Category Archives: Creativity

Jun20

How to be a Really Funny Comedian, Part 8: Professionalism

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How to be a Really Funny Comedian, Part 8: Professionalism

Inline-conan-collage

You may have seen fastcompany.com's 2011 output of the 100 Most Creative People in Business back in May. That ridiculous photo of the many Conan's sure caught my attention. Though Conan O'Brien came in 8th place, the focus on his creative process is worth reiterating. Plus, he wrote a guide to creativity. Who doesn't like guides?

The man is a true professional who rides on the success of effective preparation. But key to his real success is the pressure-induced, improv decision-making that follows his good prep. "Prepare like crazy," says Conan. "But then just as you're heading out, half an hour beforehand, forget all of it. It's in your reptile brain. Go out but feel loose enough to grab opportunities as they come up."

Conan draws analogies between horse-racing, diamond-formation, cooking and surfing to the business of creative comedy. Somehow these topics have a few things in common: they are greatly impacted by the chance occurrence of the perfect elements, the presence of a ton of pressure, and the flexibility to go off course should the opportunity arise. Conan puts a lot of weight in the fun factor and maintaining a loose work environment to allow full freedom for mistakes and mishaps that may turn into the next best idea. Also, knowing what he can and cannot control has allowed Conan to tap further into his improvisation. His job is to set the tone, not to micro-manage his writers. Therefore, his tone is light and he considers the best and the worst to be on equally footing for funny material. The best material from Conan happens when he draws outside of the lines and the audience can tell that something organic is happening. Conan tells his colleagues that "the only way we can screw up is by not being bold enough." 

So what can we learn from Mr. O'Brien's guide about creativity in the business of comedy? 

1. "Creating a show is like playing the horses… No, wait-it's really like the making of a jewel." (i.e. The build up of pressure fosters a great production).

2. "Prepare like crazy so you can wing it." (i.e. Trust your 'reptile brain').

3. "Improvising is like surfing." (i.e. Be open to the whim of the current and ride out the opportunity to improvise).

4. "Creativity should be fun. Seriously." (i.e. Seriously fun).

5. " Fostering a collective comic sensibility is like cooking." (i.e. Get a rough idea, but don't overcook things with intense rehearsals because you need room to seize the moment for improv). 

6. Learn from other creative CEO's, and pep-talk your staff (i.e. Only try to control what you actually can, and create an environment where people are encouraged to be bold). 

Jun2

How to be a Really Funny Comedian, Part 4: Political Humor

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How to be a Really Funny Comedian, Part 4: Political Humor

George_carlin Do a little archival comedy research. It's a very interesting historical enterprise. Not only can we observe the public sentiment of the political atmosphere at the time, but we can chuckle at the outdated jargon and references. One of my favorite examples is George Carlin. He started out totally apolitical and then got more and more political as time went on.

My favorite routine of his is the Stuff routine. Pure comedy genius. I believe this will totally stand the test of time simply because we all can still relate to this theme. Having too much stuff in America and feeling overwhelmed by our possessions is pretty darn pervasive. He didn't just jab at current events and politicians of the time, but made broad-reaching, deeply rooted cultural observations. I'm not a giant fan of his later, punny, political stuff, even though I mostly agree with what he had to say. How about you?

ACTION: Go to a cafe every day for a week and read the newspaper. Write for an hour on the headlines. Make associations, references, and observations. Don't even try to be funny–try to notice things and talk about how you feel abou them. And HAVE A POINT OF VIEW. Perhaps you were a stockbroker and now you're just broke. And that's your point of view on politics. I personally tend to be pretty apolitical in terms of talking about what's in the news and what I think about politics. But my comedy is personal, and as we learned from feminism in the 70's, personal is political. So regardless of whether you talk about Jimmy Carter–wait, what year is it?–make sure you talk about how you personally feel about what's happening in the world and not just what you think they think you think is funny.

STAY TUNED: more tantalizing comedy secrets tomorrow! Also check out these series of How To's:

How to be a Comedian Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Seven

So You Want to Write a One Person Show Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Seven

 

Jun1

How to be a Really Funny Comedian, Part 3: Your Relevance

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How to be a Really Funny Comedian, Part 3: Your Relevance

Twain So: is it more important for you to feel that your comedy will be relevant for a long time or rather that you are totally hip and cutting edge?

Some topics in comedy can go from ripe to rotten. If your act used racist or sexist stereotypes, it was probably pretty funny to people in the 50's and even 60's.  But eventually, those jokes stopped being funny… to people on the West Coast and the East Coast.  I hear that you can take jokes to the heartland that would have you boo'd off stage in San Francisco.  This is the "Men are.. and women are…" comedy.. the "black people are.. whereas white people are.."  It's also a very "You people are.." kind of feel.

Or you can take Tina Fey's stance when she became the youngest person ever (age 40 at the time) to win the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Upon winning she declared, "I hope that, like Mark Twain, people will see my work 100 years from now and say, 'Wow, that is actually pretty racist.' " She came in 39th place for the 100 Most Creative People in Business this year, perhaps because she has a handle on both universally relevant topics and taking risks with potentially ripe to rotten humor. 

But what else is there?  Well, we can use humor to be self-deprecating, to talk about our own feelings… It's likely that it'll continue to be funny for a long time. 

ACTION: Write yourself a list of priorities or do some free writing about what's most important to you to convey so you can know for sure, "Yes, I want to be awesomely hip, and I don't care what people think about how I was in the future." or "No, I want my comedy to be a legacy for all of humanity for the next seven generations and to offend no one."

STAY TUNED: more tantalizing comedy secrets tomorrow! Also check out these series of How To's:

How to be a Comedian Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Seven

So You Want to Write a One Person Show Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Seven

May1

How to Become a Comedian, Part 7: The Well

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How to Become a Comedian, Part 7: The Well

Imgres-5

If you haven't already, look back at what we've already covered.

Ok, here's where we get spiritual.  So you've done all the writing and stuff, but it's time for me to let you in on a new secret.  The ideas that come from you aren't yours.  Especially the really good ones.  That's good news.  It means you're off the hook.  It means you're off the hook to "figure it out" and to "do it right."  You' dont' have to worry about whether your jokes are "funny enough" or "good enough" because they're not coming from you anyway.  They're coming from Source.  From something greater.  Some source outside yourelf.  Even this idea isn't mine!  (Thank you, Guides!)  

ACTION: Sit with a new blank piece of notebook paper and light a candle.  Send a wish, prayer, or invocation out, calling for your muses.  Ask them to help you go to the Source, the Well, to pick out some really genius ideas, and to be their champion to bring them back to the world.  Set a timer for at least 10 minutes and just wait.  Then start writing.  Don't worry about what comes, just write.  Do this for at least a week.  

Next up: What to do with it all…

Apr30

Comedy at the Center for Spiritual Living in Sacramento

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Comedy at the Center for Spiritual Living in Sacramento

Here's an excerpt from the standup comedy show I did with the lovely and talented Katie Rubin at the Sacramento Center for Spiritual Living recently. Enjoy!