Recently, I was asked for advice about how to break into comedy. Now, I'm not anybody's expert, but I am a professional standup comedian with a pretty decent resume in a relatively short amount of time. Plus, with the magic of social media, it looks like I'm the next Jim Norton to people who aren't in the business. At any rate, I've been around the block a few times and I've had some help along the way myself.
I've had the great fortune of being advised by the likes of Big Daddy Graham, Jay Black, Mike Eagan, and Roundboy Jimmy Graham; all veterans of comedy with a combined 80+ years of experience. And the only thing they've ever asked of me, besides my credit card number, is to pay it forward; which I try to do any time I can.
As I started typing my response to the newbie, I realized I was talking to my teenaged son. Not that the amateur rolled his eyes and sighed at me; rather, no matter what I said, even if he agreed with it (something my son would NEVER do), he would never really understand it until he experienced it.
For the life of me, I cannot get my son to realize his grades and his habits are going to have an affect on his adult life for years to come, and that if he doesn't straighten up his act now, he will be paying for it by way of menial jobs, failed relationships, needing to go back to school, etc. for the rest of his life.
I can only hope and pray that he will eventually see the light and come back from Planet Angst and take control of his life. Hopefully, it won't be too late. Hopefully, he won't have burned too many bridges.
The same thing goes for new comics. They all seem to fall into the same trap.
The number one thing I was taught was to get on stage as much as possible. Open mics, fundraisers, guest spots, bar gigs, what have you. In the beginning, just get on stage (and tape your act, so you can see where you did or didn't do well).
That sounds simple enough, yet I know tons of new comics who don't do that. They get on stage once in a while.
Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers talks about 10,000 hours to become an expert at something. Hell, Starbucks trains part time baristas for 30 hours before letting them serve the public a cup of coffee.
Yet, new comics do a 5 minute guest set, or 3 minute open mic set a couple times a month and can't understand why they aren't "cracking the clubs" or catching a break.
Next, Jay Black told me to develop a killer 5 minute set. That's IT. Five. Minutes. Killer, grade A, knock 'em dead material.
The legendary Mark Vito, owner of the former Casba Comedy Club in Wildwood, NJ subscribed to Jay's advice, too, and gave me a five minute guest spot once or twice a week all summer long the last year before he sold the club. He told me the only thing he wanted me to do is practice and tweak and practice and tweak my five minute set so that by the end of the summer it was killer.
Three things happened from that. First, I had multiple people come up to me at the end of shows saying they told Mr. Vito I should have more time on stage, which means I left them wanting more. Second, I used that five minutes in a guest spot audition to get into a notoriously hard club to crack. Third, I came in second place in a comedy show contest where audience members who didn't know me told me I was robbed, and I beat out a 10 year comedy vet who was bewildered because he hadn't heard of me.
Please understand, I'm not bragging. I'm trying to convey both the idea of actually TAKING the ADVICE from the experts and crawling before you can walk. It's building a foundation. And it works.
So many new comics say they already have 15, 20, 30, 45 minute sets. I know comics who tell me they have two hours of material, and I've seen them get no laughs seven minutes into their sets.
Avoid that trap at all costs, if you can. You'll want to fly before you can walk. Usually that has a disastrous ending.
Now, all the people mentioned above have given me tons of advice, so to boil it down to just a few things seems disrespectful and ludicrous. However, for the sake of this post, and your eyes, I'm streamlining.
I think one of the most important pieces of advice they gave me wasn't really told to me, per se. It came from more from watching how those guys conducted themselves. Now, it helps that I have an old school mentality, a work ethic, plus, I really don't like to piss people off, but I digress...
Simply put: show up early, be nice to everyone, watch the other comics on the show (so you know what to avoid or acknowledge), dress for the stage (really? Ratty t-shirt and ripped jeans?), OBEY THE LIGHT (also known as don't even think about going over your allotted time) no matter how good you think you're doing, network with the other comics, and pay it forward. Pay it forward means if you can help them or get them booked somewhere, do it.
I have seen so many comics violate any or all of those things, and it boggles my mind. So, yes, I have seen comics show up late to a gig, be rude, not watch the show, dress like crap, go over their time and walk out of the club. And I'm not talking about famous comics, I'm talking about newer comics. Seriously.
One final piece of advice specifically from me: if someone above you is willing to give you advice, take it.
Tony Conaway is the manager of the Comedy Cabaret in Marlton, NJ. In one of my first few gigs, I had a guest spot there, and when I was done he handed me a piece of notebook paper. He had critiqued my act for me. I LOVED THAT!! In fact, when I got to the point that he no longer felt I needed notes, I fake yelled at him to keep doing it. I didn't know it in the beginning, but it turns out Tony had been a standup comic, used to manage a pretty famous comic, and is a writer. I'll take his notes anytime.
I told you before, I'm nobody's expert. My son hates me, my next gig is probably a cheesy fundraiser at a VFW hall in Crap Hole, PA, and I'm pretty sure I have littered this thing with grammatical errors. So, if there's something in here you resonate with, run with it. Become a student of standup comedy. Don't just say you're a comic. Learn the trade and hone your craft.
Don't fall into the trap...and listen to your parents.
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