Are you a "cringe comic"? If so, why?

As news broke of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling's disturbingly racist voice mail to his girlfriend, it brought to mind some recent stuff I had seen in the comedy world.

I'm noticing a lot of newer comics trying to shock the audience, make them cringe; some using racial slurs under the guise of comedy.

Lots of times, it seems like becoming a comic gives someone a false sense of power from the start.  Make no mistake, when you have the microphone and you're up on stage, you do have some power.  It's up to you how much you have and how you use it.

Many comics can't handle that much power that quickly (this is the part where you keep mentally quoting Uncle Ben in Spiderman, "With great power comes great responsibility.").  So many new comics over-curse (cuss?), partly because they don't have great material and partly because they just want to say "fuck" 400 times.  It's like the microphone and stage are a license to... well...shock people; make them cringe.

The problem is when cringe isn't funny.  If you were shockingly funny, that would be a thing.

But you're not.  Most new comics aren't.

And when you're not, you walk people, you piss people off, and you don't get paid gigs.

Rape seems to be the new "airplane food" among new comics, male and female.  My question is, "Why?"  If you're trying to get a killer five minute set, expand to ten minutes, audition at a club with a guest set, or get a paid MC gig, is you're "brilliant" take on rape going to work for that?

If you said yes, you're either a complete moron, or you really do have a tried and true brilliant rape set that both men and women laugh so hard at they need oxygen.  I'm betting on the former.

The same thing goes for white people using the N-word.  Just stop.  You're embarrassing yourself, or worse.

My buddy Richie Redding is a white comic that grew up playing urban rooms; he has over eleven years experience in those rooms.  He spent the last few months opening for Katt Williams around the country.

Urban audiences LOVE Richie, and Richie NEVER uses the N-word.  And, he wouldn't dare use the word.  Yet, he, of all people, might be able to get away with it.

Richie says his jokes are "racial, not racist."  He says the key is to show himself as vulnerable and to "joke up" rather than "talk down" to his audience.  He says it wouldn't work if he came from the standpoint of "It's like this."

I honestly can't do justice to the conversation I had with Richie (I'm not a goddamn reporter, I didn't tape the conversation, what do you want from me?), but you don't have to be a genius to see that eleven years of urban rooms, topped off with opening for one of the hottest urban comics in the country means Richie knows what he's talking about.

Talking to Richie, he said newer comics seem to point to Louis C.K., who does a bit on the N-word, in which he says the actual word a lot, as justification for why they use it, or why they go for the cringe, in general.

Richie shares a lot of veteran comics' views when he says there's a huge difference...because Louis C.K. has been working for thirty years, has a following, and, oh yeah, he's funny.

 Louis C.K. on the "N-word"

CAUTION: he says the actual word!  A lot.

Comparing yourself to Louis C. K. is like going golfing once a week for a few months and comparing yourself to Tiger Woods.  Comics like Louis C. K. are in the major leagues, and you're playing T-ball, if you'll permit me to mix sports metaphors.  I'm not saying you won't get there, I'm saying you have quite a long while to go.  

You have to keep your eye on the prize, long term.  If you're in comedy to become the next C. K., the next Richie Redding, or the next headliner at your local club, you can only do that when you get consistent gigs.

Look, I'm not trying to tell you how to do your thing, and I'm certainly not advocating censoring comics.  If you really want to be a cringe comic, I'm not qualified to tell you that's not right.  Have at it, if it's your calling.  But, you need to know two things:  1.  Above all, it has to be funny, and, 2.  You're going to have a long road to hoe because it's tougher to get booked, and keep getting booked, if you're going for the cringe factor.

And, most newer comics aren't qualified to self-determine if something's funny or not.  If you've ever gone on stage with a joke, bit, or set that bombed then you know my previous sentence is true.

I'll give you a hint:  if people aren't laughing, it's not funny.  If people are walking out, it's not funny.

Furthermore, you have to grasp the concept that if you walk even just two people, you potentially walked the whole room.  Sure, some people are easily offended, but to get up and walk out of a show they paid a ticket for means something.  The reasons the rest of the people haven't walked could be because maybe they are hoping the next comic(s) will be funny, maybe they personally don't like to raise a stink...they avoid conflict in their lives, could be they plunked down some hard-earned cash and want to get the full show for their money, or maybe this was a rare night out and they didn't want to end it early by leaving part way through the show.

Whatever the reason, all of the people that stayed saw the people get up and walk out of the show in the middle of your set, even if it was only one couple.  That changes to atmosphere of the room.  It's now awkward.

That escalated quickly

Congratulations.  Not only is the owner mad at you for costing him/her food and drink money in the short term and loss of customers in the long term...that couple, and probably others, won't be coming back...you've also fucked up the show for the other comics on the bill.  Now, the next comic has to dig out of a hole you created.  He or she almost HAS to acknowledge what happened and may have to rip on you to win the audience back...neither of which was in their planned set nor may play to their comedy voice/stage persona.  

In my opinion, the way to be a cringe comic is to ease into it; don't try to do it right out of the gate.  If you have a really good five or ten minute set, high amount of laughs per minute, then you can start to add some of your more shocking jokes, little by little.  Eventually most of your set will be cringe jokes that will be tried and true, FUNNY jokes.

BONUS:  you'll ALSO have already created a club worthy, fundraiser worthy, dare I say corporate gig worthy set as well...so you can get all kinds of bookings.

If after reading this, you're still a dyed in the wool cringe comic then I wish you good luck.  I want every comic to succeed.  Just don't be upset when you aren't getting booked; and please, do us all a favor...stop comparing yourself to famous comics.