"It's easy to be dirty, it's harder to be clean", Really? It's been my experience that it is easier to be inoffensive. The audience tends to give you the benefit of the doubt even if the joke isn't that great, but on a safe subject. When you're saying something that may be offensive; your words and premises have to be spot on. If you screw it up, it's a prime opportunity for the sensitive to heckle,"see, you shouldn't be saying it". Like the jackasses they are. The groans and the desire to see you fail can ruin your set. The old saying, "You can't flub an abortion joke ", is kind of true. Of ourse you can get out of it if you know what you're doing, but the fact remains. I like clean comedy too, not a slight on them. If that's who you are, and what you like it's definitely a great skill to have. Most television shows and entertainment want clean happy comedy, so it is definitely marketable. This further supports my theory that being a not so clean comic is harder. Given the fact that most shows want clean comedy, you really have to create your own shots if you prefer to go against the norm. Look at Louis CK, he basically had to write and create his own show. He's almost 50 and just getting his just do, whereas there have been several losers who have just been given a show. I feel it's a harder road, what do you think?
If you're a 'clean' comic, you might have venues available that aren't available to a comic that works with a different vocabulary, but working and being funny isn't always a 1:1 ratio. I've seen way too many 'clean' comics who leaned on predictable premises...and whose punchlines were visible from Low Earth Orbit that I just didn't think were funny. They got plenty of jobs, they just weren't funny. The biggest difference is that you can work more corporate / 'family' gigs if you have 'clean' material.
ReplyDeleteSame thing with 'dirty' comics - I've sat through lots of f-bombs and bodily function / sexual / racial jokes that shocked, got my attention, and made me laugh.....but at second glance, weren't as funny as when they hit me the first time.
First and foremost, it's got to be funny. Doug Stanhope's 'Bobbie Barnett' story (along with a lot of his other material) isn't clean, but it's as funny and well-crafted as any Seinfeld monologue. Same with several of Chris Rock's routines. Underneath all the language, POV and misdirection, it's funny, engaging, make you think twice stuff.
On the clean side, you've got people like Kathleen Madigan, Jim Gaffigan, Jeff Caldwell(my current favorite), who would have funny routines regardless of their adjectives.
Is it harder? Hard to say - if you're getting laughs just because of the specific word you use, I'd wager that it's a crutch. If the premise itself is strong, I think it would be funny whether or not it includes 'adult' language.
You have a lot of valid points there. I agree with ur last statement, but most people will say something isn't funny if it goes against their beliefs even if it is funny.It happens all the time. I really appreciate you commenting. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou have a lot of valid points there. I agree with ur last statement, but most people will say something isn't funny if it goes against their beliefs even if it is funny.It happens all the time. I really appreciate you commenting. Thank you!
ReplyDelete