About Matt McDonald Expertise I DO NOT FULFILL REQUESTS TO TELL JOKES! PLEASE DON'T ASK. I can answer questions regarding getting started in stand-up comedy: what to expect, what to do before, during and after your first show, pushing past stage fright and associated pants-wetting fears and so on. I am also reasonably comfortable talking about the basic business aspects of stand-up where beginners are concerned.
Experience I DO NOT FULFILL REQUESTS TO TELL JOKES! PLEASE DON'T ASK. Experience in the area I "worked" for nine years as a stand-up comic in Ohio. Most of my experience comes from open mics, local competitions and the like but I do have some familiarity with "the road" as it pertains to beginners. I have counseled/coached/mentored several people who wanted to get into stand up and wanted the full lowdown on what to expect once they started to pursue it in earnest. In 1994, I made more money from winning local open mic night contests than I did at my actual job. I also performed in improv comedy for a couple of years, though I never considered myself very good at it - I can answer general questions re: improv as well.
Due to a volatile temper and abysmal luck, I never managed to make it to the next rung of the ladder. Middle age has mellowed me and now you can learn from my mistakes.
Question Ok well... I'm not really a standup comedian but I just kind of figured that they related. When I'm around friends and they say stuff I find it really hard to be funny. Im extremely serious and sensitive, but I am a perfectionist in that I always want to improve every aspect of myself. Everyone's input is welcome. I was hoping you could tell me general guidelines to being funny in conversation and public communication and then elaborating on those guidelines so that I could turn the principles you give me into understanding and then apply it eventually as a 6th sense. I really appreciate your help and I hope I interpret your advice well. Consider yourself one of my many teachers :-). Teachers are awesome. Again, I appreciate the help. Hardest subject for me... socializing and humor.
Answer Autif,
Comedy is not defined by precise guidelines and, in my opinion, cannot be learned from the ground up. A person can develop their innate sense of humor and sharpen it, but I personally do not believe a sense of humor, at a base level, can be developed from scratch. Comedy is too variant in form and not based upon a predictable model of action-reaction, etc. Conversational humor is wholly organic, being created in the moment based on what's being discussed at any particular point in a conversation.
As a result, I can't really help you – a sense of humor can't, to my mind, be “formulated” or learned in any real way. At least, for me it didn't happen that way. Some people are smart, some people are personable, some people are engaging, some people are funny.
However, there is at least one person who disagrees with me and he has written a book. It's by Jon Macks and it's called “How to be Funny”. You can find it at Barnes and Noble. However, even he admits that some people are anti-funny and cannot be helped (which is not to say that you are anti-funny, but just to let you know that he agrees with me to some extent). I've never seen this book, never read it, etc. but maybe it will help you.
Also, you might find that part of your problem is simply one of shyness. If you become more comfortable as a speaker, you may find that with your comfort comes a sense of confidence that leads to humor. Humor is basically a by-product of confidence of one sort or another. Most stand-up comics are terribly, painfully shy in group settings so they tend not to be funny at parties and large social gatherings. If you asked any of the people who met me at various parties through the years, I'm sure they would be astounded to learn that I had a long and respected “career” in stand-up. I'm simply not funny if I'm not in control of the situation. BUT I am very confident when in my element – among friends or when I can dictate the direction of a conversation. Therefore, the stage brings out my confidence and allows me to really bring my sense of humor forth. Perhaps your issue is similar – you may find that if you gain more confidence in social settings, you'll find a natural ear for humor. As a result, you might want to go to Toastmasters. They concentrate on public speaking, but can help in many ways that relate generally to personal interaction.
