is also critical of guest show host Jay Leno, who he blasted in a recent interview. Despite this, George Lopez’s career is still on the fast track. A new album has recently been released. A HBO special, “America’s Mexican”, is due to air at the end of February, 2007. He was selected as one of the 25 most influential Hispanics in the Country by Time Magazine. He is a comedian and star at the peak of his career.

By: Joseph Daily

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To learn stand-up comedy techniques and methodologies is one thing. To put that knowledge into action is a different story.

I’m going to reveal the biggest mistake most new comedians make-in some cases for years:

They don’t rehearse their stand-up comedy act until they are in front of an audience.

Don’t believe me? Just go to any comedy open mic in the country and watch what happens.

Failure to rehearse extensively before standing in front of an audience is not only the slowest way to learn stand-up comedy, it’s a formula for disaster.

Here are some powerful performance improvement guidelines you can use now:

1. For every 5 minutes of your comedy routine, you should devote a minimum of 20 minutes of rehearsal time.

Until you have your material completely tight and you are getting big and frequent laughs, you should try to rehearse daily.

2. You should rehearse your act out loud as if you were standing in front of an audience, using your natural body language, voice infection and tone as you rehearse your routine.

Now if you really want to learn stand-up comedy performance improvement, you will rehearse your stand-up comedy act with your head up, shoulders back and looking ahead (not down).

When you rehearse in this way, you are rehearsing in the natural posture of confidence. So when you rehearse, you are connecting your posture of confidence with your performance.

This posture of confidence will be noticed by your audience when you actually perform, provided you rehearse in that confidence posture.

This powerful technique applies to comedians who are using old school joke writing techniques as well as those using the more powerful topic driven stand-up strategies.

Learn stand-up comedy fast tip #1: You can rehearse your comedy material during everyday conversations provided that no one is aware you are presenting stand-up material.

If you tell people you want them to listen to part of your stand-up act, they will be on guard, looking for your punchlines and won’t laugh.

Learn stand-up comedy fast tip #2: Make sure you record your comedy act (video is best) for review after your performance. If you are serious about being a professional comedian, you will want to review each performance to make needed adjustments and tweeks before your next show.

Just keep this in mind:

In the beginning of your stand-up comedy career, stage time is at a premium and can be very difficult to obtain. Make the best use of your stage time by rehearsing extensively BEFORE the audience sees you.

By: Steve Roye

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For a person who has a real natural gift for being entertaining and memorable but is a beginner in the ways of turning that natural talent into a career by doing auditions and finding gig’s what would be the best way to go about gaining that experience in both comedy and acting?

By: Kae

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If you are considering a stand-up comedy career, then you are probably aware of open mic nights-where most new comedians are born (or hatched-I’m not sure).

I want to give you a few quick stand-up comedy tips that you can use now to help you prepare for your next open mic:

Stand-up Comedy Tip #1: Understand that it is your delivery that will give you the most laughter impact on stage-not how the words or sentences in your act read from a piece of paper or word processor.

However many people get completely stuck trying to write jokes the old school way instead of using some of the easier and more effective topic based techniques for developing big laugh comedy material that depend on delivery and presentation as opposed to “writing” jokes on paper.

In other words, you need to practice your stand-up comedy act extensively before an audience every sees you perform.

Stand-up Comedy Tip #2: Work out your stand-up comedy material in conversation before you take it on stage.

This is very easy to do provided that you DON’T tell anyone that you are actually delivering stand-up comedy material. I have personally worked out a ton of comedy material this way by just waiting for my turn to talk when with friends or family.

Stand-up Comedy Tip #3: Practice your stand-up comedy act extensively before you ever hit the comedy stage, keeping in mind that it is your delivery of your comedy material that will give you the most laughter power.

In order squeeze the most out of your open mic performances, you should record every single show that you do for performance evaluation-audio is fine, but video is much better.

If you are serious about commanding the stand-up comedy stage and need more information, check out the link in my resource box below.

By: Steve Roye

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I’ve always wanted to do standup comedy. I’m 16 now & I think now is a good time to start doing my own shows. Now I have no experience in it what so ever. I have nothing written down or anything but I do have ideas. If there is anyone with great experience with standup comedy I would really apreciate the help. thanks.

By: Darryl

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