Thirsty Genius

Validation in comedy comes in many forms. Most people, including comics, believe that comedic validation comes in only one form. Laughter.

How wrong you are.

Laughter is great validation for a comic, unless it is contrived, forced, or done just to “help the other comics on stage feel better.” In all actuality, this type of laughter is annoying. A while ago I had comics tell me that my friend was not laughing at everyone on stage. It turns out he did not think everyone was funny.

Great! Comedy is a subjective art, and you should only laugh if you feel like it, not because you are obligated to help your fellow comedians.

Why not laugh all the time? Several reasons;

1. When you feel obligated to laugh all the time, even when it is not funny, you may actually hurt the performer by giving them false praise. Let them earn the laughter. They need this to perfect timing, performance, material, and stage presence. It is a learning experience only if it is honest.
2. It is annoying when someone constantly claps and/or laughs at someone who is not funny, or even worse when it is the set up to the joke, or a portion of the story that is not funny. I had an MC who was on a show when I was the feature act. This MC started clapping and laughing for the headliner from the moment he hit the stage. The headliner was funny, but no one knew it or could hear him, as the MC was drowning out the set-ups and the punch lines. Effectively ruining the show.
3. The laughter serves no purpose if material is not funny. Often bits of a comedian’s act aren’t meant to be funny. Sometimes they are engaging, or have a message, or are just contemplative material, and may even be a story which is humorous, but not “laugh-out-loud” funny.
4. The crowd needs to learn who the performer is, and sometimes where they are coming from, so if you do not allow this to develop, it actually is harder on the performer overall.
5. There is some comedians who do not make me laugh. I do not like their comedy. Ouch! Yes I said it. I am sure there are some who do not like my comedy. It is subjective. Certain people and material I do not find funny. Does that make them any less of a comedian? No, but I won’t laugh at material if it doesn’t tickle me personally.

Comedians: Do not only look for laughter. We have all had crowds when nothing makes them laugh out loud. But if you learn to read the signals of the audience, you can tell if they are still with you. You do not need one person in the back of the audience, there because they are your friend, clapping and laughing even though they have heard your material about 900 times before. Is the audience smiling, are they listening, can you see it in their eyes, their smiles and nods? Look at their posture, to see if they are relaxed and open. Consider whether they are too tired or self-conscious to laugh out loud.

Maybe there are too few people in the crowd to have raucous laughter. It does not mean you did badly, it just means they were enjoying it in a different way.

If you do get the idea that they are not with you, none of those signals are being sent from the audience. Maybe you actually need to write more, practice more, get better and keep learning. Comedy is a marathon, not a sprint. Be honest no matter what, and learn to understand the honest feedback of the audience.

It has not always been easy. I have had audiences not respond the way I wanted them to, and still do once in a while. That is my experience, and I learn every time, both good and bad.

I am getting better all the time. (As Adam often says, “You may never be the best, but you can always be better.”)

Easy? Not always. Fun? All the time. Otherwise, why do it?

Be honest in your praise, so you can help everyone get better.

John