I just posted a great story by guest author & comedian Ron Tite about his worst gig ever. The pain of the situation just cracked me up, and made me want to give the guy a hug. I’ve been there. Comedians suffer like … well, if you’ve never been in front of 400 people who hate you, you just won’t understand.
Ron also makes a good point that, like music, there are many different types of comedy.
Even if a stand-up is the right choice, there are countless kinds of stand-ups just like there are countless styles of music. Choosing the wrong type of stand up is like selecting a Marilyn Manson tune for a wedding procession (although I’m sure there are Goth brides out there who would like nothing more than to walk down the aisle to “This is the Sh*t”).
I haven’t met Ron in person, and I’ve never seen his stand up comedy. But I can tell you that, after reading this article, I felt like we were brothers.
What do you think? What is your worst gig ever? Comment baby!
This cartoon cracked me up — and makes a legitimate point about comedians.
Sure, to be a great comedian or comedian speaker you have to have:
• Great Material
• Great Timing
• Appropriate Topis for Any Given Audience.
But most of all, you have to have confidence. Audiences know right away when we are psyched-out and insecure. It makes them feel uncomfortable, and really brings down our performance and ratings.
The hard part is that this confidence is nearly impossible to teach. In my opinion, it just comes after years of experience and thousands — yes, thousands — of performances.
New to comedy? Just keep it up!
Looking for a comedian speaker for your meeting or convention? Consider me.*
Brad Montgomery
Comedian, Business Speaker, and Hyena-fobe (“Hey mom, I made up a word again!”)
* Unless your audience is comprised of hyenas. In which case I’ll pass.
I don’t care what side of the political divide you’re on, Sarah Palin makes for some tasty jokes.
One thing is for certain: she is funnier and easier to tease than Senator Biden. As a humoristspeaker and comedian, the most fun would be had with Obama and Palin winning office together. Too bad they can’t be on the same ticket— we comedians would go nuts with joy. (McCain and Biden are just…. well… boring. They might be awesome at their jobs, but they just ain’t funny.) Check out this link to a funny site:
Note: Just keep clicking! Click on the door over and over and over again. Made me laugh out loud. (Ok, so I’m a 14 year old boy on the inside. It’s still flippin’ funny!)
https://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/footerlogo.png00adminhttps://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/footerlogo.pngadmin2008-10-26 10:32:112008-10-26 10:32:11Comedians Pick New Ticket: Obama / Palin
Tim Conway has to be one of the best sketch comedians ever. I grew up watching him, Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman make each other laugh.
What impresses me about this clip is that it holds up. It is still funny today. (And how many shows from the 70s can we say that about? Happy Days? No way, Fonzy!
As a professional speaker and comedian, I love watching how he cracks the other actors up, and how their laughter makes the sketch even funnier. He’s funny on his own, but with the his team members busting up he is hilarious. The other folks laughter turns the sketch from good to great.
This fact is relevant to us in our search for a fun business culture. Laughter begets laughter.
If you want to ramp up the fun in your office and the humor in your workplace, you can start by laughing more yourself. And if you are a leader or manager, make sure that you make certain others feel safe laughing around you. Employees are often nervous about letting loose in front of their boss: don’t let your people fall into this trap around you. If you are laughing the hardest, your employees will follow. Trust me on this.
Back to Conway: The fact that Conway was so “in the moment” and authentic makes me think he’d be a
killer professional speaker. Can you imagine having him as your motivational keynote speaker? Heck yeah! Imagine him (and his team of comedians) do one of these killer sketches and then connect the learning points to corporate America. I know he would have the convention or meeting on the edge of their seats because he is so funny. But I bet when he connects his communication skills, timing, teamwork and ability to deal with constant change to the business and corporate culture, he’d hit it out of the park. I know I would pay to see it.
The bad news is that Conway isn’t a pro speaker. The good news is that I know a motivational speaker that would love to fill in for him. : ) (“Hey mom! Pick me!”)
https://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/footerlogo.png00adminhttps://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/footerlogo.pngadmin2008-10-24 10:56:592022-11-25 13:12:33One of the Funniest Moments On TV
Harvey Korman was one of my favorites. He died this week, and my heart was broken.
I grew up loving the Carole Burnett Show. I loved him and Tim Conway. I loved everything about him.
I often talk of him when I’m teaching comedy and presenting to other speakers. I talk about how much fun we had as an audience when they cracked each other up. I’m convinced there are MILLIONS of lessons in the way they handled that humor.
https://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/footerlogo.png00adminhttps://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/footerlogo.pngadmin2008-06-01 10:58:292008-06-01 10:58:29We Lost One of Our Top Comedians
kinds of stand-ups just like there are countless styles of music. Choosing the wrong type of stand up is like selecting a Marilyn Manson tune for a wedding procession (although I’m sure there are Goth brides out there who would like nothing more than to walk down the aisle to “This is the Sh*t”).
