13 Things a Stand-Up Comedian Won’t Tell You
Updated: Jan. 20, 2023It's true—we’ll do almost anything to get onstage. Find out what other secrets our profession holds and our biggest pet peeves about performing.
We’ll do almost anything to get onstage
When we’re starting out, we’ll hand out fliers for the club, answer phones, and work the door. At one club, comics cleaned toilets—until a guy said that he would clean the toilets only if he could do so using the manager. Surprise! That comic isn’t there anymore. And the toilets are filthy.
Supply and demand applies to comedy
Comedians scrape for gigs because there are so many of us, says Comedy Central’s Ophira Eisenberg. “Few club owners have the time to develop a comic’s career. In this economy, they need to develop their own business, and their business is basically a bar. And some of those bars charge as much as $17 for a Cosmopolitan.”
Some club owners dictate our material
“An owner told me to do family-appropriate material,” says Craig Sharf. “I asked her to be specific. She said that after telling a joke, I should look at her face, and if she was frowning, it wasn’t appropriate.” Check out the most hilarious jokes of all time.
The worst audience? Bachelorette parties
The bride-to-be expects the entire evening to be all about her, her, her … and alcohol doesn’t help. Some comics have learned how to give Bridezilla her 30 seconds and move on. But if she’s going to yell “Whoo!” every few seconds, it’s a problem.
Beware the front row
If someone’s talking during my set, “I’ll move over to that side of the room and slow my words down,” says comedian Eddie Brill. “All of a sudden, their conversation feels really loud and out of place.” If they go quiet, he moves on. But if they persist, he finishes them off: “It stinks when you come out for a chat, and they build a comedy club around you.” Here are 50 short jokes anyone can remember.
We don’t care if you’re offended
Oh, and we’re not going to stop telling a joke because you’re offended.“Don’t sit in the front row with a girl you’re trying to impress,” says Tonight Show and Late Show with David Letterman performer Dan Naturman. “It could get awkward when the comedian asks if you’re dating and the two of you give different answers.”
Don’t worry, we rarely pick on audience members unless we’re provoked
“I don’t like to pick on audiences, because I don’t want audiences to pick on me,” says Last Comic Standing finalist Myq Kaplan. “You know the golden rule—silence is golden. So as long as the audience is quiet, so am I. Also, I’m a mime.”
We don’t care who your favorite comedians are
Would you go up to a model and say, “You know who’s pretty? Someone else.” However, don’t be afraid to say hi if you recognize us somewhere, but don’t expect us to start performing at the gas station, please. Musicians won’t sing to you, and surgeons won’t operate.
When did we know we had made it? When we were on Letterman
“For most stand-ups, it was the end of the rainbow,” says Andrea Henry. “That said, if they ever brought back Hollywood Squares, that would be at the top of my list. Every episode looked like a party.” Next, don’t miss the 9 secrets to telling a great joke, according to stand-up comedians.
