AboutTom Expertise I can answer questions about The Capitol Steps, a political (mostly musical) satire group based in Washington, DC which performs in Washington, around the U.S., and four times a year on public radio. I can answer questions about who is performing which role in Capitol Steps sketches and songs on albumns and can help identify a routine (and which albumn or radio show includes it) based on partial lyrics. I can also provide tips and suggestions for those interested in writing and performing spoonerism-based comedy similar to the Steps` "Lirty Dies."
Experience I have been a Capitol Steps fan since about 1995. I own all the albumns and have listened to each dozens of times. I have particularly studied (and particularly admire) the "Lirty Dies" routines and I have written and performed material of this sort. Despite the fact that I live halfway across the U.S. from Washington, I've attended many live Capitol Steps performances, including several at their permanent locations in the DC area.
Question What are your thoughts on reworking material?
when do you know when its time to let go of a joke?
How do you tell the difference between a bad joke or the wrong audience?
what are some questions you ask yourself when reworking a joke?
Answer Jarel Jimmy --
Thanks for your questions. I'm only going to tackle one of them directly, the one about telling the difference between a bad joke or the wrong audience, although clearly the questions are closely related.
Probably my first thought when a joke doesn't work is whether it might be a bad joke. But sometimes I really believe the joke should be good, even if the audience hasn't reacted the way that I had hoped. I think this part (the initial decision to "believe in" the joke, rather than to dump it right away) is probably just a hunch -- nothing too scientific about it, at least not for me.
So, the next step would be to decide whether to somehow change it before trying it again or whether to try it again the same way, just with a different audience. Again, I think a hunch is involved, just as it would be in deciding to tinker with a joke which works well but which one thinks could be made even better or more reliable.
The decision that the joke is bad comes when, after trying it on enough audiences and with enough modifications and finding it still doesn't work, the evidence building up against the joke finally outweighs the hopes I had had for it.
So, I'd say it's a process involving a lot of judgement. But you can't say for sure that it's the joke and not the audience without having tried it at least a few times.
As I look at what I've written, I think I've perhaps addressed several of your questions to at least some degree. Thanks for the interesting questions.
