I am a jester, a fool, and a clown. I get up on stage and play a character each night I perform. I enjoy the idea of getting a laugh from someone, no matter how cheap or how hard I worked for it. Being a comedian is a hobby or profession that has a series of pros and cons, no different than any other job. In a world with intense focus on comedy and comedians, it is astonishing how much many comedians are forced to defend themselves; worse, how much scrutiny is placed upon a comedian when they refuse to acknowledge old work that they have retired. With all the difficulty members of the comedy world face, whether on a local or national scale, here are a few things you should never tell or ask a comedian.
1. "You're a comedian? Tell me a joke!"
This is an adage that many comedians can attest to dealing with. Many comedians aren't typically "on," and that means we're not just going to break into our routine at the drop of a hat. Imagine for a moment, you tell someone you're a professional painter, and then they ask you to paint them something. You look at them, dumbfounded, that they would even ask, let alone assume you're just going to pull out some paint and some canvas and make up something on the spot. It is very much the same way for comedians. However, if you really want to hear a joke, go one of our upcoming shows or performances. Everyone wins; we get a butt in the seat and you get to hear us tell hilarious jokes.
2 "I don't like (insert joke here). You should change it/get rid of it."
As an audience member, I get it.
You go out to an open mic, comedy showcase, or what have you and you hear a joke that might trigger something in your mind that says, "that's not funny" or "how offensive." I've seen it plenty of times and I have had those thoughts. Sometimes, you hear a word or phrase and you grit your teeth and feel like something isn't right.
As a comedian, I also see when a joke I make doesn't go well. I make a mental note of it and move on. If the WHOLE room is against it, I try it again in a new room. If that new room HATES it, maybe it's a sign that the joke I wrote isn't good. Comedians know when a joke isn't good. If they don't know, they'll find out one of to ways: They keep finding at every performance the joke isn't working and they stop, OR their peers in the comedy will pull them aside and let them know.
We know we're going to ruffle feathers. We're just here to make people laugh and make people think. We gladly accept criticism, but if you're honestly hurt or worried about a joke, please don't heckle us or interrupt our set, meet with us after our show. For most comedians, we'll hang out after to meet people. That is the time to have a mature conversation about our work. You'll either learn about why we tell our joke or we'll learn why we shouldn't tell it anymore. Win win.
3. "Have you considered a real job?"
I'm going to square with you here; most comedians have jobs already. Comedy is typically our second/third/fourth job. We do comedy so that we can learn to get good enough that comedy becomes our ONLY job. Of the comedians I personally know, there are teachers, candle-makers, office workers, sales associates, restaurant staff, and more. Our end goal is for comedy to pay the bills and until then, we'll be doing jobs to support comedy until comedy does pay our bills.
4. "Comedy is so easy, I bet I could do what you do with my eyes closed."
The only thing easy about what we do is when someone does something stupid and the joke writes itself. There is some much to worry about as a comedian; we have to write countless jokes, understand our audience, read that audience, and make sure that what we say is true to our character and entertaining for our audience. There are tons of factors to consider when you perform anything and comedy is no different. Please don't assume what we do is easy.
5. "Comedy is so hard, I don't think I could ever do it."
I know what I just wrote, but at the same time, if you get the right start and find the right community, comedy can be the easiest thing. You're going to start going to more open mics and hanging out with funny people who want to see you succeed as much as you want to see them succeed. Like any other skill, it is something that as you surround yourself with like-minded people and you get more practice, you get better, and before you know it, BAM! You're funny.*
*some results may vary
