A Comedians Life 31^st Oct 10

I don’t mind admitting that I’m proud to be a comedian.  Proud to be able to do a job that makes people feel better.  Proud to be able to use my talent and my experience to get a whole roomful of people roaring with laughter.

Yes, I know they say that pride comes before a fall. But that’s only because Humpty Dumpty was admiring himself in the mirror just before he slipped off that wall.

Old Humpty, he must have had some influence, when you think about it.  If you or me fell off a wall, we’d just have to lie there and hope someone ‘phoned for an ambulance.  Not Humpty! No, just two seconds after he fell off the wall, who arrived at the scene of the accident? All the Kings Horses and all the Kings Men. Not just ‘ some ‘ of them. Not a battalion or a regiment. The whole lot of them! They must have heard the bang….and every member of the Kings army rode over there immediately.  Impressive or what?

Mind you…they were pretty useless weren’t they? All of them couldn’t put Humpty back together again.  He’d have been better off just lying there, hoping someone would ‘phone for an ambulance.

I don’t know what this has got to do with anything, but it just goes to show how easily your mind can wander when you’re waiting for  No More Nails to repair the leg of your kitchen table. ( BEAT)  It’s a pity there wasn’t any  No More Nails around in Humpty Dumpty’s day. It would been an entirely different story. ( BEAT ) Where the hell was I?

Comedy is a craft. You have to learn it and it can take years.  Don’t mistake being a comedian with that person who most sane people try to avoid, ’ the life and soul of the party ‘, the sort of person  who likes to crack gags, mostly rude, in a crowd of friends and colleagues after a few bevvies.

A comedian who knows his craft can stand on stage, stone cold sober, knowing how to use a microphone ( even that takes practice) facing an audience of people he’s never seen before – and most probably may never see again.  Even before he’s told his first joke he can ‘ smell ‘ what sort of audience they are by checking their body language,  facial expressions and general demeanour.

If he finds a friendly, smiling face, he’ll be drawn towards it. If her husband’s sat next to her, the sensible comedian will quickly start looking for another friendly face.

And here’s the thing. Even if he reads hostility or just plain old-fashioned indifference in their eyes, he still has to open his mouth, switch on the charm and try and win them over.  Because, and let’s get down to brass tacks here, that’s his job and he’s getting paid for it.

Many aspiring comedians can’t grasp the concept that being a stand-up comic is a job.  A comic may only be on stage for twenty minutes or half an hour, but the joke-telling, the heckle-put downs ( all comics had better have a shed – load up their sleeves at all times ) , the rapport with the audience,  the actual entertaining, is only part of his job.

A comedian should be prepared to put in the hours during the day, creating comedy ideas – jokes, throwaway lines, monologues, crazy ‘ off the wall ‘ thoughts – anything funny to keep his act fresh.  He needs to keep up-to-date with current events in the political, showbiz and sporting worlds, so that if a big news story breaks during the day before his gig, involving a footballer or a supermodel ( or if he’s really lucky, both! ) he’s created a short routine based around that story or at the very least, a couple of news-related gags.

A joke connected with that day’s headlines need not be the funniest gag in history, but even if it’s only mildly amusing it will usually get a positive reaction. Comedy audiences are prone to be hip, bright, intelligent people who may have been discussing the day’s news with friends over a drink before the show. If  the audience recognise that the comedian has seemingly ‘ gone to the trouble ‘ of thinking –up  brand new jokes ‘ especially for them ‘ it’ll make the audience feel  ‘special ‘.

Comedy is not an exact science. Delivering topical material isn’t a guarantee of a good night for the comedian. But an audience who feel ‘ special ‘ can be more receptive. So when the comedian hits them with his rock solid, tried and tested material, he has every chance of winning them over and getting consistently big laughs.

Which, in case you weren’t aware, is what every comedian wants to hear….

Anyone who stands before a roomful of strangers with the challenge of having them in stitches is a true hero in my book.

Or the world’s fastest surgeon.

To win over a roomful of strangers takes practice, patience and talent.

A comedians act has to build over his allotted time. To stand up there for one hour and whip them into frenzy, at times, can be an enormous task.

Many of the late and great comedians of our time have gone through hell and come back, before winning the respect of the people.

Yes the comedian is a true warrior, a diplomat, a cunning lion and at times has the quick minded reaction of a modern day fighter pilot.

Reading that last sentence back, I think I must have inhaled some of that No More Nails.

 

You can find out more about Phil Evans a Superb Welsh Comedian at www.philevans.co.uk