Reflections after a night at the Laughing Devil Comedy Club
Last night, to take advantage of an expiring groupon, Heidi and I visited the Laughing Devil Comedy Club in Long Island City (New York City's hottest upstart neighborhood) to see some up-and-coming comedians. 30 Rock's Judah Friedlander is a regular there, so I figured it must be worth something. So I sipped two mediocre cocktails and took it all in, hoping to mine content for the blog. A few good jokes found their way through the din, but overall the humor was as mediocre as the drinks. Mostly the night got my wheels turning, and I ended up with a couple theories about what separates the great comedians from the decent ones.
1) Great comedians tend to talk specifically about what's real.
As with much standup, the best jokes are generated through picking on audience members. These jokes are by default specific and real. But also, great comedians like Louis C.K. can put their finger on what resonates with the human experience. It doesn't have to be something you have personally experienced, but it does have to be something you can understand.
2) Decent comedians tend to talk generically about what's theoretical.
The worst jokes emphasize what might happen in a given situation, rather than confidently talking about what does happen or what has happened. For instance, one comedian cracked, "Can you imagine the reaction of the guy at the gym if I stuck my face in his butt?" Not only is this gross, but it's not funny, and it doesn't allow me to say, "Hey, yeah! That really resonates."
Just a few thoughts to be explored in future posts.
Laura
