Stand-up and Character Comedy Tips, News and Observations
Welcome to my site. My name's Matt Hayden, and I'm a writer, blogger and marketer in Perth, Australia. I have many years experience as a stand-up and character comedian and have performed at venues in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. I have several credits on TV shows such as Tonight Live and Fast Forward from way back in the nineties.
I hardly ever perform comedy live now, although I do intend to get back into it again. Instead, I spend most of my free time writing blogs and building websites. When I find time I'll list many of the things I learned about writing and performing comedy on this site. (And here's are some great resources for those keen to learn the craft of standup.)
Satirical comedy
I have a particular interest in satirical comedy, a genre that seems to have slightly different meanings to different people. I think that the best definition of it is that it is entertainment that is both funny and edgy. It has something to say as well as aiming to make you laugh. Usually this point, or message, is political. Satirical comedy often makes people squirm a little or laugh nervously.
Perhaps the most polished and well known exponent of it is Barry Humphries. While his creation Sir Les Patterson is hilarious, the character is also a dig at many aspects of Australian culture including ockerism, Aussies' love of booze, and even government funding of the arts (or "yartz" as Les calls it).
Another example is this satirical character site (which includes a character blog) that is based around a comedy persona that I have often performed live. The site is not meant to be hilarious, just gently amusing, particularly to those who are a bit fed up with political correctness and green extremism.
Comedy is a craft
One thing I learned from my years of writing and performing comedy is that there's nothing that mysterious about it. Comedy is an art form like so many others. And all artists start off as craftsmen. While some people are fortunate to possess natural talent in the area, pretty much everyone can learn to be funny with a bit of hard work. The trick is to take baby steps and learn from your successes and your failures.
The material, of course, is very important. That's why it's a really good idea to keep a blog. It's a great way to accumulate this - particularly topical stuff. It also helps with self-promotion. In fact, what you might find is that you'll soon end up with more readers to your blog than those who see your live comedy act.
As well as the material there are many other ingredients. And you will save time if you combine these into a general approach or technique. There are many of these on offer, particularly on the internet. In the coming months I'll link to some of these, as well as listing my own thoughts, on this site's blog.
I hardly ever perform comedy live now, although I do intend to get back into it again. Instead, I spend most of my free time writing blogs and building websites. When I find time I'll list many of the things I learned about writing and performing comedy on this site. (And here's are some great resources for those keen to learn the craft of standup.)
Satirical comedy
I have a particular interest in satirical comedy, a genre that seems to have slightly different meanings to different people. I think that the best definition of it is that it is entertainment that is both funny and edgy. It has something to say as well as aiming to make you laugh. Usually this point, or message, is political. Satirical comedy often makes people squirm a little or laugh nervously.
Perhaps the most polished and well known exponent of it is Barry Humphries. While his creation Sir Les Patterson is hilarious, the character is also a dig at many aspects of Australian culture including ockerism, Aussies' love of booze, and even government funding of the arts (or "yartz" as Les calls it).
Another example is this satirical character site (which includes a character blog) that is based around a comedy persona that I have often performed live. The site is not meant to be hilarious, just gently amusing, particularly to those who are a bit fed up with political correctness and green extremism.
Comedy is a craft
One thing I learned from my years of writing and performing comedy is that there's nothing that mysterious about it. Comedy is an art form like so many others. And all artists start off as craftsmen. While some people are fortunate to possess natural talent in the area, pretty much everyone can learn to be funny with a bit of hard work. The trick is to take baby steps and learn from your successes and your failures.
The material, of course, is very important. That's why it's a really good idea to keep a blog. It's a great way to accumulate this - particularly topical stuff. It also helps with self-promotion. In fact, what you might find is that you'll soon end up with more readers to your blog than those who see your live comedy act.
As well as the material there are many other ingredients. And you will save time if you combine these into a general approach or technique. There are many of these on offer, particularly on the internet. In the coming months I'll link to some of these, as well as listing my own thoughts, on this site's blog.