Tuesday, January 27, 2015

"BILL HICKS’S PRINCIPLES OF COMEDY"

1. If you can be yourself on stage nobody else can be you and you have the law of supply and demand covered.

2. The act is something you fall back on if you can’t think of anything else to say.

3. Only do what you think is funny, never just what you think they will like, even though it’s not that funny to you.

4. Never ask them is this funny – you tell them this is funny.

5. You are not married to any of this shit – if something happens, taking you off on a tangent, NEVER go back and finish a bit, just move on.

6. NEVER ask the audience “How You Doing?” People who do that can’t think of an opening line. They came to see you to tell them how they’re doing, asking that stupid question up front just digs a hole. This is The Most Common Mistake made by performers. I want to leave as soon as they say that.

7. Write what entertains you. If you can’t be funny be interesting. You haven’t lost the crowd. Have something to say and then do it in a funny way.

8. I close my eyes and walk out there and that’s where I start, Honest.

9. Listen to what you are saying, ask yourself, “Why am I saying it and is it Necessary?” (This will filter all your material and cut the unnecessary words, economy of words)

10. Play to the top of the intelligence of the room. There aren’t any bad crowds, just wrong choices.

11. Remember this is the hardest thing there is to do. If you can do this you can do anything.

12. I love my cracker roots. Get to know your family, be friends with them.

9 comments:

Amartel said...

I've heard a lot of comedians ask "how you doing __________" [name of location] when they first get out there in front of the audience. Naming the location always gets a positive reaction and that's a good start. (See, also, every rock show ever.) Then segue into some commentary about the location.

Amartel said...

The rest of this is good, though.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

He's messing with us.

ricpic said...

"This is funny, dammit!!!"

crickets....crickets....crickets....

ricpic said...

You've gotta make the audience comfortable.

Louis Anderson was genius at that.

Trooper York said...

So was Lonnie Anderson.

bagoh20 said...

Bill Burr is my new favorite comedian. I never saw his show before a few months ago when I watched it on Netflix. He is neither left nor right or maybe both, but he is funny, smart and insightful, with a great cadence and relaxed delivery.

http://youtu.be/x9iYvyffAh4

Tank said...

I don't know anything about comedy, but I know that, if I've paid to see a show, I want the comedian to come out and do actual MATERIAL that they've prepared. I don't want a whole show of riffing with the audience, because that is often uncomfortable and unfunny (and it tells me they have no actual act).

If you have to rely on dirty words, you don't have an act. That was over a lifetime ago.

rcommal said...

Perfect.