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Have any of you tried your hand at stand up before?/Are/ were any of you working comics?

Petworth dude

Run PFG
Forum Clout
6,899
I tried it a few times years ago, mostly in my senior year of college and 2-3 years post grad. I wasn't terrible, and there is actually a pretty decent network of comics and venues in my area, but I was more interested in making excuses to not continue doing stand-up than actually commit to it. Here are a few of my excuses:
  • The time commitment can add up if you're doing open mic. When you're starting out, you're typically not able to perform until later in the show. That means for a show starting at 7pm, you might not find out that it's your turn to go up until 9pm or later. Plus, you still have to go to work the next day...
  • HR. I'll just leave it at that. This article summarizes what I'm worried about: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/01/09/reporter-comedian-fired-jokes/ I'm just very cautious by nature...developing a career is hard, and some things just aren't worth the risk.
I've been thinking about signing up again, but I have yet to move beyond making excuses.
 

TheGhostOfAbeVigoda

The Backbone of America
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113,777
My issue is absurdism is impossible to do to a group of strangers at a bar, or at least very very hard. It totally made me just look like an insane person.
I think this guy's issue is he always was funny in an absurd as fuck way but he's just doing like regular, reddity observational shit. He was one of my only friends who never drank or did drugs and he was fun as hell to hang out with because he'd just say off the wall shit that no one else would even be able to think of. He'd also do long form bits that would fly over everyone's head but mine. One time two other guys were talking about something like "are you sure?" "I'm positive" and then this dude was like "I'M NEGATIVE!" all angrily and then if anyone said anything to him for the next like 3 hours he'd just yell "NO!" at them and it just confused the shit out of them.
 
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10,710
I had a 5 minute joke about LSD and "magical faggots". I think it would be funny on a stream but irl it just tanked.
Take notes, brotherman. Its the CRAFT.

You gotta be topical and LOCAL. Start with people seeing themselves in YOUR shoes.

-So I was in traffic on I-95 and you wouldnt believe...

People gotta relate and say, hey I know where this guys coming from!
 

Turk February

Our experiences exceed yours.
Forum Clout
46,195
I played in a comedy band throughout high school and that was a lot easier cuz the punk rock clubs and house shows are a lot more accepting of just insane shit. I think I've told this story before but just to piss off the following act we once played the same song 13 times in a row totally fucking up the schedule and the audience was fine with it
 

EraGodless

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49,860
I forgot to add that there was a guy who used to post on the old OandA Reddit sub and he was really into open mics and he would go to the clubs in LA and shit. He used to post in the reddit standup sub, but that's basically inhabited by complete faggots nowadays-- it wasn't so bad in from 2013-2015. Trump broke that sub (and basically most of Reddit's brains). I haven't seen his handle in awhile (years- maybe 2020 or so). I think he might have migrated to the first forum that was made off of Reddit, but my memory is little shot right now.
 
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10,710
The biggest insult to comedy is the Greg Gutfeld show. Piece of shit actually gets decent ratings and it's the most unfunny try hard shit I've ever seen. I hate watch it sometimes because I can't believe how something can be so UNfunny.

Jim Norton is on all the time.
 

Jenna

move in silence like lasajna
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63,347
It's very cliquey and political. You can kill on stage, but it's more important afterwards to kiss the right asses. Look if some NBC exec wants me to jump through hoops and eat a cow's raw heart at an Illuminati meeting to get a sitcom, I'm munching down.

But having to "pay respect" to some "veteran" still showing up at open mics and small gigs to big fish everyone, then drive them home from the gig? Then all the other dumb homework you have to do apart from writing jokes and speaking them on stage. Oh Jenna, you simply must start a twitter account where you tweet whatever randumb thoughts pop into your brain at all times, did you hear they're developing Shit My Dad Says into a sitcom?

To make everything into a pro wrestling analogy, it's like Disco Inferno and Buff Bagwell losing their shit because the current NXT up-and-comers aren't paying them enough respect. Like yeah Bob Levy, I know who you are and how long you've been in "the biz" but I'm not gonna kiss your ring and act like you're Seinfeld.
 

DominusOdium

Well, somebody had to be.
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36,402
I once got booked for a half hour headliner set in a new comedy club at a frat house on the University of Buffalo, south campus.

I made 100 dollars, plus 5 dollars for every ticket sold.
 
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