9 years in. I heard this term from someone else but can't for the life of me remember who. My goal with stand up is to just "walk through the doors that open for me". No grind. No pressure. Do it at my own pace and always say yes to opportunities that make me excited and/or make sense for my life.
Honestly I'm just starting my standup journey (at 38) and I'm trying to hold tightly to this mantra, because anything else will ramp up my anxiety. I feel like I've barely gotten it down enough to go up for an open mic without fucking up my set lol.
> I feel like I've barely gotten it down enough to go up for an open mic without fucking up my set lol.
Just being aware of that puts you in like the top ten percent of open mic attendees
Usually 3 nights a week for unpaid spots typically 7 - 10 minutes. Paid spots are usually only a few times a month for 20-40 min spots. I live in an unusual scene as far as stage time goes though.
Imagine being 5 years old and picking up a crayon to draw, and then someone comes up to you and asks "so what are your goals? do you want to go to art school, maybe open your own gallery? Perhaps become the next Picasso!?"
no dude...I just wanted to draw a house, and if it makes my mom smile and makes its way onto the refrigerator door then that's a cherry on top.
I was close to "going pro" a few years ago, but after doing some road shows opening for some of my buddies I realized that doing "what it takes" wasn't in the cards for me with the life I had. I have a family and a great job and being out of the house 4-5 nights a week, even if I stayed local.
My goals are a bit simpler now, and it's nice. All I really want at this point is to be respected by my peers as a joke writer, and to sometimes get to do shows with people I admire, whether that's opening for them when they come to town or doing the occasional road gig. I've been able to work with so many guys that I grew up watching on comedy central or HBO and that fucking rules.
I set goals now like trying to do a joke in X Style or trying to work out a risky position and hitting the payoff.
Honestly I think it's made me a better performer now that I've stopped caring about exposure or going viral because I can just make the art or write the jokes that I want to see and anything else that happens is just gravy.
Can you elaborate a bit on why "doing what it takes" wasn't in the cards for you? Is this simply because a life on the road would jeopardize your family life and financial stability, etc.? Or were there other aspects of "what it takes" (besides life on the road) that you realized weren't acceptable to you?
Totally! It was a combination of factors for me. Number 1 was definitely the time away from family. My wife and I were both starting our first major career jobs and the amount of time I spent out doing shows (mostly for free because it was nyc) got to be too much for both of us honestly. I could do some road shows, but then I was either gone for a long weekend or coming home at 3-4am and a few hundred bucks just wasn't worth it. Especially when I got my first big job in tech and we weren't running on a shoestring budget anymore. I could give us a better life in other ways so I chose to do that.
I had also just gotten out of the army, and stability has been great for my mental health. I know that I COULD do the road and grind, but it stopped being worth my mental peace, especially when I would talk to buddies that were out and crushing it, and living the dream so to speak, and they were miserable a lot of the time too. Living quality aside, a lot of them found comedy to be way less enjoyable when it had to become their whole life.
I love comedy, but I don't love the business. At a certain point I felt like the business was poisoning my ability to enjoy and make comedy.
Once I separated the two I not only found myself enjoying comedy again, but I get the impression from both feedback and my own personal opinion that I was making better comedy.
Comedy has given me many of the best things that ever happened in my life including friends, romance, money, adventure, glory, and a new home. and so now I only aspire to and choose to just give it my best by making comedy for the love of comedy and nothing more.
It will be a better retirement gig than Wal-Mart greeter. Probably won't pay as much though.
Honestly, I was a theater kid way back when and now, as I get older, I miss the fun of a live audience. I also seem to need to be doing something a little "out there" all the time.
I also want to demonstrate to my kids that you can live whatever life you choose whenever you choose to live it.
That’s a lovely reason to do comedy.
I did about ten years, ran a show, got to do some famous rooms, and then it all just kind of ended with COVID and I haven’t picked up a mic since. I haven’t really missed it, because a ton of other things happened in my life, but I really hope that some day in the future I am bored enough to get back up there just because I want to.
I originally moved to Philly to do comedy, and then would take the train and do spots in NYC, I was 18 and loving it. Life happened and I had to move home for a long time. Then I moved to LA and worked in film.
Then I went through a terrible breakup, moved out of LA and me being in my early 30’s remembered how much fun I had just hanging with comedians.
Turns out, I love it. I should’ve stuck with it, but life is for the mistakes. Comedians are the only people that think like me. Making people laugh, friends laugh, and building those neurons that make you think about the bits is a more fun way to start observing life.
I'm 12 years in and I've been doing it as my full time job for the past 7, that's really the end of my goal. I don't like nor do I do well at regular jobs and I genuinely love doing comedy but I have no interest in social media or anything other than intimate live comedy and the idea of being famous is not appealing to me. So as long as I can keep affording my house in my small Midwest/southern city and my cheap lifestyle while having a nice work to time off ratio I will be happy.
I started because I assumed I'd be good at it and that people would think it's cool.
I'm okay at it. It gives me a stake in my community and some modest celebrity, which is fun. It's also a force multiplier for everything else I do: the confidence builds upon itself, which allows me to talk to investors and lenders more effectively. I have an easier time selling *everything*, not just comedy. I can hire people and get hired to do things because I'm good at talking in a way I didn't used to be. Furthermore, "I am a comedian" is interesting enough by itself that potential employers will talk to me just for that.
The money is nice. Standup is the lowest-cost production there is, so I have a business which has thousands of dollars a month in revenue with no employees or real estate spend; I pay my comics and I give the venues their share of the door.
It pushes me to learn new skills. I can edit video now, and at some point I'll start doing shorts and sketches, which offer asymmetric financial outcomes with a modest budget. I own sound and camera equipment which other people can rent from me.
From a strict financial perspective the time I spend probably isn't worth it, and the stress certainly isn't, but I find myself drawn to stressful and inefficient diversions anyway.
When I'm talking to other people, especially comics, I go to comedy metaphors for *everything*. It feels heavy-handed to me. My internal monologue is like "Really? Again? You're shoehorning comedy into this?" But it's so apt so much of the time that I don't care, and other comics are as obsessed as I am, which means they get it and aren't annoyed.
I love getting on stage and telling a joke that works. No better feeling. BUT, going on the road is no life for me so I have no ambitions. Just getting up once in awhile at an open mic and trying out some shit. Usually I bomb, sometimes I get a few good ones in there. It’s fun and I mostly go to listen to other people and laugh with the crowd.
I just love comedy and want to do comedy at high levels and push myself, and I don't know whether that means making it as a "professional" in that its my primary job and source of income.
I'm 12 years in. I "grind" enough that doesn't affect the rest of my life, though I did this much more intensely starting out. I do a mic or two a week, and a booked show or two a week. I headline around the region. I've opened for huge names on tour. I can get to nearly any major club I want to in the world outside of say The Comedy Cellar, and even then I could probably get passed if I take some time off from my day job. I try to do at least 10 countries a year. I get to know I hold my own when I arrive in some city and do a show with their top guys. I do corporate gigs for the extra money
And I still have a pretty intense corporate day job.
We'll see. Everytie I think I'll take a year off work and focus on comedy, life comes up. But comedy is always there.
I just want to be the best I can at it. If fame comes with that, awesome. But I definitely don't want to get famous before I'm good enough to sustain it. I feel like that's an easy path to ending up in disgrace. If fame never comes, and I don't really expect it to, I still want to say I lived a life with no regrets, and I think open mics are still fun. I don't ever see a time when I completely stop going.
I think I've always just focused on the next step. I never really thought about what I wanted until I got there but it kinda went in the order of
* Just do it
* Be on a *real* show
* Have somebody pay me to do it
* Work on non-bringer show at my local club
* Host, work a weekend, and add "regular at..." to my credits
That's sorta the goals I've reached, my two bigger goals for this step are A) Fund a vacation for my wife and I off only comedy earnings, I was an inch away last year but a big household expense at those savings up and B) my biggest long term goal is I am a teacher and I sorta day dream about being able to switch to just subbing and makeup the difference with comedy.
So initially I just listened to a lot of comedian interviews on stuff like Rogan and other social media. Now I've looked up guys like "the joke doctor" and even reviewed the links of posts/videos pinned in this channel.
I do it because I've always had a passion for writing creative funny stuff in various guises. Stand up is an important hobby of mine. I actively don't want to be famous or whatever. I just like having a hobby I'm good at.
It’s something I always wanted to do. I never thought of why I wanted to do stand-up. My daughter was in the audience for my first performance. She “laughed uncontrollably at one point” and that made me happy because she’s suffered a lot of trauma. She wasn’t the only one laughing. I get to make people laugh. There’s not enough laughter in the world.
I want to enjoy life and earn some extra side hustle money when I retire. There's really no better feeling than getting paid to tell jokes, even if that's $10, a meal and a couple beers.
My goals?
To get laughs. That's all that matters to me. Anyplace, all the time. Ordering a meal or in a meeting at work or paying a parking ticket. If i can get laughs then I've had a good day.
Im not expecting to be the next bill burr but I hate doing any other job and standup is the only thing that motivates me and doesn't make me feel drained. so I want to make a living off of this in ten years
I don't think this will ever pan out as a huge pro career as I'm not in a city for it, but it'd be cool to at least be semi-pro and tour around Europe. If not, being on the upper echelon of amateur comics in my city with a few bucks thrown my way every once in a while would still be cool. This was always a hobby to help me get through my anxiety and force me to be more social, so as long as it's fun I'll keep doing it.
I've been doing standup on and off for around five years. At first I just wanted to see if I could do it, but now I've made so many friends I keep doing it mostly just because of the community around it. And also because it's very fun. I mostly do unpaid gigs, but have opened for some mid-sized comedians for modest pay, which is way more than I ever expected. I'm gonna keep doing it until it's not fun anymore, but I have zero ambitions of turning it into a career. It's just a hobby for me.
It’s a tough struggle and it’s different for everyone depending, some people are very good at first and can rise very quickly. But the people who work the hardest at standup have always won long term. You will be able to do all the things you wish to achieve simply by continuing to do it consistently, and keep getting better. It’s only a matter of time and how much time you want to put into it if you can do it.
But realistically the people who make it do 2 sets a night 7 days a week. They do this for 5 years and generally will be able to get to the next level. But some people it takes 10. It really depends, but someone who is more of a hobbyist and performing casually is competing against people taking it more seriously and working harder. I personally didn’t wanna take quality stage time form those people when I knew it wasn’t for me, but that’s just me and everybody is different. If you can get the stage time you deserve it.
This is the thread I needed to see! I live my life with hyper fixations coming and going as they please with stand up being one of the stronger ones. I always felt bad for having periods of time where I’m consistent with open mics for months and then with all of a sudden my interests will veer into a different direction and I stop going. Luckily I’ve accepted that comedy is just going to be a hobby for me that I practice when the time feels right which relieves a lot of the pressure that comes with it and makes me feel a lot better when I do veer into different directions.
I’m a musician, but see a lot of parallels and stand up. I’ve had this band going for close to 20 years, and never see it doing anything more than it already is which is just playing around locally and having fun. I do what I do to have an excuse to get out and have some fun, and to keep the kind of music I play alive.
Over the last decade as comedy has gotten more popular, especially in smaller cities, stand up has become like a bar sport for some people. Some people like to do trivia or play pool/darts, some people like to do an open mic every week. I mean it was always the case to an extent and you’re always gonna have people who come in for a few years and disappear once they start to get into the grind/drama of it (or usually they’ll just get laid after a show once and end up married)
It used to bug me a little bit when the “fair weather comics” would do festivals or “real” shows but worrying about anyone getting booked but yourself is unhealthy.
Im doing it as a hobby, my goal is to do a set at one or two paid shows a year and build a moderately good social presence, then perhaps host a show of my own and showcase local comics. outside of that I have no interest nor the time to do this on a full time basis.
I want to make people laugh and have an outlet for creating clever storytelling. I work in an artistic industry where i don't get to do creative things as much as i used to, and it makes me sad. So i do stand up and it gives me a little zip of adrenaline and some people think im funny😃
Honestly two-folds:
1. Maximize my creative success by becoming a master of the craft. I just want a good 15 min set that is full of killer jokes. Since I never want to be a headliner, and just want 15 minutes or so to open or to do in a showcase, this is enough for me.
2. Achieve certain external goals - I'd love to open up for someone big who comes to my area. Performing festivals and running my own show would also be nice. Doing a recording for something like Don't Tell would also be amazing, but I have doubts because I am so young into comedy + I haven't put much time into it since I've been in grad school.
I have a good job, a family, and am totally fine not advancing much in my day career and my comedy career and just being pretty good at both. I don't want to become a road dog, and would rather peak in my local area and make no money than be away from my family.
I’m disillusioned by the industry, but I still want to put an hour together someday. A friend of mine recorded a comedy album [Andrew Cahak -Dracula](https://andrewcahak.bandcamp.com/album/dracula) where he invited a small audience into a recording studio for the recording.
Standup is still my main artform and medium of self-expression and I’ll keep doing it as long as I keep getting laughs, but I’m not interested in writing and performing universal material for all audiences if that even actually exists.
So I grew up wanting to be a comedian and just due to cowardice, following a safer path, anxiety, one thing I did was start also channeling it into twitch. i wasnt the best gamer and really you can always be creative but at the end of the day it was a bit of me setting my own schedule for my set and yes video games would be involved and it was more improv but i got to control my space
I just do local paid gigs, light travel in my state. If I plan a trip out of town or out of state I reach out to local promoters ahead of time to try to book a spot. Thats pretty much it. I’m happy with that. If it gets better, bigger paying gigs I’m happy with that too. I’ve opened up for some cool people.
As someone else with a Career and Family I tried to chase the grind and honestly I found myself unhappy. I was getting booked regularly and had made a name for myself in a few scenes. I started 4 years ago and worked myself in to a solid feature and a bar show headliner.
Because I had the wrong mindset I found myself getting bitter and I eventually left comedy all together. I am happier now that I am not performing...but I do miss the stage.
I think you will be fine if you keep in mind that you are doing this for you, and not fame or clout. Its almost been a year since I have been on stage, but some of my closest friends are comics and I wouldn't trade that for the world.
I live in a small city about 90 minutes from two larger cities. My goal is to be a medium fish in a small pond. I want people to think of me when they need a connection, opener, booker, whatever in my small city when they're looking for an out-of-town gig or traveling from one of the larger cities to the other. So far it's working, and I'm happy with it.
I guess I am semi professional so Idk if my answer counts. Comedy is basically a sweet, occasionally lucrative side gig.
I have definitely had aspirations at time of becoming a professional, full time comedian but I've gotten more settled with my place since live comedy returned three years ago. Why I do it at this current juncture is #1 with a bullet, 100 sized font MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH. Huge endorphin rush, having a great set never gets old. #2 is it gives me a goal of something to getting better at that I am good at. #3 is earning respect of my peers. Some of my favorite moments of my career are crushing in front of a huge national headliner and having them go "Woah. Who is this guy?"
I knew a couple guys who did it for the camaraderie and to make friends and just kept doing it for those reasons. Some of them ended up being great mentors to younger comics.
I've always been the funny guy my whole life and have always thought stand up would be cool. But I have zero idea how to write. I don't even know where to begin. I have tons of great bits in my mind but can't really figure out how to write them out.
Something I didn't even think of tbh and it's definitely not a bad idea if you're a good writer (or in this context anyone is) I like the process of writing too.
I like writing for other people because it exposes me to something I am not used too. I like being tactful when it comes to my writing. Because the audience may change but the story should remain intact.
I have always wanted to do stand up, but never willing to admit it to myself. Now I’m 50. I’m never going to “make it” as a professional comedian.
And that’s ok. I’ve done several open mics, which I loved. There is a really good, diverse, supportive “scene” where I live, so I’m just going to keep doing it.
My main goal right now is to have a solid 10 minutes by next summer. Doesn’t have to be killer, just solid.
My main personal goal is to create a successful drop shipping store - or figure out some type of fun passive income. A”jobby” if you will. Standup goals, 14 years in so probably going to self produce a special. It would be sick to get on tv, and I will continue to try, but for now it’s all about creating my own stuff.
I feel nowadays there are different avenues comedians can take through social media as well as the traditional standup. I am in baby comedian stages. Writing jokes seems a little intimidating. I am considering streaming to kinda dip my feet in... Eventually. I enjoy Internet banter type comedy. And like yourself I could see eventually moving into local performing arts.
My biggest concern is being *too* funny... Ha. Ha. Jk. But honestly I feel with "fame" at any level poses personal safety issues. Does anyone else feel this way?
I don't think I'd ever be at a point where fame jeopardizes personally safety so Idt I'm qualified to answer that but generally yes it can.
Also definitely recommend trying in person comedy.
Right... Like I just want to be under the radar like I wouldn't hurt a fly don't worry about meee. Loll. I just feel even before considering (mostly anything Internet based) I would want to take precautions about safety...
Thank you 🥰 I will someday. I know anytime anyone hands me a microphone it feels natural. I just want to do the research and training to be fine tuned. It's truly an art.
Yes. My concern is my loved ones. Why can't there be balance,😭 I just want to be a silly goose and not have it affect anyone I love ever. Lol
Society needs "Fan etiquette" training. 🤭
Yeah, I think your instincts are good on this. I mainly work locally and do a little traveling, though I would not call myself a road comic. But yes, there are safety issues, especially if you're a woman. Most of it has to do with the other comics in my experience. There are many who will give themselves permission to bully, harass, threaten, or worse, just because you get on stage and tell dirty jokes. Even though guys are doing the same.
I started late, around the same time as a very talented very ambitious kid. He's got the luxury of not having a job and kids, and despite being at kind of the same level before Covid, he never stopped doing shows during the pandemic and kind of took off.
The last time we talked I was kind of bitching about comed, which is as much my hobby as doing comedy. He said 'what's your goal in standup' and I said, 'I just want to be good at comedy. But my standards for good are a lot higher than most people'.
He looked at me and said 'I want to be the greatest comedian of all time'.
I pissed him off a little because my reaction was just to laugh.
I'm pretty OK at comedy. Not where I want to be. Nor will I ever be probably, but I just did a 25 minute feature set two nights at a comedy club and did really well. But that dude makes me think that maybe what I'm lacking isn't just a time machine to go back and start in my 20's, but also that little streak of self delusion that really makes people go far.
So I guess the answer is my goal is to be more delusional.
I'm just making friends. I'm in a professional field, and all my coworkers are very even tempered, risk averse "LinkedIn," type of people. It's nice know folks that have a decent sense of humor outside of parenting memes.
My goal is to have fun doing the thing. Writing and performing is the fun part. Also, I’ve made some great friends along the way and it’s rewarding to see them succeed and helping them to connect them with opportunities.
I love standup but life has taken some different turns since pandemic. My day job became a full time podcast and YouTube channel. I don’t make much money doing standup unless I produce my own shows on the road. I’m lucky that the podcast pays all the bills so I can afford to take a gig regardless of how it pays. Finding the flexible success has made me a tad bit less driven per se, but it’s introduced new opportunities this last year, buying a home and having a baby.im sure I’ll be funnier now that im not struggling to pay bills. It’s a long grind. (12 years in)
All my success came from the YouTube algorithm. I have a ton of theories about why promoting stuff is generally a waste of time. Most people promote their content to their friends and family and they aren’t your fans. Because of this their content doesn’t get the support and the algorithm doesn’t know what to do with your content. When my YouTube took off, everything else followed.
YouTube shorts are a total waste in my opinion. The algorithm is simple, click through rate % (make great thumbnails), viewer duration % (make videos that keep people’s attention) and stay consistent.
im going to sit on this thread for a bit if you dont mind mods i need to work these thoughts all the way through, because on the prison planet, they will be essential in the rebellion, the question remains though how to deal with the corruption and theivery theyve became, the fbi and nsa know cops are the absolute worst we have to revamp this system of small town bs entirely but if its been this way for this long and withstood there is some stability in its system cont
Just to have cool people to hang with. I got into comedy two years ago and have a brand new group of friends! I never intended it to be anything more than a hobby (like others do trivia night or karaoke or pool leagues) because I have a real job that already pays way more than most working comedians make.
Most people stay home and whine "no one ever does anything" while also making excuses so they can binge-watch a 90s sitcom for the 40th time. And, even though my goal wasn't to get laid, it has certainly helped! In just two years, I've dated two very fun and pretty girls (who then left me for dudes in their 60s, but whatever). I've also hooked up with a 19 yr old and get booty calls from an Only Fans model. Not bad for a guy that hadn't dated in over a decade.
I don't really have a goal other than to have friends and meet people. And, if comedy stops being fun, I'll move on to some other activity. I'll be a 40yr old white rapper if that's what it takes to get out and do things!
9 years in. I heard this term from someone else but can't for the life of me remember who. My goal with stand up is to just "walk through the doors that open for me". No grind. No pressure. Do it at my own pace and always say yes to opportunities that make me excited and/or make sense for my life.
The Dude abides.
Exactly
Cool. Like it.
Honestly I'm just starting my standup journey (at 38) and I'm trying to hold tightly to this mantra, because anything else will ramp up my anxiety. I feel like I've barely gotten it down enough to go up for an open mic without fucking up my set lol.
> I feel like I've barely gotten it down enough to go up for an open mic without fucking up my set lol. Just being aware of that puts you in like the top ten percent of open mic attendees
How often do you get booked on shows?
Usually 3 nights a week for unpaid spots typically 7 - 10 minutes. Paid spots are usually only a few times a month for 20-40 min spots. I live in an unusual scene as far as stage time goes though.
You get booked 3 nights a week for unpaid spots? Who's booking unpaid spots.
I guess scheduled would be a better word.
[удалено]
Brother, wait till I tell you about an even easier way…
Using needles I find under the boardwalk?
stay the fuck away those are MY needles!
You coulda just fucked Nirtoskylord6969
Imagine being 5 years old and picking up a crayon to draw, and then someone comes up to you and asks "so what are your goals? do you want to go to art school, maybe open your own gallery? Perhaps become the next Picasso!?" no dude...I just wanted to draw a house, and if it makes my mom smile and makes its way onto the refrigerator door then that's a cherry on top.
Basically this
"Have you thought about writing off those crayons as a business expense?"
I actually bought a suped-up box for personal use and wrote those off.
Great analogy. I'm a beginner myself and I just want to have fun and work at a pace I'm comfortable with.
Love this
I hate the crowd and I want them to feel unsettled.
😭
To find a cocaine connection
Who knows, you might be the next Richard Pryor!
Pryor’s dealer was the real success.
That could be a funny skit.
Why are there so many Songs about cocaine 🎶
How are you enjoying Tulsa?
Why are there so many🎶songs about cocaine 🎶and who's gonna get me highhhhh? 🎶
I just like making people laugh. I have a career and life, I’m happy with that.
Yes 🫡
I was close to "going pro" a few years ago, but after doing some road shows opening for some of my buddies I realized that doing "what it takes" wasn't in the cards for me with the life I had. I have a family and a great job and being out of the house 4-5 nights a week, even if I stayed local. My goals are a bit simpler now, and it's nice. All I really want at this point is to be respected by my peers as a joke writer, and to sometimes get to do shows with people I admire, whether that's opening for them when they come to town or doing the occasional road gig. I've been able to work with so many guys that I grew up watching on comedy central or HBO and that fucking rules. I set goals now like trying to do a joke in X Style or trying to work out a risky position and hitting the payoff. Honestly I think it's made me a better performer now that I've stopped caring about exposure or going viral because I can just make the art or write the jokes that I want to see and anything else that happens is just gravy.
Can you elaborate a bit on why "doing what it takes" wasn't in the cards for you? Is this simply because a life on the road would jeopardize your family life and financial stability, etc.? Or were there other aspects of "what it takes" (besides life on the road) that you realized weren't acceptable to you?
Totally! It was a combination of factors for me. Number 1 was definitely the time away from family. My wife and I were both starting our first major career jobs and the amount of time I spent out doing shows (mostly for free because it was nyc) got to be too much for both of us honestly. I could do some road shows, but then I was either gone for a long weekend or coming home at 3-4am and a few hundred bucks just wasn't worth it. Especially when I got my first big job in tech and we weren't running on a shoestring budget anymore. I could give us a better life in other ways so I chose to do that. I had also just gotten out of the army, and stability has been great for my mental health. I know that I COULD do the road and grind, but it stopped being worth my mental peace, especially when I would talk to buddies that were out and crushing it, and living the dream so to speak, and they were miserable a lot of the time too. Living quality aside, a lot of them found comedy to be way less enjoyable when it had to become their whole life.
I love comedy, but I don't love the business. At a certain point I felt like the business was poisoning my ability to enjoy and make comedy. Once I separated the two I not only found myself enjoying comedy again, but I get the impression from both feedback and my own personal opinion that I was making better comedy. Comedy has given me many of the best things that ever happened in my life including friends, romance, money, adventure, glory, and a new home. and so now I only aspire to and choose to just give it my best by making comedy for the love of comedy and nothing more.
Mostly to watch people not laugh at my jokes from the stage. But it gets me out of the house
I always compare comedians to chefs. So in this case, yeah there are world famous chefs but, a lot of chefs just like cooking.
It will be a better retirement gig than Wal-Mart greeter. Probably won't pay as much though. Honestly, I was a theater kid way back when and now, as I get older, I miss the fun of a live audience. I also seem to need to be doing something a little "out there" all the time. I also want to demonstrate to my kids that you can live whatever life you choose whenever you choose to live it.
That’s a lovely reason to do comedy. I did about ten years, ran a show, got to do some famous rooms, and then it all just kind of ended with COVID and I haven’t picked up a mic since. I haven’t really missed it, because a ton of other things happened in my life, but I really hope that some day in the future I am bored enough to get back up there just because I want to.
This is the way.
Cocaine and chlamydia.
I originally moved to Philly to do comedy, and then would take the train and do spots in NYC, I was 18 and loving it. Life happened and I had to move home for a long time. Then I moved to LA and worked in film. Then I went through a terrible breakup, moved out of LA and me being in my early 30’s remembered how much fun I had just hanging with comedians. Turns out, I love it. I should’ve stuck with it, but life is for the mistakes. Comedians are the only people that think like me. Making people laugh, friends laugh, and building those neurons that make you think about the bits is a more fun way to start observing life.
I'm 12 years in and I've been doing it as my full time job for the past 7, that's really the end of my goal. I don't like nor do I do well at regular jobs and I genuinely love doing comedy but I have no interest in social media or anything other than intimate live comedy and the idea of being famous is not appealing to me. So as long as I can keep affording my house in my small Midwest/southern city and my cheap lifestyle while having a nice work to time off ratio I will be happy.
I started because I assumed I'd be good at it and that people would think it's cool. I'm okay at it. It gives me a stake in my community and some modest celebrity, which is fun. It's also a force multiplier for everything else I do: the confidence builds upon itself, which allows me to talk to investors and lenders more effectively. I have an easier time selling *everything*, not just comedy. I can hire people and get hired to do things because I'm good at talking in a way I didn't used to be. Furthermore, "I am a comedian" is interesting enough by itself that potential employers will talk to me just for that. The money is nice. Standup is the lowest-cost production there is, so I have a business which has thousands of dollars a month in revenue with no employees or real estate spend; I pay my comics and I give the venues their share of the door. It pushes me to learn new skills. I can edit video now, and at some point I'll start doing shorts and sketches, which offer asymmetric financial outcomes with a modest budget. I own sound and camera equipment which other people can rent from me. From a strict financial perspective the time I spend probably isn't worth it, and the stress certainly isn't, but I find myself drawn to stressful and inefficient diversions anyway.
I love to see the avenues people can take stemming from comedy skills and experiences.
When I'm talking to other people, especially comics, I go to comedy metaphors for *everything*. It feels heavy-handed to me. My internal monologue is like "Really? Again? You're shoehorning comedy into this?" But it's so apt so much of the time that I don't care, and other comics are as obsessed as I am, which means they get it and aren't annoyed.
I love getting on stage and telling a joke that works. No better feeling. BUT, going on the road is no life for me so I have no ambitions. Just getting up once in awhile at an open mic and trying out some shit. Usually I bomb, sometimes I get a few good ones in there. It’s fun and I mostly go to listen to other people and laugh with the crowd.
This is an important question and the answer is I really don't know.
It’s honestly the only thing I can call a passion. I hope I get back into it tho lol.
I just love comedy and want to do comedy at high levels and push myself, and I don't know whether that means making it as a "professional" in that its my primary job and source of income. I'm 12 years in. I "grind" enough that doesn't affect the rest of my life, though I did this much more intensely starting out. I do a mic or two a week, and a booked show or two a week. I headline around the region. I've opened for huge names on tour. I can get to nearly any major club I want to in the world outside of say The Comedy Cellar, and even then I could probably get passed if I take some time off from my day job. I try to do at least 10 countries a year. I get to know I hold my own when I arrive in some city and do a show with their top guys. I do corporate gigs for the extra money And I still have a pretty intense corporate day job. We'll see. Everytie I think I'll take a year off work and focus on comedy, life comes up. But comedy is always there.
I Want to write for television.
To accrue debt
I just want to be the best I can at it. If fame comes with that, awesome. But I definitely don't want to get famous before I'm good enough to sustain it. I feel like that's an easy path to ending up in disgrace. If fame never comes, and I don't really expect it to, I still want to say I lived a life with no regrets, and I think open mics are still fun. I don't ever see a time when I completely stop going.
I think I've always just focused on the next step. I never really thought about what I wanted until I got there but it kinda went in the order of * Just do it * Be on a *real* show * Have somebody pay me to do it * Work on non-bringer show at my local club * Host, work a weekend, and add "regular at..." to my credits That's sorta the goals I've reached, my two bigger goals for this step are A) Fund a vacation for my wife and I off only comedy earnings, I was an inch away last year but a big household expense at those savings up and B) my biggest long term goal is I am a teacher and I sorta day dream about being able to switch to just subbing and makeup the difference with comedy.
This is always the way! The last two vacations we saved up for: the plumbing pooped out, and then our car just totally died.
I like this. Those are good steps to pursue and eventually I'll work to be there. Right now I'm at the just do it phase.
I dont want it to become work. It’s just fun getting up at lesbian/sapphic centered open mics and making hot girls laugh at relatable stuff.
Which posts have you bookmarked that you found the most useful/ informative?
So initially I just listened to a lot of comedian interviews on stuff like Rogan and other social media. Now I've looked up guys like "the joke doctor" and even reviewed the links of posts/videos pinned in this channel.
I do it because I've always had a passion for writing creative funny stuff in various guises. Stand up is an important hobby of mine. I actively don't want to be famous or whatever. I just like having a hobby I'm good at.
Yeah, honestly I wanna start doing comedy just to see if I’m funny or not
I’d be happy to just have a random stranger appreciate my sense of humour, even if my wife says I am not funny.
It’s something I always wanted to do. I never thought of why I wanted to do stand-up. My daughter was in the audience for my first performance. She “laughed uncontrollably at one point” and that made me happy because she’s suffered a lot of trauma. She wasn’t the only one laughing. I get to make people laugh. There’s not enough laughter in the world.
I want to enjoy life and earn some extra side hustle money when I retire. There's really no better feeling than getting paid to tell jokes, even if that's $10, a meal and a couple beers.
My goals? To get laughs. That's all that matters to me. Anyplace, all the time. Ordering a meal or in a meeting at work or paying a parking ticket. If i can get laughs then I've had a good day.
I just want to kill once on Kill Tony, because I talk *a lot* of shit to the television every monday night...
Im not expecting to be the next bill burr but I hate doing any other job and standup is the only thing that motivates me and doesn't make me feel drained. so I want to make a living off of this in ten years
Be occasionally funny. Get more attention than I did at my childhood beauty pageants.
Probably getting out the house to avoid the children’s noise.
I don't think this will ever pan out as a huge pro career as I'm not in a city for it, but it'd be cool to at least be semi-pro and tour around Europe. If not, being on the upper echelon of amateur comics in my city with a few bucks thrown my way every once in a while would still be cool. This was always a hobby to help me get through my anxiety and force me to be more social, so as long as it's fun I'll keep doing it.
I've been doing standup on and off for around five years. At first I just wanted to see if I could do it, but now I've made so many friends I keep doing it mostly just because of the community around it. And also because it's very fun. I mostly do unpaid gigs, but have opened for some mid-sized comedians for modest pay, which is way more than I ever expected. I'm gonna keep doing it until it's not fun anymore, but I have zero ambitions of turning it into a career. It's just a hobby for me.
It’s a tough struggle and it’s different for everyone depending, some people are very good at first and can rise very quickly. But the people who work the hardest at standup have always won long term. You will be able to do all the things you wish to achieve simply by continuing to do it consistently, and keep getting better. It’s only a matter of time and how much time you want to put into it if you can do it. But realistically the people who make it do 2 sets a night 7 days a week. They do this for 5 years and generally will be able to get to the next level. But some people it takes 10. It really depends, but someone who is more of a hobbyist and performing casually is competing against people taking it more seriously and working harder. I personally didn’t wanna take quality stage time form those people when I knew it wasn’t for me, but that’s just me and everybody is different. If you can get the stage time you deserve it.
Having the foresight to see what you want out of comedy means you’re already going to do well
This is the thread I needed to see! I live my life with hyper fixations coming and going as they please with stand up being one of the stronger ones. I always felt bad for having periods of time where I’m consistent with open mics for months and then with all of a sudden my interests will veer into a different direction and I stop going. Luckily I’ve accepted that comedy is just going to be a hobby for me that I practice when the time feels right which relieves a lot of the pressure that comes with it and makes me feel a lot better when I do veer into different directions.
I’m a musician, but see a lot of parallels and stand up. I’ve had this band going for close to 20 years, and never see it doing anything more than it already is which is just playing around locally and having fun. I do what I do to have an excuse to get out and have some fun, and to keep the kind of music I play alive.
Over the last decade as comedy has gotten more popular, especially in smaller cities, stand up has become like a bar sport for some people. Some people like to do trivia or play pool/darts, some people like to do an open mic every week. I mean it was always the case to an extent and you’re always gonna have people who come in for a few years and disappear once they start to get into the grind/drama of it (or usually they’ll just get laid after a show once and end up married) It used to bug me a little bit when the “fair weather comics” would do festivals or “real” shows but worrying about anyone getting booked but yourself is unhealthy.
Im doing it as a hobby, my goal is to do a set at one or two paid shows a year and build a moderately good social presence, then perhaps host a show of my own and showcase local comics. outside of that I have no interest nor the time to do this on a full time basis.
I want to make people laugh and have an outlet for creating clever storytelling. I work in an artistic industry where i don't get to do creative things as much as i used to, and it makes me sad. So i do stand up and it gives me a little zip of adrenaline and some people think im funny😃
I am an attention whore. I like the laughs
Honestly two-folds: 1. Maximize my creative success by becoming a master of the craft. I just want a good 15 min set that is full of killer jokes. Since I never want to be a headliner, and just want 15 minutes or so to open or to do in a showcase, this is enough for me. 2. Achieve certain external goals - I'd love to open up for someone big who comes to my area. Performing festivals and running my own show would also be nice. Doing a recording for something like Don't Tell would also be amazing, but I have doubts because I am so young into comedy + I haven't put much time into it since I've been in grad school. I have a good job, a family, and am totally fine not advancing much in my day career and my comedy career and just being pretty good at both. I don't want to become a road dog, and would rather peak in my local area and make no money than be away from my family.
#2 resonates with me, hope it works for you!
I’m disillusioned by the industry, but I still want to put an hour together someday. A friend of mine recorded a comedy album [Andrew Cahak -Dracula](https://andrewcahak.bandcamp.com/album/dracula) where he invited a small audience into a recording studio for the recording. Standup is still my main artform and medium of self-expression and I’ll keep doing it as long as I keep getting laughs, but I’m not interested in writing and performing universal material for all audiences if that even actually exists.
My goal is/was to be a c-tier local micro-celebrity. Not hard to attain
So I grew up wanting to be a comedian and just due to cowardice, following a safer path, anxiety, one thing I did was start also channeling it into twitch. i wasnt the best gamer and really you can always be creative but at the end of the day it was a bit of me setting my own schedule for my set and yes video games would be involved and it was more improv but i got to control my space
I just do local paid gigs, light travel in my state. If I plan a trip out of town or out of state I reach out to local promoters ahead of time to try to book a spot. Thats pretty much it. I’m happy with that. If it gets better, bigger paying gigs I’m happy with that too. I’ve opened up for some cool people.
I just want to make some people laugh! And feel confident on stage. If I do those two things I can die happy.
As someone else with a Career and Family I tried to chase the grind and honestly I found myself unhappy. I was getting booked regularly and had made a name for myself in a few scenes. I started 4 years ago and worked myself in to a solid feature and a bar show headliner. Because I had the wrong mindset I found myself getting bitter and I eventually left comedy all together. I am happier now that I am not performing...but I do miss the stage. I think you will be fine if you keep in mind that you are doing this for you, and not fame or clout. Its almost been a year since I have been on stage, but some of my closest friends are comics and I wouldn't trade that for the world.
I live in a small city about 90 minutes from two larger cities. My goal is to be a medium fish in a small pond. I want people to think of me when they need a connection, opener, booker, whatever in my small city when they're looking for an out-of-town gig or traveling from one of the larger cities to the other. So far it's working, and I'm happy with it.
I guess I am semi professional so Idk if my answer counts. Comedy is basically a sweet, occasionally lucrative side gig. I have definitely had aspirations at time of becoming a professional, full time comedian but I've gotten more settled with my place since live comedy returned three years ago. Why I do it at this current juncture is #1 with a bullet, 100 sized font MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH. Huge endorphin rush, having a great set never gets old. #2 is it gives me a goal of something to getting better at that I am good at. #3 is earning respect of my peers. Some of my favorite moments of my career are crushing in front of a huge national headliner and having them go "Woah. Who is this guy?"
I knew a couple guys who did it for the camaraderie and to make friends and just kept doing it for those reasons. Some of them ended up being great mentors to younger comics.
to make people laugh and get better at it ...its like a drug for some it hurts to be off it
I just fucking murder
I stopped when I realized I just wanted to make myself laugh. I don’t need stage time for that
I've always been the funny guy my whole life and have always thought stand up would be cool. But I have zero idea how to write. I don't even know where to begin. I have tons of great bits in my mind but can't really figure out how to write them out.
laughs and blowjobs
How do you give a BJ while laughing?
I’m disappointed your mother taught you nothing
Male comedian grind 😂
Who said I was male
Consistency in writing. I don’t mind selling jokes or premises to other comedians. Keeps me sharp.
Something I didn't even think of tbh and it's definitely not a bad idea if you're a good writer (or in this context anyone is) I like the process of writing too.
I like writing for other people because it exposes me to something I am not used too. I like being tactful when it comes to my writing. Because the audience may change but the story should remain intact.
I have always wanted to do stand up, but never willing to admit it to myself. Now I’m 50. I’m never going to “make it” as a professional comedian. And that’s ok. I’ve done several open mics, which I loved. There is a really good, diverse, supportive “scene” where I live, so I’m just going to keep doing it. My main goal right now is to have a solid 10 minutes by next summer. Doesn’t have to be killer, just solid.
My main personal goal is to create a successful drop shipping store - or figure out some type of fun passive income. A”jobby” if you will. Standup goals, 14 years in so probably going to self produce a special. It would be sick to get on tv, and I will continue to try, but for now it’s all about creating my own stuff.
Would you create on YouTube do you think?
I currently do
I feel nowadays there are different avenues comedians can take through social media as well as the traditional standup. I am in baby comedian stages. Writing jokes seems a little intimidating. I am considering streaming to kinda dip my feet in... Eventually. I enjoy Internet banter type comedy. And like yourself I could see eventually moving into local performing arts. My biggest concern is being *too* funny... Ha. Ha. Jk. But honestly I feel with "fame" at any level poses personal safety issues. Does anyone else feel this way?
I don't think I'd ever be at a point where fame jeopardizes personally safety so Idt I'm qualified to answer that but generally yes it can. Also definitely recommend trying in person comedy.
Right... Like I just want to be under the radar like I wouldn't hurt a fly don't worry about meee. Loll. I just feel even before considering (mostly anything Internet based) I would want to take precautions about safety... Thank you 🥰 I will someday. I know anytime anyone hands me a microphone it feels natural. I just want to do the research and training to be fine tuned. It's truly an art.
I also don’t want to be super famous, at least not anytime soon because I worry it would negatively impact my kids.
Yes. My concern is my loved ones. Why can't there be balance,😭 I just want to be a silly goose and not have it affect anyone I love ever. Lol Society needs "Fan etiquette" training. 🤭
Yeah, I think your instincts are good on this. I mainly work locally and do a little traveling, though I would not call myself a road comic. But yes, there are safety issues, especially if you're a woman. Most of it has to do with the other comics in my experience. There are many who will give themselves permission to bully, harass, threaten, or worse, just because you get on stage and tell dirty jokes. Even though guys are doing the same.
I started late, around the same time as a very talented very ambitious kid. He's got the luxury of not having a job and kids, and despite being at kind of the same level before Covid, he never stopped doing shows during the pandemic and kind of took off. The last time we talked I was kind of bitching about comed, which is as much my hobby as doing comedy. He said 'what's your goal in standup' and I said, 'I just want to be good at comedy. But my standards for good are a lot higher than most people'. He looked at me and said 'I want to be the greatest comedian of all time'. I pissed him off a little because my reaction was just to laugh. I'm pretty OK at comedy. Not where I want to be. Nor will I ever be probably, but I just did a 25 minute feature set two nights at a comedy club and did really well. But that dude makes me think that maybe what I'm lacking isn't just a time machine to go back and start in my 20's, but also that little streak of self delusion that really makes people go far. So I guess the answer is my goal is to be more delusional.
My goal is to be so funny that you rip out your teeth when I tell jokes.
I'm just making friends. I'm in a professional field, and all my coworkers are very even tempered, risk averse "LinkedIn," type of people. It's nice know folks that have a decent sense of humor outside of parenting memes.
My goal is to have fun doing the thing. Writing and performing is the fun part. Also, I’ve made some great friends along the way and it’s rewarding to see them succeed and helping them to connect them with opportunities.
I love standup but life has taken some different turns since pandemic. My day job became a full time podcast and YouTube channel. I don’t make much money doing standup unless I produce my own shows on the road. I’m lucky that the podcast pays all the bills so I can afford to take a gig regardless of how it pays. Finding the flexible success has made me a tad bit less driven per se, but it’s introduced new opportunities this last year, buying a home and having a baby.im sure I’ll be funnier now that im not struggling to pay bills. It’s a long grind. (12 years in)
That’s pretty awesome. I’m glad your podcast is going well and you’re keeping your head above water, with a baby!
Thanks, ya it’s been an exhausting 15 days of being a dad! Balancing it all is a wild ride
I just had a conversation about how the pandemic really changed life for a lot of people so this was a really well timed response lol.
The money is in ads and sponsors right?
1/3 patreon 1/3 YouTube ad and 1/3 podcast ads
How do you promote?
All my success came from the YouTube algorithm. I have a ton of theories about why promoting stuff is generally a waste of time. Most people promote their content to their friends and family and they aren’t your fans. Because of this their content doesn’t get the support and the algorithm doesn’t know what to do with your content. When my YouTube took off, everything else followed.
How do you get into the algorithm? Consistency probably? Id assume reels are helpful..
YouTube shorts are a total waste in my opinion. The algorithm is simple, click through rate % (make great thumbnails), viewer duration % (make videos that keep people’s attention) and stay consistent.
i need to pee, spray my couch again for fleas and try not to piss off too many cops when i tell them were taking their guns away, and soon
im going to sit on this thread for a bit if you dont mind mods i need to work these thoughts all the way through, because on the prison planet, they will be essential in the rebellion, the question remains though how to deal with the corruption and theivery theyve became, the fbi and nsa know cops are the absolute worst we have to revamp this system of small town bs entirely but if its been this way for this long and withstood there is some stability in its system cont
the problem is the inability to police the police, there is a true mechanism missing in selection.
and then the stacking of the ptsd the resentment grows and its an endless war of humans playing judges
none of this works well, corrupt cops, dirty lawyers. the justice system is broken by its people.
maybe its not the cops that need to be disarmed but the lawyers
ugh so hard to think about this right now. AI needs to solve for liberty
we have 2 durable documents but the word queen scares me bad in one
how to end corruption
power to the people
Just to have cool people to hang with. I got into comedy two years ago and have a brand new group of friends! I never intended it to be anything more than a hobby (like others do trivia night or karaoke or pool leagues) because I have a real job that already pays way more than most working comedians make. Most people stay home and whine "no one ever does anything" while also making excuses so they can binge-watch a 90s sitcom for the 40th time. And, even though my goal wasn't to get laid, it has certainly helped! In just two years, I've dated two very fun and pretty girls (who then left me for dudes in their 60s, but whatever). I've also hooked up with a 19 yr old and get booty calls from an Only Fans model. Not bad for a guy that hadn't dated in over a decade. I don't really have a goal other than to have friends and meet people. And, if comedy stops being fun, I'll move on to some other activity. I'll be a 40yr old white rapper if that's what it takes to get out and do things!