Introduction

In this lesson I want to talk about can be one of the biggest creativity killers when it comes to selecting comedy topics for a stand-up comedy routine.

And that creativity killer involves the concept of “original” comedy material.

Most new (and even some not so new) comedians have no viable or solid concept of what “original” comedy material actually means.

Subsequently, you will find that many new comedians struggle to come up with what they attempt to guess to be “original” comedy topics or bulk comedy material to turn into tight stand-up material that hasn’t already been talked about by another comedian.

Let me give you just one example (of many) that I personally witnessed myself that exemplifies this.

I was at the Comedy Store in La Jolla, California waiting for my turn to get on stage when a new comedian finished his set and was immediately approached by another new comedian who said something like this:

“You did a space shuttle joke on stage. I have a space shuttle joke I have been doing for months. So you need to quit doing that joke!”

Now here’s the interesting part…

I had seen both new comedian perform their particular space shuttle joke – they were completely different jokes. The only thing either joke had in common was that they both involved the space shuttle.

So let’s talk about “original” comedy topics…

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Just Look To The Pros For Verification

No matter what ANY comedian or so-called stand-up comedy expert may tell you about “original” comedy topics, know this beyond a shadow of a doubt:

THERE IS USUALLY NO SUCH THING AS AN “ORIGINAL” COMEDY TOPIC.

I say that because when it comes to any sort of broad type of comedy topic or category, they have usually been talked about in one manner or another by DOZENS, if not hundreds of other comedians.

Note: There are rare exceptions. For example, when a comedian talks about past historical events or science related topics. Even then, the comedian who does this actually engages in teaching the audience about the history or science with their material so that they can get the humor/jokes associated with it.

Let me give you just one example of a very common comedy topic that the MAJORITY of professional comedians use for comedy material and that involves family and or significant others, specifically:

• Parents
• Grandparents
• Brothers and/or sisters
• Cousins, nieces and nephews
• Spouses (previous/current)
• Boyfriends/girlfriends/friends with benefits (previous/current)

You need only review just a few stand-up comedy videos to verify what I have just told you.

So let’s talk about what original comedy material is.

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Original Comedy Material

Original comedy material has NOTHING to do with any broad topic that you identify as something you want to turn into comedy material.

It has EVERYTHING to do with what you have experienced, observed, heard, discovered, realized, opined, etc. about regarding ANY comedy topic that you want to talk about AND the way you react to the information in those topics are what will make them “original”.

Let’s take a broad comedy topic that I will call “intimate relationships” which would include subtopics that includes details about:

Boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses or friends with benefits

There’s nothing “original” about this very broad topic – virtually every comedian has something to talk about in this very common comedy topic category.

But what will always be original will be what you choose to talk about specifically with regards to those boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses or friends with benefits – based on your own personal experience, unique viewpoint, the manner in which you see life and the manner in which you express your sense of humor about these relationships.

What I have been telling you to do in this course is to reflect on conversations that you have had (and will have) that have caused/will cause others to laugh in order to determine the comedy topics that are best for you.

But for the purposes of this course, “comedy topics” become merely a way to categorize those things that you have already talked about and have gotten laughs from talking about them.

Which brings me to the next segment in this lesson…

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Identifying Broad Comedy Topics And Subtopics

One of the reasons that you might want associate and label conversations that you have had as a broad comedy topic and/or subtopic is this:

As you begin to recall conversations from your past (and those that will happen), you will find that you won’t recall everything about any specific broad topic (or associated subtopic) all at once.

Fro example. you may remember a conversation you had about a failed intimate relationship that you had. Next you might remember a story you have told about an incident that happened while you were driving to work.

Then you might recall a conversation where you saw something when you were shopping for groceries.

My point is this:

We don’t communicate with other people in a linear fashion, exhausting everything we have to say about a single broad topic before we move to the next broad topic.

When we talk to others, we skip around from topic to topic as we feel the need to introduce that topic or we respond to a topic that has been introduced by someone else.

The key advantage to labeling your comedy material into various topics and subtopics is to be able to easily combine conversation details into their respective similar topics and subtopics.

I say that for this very important reason:

The longer you can stay on any particular topic in the prepared stand-up comedy material that you ultimately deliver to an audience, the less set-up is needed. This gives you more time for your reactions (punchlines).

Again, keep in mind that at most comedy open mic nights you will usually only get 3-5 minutes of performing time. You could literally use that time for a single comedy topic (if you had the material to fill that performing time.)

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Details Matter

As you begin to recall conversations when you said something or told a story that caused others to laugh, you will want to make sure that you write down (or audio record using your smartphone) every possible detail that you can remember.

This is important for several reasons:

It will be these details that will make up your “bulk” (unprocessed) comedy material for any particular topic or subtopic that you identify.

These details will also play a big part in the originality of your stand-up comedy material (once it has been prepared for the stage) on any particular topic that you want to talk about on stage.

Which brings me an important aspect of recalling conversations as a means to extract comedy topics/bulk comedy material which is this:

The last thing you will want to do is to try to force or push yourself to remember any conversation, event, observation, situation, etc. because as soon as you do this, your memory will tend to shut down.

In essence, you will be creating a mental block that is not necessary. I say that because in a very short period of time (2-4 weeks) you could literally have HOURS of potential comedy material topics and bulk comedy material to choose from for which you can develop stand-up material for your act.

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Wrap Up

Be aware that there will be times that comedy material that you develop can be similar to that which other comedians are using/working on.

However, one of the keys to having truly original comedy material lies in how personal and detailed it is.

In other words, unlike others who are attempting to “fabricate” funny from very common observations, experiences, situations, etc. and then trying to attach the most obvious funny aspects they can to those fabricated topics…

You should be tapping into the most original comedy material of all — that which is specific and personal to you.

You also end up putting yourself in a very advantageous spot because of the shear quantity of potential comedy topics and bulk comedy material that you are able to select from and work with to develop into solid stand-up comedy material that fits you like a glove (and actually generates laughs.)

So, if you run across a comedian who is delivering comedy material that is very close to what you are working on, switch it out. It makes ZERO sense to spend time on any sort comedy material that doesn’t give you the originality you need.

Most new (and not so new) comedians simply won’t have the flexibility you can have when it comes to the quantity and diversity of potential comedy material – already tested comedy material – that you have at your fingertips.

Note: This topic is directly related to the largely contrived aspect known as “hack” stand-up comedy material that is covered in this Killer Stand-up Online Course lesson.

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