What is the secret of a successful comedian? How can I make wisecraking jokes at the drop of a hat, good lines and joke coming to me all the time, help me out here…
Practice and persistance.
Work up an act, find a comedy club with an open mic night and give it a shot. If they laugh, you’re onto something. If they don’t, revamp and try again. Repeat until your questions are answers.
Spend several nights in a local comedy club where you may perform. Get a feel for what works with that audience, in terms of both material and timing. Remember this is not a “concert” crowd, many show up in the hopes of seeing a new guy crash and burn. Don’t be intimidated, just prepared.
Give it a shot. You may have a few rough times on stage (everybody does), but the regret over never trying would be far worse.
Another pearl of wisdom:
“The world loves a bastard”
–Arnold Rimmer, “Red Dwarf”
The secret of all great comed–
TIMING !!
:)Watch acts at a local club. Make notes of what the touring comedians do. Try to meet them. My brother opened up for a comedian (Dave Cooperman. Funny guy, I’d recommend his act if you get the chance to see it.) his first time doing stand-up (as opposed to opening for a pianist, i guess), and went out with the guy for a few beers that night. He gave my brother great advise on how to start.
My brother started with maybe, 20 minutes of material. He would change the jokes he would use in a 7 minute set, until he figured which ones to use as his ‘A’ list material. Also, be ready for hecklers. Don’t use the ‘I have the Microphone’ speech from the Wedding Singer. Try to act like the heckler is just part of your act, and you wonder why it took so long for him to start shouting like a drunk moron. Be like Fonzie.
Good Luck!
Watch /rent stand up comedy.
Learn how to roll the subject from one thing into another freely.
Learn that your opening subject is, more than likely, your closing line.
Make fun of yourself and where you live.
*Always leave them wanting more *
I’m not claiming to be an expert, but I’ve been doing stand-up as my sole means of income for the last 9+ years.
You want to know A secret to comedy? ALWAYS be writing and re-writing. It’s been my experience that talking to someone in the industry helps. I originally showed my material to the stage manager o the local comedy club, who has seen countless comics both succeed and fail. I wasn’t asking him for jokes. But ways of rewording the connections I was making into ways that the audience would be able to follow, too. Never be afraid of failing. Nor of trying again.
Another quick tip: Many comics are unable to tell a joke. There’s a wonderfully funny guy name Ron Shock who canNOT tell a joke to save his life. But he has such a capacity for finding flaws in thigs, though. Quick example (and I’m not going to reprint his joke verbatim): Newspaper reported that a guy who was shot FOUR TIMES in the chest with a single-shot bolt-action rifle’s death was ruled, by police, a SUICIDE. His thought? After explaining the process of loading, aiming, and shooting this rifle ONCE, then having to repeat it: “Shooting yourself with a bolt-action rifle FOUR times requires a degree of determination that, frankly, I just do not possess.”
Don’t be afraid to fail. Tony Gwynn, retired baseball player, once said that, in his field “even the best of us fail 60% of the time.”
Most open-mike nights start a new person generally with just a little time. 3-5 minutes is kind of a standard. Trust me, it feels longer at first. As you get more experienced, that time can increase. Trust me, though…don’t expect to do 15-20 minutes on an open-mike night if you’ve never been there before.
Off-stage, many comics (myself NOT included) can be among the most serious, straight-laced people you can find. Many sit around together, discussing politics, world events, etc. But in a serious tone. Much like doctors and lawyers don’t like to practice “off the clock,” comics can be the same way.
Not that I’m qualified for anything, but I’ve been doing stand-up, as I said, or nine years. In that time, I’ve been hired by the odd city or two to perform for their different functions, including the city of Louisville, KY (where I live)'s mayoral New Years party a few years ago. I’ve had the honor of meeting George Carlin, and he asked me to give him a sample of my material when he heard that I was a comic. I was floored, but did so. I even said a joke that made him laugh out loud.
Oh, and how do you get to the Met? Practice.