Dark Humor

Saddle up boys! We gonna be talking about everyone’s favorite, dark jokes. Haha murder haha terrorism haha bad things. Now that I have the attention of the edgy crowd as well, Dark Humor is a lot deeper than you think. When you think of dark humor you probably think of the edgy, non-consequential comedy filled with obscenities which aw shucks might never work in newer comedy scenes.

Interestingly, dark humor (also known as black comedy or gallows comedy) doesn’t innately imply the existence of obscenities or sexually explicit language. That’s an entirely different genre of comedy called Blue Comedy and as you know, black and blue are very different colors. Dark Humor is actually a comedy style which makes light of subject matter that is considered taboo. What Dark Humor does best is address topics avoided and initiate a dialogue about them. It’s never non-consequential, in fact the consequence is intended, i.e., the initiation of the dialogue.

You’re probably thinking, hey wait a minute, if black and blue (comedy) are different is it possible to have a clean dark humor set? Well, check Alex Velluto‘s Dry Bar Comedy set.

However, this doesn’t imply that talking about obscenities cannot address taboos. Often taboo in society is closely linked to language and obscenities are always based on taboo. In 1978, comedy legend George Carlin addressed language taboo and the hypocrisy of society in his set, “7 Dirty Words“.

In essence, Dark Humor isn’t about inconsequential punching down on victims but about sharing a laugh about matters we’re told to hush up about. And there’s something so organic about that. Think about it. How many times have you as a child been hushed by adults but continued talking with your friends? There is an intrinsic rebellion within us. There always has been too. We don’t want to accept society as it is. And when someone publicly opposes authority or society, they say what’s been on your mind.

Comedy 101: Bombing

Plenty of times comedians on stage seem casual and almost raw and vulnerable. What many viewers don’t understand is that this organic look actually has a background of years of trial and error. “Bombing” is something comedians slowly grow used to.

Bombing

Hey, pull back, what’s Bombing you ask? No, your favorite comedian doesn’t support acts of violence! Bombing refers to a moment on stage when a comedian isn’t performing up to mark. This mark might be set by them, personally. Some of the greatest comedians are constant critiques of themselves and for them excellence is key, many others learn to be satisfied with minimal response. This depends entirely from person to person. Since Stand-Up is highly individualistic, you need to know what you need at the moment. Seasoned comedian Mike Birbiglia believes that you have to be delusional as a comedian and convince yourself that its going well. The link to this bit from his special Sleepwalk with Me is given below. We highly recommend you check it out.

But how do you know if you’re bombing? Since Stand-Up in itself is such a subjective art form, what works and what doesn’t also becomes subjective. However, there might be a set of reasons as to why the joke (or set) bombed. According to comedian Emily Winter on her blog Everyone’s A Comedian

When a joke (or an entire stand-up set) doesn’t land, it means either:
The joke wasn’t funny;
The joke was funny, but you weren’t telling it quite right;
Something else was going on in the room;
The audience wasn’t ideal; or
Some combination of these factors.

These guidelines probably lay it all out well but certain questions still remain. What makes a joke funny or not? How do you know if the audience is ideal? What is the right delivery to a particular joke? And there’s only one answer to all these questions. You. Don’t. Know. Anything. Anyone claiming to know what makes a joke funny is either hypothesizing based on general tendencies or invented humor. It’s often the former, but do tell me if you guys ever meet Steve Carell.

That’s the beauty though, we’re all mad scientists experimenting, speculating and hypothesizing what people happy. And the moment we figure that out is the moment we get comfortable and stop experimenting. And, as a result, Stand-Up stops evolving.

(Continued in Comedy 102: Open Mics)

Comedy 102: Open Mics

If comedians are self proclaimed mad scientists where is their laboratory? Comedians try their jokes out and experiment at something known as Comedy Open Mics.

For those of you who don’t know (and its absolutely okay if you don’t!), Open Mics are a performing space where Musicians, Poets, Comedians and other performance artists display their art in a judgement-free zone. It’s a trial ground. Some things are bound to work while others might not. And that’s perfectly fine! Performance art isn’t about perfection, otherwise none of us would ever be good enough.

While musicians, poets and rappers might perform for other artists and be satisfied with the feedback, comedians might not be. This is because, at some level, your sense of humor is altered when you start doing comedy. You have a higher daily intake of jokes and this might result in your receptivity to jokes being extremely different from other folks. This might mean you are “normalized” to hilarious jokes and will not find them extremely funny or you might even appreciate extremely dry content because you understand an artist’s struggle. Basically, you become an art zombie! This isn’t an ideal audience for any comedian to try out material in front of.

It’s important to note that comedy itself is very passive in nature. A comedian might seem in control on stage but he strongly depends on the audience to validate his/her material. There are obvious exceptions to this, if a comedian is too intoxicated with self righteousness or, you know, intoxications.

What’s the solution then? Head out to your nearest open mic and give local comics a shot! Open mic line ups might be 7-10 people (or maybe more) lasting a couple hours. Maybe there are only a couple people who are good. Maybe none of them are. It’s certainly a gamble. But that’s why they’re usually free.

And there’s no greater joy than watching a good comedian at an open mic and see them go on to have a successful career. If you think your local comedy scene isn’t good, that gives you more of a reason to back the scene. If they see your disapproval (hopefully not expressed in heckles), they will try to be better. Comedians are attention seekers. We need you.

Are open mics worth trying your potential at? Most certainly so. If you’ve ever even had the thought of performing on stage, I strongly urge you to. It’s an empowering yet humbling experience everyone with a genuine interest should try at least once. Even after 3 years of performing on stage I can assure you, there isn’t quite a feeling like performing on stage.

Whatever category you belong to, search for open mics in your city online. Check out their registration details, each venue has a different system. It’s not just a matter of supporting local artists. It’s an art experience so hauntingly personal in spectation that you might be left wondering, Is this even art?