I love stand-up comedy, but I don't
necessarily ever read books on stand-up comedy. Whatever books have
been written about how to write jokes or find better ways to deal
with the art or the business have never caught my eye. I gave them a
shot, but then looked to other avenues. The books that draw me are by
the successful comedians, particularly ones I idolized as a child.
Steve Martin's Born Standing Up is
the best one yet.
Yet, I
also turn to other sources for perspectives on stand-up comedy
because I think that there are lines that can be crossed and where
other professions and experiences could help make me a better
comedian and person. It's why Georges St. Pierre's The Way
of the Fight is strangely the
best book on stand-up comedy that I've read all year (okay, I haven't
read many other books this year, but that should not discount the
statement).
On
paper, it wouldn't make sense. How could the life of a UFC champion
be comparable to a comedian or any artist? But, that was the point of
St. Pierre's book. It was to provide a biography of his life, yet
that dwarfed in comparison to it being a source of inspiration and
perspective for as many people as he could reach out to.
St.
Pierre spends much of the book discussing fear, and using it as a
benefit in life:
“The key, I discovered, is to
understand fear and how it works. What I want to do is demystify
fear. I don't have a choice, because fear walks next to you
everywhere in life. It has a reason for being there. People feel fear
because they sense a threat. Sometimes it comes from physical pain:
something unseen falls on your head, it hurts, and you're immediately
scared. That's normal, and what the fear is doing is telling you to
be careful, to get out of the way because it doesn't want something
else to fall on your head. So fear's purpose is ultimately
good—that's what people forget.” (53)
Fear
is a huge part of stand-up comedy, and a huge reason behind some of
the worst conversations I've had with audience members after a show.
There's always a person who says, “I've always wanted to try this”
or “I've got some funny things to say.” Well, why don't you say
them? They fear it. Who wouldn't? Who would want to get up on stage
and be judged by a crowd of people? I was fearful when I first
started. Every comedian had to be. But, you toss a few beers in, and
you see if the 5 minutes of what's probably hack that you've written
goes over well. Then, you keep at it, and the fear gradually goes
away and the confidence builds as long as you keep getting the
laughs.
Fear
has to still be in the minds of plenty of stand-up comedians at my
level or younger (maybe even older as well). There's still a lot to
think about before I head up on a stage in front of a crowd no matter
what the size. Questions run through my mind like, “Will they
understand my humor?” “Will I give them what they paid for?” or
“How many drunks are out there?” There's still the pressure that
comes with entertaining.
“Humility is the first rule of
martial arts. Either you learn humility quickly, or you leave because
your ego can't handle losing repeatedly. I don't like losing—nobody
does, especially in front of your girlfriend or your buddies (or
millions of people watching on pay-per-view television). But it's
good to realize you're not always as strong as you thought. It's good
in the long run.” (94)
Comedy
translation: bombing on stage. Every comedian's bombed. I certainly
have. But, as I mentioned in this month's Comedy Sitdown, on
occasion, I want to bomb for the reasons that St. Pierre points out.
As much as I may get laughs consistently for a few shows, one bombing
at a show is enough to put me back into my place, and allow me to
analyze myself and that situation to continue to get better.
“I like to watch the best athletes
in other sports and how they react or move in certain situations. It
helps me understand my own movements better. I break down their
processes, their reactions, their movements. They perform certain
tactics at speeds that are far greater than my own. It is good to see
them perform at these speeds, and to improve my ability to follow
their progressions.” (102)
If a
person decides to do comedy, I have to believe he or she made that
decision because of a love for stand-up comedy. You saw the greatest
who do it, and you felt inspired to do it yourself. That was the
basis for your roots and you can continue to use that through your
progression. But, there's a great value to continuing to watch
stand-up comedy both at a national and a local level. From a terrible
open mic to Louis C.K.'s newest special, to me, there's always an
opportunity to learn from the best and avoid the mistakes of the
worst.
There
are so many symbols that I could make revolving the notion of the
fight and I did so in a way with the experience of being a comedian as compared to that of a pro wrestler after reading C.M. Punk's GQ interview. As St. Pierre discusses how he handles an opponent, so
could I relate to the “fight” that occurs between the comedian
and the audience.
“At any given time, in life or in
battle, you only need to know two people to succeed: yourself and
your opponent.” (117)
The
audience at any comedy show isn't necessarily an opponent. They are
here to be entertained, and I have the opportunity to do that for
them. But, I have to make them laugh. That can be extremely easy or
extremely difficult depending upon the crowd and their sense of
humor.
“It's harder to know yourself than
to know the enemy. Because when it comes to yourself, you have all
these emotions—like pride, for example. You get carried away with
your own emotions. In some of my fights, I lost control of myself,
but if I'd known myself properly I would have calmed myself down
immediately.” (117)
Emotions
appear at their height when the audience becomes an opponent. I'm
always fascinated about how a comedian reacts to a heckler or to
bombing. I try to improve on that myself. I'd like to think I've
never had a meltdown on stage in seven years, but I likely had a
minor one. I've certainly witnessed a lot of meltdowns. Again, it's
about learning to control those emotions in the same way and still
not completely change who you are on stage.
“Sometimes you need someone from
the outside to take a good look at you and tell you the truth. Tell
you what's really happening. Sometimes you don't realize what kind of
person you are; you need that external feedback.” (125)
Much
of what I learned along the way with stand-up comedy came from
comedians I didn't necessarily know all that well (either at the time
or even now). I have to appreciate and at least take into
consideration the perspectives of those who have more experience than
I do and that who I respect when I see on stage. Likewise, unless
you've proven yourself to be a complete idiot when conversing with
me, I appreciate feedback from the audience. It's normally positive,
and I've actually modified jokes based off inaccurate factual content
thanks to audience members educating me.
“I believe that real friends are
truth-sayers. They'll tell you when you're full of crap, or when
you're being lazy, or when you're being rude, or when your ass looks
fat in those jeans...” (129)
I
simply like this quote because that's the type of friend I try to be
and hopefully am, and those are the type of people that I try to
surround myself with. Then again, I surround myself with comedians,
and if they're not truth-sayers, I don't know who the hell is.
There
are many other quotes and general stories from the book that could
help people out, and maybe to some people, these are pretty standard
inspirational messages. But, this is coming from a champion, a guy
that got bullied as a kid, did not seem to have the pure genetics to
be athletically gifted yet worked diligently and intellectually to
succeed at his skill. These are the type of people I would want to
embody as a comedian and as a person, and I would think others who
try to be the best would want to as well.
I'm
not the biggest UFC fan by any means. I didn't even know the half of
the fights he was talking about. But, nevertheless, Georges St.
Pierre's The Way of the Fight
is worth reading for the stand-up comedian that continues to want to
get better at what he or she does. Even if one world is filled with
muscles and the other filled with dick jokes and alcohol, I'm
convinced the octagon isn't that far off from the comedy stage.
