Comedy and Satire
  • Home
  • Blog

Standup comedy requires silliness and cynicism

8/1/2014

0 Comments

 
In the last six months or so I have been been thinking about getting back into standup comedy again. But for various reasons I'm not as emotionally and physically robust as I used to be (and I was always pretty highly strung back then, too!). 

Also, I've just turned fifty. This wouldn't be a problem if I didn't have a long hiatus from live performance. But it looms large when you're "not in training" so to speak. I'm starting to think that I might just be a bit old for this. After all, comedy is a pretty intense experience. You need to be a bit reckless. And I'm not sure if I've got enough of that spirit left in the tank. Well, I'll see how things pan out ...

Contradictory qualities required

In any case this desire to recapture the thrill of making people laugh has got me thinking about what kind of a person is actually attracted to doing standup. The medium demands an odd combination of psychological qualities, that's for sure.

It requires equal parts maturity, and immaturity. You have to know enough about human nature to be able to psychologically manipulate people en masse in order to make them laugh. Yet at the same time you have to be brazen, silly, and basically immature enough to actually want to do this. (And even just wanting to is not even enough. You have to need to do it!)

A big dollop of cynicism doesn't go astray either. I think that even if a standup is not overtly cynical, comedy routines almost always contain mockery of people and/or institutions. I know some comics do try to be overwhelmingly positive, joyous and life affirming. But they're usually the least funny ones!

It's a fine line

That said, you can't only be disdainful and derisive. You have to emanate some love of humanity. This will make the audience warm to you. And you can't be too much of a loner, either. Live comedy is a communal experience if ever there was one. So you have to convey the sense that you identify with your audience; that "we're all in this together".

The medium of standup is quite a tightrope act when you think about it -- even more so if you are literally walking a tightrope at the same time, which I'm sure some comics have tried ... 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Comedy Resources
    Killer Standup Online Course
    Standup Comedy Clinic




    Author

    My name's Matt Hayden. I'm a blogger and writer in Perth, Western Australia. I have a lot of experience in live comedy and maintain a keen interest in the subject.

    Archives

    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    August 2013
    July 2013
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    October 2010

    Categories

    All
    Australia
    Comedians
    Jokes
    News
    Politics
    Psychology
    Satire
    Stand Up Comedy

    RSS Feed