Comedy is subjective, and that creates more opportunity

Stand-up comedy is a funny thing. *cymbal crash*  No, really, it is.  I started doing comedy in 1995 as a member of a sketch group, and broke into stand-up in 1996.  In 2008, I finally figured the game out. 

Stand-up comedy is risky business.  The success of the comic is based on an immediate reaction from the audience.  If he or she doesn't get that reaction, there is no need to question that comic's effectiveness.  A silent audience tells you everything you need to know. 

At that point, the comic is faced with several questions:

1. "Is it my delivery?"
2. "Is it my timing?"
3. "Do they understand what I'm saying?"
4. "Am I talking too fast?  Stuttering?"
5. "Is my fly open?"
6. And of course, *tapping my imaginary microphone*  "Is this thing on?"

When a joke fails, it seems like it takes forever to get to the next punchline.  You feel like the loneliest person on Earth.  Some of us want to crawl into a hole, pray that there's a drink in there (or more for some individuals), and curl up with it like it's the significant other we've all dreamed about.

Sure, a failed joke is most likely the comic's fault, but there is another distinct possibility.  He or she could simply be performing in front of the wrong audience.  I've been "booed" off the stage twice in my modest career.  The common denominator in those jeering sessions was the audience.  Neither audience had the patience to hear what I had to say.  Were they bad groups?  Nah.  They just weren't my groups.  They were not of the same mindset.  I then realized that I had to find my audience, and also better define who I am and what I am.

Stand-up comedy is an intimate craft.  Those laughs that all of us comics hope to hear signify that there is some connection between us and our audiences.  A sense of humor is predicated by one's attitude, habits, personality, and outlook on life.  Therefore, it is up to the comic to locate an audience with whom he or she can connect.  A blue collar comic needs a blue collar audience.  A storyteller, like yours truly, needs an audience that enjoys the journey from the set-up to the punchline.  An intellectual comic needs a high-minded group, and so on.

Conventional thought may tell you that this really limits the comic.  Not so much.  It actually widens opportunities!  When a comic can truly identify himself or herself, that comic can figure out where to find his or her audience.  In essence, the comic is getting smaller in order to get bigger.  People enjoy being around like-minded people, and that becomes the key.  In fact, the comic figures out everything from the best way to dress for a show to finding sponsorship opportunities.  Understanding the audience means understanding what that audience consumes. ;-)

Gives new meaning to "It's not what you know, it's who you know."  Know thyself, and have a cold one to celebrate that killer set.