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Paul Douglas Moomjean
Site Director, Flappers University
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Hello Students, Comedians, and Citizens of Earth alike!
As we look down the stand up comedy tunnel, searching for a light at the end, one productive activity we can all do is prepare for when we hit the stage again. Over the next few months or even years, many will quit stand up, and when the dust settles, if you've been putting in the work, writing jokes, finding platforms to showcase those jokes, and rewriting them to make them perfect, then you will be ready when comedy calls us back into dark corners of clubs and restaurants.
Many times comics tell me they get bored of their own material and just like shooting from the hip when performing. While we always want to be in the moment, the repetition process is where we find the most success. Steve Harvey, earlier this year in February, wrote on Twitter this line about how he became a household name:
I told the same $25 a night jokes over and over until they paid me $250,
then $25,000, $75,000, $125,000, $500,000... $58,000,0000
with the Kings of Comedy in one night!
Repetition is how I became successful.
I told those same jokes until I built an empire! Never give up!
- Steve Harvey, 2020 Twitter
Jerry Seinfeld has a similar story about how he prepared for the The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1981. He talks about reciting his 5 minute showcase act over and over again until it was apart of him forever.
While we should always be writing and rewriting, I highly suggest you have your "tight five" ready to go, just in case you're called upon to perform it. Who knows...maybe you'll be on late night TV through Zoom? Have a transcript of your set as well, for when they ask you. Be prepared for everything, because if 2020 is teaching us anything, it's that anything can and will happen. Including killer hornets and a Kanye West presidential bid.
When crafting your best five minutes, there are three things to think about.
1. Is this personal and authentic to me?
Make sure the jokes are uniquely yours. Sure, there are numerous topics that are similar to many comics (dating, family, work), but YOUR experience with those topics are what makes them unique. And remember, that as long is your material reflects "your" point of views, no one can take them from you or deny their authenticity.
2. Can I tell this joke a year from now - heck, three years from now?
While I'm sure you have some great President Trump or Tiger King jokes, will those jokes still make sense in three months or beyond? Meanwhile, the girlfriend that left you or the neighbor you hated can always be relevant and require less general knowledge from the audience to hit.
3. Can I even say this on TV?
Censoring yourself is not my main point here. But if you have a bunch of genitalia jokes and swears as punchlines, you're probably going to be losing exposure opportunities. So ask yourself, "Can I have an R and PG rated version of this same premise or punchline?" If not, then don't make that your go to tight five. You are a wealth and well of potential material. Don't limit yourself to just shock humor.
Whatever you choose to practice again and again, just remember that the old cliche is true: Practice makes perfect. And perfect practice make $58 million deals.
Stay Safe with Your Masks and Clean Hands
Flappers Comedy Club and Restaurant is still running classes and virtual shows and hopefully live comedy will be back soon. W
e are doing our best to ride this COVID-19 season out. Stay safe, and know that we love and care about you!
