STAND-UP COMEDY ISNT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED By Pablo Yagayo I always tell people that I knew I would become a comedian the day I was born. My father walked into the maternity ward on that day, took one look at the baby (me) and asked my mum: is this a joke? I have been a living joke ever since. I am a serious person but I think funny situations always find me and I can’t help but share them. That is why I agree with playwright Peter Ustinov who said comedy is simply a funny way of being serious. Stand-up comedy might look easy, but professionals know it is anything but that. Starting out, stand-up can be miserable, humiliating and fruitless. No wonder it is alleged that comedians are the saddest people in the world. It is not easy to make people laugh, especially if their problems are bigger than your jokes. One of the marks of a quality comedian is how they handle a heckler. It is easy to crumble at the first heckle. It takes a smart comedian to soak it up and gleefully use it as ad-lib material. People have different kinds of humour bones and it is close to impossible to accurately identify with all of them. It takes a lot of courage to stand up in front of people and be spontaneous about being funny. It is like testing the depth of a sea with both legs. Chances of drowning are high if your swimming strokes can’t fight the tide. It takes years of practice to make a polished act appear conversational on stage. You have to develop a style and rhythm. It has taken me years to produce and perfect polished funny acts that can make people laugh in all kinds of circumstances. There is something exhilarating about making a room full of people laugh with only a microphone, and that is where the comedian derives his satisfaction. To advance up the hierarchy, a comedian has to do a lot more than just be funny. Unlike music, where you grow to like a song the more you listen to, a joke twice is never as funny. Most comedians have to struggle for years without anything to show for their work. It is estimated that it takes a minimum of ten years to learn how to be funny. I guess I am just starting, since I will be celebrating 10 years of comedy this year. Happiness is just killing me.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 20:15:22 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015