How to Be a Comedian: Listen to Successful Comics

If you're thinking of jumping on stage and becoming a comedian, you should! There are lots of open mics in Sacramento and Placer in 2019. In fact, we have two open mics every week at Blacktop Comedy. While you have plenty of opportunities to get on stage, you might also be wondering, "how to become a comedian"? It's a great question, and every comics path is different but it begins at the same point. 

One-Step Stand-Up Process

There's not a seven-step process to becoming a comedian, a five-step process, or even a two-step process. There's one step.  It all starts with desire. Desire to make people laugh and share your thoughts with an audience. Feel that desire, listen to that voice, trust your instinct, and do it. Just do it. That's the step.

Are you scoffing? Rolling your eyes?” Muttering, "Great. Thanks, Paul for that inspirational pep talk. Got it. Do it? What wisdom!"

I understand. It does sound simple, but it's true. Getting on stage for the first time is a monumental challenge. It can be the hardest part. Personally, I waited 4 years before I had the courage to step onstage. Yikes. Don't do that! Believe me. I regret waiting.

Let's pretend you did it! Congratulations! You made people laugh, or maybe you made no one laugh….  but you still gave it a shot and that counts for everything! The second time is easier. And, believe me, you’ll probably want to get back up there. Did you feel that rush of endorphins onstage? It’s addictive.

How to Become Great

Now comes the hard part...becoming a better comedian, creating new jokes, and fine-tuning the material you already have. I think many people who ask, "how can I be a comedian," really mean, "how can I be a GREAT comedian?"

Luckily, you don’t have to just listen to me. I brought in the professionals. I asked comedians who are killing to share some comedy advice. They all started at local open mics, love what they do, and perform regularly. These are the people you want to listen too, and I’ve compiled their wisdom here, for you (and for me! I got a lot out of this too. Thank you so much John, Wendy, Becky, Al, Josh, Drew, Benton, Aurora, Luke, Jack, and )

Stand Up Comedy Tips. 

I asked, "What do you wish you knew when you began stand up?" and their answers blew me away. Thoughtful and insightful comedy insights. Enjoy!

Make friendships look around you at the mic you are standing at now. Find the circle of comics walk up to them and introduce yourself. Friendships will take you past the starting line of comedy before your talents will.

Johnny Casino

Don't forget to have fun. It doesn't matter city or venue appreciates that someone booked you for a show. Be kind even to the assholes it helps you sleep better. Be on time but don't be a pushover. Thank your crowd they are why you have the ability to call yourself a comedian so just go be funny and try your best.  Don't be a dick in anyone eye copays are too expensive for that nonsense. Love Mama Wendy

Wendy Lewis

One, study the greats. Great basketball players study shot form; great architects analyze past construction. Why should comedy be any different? Pay attention to what makes a joke work well and incorporate those same ideas into your jokes. Maybe it’s a tone of voice, a style of act-out, a moment of vulnerability. Whatever it is, use it!

Two, be your unique self! Everyone has used Tinder, but has everyone else gotten detention for reading a Bible in class? Did everyone else grow up on food stamps and think there was a separate economy for food-based purchases versus non-food purchases? Share the perspectives, opinions, and life experiences that make you who you are.

Three, when something in life makes you laugh, write it down. Your job is then to take that funny idea and put the audience in the same context as you when you laughed at it so they can laugh at it too. If they don’t laugh at something that made you laugh, work harder on setting them up so they experience the thought the same way you did.

Four, be a reporter. Don’t stop at the funny idea/premise. Ask the Ws: Who, What, Why, Where, How, When and build a better joke. “Nevada is ranked 51st in education” is a funny joke, but answering questions like “Why are they ranked so low?” “What was it like learning in the 51st ranked state?” are where you find the best jokes and really turn an idea into a real bit.

Drew Shafer

I would say the best advice I can give to someone who wants to take it more seriously is to stick with it. There is going to be a times (especially when you first start) that’s it’s not going to go well, but you have to learn to just brush it off and keep going. Don’t get discouraged by a bad set; everyone has them. I know it comes off a little cliché, but it’s true. The only way to get better is to keep at it.

Jack Scotti

One, write as often as possible.  Every day if possible. Every time you get an idea or the thought for a joke, write it down.  Try to take between 30 – 60 minutes a day and just sit somewhere where it is nice and quiet and write.

Two, go to as many open mics as you can.  There seems to be an open mic just about every night of the week.  Sometimes multiple mics on the same night. Try to get as much stage time as possible.

Three, when you go to an open mic, have a plan.  Before you go, set a goal for the night. Do you want to do only your new material?  Work out jokes you’ve been struggling with? Go with a plan in mind and stick with it.

Four, be supportive.  Go to a show that you are not on.  Go to open mics. Introduce yourself to fellow comedians, producers and venue managers.  Be nice and courteous. If you go to a show that you are not on, stay out of the way. Stay out of the green room.  Just sit in the audience and enjoy the show

Five, don’t be a jerk.  This should be a no brainer but needs to be said.  Be nice to people especially other comedians, producers, venue managers etc.  If you come across as cocky or jerk, nobody is going to want to work with you or put you on their show.  So yeah, be nice to people because you never know where other comedians are going to end up in a few years.  They may end up managing the comedy club or be the next big up and coming producer. Trust me, if you are a jerk, they WILL remember you.

Six, don’t run the light.  Let’s say you are at an open mic and you get 5 minutes.  When you get the light, wrap up and get off the stage. Don’t try and cram in the rest of your material.  If you are on a booked show, the same rule applies. If you are on a show, when you get the light, wrap up and get off the stage.  The biggest pet peeve that venue managers have is comedians that run the light. They will notice if you take advantage of the time given you.  Just don’t do it.

Morty Stein

There are so many things I wish I knew when I started comedy. The number one thing I wish I knew was : Don’t try to be funny. Be yourself and speak your truth. The reason a lot of us get into comedy is because when something bad or good happens, we tend to start laughing. Maybe because we’re a little sick in the head, but I think it’s because, at that moment, we feel like everything is out of our control and we just have to throw our hands up, take it, laugh, and move on. Showing that vulnerability in an honest way is funny. The way you explain your truth is your voice. The moment you stop trying to be like what you “think” a comedian should be is when audiences will respect you and, dare I say, laugh. Also, move the mic stand behind you if you pull the mic out of it. It upstages you and is distracting!

Aurora Singh

I would say get up on stage as much as possible. Professional comics have told me 10 times a week is not enough. I know where we live it can be tough to even get on stage 3-4 times a week. But having two mics a week at Blacktop certainly helps!

Also record EVERY set, and label the recordings. Listen to them, refine your stuff. This is the work part. It sucks, but it helps a lot. Don't worry about hating the sound of your own voice, that's normal. 

Write detailed notes. It sucks to write a good idea down and then not be able to find it later. It doesn't matter if you use a notepad, sticky notes, or an app on your phone, just be organized

Luke Soin

Be yourself but be different.  Comedy is crazy, it's not like any other day job or hobby. You're in control of your own destiny. There are no guidelines to stand-up. You don't have to wait around for comedy clubs to start giving you work, you can create your own shows, make friends with comics who put on their own shows, there are so many different outlets nowadays that you can forge your own path.

And if you ever feel like you're getting comfortable on stage, change something about your set. Sit on the stool and tell some jokes, open with your closer and close with your second-best joke instead, etc. Putting yourself in uncomfortable positions can bring out the best in you, and is a great way of learning how to be better in different environments

Josh Means

Learn how to bomb a single joke without it taking your whole set down. Just acknowledge the joke bombed in a way that's funny and shows you're okay with it, and let it strengthen your connection to the audience rather than weaken it. You can cross it off your list, promise not to do it again, claim you bout it off that $5 website, whatever, just make sure you don't let it plunge you into a flop.

Also, quit worrying about being hack. You can be the most shockingly original comic since Emo Phillips later, for now, go ahead an be a hack. You're learning to stand on stage, handle a mic, project your voice, time a joke. Get all that down, and then you can work on making sure your true, unique voice is coming through all of the time.

Keith Lowell Jensen

Verbal Insult League on FOX40 Live

If you haven’t had a chance to come watch the Verbal Insult League at Improv Impact, you have an opportunity….right now!

FOX40 Live invited Al Shuman and Josh Means into their South Sacramento studio to educate…and share some cruel jokes. No one was spared. Even Scott and Gary got roasted.

We’ve included the video, below, as well as the transcript. And, don’t miss the next verbal smackdown in November! The Verbal Insult League returns to Blacktop on Nov. 22nd. Tickets are available, and we strongly encourage you to buy them online. Not only do you save money, you also guarantee yourself a seat. And, I’m not saying this in a promotional way. I’m letting you know tickets are available so we don’t have an awkward moment where I say, ”thanks for visiting our theater. We know you want some live comedy to feed your soul, and bring happiness to your life, but we’re sold out. There’s the door. Maybe next time.” I don’t want to say those words!

LINK

Gary Gelfand:    All right. From wrestling to getting verbally insulted. I love this show.

Scott Muck:        I love that those things are kind of symbiotic.

Gary Gelfand:    It could be.

Gary Gelfand:    Okay, here they are. We've got Josh Means and Al Shuman. Good to see you guys.

Josh Means:       Thanks for having us.

Gary Gelfand:    What Is this all about, tell us about this. This is great. So whoever to jump in...

Al Shuman:         Why don't we just show you...

Gary Gelfand:    Please.

Al Shuman:         Verbal Insults it’s a show where you're going to see some amazing, brutal jokes about people's deepest, darkest insecurities. Like my friend Josh Means here.

Gary Gelfand:    Already funny.

Al Shuman:         All right. He looks like the type of stuff that comes out whenever you pop a pimple.

Josh Means:       And, Al is dressed like the number one draft pick for ISIS.

Gary Gelfand:    Oh jeez.

Al Shuman:         You guys are probably wondering, am I a Comedian or a corrupt Politician? Is this guy going to make me laugh or take away my healthcare? Hopefully one of those things.

Josh Means:       He's actually dressed this way because there's a special lady at home...his parole officer.

Scott Muck:        Waiting for that.

Al Shuman:         Josh is just mad because he's not attractive enough to have white privilege.

Gary Gelfand:    Jeez.

Josh Means:       You may recognize Al from kidnapping Liam Neeson's daughter.

Gary Gelfand:    Whoa. Okay.

Scott Muck:        I Love it.

Gary Gelfand:    I love the insults by the way.

Josh Means:       We got some for you guys too.

Scott Muck:        Perfect.

Al Shuman:         Scott Muck.

Scott Muck:        Yes sir. Yes sir.

Josh Means:       You're the voice of the Kings.

Scott Muck:        I am.

Josh Means:       Which is crazy because you dress like a peasant.

Gary Gelfand:    Yeah. Nice man. I mean I like it.

Al Shuman:         And you look like a Little League Umpire and you look like the dad that he just injected.

Scott Muck:        How dare you throw me out? You really do look like that.

Gary Gelfand:    You're out! [crosstalk 00:01:29]

Gary Gelfand:    So, during the actual show though it could get a little bit dirtier a little bit more racy.

Al Shuman:         Yeah, there will be foul language. There will be innuendo. It's an adult show or, you could bring your kids if you're a bad parent.

Josh Means:       There was a kid in our last one.

Al Shuman:         Yeah, but he had sound canceling headphones on so we had to take the headphones off to cuss in his ear so that he could hear it.

Gary Gelfand:    You got to hear it.

Josh Means:       You got to make sure that he hears everything.

Scott Muck:        Oh my gosh.

Gary Gelfand:    How often do you do these shows? You do quite often?

Al Shuman:         Monthly, we do them monthly.

Josh Means:       Starting after next month will be the first Friday of every month. I got double bucks. I'm pretty good at this, but after that, it will be the first Friday of every month. We do it in Rocklin at Blacktop Comedy, eight o'clock. Super fun shows.

Scott Muck:        Love it, man. Good stuff. Good stuff. I'm sure someone out there thinks you guys are funny. We'll try to find him to.

Al Shuman:         [crosstalk 00:02:13] Verbal Insults. Instagram, Verbal Insults. Let's do it big.

Scott Muck:        There we go. There is the information for you right there. Check it out. Verbal Insults live Friday, October 4th at 8:00 PM Blacktop Comedy. You see it right there on Sunset Boulevard in Rocklin. Very nice. All right.

Being in Love With Improv

Today's guest blogger is Meggan Johnson Hyde. Meggan is a Sacramento improviser and main-stage performer at Blacktop Comedy. You can see Meggan in Your F@#$%! Up Relationship, Squeaky Clean: Family Friendly Comedy, and the upcoming Teen Slasher

I remember the first time I met you, Improv. It truly was love at first sight. While I'm typically somewhat of a wallflower when I'm surrounded by unfamiliar faces, you were so warm and welcoming that I found myself jumping right into the conversation.
"Hi! My name is Meggan, and I like to do this!"

I flirted with you during some warm-up games, casually noticing how everyone around you was having such a great time. But then, you took to the stage and that's when I knew my life would never be the same. You had the cool factor of the jock with the accessibility of the student council president. I sat back and watched you in action for a while, completely in awe of how supportive and encouraging you were. Finally, though my heart was racing, I shot my shaky hand up in the air and asked to join you onstage. Suddenly, there we were. Together. Laughing and having the best time of our lives. It all came together so easily. I was in love, and I wanted to shout it from the mountain tops!
I found myself wanting to be with you all the time. I never missed an opportunity to be with you onstage. I took all the classes and workshops that I could, so as to get to know you better. I read books and listened to podcasts by people who had known you for decades. The more I learned about you, the more I found wonderful and new aspects about you to be discovered. Over the next few months I did everything I could to fill my brain with all the knowledge about you that would fit.

That's when it happened. Everything had seemed so easy in the beginning. Every time we were together we would laugh and play, and it had all seemed so effortless. But suddenly, things were . . . awkward. Now, any time we got together all I could think about was every single thing I was doing wrong. I could barely even talk to you anymore. Standing onstage together, I was completely frozen.

That was a defining moment for us. It would have been so easy for me to walk away, right then and there - to write you off as being too complicated and just call it quits. But I couldn't let you go. I confided in a good friend/mentor, one who had known you for a very long time. He told me that what I was going through was totally normal. In fact, it happens a lot. He called it a valley, and he encouraged me to keep trudging through it. Because eventually, I'd find myself at the top of another mountain with you. My friend also warned me that there would be other valleys. And he was right. Because every good relationship has mountains and valleys. And you, my Beloved Improv, are worth every one.