Know your audience
Hi Dave – I have one question. As a new comedian does my material have to be clean? – PC
Hey PC – Your question will sound familiar to more than a few readers because it comes up quite often. In fact I’ve probably hit on it at least twice in the last year. But you know what? New comedians ask because it’s important. And the best answer I can give you when deciding whether to work clean or dirty is to know your audience.
Who are you performing for?
Who are the people that paid good money to see you?
Where do you want to go career wise?
What markets do you want to play?
These are all questions every entertainer (not just comedians and humorous speakers) have to consider. As a creative artist (comedian, speaker, entertainer) who is your audience? And as a business person (successful creative artist), how can you build an audience for your creative endeavors?
The deal is that everyone has to start at the beginning. Since you specifically said “new comedian,” that’s what we’ll focus on. Speakers already know they have to work clean. If they don’t, then they’re not speaking much – if at all.
So… who is your audience?
When you’re just starting out in comedy it could be any demographic you can think of. And if you’re serious about this biz you need to understand the value of stage experience. You won’t become a working comic just sitting in your living room doing bits in front of your mirror or for the family dog. You must get in front of an audience and shape your material and delivery based on their response.
You’re killing me!!
If they laugh it works. If they don’t, then you need to make some changes. An audience will tell you, which is why you want to get on stage as often as possible.
So again I’ll ask – who is your audience?
Do they want clean or dirty material? Will you be able to pick and choose who you will be performing for? That will help determine what’s best for you.
I’ve worked with comedians who are Born Again Christians and I’ve worked with the most x-rated acts you’ve ever heard. It doesn’t bother me either way. I’m a coach and I’ll coach performers in whatever direction they want to go. And if you already know what direction that is, then find places to perform that will have an audience that will enjoy your material.
But regardless of what anyone else will tell you, there are also “rules” in comedy. The rules are made up by the people who hire comedians.
For instance, you can’t perform x-rated material on network television shows such as The Tonight Show, Letterman or Jimmy Kimmel Live. You can get away with a lot more than 30 years ago when Johnny Carson ruled late night, but these shows still have to deal with network standards and censors.
On cable television and satellite radio pretty much anything can be said. But it also depends on the show. I doubt The Howard Stern Show and The Disney Channel fight over guests from the same talent pool. But here’s another question to think about…
Are you ready to appear on either The Howard Stern Show or The Disney Channel?
You need to develop your act first to figure out who you are on stage and the only way to do that is through stage experience. And as a new comedian – who will appreciate (laugh at) your type of humor and material? What venues and markets do you eventually want to play?
My best advice is to know your audience.
You can work x-rated if you want, but just be smart enough not to go on stage with your x-rated material if the audience is filled with grandparents taking their grand-kids out for a fun(ny) night of live entertainment. On the flip side, don’t expect to do your best Disney material in a late night dive bar in front of a beer fueled crowd of rednecks ticked-off that the bartender turned off the cage match wrestling extravaganza for your comedy show.
Get the picture?
A lot of experienced comedians can play to both audiences. Why? Because they have the experience AND material that can be “cleaned up” or “dirtied down” depending on the audience. In other words, their punch lines don’t get laughs simply because they contain the F-Bomb or other words that will get them banned from network television. They can go either way because the material is just as funny with or without them.
A great example of this are comics who work cruise ships.
Micky Mouse and
not Howard Stern
These comics need two different sets – family and adult. The family sets are performed during the before and after dinner shows. These are two separate shows since passengers are assigned one of two dinner times. One group is entertained in a large theater while the other group eats – and then they change places. As it says, these shows are for families. Later that night the same comics will do adult shows for – as it says – the adults in one of the lounges or bars.
These comics go from G-rated to X-rated within a couple hours.
Keep in mind I’m not asking anyone to change who they are on stage if it goes against who they want to be on stage. Yes, this is a business – but it’s also a creative business and a way to express your creativity. If your niche is x-rated, go for it. It’s the same with clean comedians. Just don’t go for it in front of the wrong audience. It’s really common sense when you think about it.
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So to finally answer your question as a “new comedian,” I would suggest you work on writing funny material. And I’ll repeat: funny material. I’m talking about material that will stand up on it’s own and will be just as funny to an audience with or without a few gratuitous F-bombs and other choice words or expressions.
Practice and develop your talent as a writer. How would you deliver your set during an afternoon Rotary Club luncheon as opposed to at a late night dive bar? Better still – ask yourself which venue you prefer?
Wait a minute! I almost forgot to mention something…
Just to make your decision interesting, keep in mind the people who hire comics for corporate events, holiday parties, retirements, banquets, etc… are the ones who attend business or social organization meetings. They ALWAYS pay comics, humorous speakers and entertainers waaaaay more than any beer soaked guy in a dive bar. That’s why corporate events are much more desirable for working comics than a weekend gig at Billy Joe’s Yuck Yuck Boom Room at the corner of Dive and Bar.
Then again, an uncensored Comedy Central Special or a becoming a favorite guest on The Howard Stern Show can take almost any comic’s career to a new level. And to get there, they had to be funny. Working clean wasn’t a rule they needed to follow.
So…? Is it better to work clean or dirty as a new comedian? You need to make that decision – and the best way to do it is to know your audience.
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Dave Schwensen is the author of How To Be A Working Comic: An Insider’s Business Guide To A Career In Stand-Up Comedy, Comedy FAQs And Answers: How The Stand-Up Biz Really Works, and Comedy Workshop: Creating & Writing Comedy Material for Comedians & Humorous Speakers.
For information about these books, comedy workshops and private coaching for comedians and speakers in person, by phone or via Skype visit www.TheComedyBook.com
Copyright 2013 – North Shore Publishing
