Do any of you go to see stand up comedy? (1 Viewer)

[Scott Hayes]

This is why I ask; I love to make people laugh, but I am not good at the type of comedy you see at clubs. These everyday observances and anecdotes about life and how one was brought up are hysterical but I cant come up with stuff like that. What I am good at is telling joke. I can make people laugh at the dummest jokes, its all in how you tell them. Its too the point that everyone I know is trying to get me onstage at the open mike nights at the comedy clubs, but I am not sure the public would enjoy someone telling jokes that you could look up on the web and find. I may still try it and see what happens but i want input from people who dont really know me. (I am goofy anyway my friends are biased because of that ).
What do you think? would you sit and watch someone tell jokes?

 

[Paul Jenkins]

Scott, IMHO that is all comedians do, sit on stage and tell jokes. If you want to practice and get our real opinion, why don't you record yourself telling some jokes and put the sound clip on the web so we can download it and give you our honest opinion?

 

[Randy Tennison]

Scott,
You sound alot like me, several years ago. I now perform with an improv comedy group (ala Whose Line) in Kansas City. www.comedycity.cc You might see if there is a group near you, and take some classes. It's a lot of fun.
The first thing they will teach you is often confusing. They will teach you to try not to be funny, or goofy. They will teach you to be real. They will teach you teamwork, trust, and acceptance of ideas (not bad things to learn for your job, as well). Then, hopefully, you can learn to perform with the group. That is truly fun!
I prefer improv to stand-up. You are not alone. You are on stage with people you trust to save your butt if you are dying. It's a tremendous stress reliever, and it gives me my "hey, look at me!" fix each evening. Plus, a little money in the pocket, a nice tax deduction (for second job), and, most importantly, it gave me a whole new set of friends.
Take a look at www.yesand.com or www.comedysportz.com for information on improv groups near you. Have fun.

 

[Mike Broadman]

If you're not writing your own material, don't do stand up.

Stand-up comedy is one of those things that looks incredibly easy- you just get up there and tell some jokes, right? Well, no. It's all about communication. You may come up with a hilarious idea, but it might not work right when you tell it to an audience.

There really is no sense comparing it to improv- two totally different things. In improv, you have something else to work off of: other people. They are providing you with "material" constantly. The challenges lies in reacting with good timing without planning. In stand-up, you already have material, but you have to build up a comedic atmosphere and engage your audience with nothing but your voice.

I, too, am considered very funny by my friends (though I'm probably boring on message boards). I'm definitely one of those life-of-the-party types of guys. But I know I'd never be able to just get up there with a mike and engage a strange audience.