Tag: Comedy

Comedy is Social Lubricant

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Ever crack a joke and feel the tension in the room dissolve? It’s like magic. The worst days can be turned around with a laugh. The grumpiest person can light up through humor. The most serious business meeting can shift to a friendlier tone. Comedy disarms people—but how?

Comedy Breaks Down Barriers

Humor softens the rigidity of serious situations and difficult conversations. Laughter signals openness and a willingness to engage, making it easier to connect with others. Comedy is fundamentally vulnerable—it’s an attempt to relate to someone, to reach out. When we laugh, we accept that connection, sharing an experience that transcends language barriers and sometimes even species.

Comedy Reduces Tension

Jokes naturally build tension and then release it. A well-timed punchline can trick the mind into letting go of stress. Physiologically, laughter releases endorphins, the body’s natural “feel-good” chemicals, which help relax both body and mind. There’s a therapeutic effect to comedy—it resets emotions, provides relief, and helps us regain perspective.

Comedy Creates Connection

Humor relies on common experiences and shared truths, which bring people together. When we laugh at the same joke, we recognize a shared perspective, fostering a sense of camaraderie. This makes comedy a powerful tool in conflicts and negotiations, as it establishes common ground and diffuses hostility. People who use humor are often perceived as more likable and approachable, making them more persuasive and effective communicators.

Comedy Challenges Ideas Without Confrontation

Humor allows people to address difficult topics in a way that feels less threatening. It shifts the emotional tone of a discussion, giving people the space to consider different viewpoints without immediately becoming defensive. By making people laugh, comedians can highlight uncomfortable truths in a way that encourages reflection rather than resistance.

In social and political commentary, satire uses humor to challenge norms and expose absurdities without direct confrontation. In this way, comedy captures attention, engages audiences, and makes challenging ideas more digestible. When the laughter fades, the underlying message lingers.

Comedy as a Tool for Influence

Even at a young age, humor can help defuse confrontation with a bully or get you out of trouble with your parents. The best public speakers use jokes to win over audiences, making them more receptive to their message. Comedy has long been used as social commentary, revealing the absurdities of social and political issues in a way that resonates.

More people should recognize the power of comedy—not just as entertainment, but as a tool to repair relationships, build connections, communicate ideas, and educate others.

Stand-up Comedy and Public Speaking

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All stand-up comedians are public speakers, but not all public speakers are comedians. However, some of the best stand-up comedians are also the best public speakers, and some of the best public speakers use comedy. While stand-up comedy is a distinct form of public speaking, it shares many convergent skills with traditional public speaking. Understanding this relationship reveals how comedy enhances communication, persuasion, and audience engagement.

The Intersection of Public Speaking and Comedy

Public speaking is a broad discipline, traditionally centered on conveying knowledge, arguments, or messages to an audience. However, it can be tailored to different environments:

  • Political speeches aim to gain support (e.g., conventions, rallies).
  • Legal presentations focus on persuasion (e.g., a lawyer in court).
  • Educational lectures seek to convey ideas (e.g., a professor in a classroom).
  • Stand-up comedy, in many ways, combines all of these elements—comedians must not only entertain but also educate, persuade, and engage their audiences.

This means that mastering public speaking skills is essential for stand-up comedians, but the way they apply those skills differs from traditional speakers.

Key Public Speaking Skills in Stand-Up Comedy

1. Audience Control and Engagement

A crucial skill for both public speakers and comedians is the ability to read and control an audience. Comedians must be able to:

  • Gauge audience reactions—facial expressions, laughter, gasps, clapping, or sighs provide feedback.
  • Adapt in real-time—if a joke isn’t landing, they need to pivot, improvise, or shift energy.
  • Manipulate audience emotions—skilled comedians can build tension, release it, or redirect energy to keep engagement high.

Public speakers use similar techniques, whether rallying a crowd, persuading a jury, or keeping students engaged in a lecture. The ability to read a room and adjust accordingly is a shared skill between great public speakers and great comedians.

2. Delivery and Stage Presence

Clear, articulate delivery is another shared skill. A comedian’s ability to pace their set, control timing, and emphasize key moments mirrors the techniques of powerful public speakers.

  • Stage presence matters—how one moves, gestures, and postures affects audience perception.
  • Confidence on stage is key—even when bombing, a comedian must stay composed.
  • Natural delivery takes practice—whether delivering a joke or a speech, the content should feel spontaneous yet refined.

Even if someone isn’t a traditionally polished speaker, they can still succeed as a comedian by leaning into their unique style and persona.

3. Content Structuring and Narrative Flow

The structure of a performance is just as important as its delivery. Great public speaking—and great comedy—follows a clear arc:

  1. A strong opening—grabbing attention immediately.
  2. Building momentum—using anecdotes, rhetorical techniques, or callbacks.
  3. A powerful closing—leaving a lasting impression.

Storytelling is a powerful rhetorical tool in both comedy and public speaking. Personal anecdotes create relatability and engagement while serving as a vehicle for humor, lessons, or deeper ideas.

Both comedians and public speakers must constantly refine their material, cutting weaker sections, amplifying strong moments, and improvising when necessary.

Do You Have to Be a Good Public Speaker to Be a Good Comedian?

Yes and no. While stand-up requires many of the same skills as public speaking, you don’t have to fit the traditional mold of a “good public speaker” to be a successful comedian.

Public speaking skills give comedians more tools, but the ultimate goal in stand-up is to make people laugh—not necessarily to sound polished or persuasive. Some comedians thrive with awkward, deadpan, or unconventional delivery that might not work in a corporate speech but resonates in a comedy club.

At the end of the day, comedy and public speaking share many skills, but stand-up has a different metric for success: laughter.

Philosophy of Bo Burnham

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Bo Burnham’s comedy uniquely explores contemporary life, merging humor, music, and introspection to confront deep philosophical themes. Unlike traditional stand-up, his work blends theater, music, and poetry, offering a layered critique on identity, mental health, and the digital age. By dissecting his performances, we uncover Burnham’s engagement with philosophical concepts that invite audiences to examine the nature of performance, authenticity, and existence in an increasingly mediated world.

One of Burnham’s defining traits is his use of meta-comedy, turning the spotlight on comedy itself. This reflexive approach aligns with postmodernism, which rejects objective truths and embraces irony, questioning representation. Burnham frequently breaks the fourth wall, reminding audiences of the constructed nature of his performances. In doing so, he critiques the entertainment industry’s demand for polished authenticity, where performers must be both relatable and extraordinary. His emphasis on artifice resonates with Jean Baudrillard’s concept of hyperreality, where the line between performance and reality blurs, suggesting that modern life consists of constructed narratives.

Burnham’s work frequently explores authenticity, both personal and artistic. His struggle to reconcile his public persona with his private self aligns with existentialist philosophy, particularly the ideas of Jean-Paul Sartre and Søren Kierkegaard. He embodies the existential conflict of being both creator and product, navigating the pressures of celebrity while striving for individuality. Elements of absurdism pervade his comedy, using surreal skits, abrupt tonal shifts, and narrative subversions to provoke existential contemplation. His work echoes Albert Camus’s notion of the absurd, suggesting that life’s lack of inherent meaning makes the search for purpose distinctly human. Through this lens, Burnham invites audiences to embrace life’s contradictions and unpredictability as fundamental aspects of the human experience.

A recurring theme in Burnham’s work is his critique of technology and its influence on self-perception and mental health. Echoing media theorists like Marshall McLuhan, he examines how digital platforms shape and distort human interaction. McLuhan’s assertion that “the medium is the message” applies well here, as Burnham showcases how social media doesn’t merely facilitate communication but fundamentally alters our perception of reality. He portrays the internet as both an endless source of information and a consuming force that erodes genuine well-being. His commentary on hyper-connectivity highlights how the boundaries between online consumption and reality become indistinguishable, reflecting concerns about the technological sublime—an awe-filled yet unsettling surrender to technology’s dominance in modern life.

Burnham’s openness about anxiety and depression extends beyond self-disclosure, prompting broader reflection on the human search for meaning amid suffering. His work resonates with existentialist ideas, particularly Camus’s argument that life’s absurdity compels individuals to create their own meaning. Burnham’s humor often embodies this existential predicament, where performance serves as both refuge and burden. Across his work, he wrestles with the paradox of seeking connection through performance while feeling fundamentally isolated, echoing existential themes of loneliness and vulnerability. His comedy draws attention to the mental toll of relentless self-performance, offering a lens through which audiences can reflect on the universal need for connection in an increasingly individualistic society.

Irony and satire play central roles in Burnham’s comedic style, entertaining while provoking critical thought. By exaggerating common scenarios and critiquing societal values, he exposes the absurdity of everyday life. His satirical pieces on the commodification of creativity reveal how fame and art are often conflated, reducing genuine expression to marketable content. This critique aligns with Socratic irony and the Frankfurt School’s approach to cultural critique, where irony reveals contradictions and hidden assumptions in social norms.

Burnham also questions the role and responsibility of the artist in society, raising concerns about the ethical demands of entertainment. He stages technical mishaps and scripted audience interactions to highlight the fragility of the performer-audience relationship. Dramatic lighting shifts and intensified sound, followed by self-deprecating humor, emphasize the tension between audience expectations and the performer’s emotional reality. His meta-comedic style critiques the high expectations placed on entertainers, reflecting on how performance often conceals as much as it reveals.

Robert Pickering Burnham, born August 21, 1990, started making YouTube videos at 16, rising to fame through self-produced comedic pieces. By blending humor with existential themes, Burnham challenges audiences to reflect on identity, authenticity, and technology’s impact on human experience. His work is more than comedy—it is an introspective exploration of what it means to exist in a world increasingly shaped by performance.

Becoming a Professional Comedian

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Stand-up comedy is a distinctive art form where a single performer captivates an audience through humor, storytelling, and often poignant social commentary. Over the years, it has evolved from informal storytelling traditions to a structured and influential profession. This evolution reflects not only changes in entertainment but also shifts in societal norms and values. The journey of stand-up comedy offers deep insights into the dedication required by comedians and the myriad challenges they face in an ever-changing cultural landscape.

Historical Context and Global Evolution

The roots of stand-up comedy can be traced back to ancient civilizations where jesters and storytellers entertained courts and communities with humor and satire. In the modern sense, stand-up comedy began to take shape in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the United States, vaudeville theaters became popular venues for comedic acts, where performers would deliver monologues filled with jokes, anecdotes, and observations.

The post-World War II era saw a significant transformation in stand-up comedy, with the rise of nightclub circuits and the influence of television. Comedians began to tackle more provocative subjects, reflecting societal changes and the push for civil rights. Globally, stand-up comedy started gaining traction in countries like the United Kingdom, where the “alternative comedy” movement of the 1980s challenged traditional comedic norms by incorporating political satire and personal narratives.

Today, stand-up comedy is a global phenomenon, with thriving scenes in countries such as India, South Africa, and Australia. The advent of the internet and streaming platforms has further expanded its reach, allowing comedians to connect with international audiences like never before.

Economic Landscape of the Comedy Industry

As a significant segment of the entertainment industry, stand-up comedy contributes substantially to the global economy. According to industry reports, as of 2021, the global comedy market was estimated to be worth over $10 billion, with stand-up comedy accounting for a significant portion of this revenue. This includes earnings from live performances, television specials, streaming services, merchandise, and ancillary rights.

Comedy festivals, such as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival, play a crucial role in the industry’s economy. These events attract thousands of visitors and generate significant income through ticket sales, tourism, and sponsorships. The economic impact of these festivals extends beyond the comedians themselves, benefiting local businesses and contributing to the cultural capital of host cities.

The Crucible of Open Mic Nights

For aspiring comedians, open mic nights are the foundational training grounds where they begin to craft their art. These events provide a low-pressure environment to test new material, develop timing, and build stage presence. Open mic nights are ubiquitous in major cities and have become integral to the comedy ecosystem.

Participating in open mic nights allows comedians to receive immediate feedback from live audiences, an essential component in refining comedic material. Moreover, these venues foster a sense of community among performers. Networking at open mic events can lead to collaborations, mentorships, and opportunities to perform at more prominent venues.

Cities renowned for their vibrant comedy scenes—such as New York City, London, and Melbourne—offer a plethora of open mic opportunities. These urban centers are often seen as hubs where comedians can immerse themselves in diverse comedic styles and cultural influences, accelerating their growth and exposure.

Ascending the Ranks: From Local Gigs to Global Platforms

Once comedians have honed their skills at open mic nights, the next step often involves securing paid gigs at local comedy clubs. Performing regularly helps comedians build a local following and gain the attention of industry professionals. Success at this level can lead to opening acts for established comedians, participation in comedy festivals, and appearances on radio and television programs.

The digital age has introduced new platforms for comedians to showcase their talent. Social media, podcasts, and video-sharing websites allow comedians to reach global audiences without traditional gatekeepers. Viral videos and popular podcasts have catapulted some comedians to fame, demonstrating the power of digital media in shaping modern comedic careers.

Television networks and streaming services have also become pivotal in elevating comedians to headlining status. Comedy specials on platforms like Netflix, HBO, and Amazon Prime provide widespread exposure and can be instrumental in establishing a national or international presence. These specials not only boost a comedian’s profile but also contribute significantly to their financial success.

Challenges and Realities of the Comedy Profession

Despite the potential for success, the path of a stand-up comedian is fraught with challenges. The industry is highly competitive, and the subjective nature of humor means that what resonates with one audience may fall flat with another. Many comedians face years of financial instability, performing for minimal compensation while trying to gain recognition.

Mental health is another significant concern within the comedy community. The pressures of constant travel, performance anxiety, and the demand to consistently produce fresh material can take a toll on comedians’ well-being. The industry has begun to acknowledge these issues, with increased dialogue around mental health support and resources for performers.

Survivorship bias further complicates perceptions of the comedy profession. The visibility of successful comedians can create an illusion that success is more attainable than it is, overshadowing the countless individuals who struggle to make a sustainable living from comedy. This bias can lead to underestimating the dedication and resilience required to succeed in the field.

Cultural Impact and Philosophical Dimensions

Stand-up comedy holds a mirror to society, reflecting and often challenging cultural norms and values. Comedians have the unique ability to address sensitive topics such as politics, race, gender, and religion through the lens of humor, making difficult conversations more approachable. This role as a social commentator carries both influence and responsibility.

The philosophical underpinnings of stand-up comedy involve exploring the human condition, questioning societal constructs, and delving into personal experiences. Through storytelling and satire, comedians can provoke thought, inspire change, and foster a sense of shared humanity among diverse audiences.

Moreover, comedy serves as a form of catharsis, both for the performer and the audience. Laughter can break down barriers, ease tensions, and create communal experiences that transcend individual differences. The comedian’s journey is thus not only a professional endeavor but also a profound personal exploration.

The profession of stand-up comedy is a complex tapestry of artistic expression, cultural commentary, and entrepreneurial spirit. It demands unwavering dedication, resilience in the face of adversity, and a relentless pursuit of authenticity. While the journey is undeniably challenging and the path to success uncertain, the rewards extend beyond fame or financial gain.

For many comedians, the true fulfillment comes from the ability to connect with audiences, share unique perspectives, and contribute to the collective conversation on what it means to be human. Stand-up comedy remains a vital and dynamic art form that continues to evolve, reflecting the ever-changing landscape of society and the enduring power of humor to unite and enlighten.

The Philosophy of Comedy: Louis C.K.

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Despite his controversies, Louis CK is a talented comedian and we can separate the art from the artist, and take a closer look at why people find Louis CK funny. We will deconstruct Louis CK’s technique and understand what about his comedy resonates with some people so deeply.

Louis CK’s long career in comedy allowed him to develop the fundamental techniques of comedy. Like a boxer mastering the basic techniques, he has excellent delivery, timing, and rhythm. He has in his comedy toolbox all the tools of controlling his volume, using gestures, faces, and impressions. His casual method of conversational delivery is intentional and creates an intimacy with the audience to be vulgar. He is very conscious of how the audience would react to his performances and his words and expressions are fastidiously chosen.

Arguably, where he excels is his ability to write and tell a story, and he uses the tools he has accumulated throughout his career to highlight his storytelling. His storytelling ability is authentic to the point of absurdity. He is honest about everything in life: his dark thoughts, his experiences, his shame and embarrassment. The fact that he would share these self-deprecating authenticity make his persona on stage almost surreal. It is shocking yet familiar; it is intriguing because it is so weird. It is like a painting by surrealist Salvador Dali; it defies typical convention and finds beauty in the unexpected and uncanny.

The ethos, the distinguishing character of Louis CK is like that of a sad clown. In his TV series, Louie, we see the embodiment of Louis’ stage persona in everyday life. We see the tragedies of life, the social faux pas, and the way he sees the world as a hopeless balding fat man just trying to survive. In a world that is so difficult, we like and find the sad clown charming. His vulnerability and shame is the pound of flesh  he pays to the audience so that he can explore such difficult topics.

We’ve covered briefly the form of Louis’ comedy, let’s expand on his content. He discusses topics that frustrate, depress, and intrigue him: race, sex, politics, observation of human behavior, awkwardness, self-deprecation, or the mundane in his own life. Sometimes they are just banal topics he finds amusing that he dresses up in his vulgar style.

He presents a distinct philosophical worldview that subvert social norms and expectations, while at the same time acknowledging the cultural context and shared knowledge or experience. This is the key to what makes his material relatable. In order to subvert social norms, you have to have a mastery of it and know exactly where the edges are. This mastery is like a mirror of society, presenting what is appropriate, accepted, and odd. It tests the limits masterfully, or according to Jerry Seinfeld, Louis CK tap dances around laser beams.

Some jokes are just jokes, but other jokes cut to the core of the human experience. There is an educational quality to some jokes; for Louis, the education is a kind of existential lesson in absurdism and humanism. A common theme is a lack of the sacred, the resultant apathy, and the fight to find meaning in the world through relationships, parenting, or positive contributions to the world. This approach creates a subtle critique against pretentiousness,  inauthenticity, and intellectual laziness. It provides a raw, ironic honesty like a classic court Jester.

The question is whether to separate art from the artist. For many, the revelation of an artist’s misconduct can fundamentally alter how their work is perceived and enjoyed. What was once a source of entertainment or inspiration may become tainted. Some argue that continuing to consume and support the work of problematic artists can indirectly endorse or normalize their behavior. This viewpoint suggests that there is a moral imperative to withdraw support from artists who have engaged in harmful actions, even if it means forgoing their artistic contributions.

Those who advocate for separating art from the artist often argue that certain creative works possess inherent value that transcends the personal failings of their creators. They contend that art, once released into the world, takes on a life of its own and can be appreciated independently of its creator’s actions. This perspective suggests that denying oneself the experience of powerful or influential art due to the artist’s misdeeds may be unnecessarily limiting.

Ultimately, the decision to separate art from the artist remains a deeply personal one. While some may find it possible to appreciate art independently of its creator’s personal failings, others may feel that ethical considerations or the inextricable link between an artist and their work make such separation problematic or impossible.

The Philosophy of Comedy: how to tell a funny joke

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Intro

You think of a joke. You muster up the courage to say it. You delivered the punchline—you expect everybody to laugh—instead, there’s silence. It’s a terrifying, gut-wrenching feeling. Let’s see why some jokes fail and what makes something unfunny.

Poor delivery

Delivery is half the battle and a large part of what separates professional comedians from everyone else: you have to commit to your joke. It’s not easy to get over the nerves and tell jokes confidently with the self-conscious gaze of an audience. The illusion of performance is establishing a particular character or persona, and fully committing to that role. Breaking character disrupts the illusion, and this can happen from being hesitant or stumbling over one’s words. There is a flow and rhythm to every performance, and this is crucial to the delivery of a punchline.

The professional comedian’s delivery is one of the skills that are honed, and mainly through repetition and exposure. Often, this is achieved by brute force and spending lots of time on stage to make the contrived environment of being in front of a stage feel natural. The purpose is to overcome the barriers of nervousness and build confidence in telling a joke. Another effect of this is slowly developing a comedic voice, or a persona, or an ethos, or character from which the joke is delivered. This can be deadpan, over-the-top, blue-collar, or any exaggerated way of conveying a joke. This can be a mask to slip into on stage to deliver your jokes.

Remember, the delivery of a joke can be awkward and still work, as long as it’s consistent with the personality of the comedian. This is where authenticity comes in. The audience is well aware if you’re being disingenuous or nervous, like a key that is flat or playing the wrong note. It is the general ethos of the comedian or who they are as a character. It disrupts the entire flow and momentum of the relationship between the comedian and the audience. 

Poor joke structure

With good delivery, good will can get you some polite laughs even if the joke is not that great. But not for truly terrible jokes or hacky material. You’ll get some groans, or the failure may ruin your ethos or trust that you built with the audience.

A joke must build up a certain tension—sometimes called a set-up—and there must be a payoff—the punchline. There are a number of theories about the structure of what exactly makes a joke funny. But jokes aren’t made in isolation.

Jokes are tested in front of audiences. Like a focus group for market research, you want to test your joke in front of as many different audience demographics as possible to ensure that it works. A joke that is universally funny is rare. As such, creating and testing a joke is a long iterative process. Practice makes perfect. Comedians tell the same joke every night, and you might notice similarly that social butterflies recycle the same funny story with slight modifications. They might change a part that doesn’t work, cut out some of the wording, or add in a tag line to make it funnier.

Poor audience

The majority of the time, it’s not the audiences’ fault if a joke fails because it’s poorly structured or badly delivered. But sometimes you have genuinely bad or hostile audiences. 

For everyday scenarios, we have to look for opportunities to fit a joke in. Unlike professional comedians who create a world on a stage, in a comedy club, in front of lights, and a seated audience, our day-to-day world is often not conducive to comedic bits. Jokes can fail because it does not fit the environment.

It’s an important skill to read the room. Comedians can quickly assess which kinds of jokes work for the audience by listening to the receptiveness of the jokes. For example, you probably shouldn’t tell vulgar jokes at a work meeting. You can even tell certain jokes in certain ways to change the mood in the room and win over a crowd. Jokes are powerful.

Conclusion

People spend their entire lives mastering comedy. The feeling of bombing before a crowd, the awkward silence after cracking a joke, or eliciting no or the wrong reaction from someone can be one of the worst feelings in the world. But there’s something noble about it. You took a risk and you failed. You made the attempt. You will get better.

Types of Jokes

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Non-sequitur

It does not follow. Non-sequiturs are one of the most common type of joke. They rely on setting up an expectation and going in another direction. That shock and relief from the misdirection makes the funny.

Blue

Blue or risqué jokes are vulgar, dark, or morbid, and are often associated with non-sequiturs as they are often used for a shock value. Sometimes comedians are described as “blue” but it’s more useful to describe their jokes as blue. Not every single joke from a comedian is blue, although some say the failure to work clean or even one vulgar word or statement taints the entire set (and the comedian is therefore labelled as blue).

Hyperbolic

Hyperbolic jokes or exaggerations are about extremes to ridiculous proportions. It sparks an imagination of an absurd scenario that is funny, creates a caricature of reality, or mocks in a way that highlights some odd feature. The exaggeration is a game that the audience is in on.

Ironic 

Ironic jokes rely on mocking and the audience knowing it. There can be an underlying critique, like satire or parody, or it can be character-based or have some sort of message. It subverts expectation and breaks what is typical of reality.

Wordplay

Wordplay is another common joke form. It relies on colorful metaphors, analogies, or double-entendres. The classic pun, that relies on different meanings of a word, is a common example. Others rely on missing information, broken assumptions, or other linguistic play.

Self-deprecating

Self-deprecating jokes rely on the comic putting themselves down and embracing humiliation. But this builds a rapport with the audience. They are laughing with you because you humbled yourself and put yourself down. There is a connection with the audience built.

Esoteric

Esoteric jokes rely on some privileged knowledge or nuance. Part of the humor is that you are in the know and in the club and understand the joke. It can be pretentious or highbrow, but it can also be in virtue of a loyal fanbase. Fans of a particular comic can know certain things about that comic that others do not, like a good friend, and that itself can be funny.

Surreal

Surreal jokes or self-referential jokes transcend common sense or norms, and it is often absurd and outrageous. They can be difficult to execute because it is difficult to get the audience onboard. They can be meta or self-referential jokes (a “call back), or they can mock and break the traditional joke form and that itself can be funny.

Physical

Physical humor is the most natural form of humor. Children are primitively in tune with this form of humor and it relies on bodily gestures, volume, and facial expressions. It conveys and universal language and communicates a message to everybody. More sophisticated forms have nuanced expressions within contexts as a further form of communication or it can even create imagery through impressions or acting.

How to tell a good joke

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Intro

You think of a joke. You muster up the courage to say it. You delivered the punchline—you expect everybody to laugh—instead, there’s silence. It’s a terrifying, gut-wrenching feeling.

Let’s see why some jokes fail and what makes something unfunny.

Poor delivery

Delivery is half the battle and a large part of what separates professional comedians from everyone else: you have to commit to your joke. It’s not easy to get over the nerves and tell jokes confidently with the self-conscious gaze of an audience. The illusion of performance is establishing a particular character or persona, and fully committing to that role. Breaking character disrupts the illusion, and this can happen from being hesitant or stumbling over one’s words. There is a flow and rhythm to every performance, and this is crucial to the delivery of a punchline.

The professional comedian’s delivery is one of the skills that are honed, and mainly through repetition and exposure. Often, this is achieved by brute force and spending lots of time on stage to make the contrived environment of being in front of a stage feel natural. The purpose is to overcome the barriers of nervousness and build confidence in telling a joke. Another effect of this is slowly developing a comedic voice, or a persona, or an ethos, or a character from which the joke is delivered. This can be deadpan, over-the-top, blue-collar, or any exaggerated way of conveying a joke.

Remember, the delivery of a joke can be awkward and still work, as long as it’s consistent with the personality of the comedian. This is where authenticity comes in. The audience is well aware if you’re being disingenuous or nervous, like a key that is flat or playing the wrong note. It disrupts the entire flow and momentum of the relationship between the comedian and the audience. 

Poor joke structure

With good delivery, goodwill can get you some polite laughs even if the joke is not that great. But not for truly terrible jokes or hacky material. You’ll get some groans or the failure may ruin your ethos or trust that you built with the audience.

A joke must build up a certain tension—sometimes called a set-up—and there must be a payoff—the punchline. There are a number of theories about the structure of what exactly makes a joke funny. But jokes aren’t made in isolation.

Jokes are tested in front of audiences. Like a focus group, you want to test your joke in front of as many different audience demographics as possible to ensure that it works. A joke that is universally funny is rare. As such, creating and testing a joke is a long iterative process. Practice makes perfect. Comedians tell the same joke every night, and you might notice that social butterflies recycle the same funny story with slight modifications. They might change a part that doesn’t work, cut out some of the wording, or add in a tagline to make it funnier.

Poor audience  

The majority of the time, it’s not the audiences’ fault if a joke fails because it’s poorly structured or badly delivered. But sometimes you have genuinely bad or hostile audiences.  

For everyday scenarios, we have to look for opportunities to fit a joke in. Unlike professional comedians who create a world on a stage, in a comedy club, in front of lights and a seated audience, our day-to-day world is often not conducive to comedic bits. Jokes can fail because it does not fit the environment.

It’s an important skill to read the room. Comedians can quickly assess which kinds of jokes work for the audience by listening to the receptiveness of the jokes. What is the emotion of the audience? For example, you probably shouldn’t tell vulgar jokes at a work meeting.

Conclusion

People spend their entire lives mastering comedy. The feeling of bombing before a crowd, the awkward silence after cracking a joke, or eliciting no or the wrong reaction from someone can be one of the worst feelings in the world. But there’s something noble about it. You took a risk and you failed. You made the attempt. You will get better.

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Craig Ferguson: the Professional Unprofessional

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Craig Ferguson is unpretentious. Why use an adjective in the negative to describe him? Why not say “authentic,” “humble,” or “genuine?” He’s certainly all those things, but I want to emphasize the point that he defies the norms of late-night television, and deliberately trims all the neat lacing of an outward television persona. Another post might look closely at the form of his show in general: the absurd elements and what makes the show so special. Here, instead, I want to focus on the person, Craig Ferguson, and abstract away to the idea of being unpretentious.

We can draw a connection to being unpretentious in our own lives: our professional sides, and the double life we lead in the professional world. We change the way to speak, act, and show ourselves in order to present our professional selves in the best light. Television hosts must do the same, but, for Craig Ferguson, his approach, particularly with his guests, is to be unpretentious and instead just focus on building a relationship with his guest. Unlike other talk shows, his guest is not merely a client promoting their project in exchange for more viewers, nor is his guest subject to the host’s particular TV persona.

Craig Ferguson is essentially relation: he shifts the focus to the other and is empathetic to the point of forgetting to worry about how he looks and how he comes off to the gaze of the audience. The relationship he builds with the guest is the performance. The key to making the conversation with his guests interesting is that he’s genuinely interested in his guest. He asks engaging questions that are not superficial. It can get intimate, inappropriate, or indecent – all the things you’re not supposed to do in the professional world – but it is interesting.

Professional relationships are superficial and risk adverse, and thereby mostly uninteresting. As a professional, you cannot get intimate because it risks offending the other party or creating an uncomfortable environment: all elements that are not conducive to business, transactions, or a work relationship. Even the jokes in a professional context are sterile, forced, and disingenuous. The professional world is so concerned with optics, maintaining power, and looking competent that it creates an air of pretention and self-aggrandizement. Put differently, it’s about selling an image instead of meaningful interactions. There are boundaries to stay within because it is the superficial where we can all comfortably interact – this universality of professionalism, from the lens of comedy, is trite and hackneyed.

Notice how Craig Ferguson shifts all the attention and focus to the guest instead of trying to focus on maintaining his professional façade. He is free from boundaries, and he is free to explore all the uncomfortable areas for humor and an interesting conversation. He might end up looking foolish, incompetent, or weak, but this is the risk he takes in being unpretentious.

Comedy Case Study: Bill Burr

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Bill Burr is not for everybody, but here I’m hoping to shed light on why you should appreciate him a little bit more. He has gained some mainstream success in the last decade – for his roles in Breaking Bad, F is for Family, and his Monday Morning Podcast. He is sometimes described as a “comedian’s comedian,” meaning he’s acquired the respect by his peers for his comedic technique and craft. Let’s take a closer look at the kinds of techniques he employs and executes as a comedian.

First: a brief background. Bill Burr attributes his comedic technique to his tenure at the Comedy Cellar, a comedy club in Manhattan where many of the top New York comedians gathered. Here, he claimed, his fellow comedians (like Kevin Hart, Patrice O’Neal, Jim Norton, Rich Vos) harshly critiqued each other for hackneyed and cliché material – making each other sharper and better comedians – like a sort of peer review process. Moreover, Bill Burr performed all over America for a variety of crowds, and this made him into the comedian he is today.

Next: comedic style or comedic voice. The first impression you’d probably get is an angry Bostonian – the typical, dummy bro-dude with a fed-up, old man energy. He rants about a variety of subjects, including sports, relationships, and politics. Notably, he is honest and genuine, and he explores topics he is interested in or passionate about. This ethos of anger and authenticity is something we can all relate to.

Now, most importantly: comedic technique. Let us put aside the general principles of comedy (for now) and focus on what Bill Burr does really well. He can manipulate the audience’s emotions and reactions – first you’re against him and then you’re with him all the way.

More specifically, Bill Burr starts with a ridiculous or controversial premise that gets everybody’s attention – he creates and builds up tension. The audience is uncomfortable and wondering what will happen next. Next, he explains in an exaggerated or self-deprecating way (admitting his ignorance), and the audience joins in on the absurdity and they’re back on his side. He keeps pushing (adding tags), and the audience relates to his perspective and connects with his humor. First the crowd is against him, and then he triumphantly gets them on his side; rinse and repeat. He’s playing tug-of-way with the audience, the up and down, like a roller-coaster, making for a fun and entertaining ride.

What makes Bill Burr so special is that under all the sarcasm and mocking is a unique message. He has a specific point of view which he draws from instead of some vacuous cynicism, and you get to see the world from his perspective. Authors, musicians, movie writers, and Youtubers all try to communicate their point of view and how they see the world. Bill Burr effectively conveys his anger, confusion, and bitterness towards the subjects he covers. Even if you don’t agree with him, even if you know his facts are off, you see where he’s coming from and you empathize and connect with him. In this, he challenges you, changes you slightly, and gives you a new way to looking at the same old subject.