Comedy FAQs and answers : how the stand-up biz really works

This guide to the world of stand—up comedy, written in easy—to—use Q&A format, provides current and potential comedians with the no—nonsense advice they need for every stage of their careers. Schwensen's lively book features interviews with many of the top names in stand—up—Ray Romano, George Carlin, Christopher Titus, Weird Al Yankovic, Margaret Cho—all sharing lessons learned along the way. Additional interviews with club owners, talent executives, publicists, and others provide behind—the—scenes expertise. Title Page......Page 4 Copyright Page......Page 5 Table of Contents......Page 6 THANK YOU......Page 10 PREFACE......Page 12 INTRODUCTION......Page 14 Part One PRE-STAGE......Page 20 FAQ 1 Am I a Comedian?......Page 22 FAQ 2 What Material Should I Use?......Page 25 FAQ 3 Do I Gotta Write What They Wanna Hear?......Page 27 FAQ 4 Would a Comedy Class Help Me Put Together My Act?......Page 29 FAQ 5 What’s the Deal with Open Mikes?......Page 34 FAQ 6 How Do I Get to Perform at Open Mikes?......Page 37 FAQ 7 How Would I Go about Running My Own Open Mike?......Page 40 FAQ 8 Open Mikes: Been There, Done That. What’s the Next Step?......Page 43 FAQ 9 Help! How Do I Overcome Writer’s Block?......Page 46 FAQ 10 How Am I Gonna Memorize All These Lines?......Page 51 FAQ 11 Should I Use a Stage Name?......Page 55 FAQ 12 Does This Joke Make Me Look Too Old?......Page 58 FAQ 13 What Should I Do When I’m Not Feeling Funny?......Page 59 Part Two ON STAGE......Page 66 FAQ 14 Should I Let Other Comics In.uence Me?......Page 68 FAQ 15 How Long Can I Stick to the Same Old Routine?......Page 73 FAQ 16 What’s Expected of a Good MC?......Page 75 FAQ 17 What Do I Do if I Am Just Not Connecting with the Audience?......Page 79 FAQ 18 Should I Be Mr. Clean or The Dirt Devil?......Page 83 FAQ 19 What About . . . Pauses during Your Delivery?......Page 87 FAQ 20 What’s the Deal about Using a Callback?......Page 90 FAQ 21 When Are Too Many Tag Lines Too Many?......Page 92 FAQ 22 Does a Funny Voice Make a Funny Character?......Page 93 FAQ 23 How Much Work Is It to Work the Audience?......Page 95 FAQ 24 What’s the Best Way to Handle Hecklers?......Page 102 FAQ 25 If I Die on Stage, Will I Ever Live Again?......Page 106 Part Three OFF STAGE......Page 110 FAQ 26 Can I Stop People from Stealing My Jokes?......Page 112 FAQ 27 What Am I Gonna Learn by Taping My Set?......Page 114 FAQ 28 Should I Enter Comedy Contests?......Page 117 FAQ 29 Does Anyone Still Believe Comedy’s a Man’s World?......Page 120 FAQ 30 How Do You Get a Manager and an Agent?......Page 121 FAQ 31 When Should I Start Promoting Myself ?......Page 126 FAQ 32 What Goes in a Promo Package?......Page 128 FAQ 33 How Do I Get a Good Promo Tape?......Page 130 FAQ 34 My Performance Wasn’t Perfect—Can I Still Send Out the Tape?......Page 134 FAQ 35 Could You Give Me Some Hints about Being My Own Publicist?......Page 136 FAQ 36 How Far Can I Go to Make It a Show?......Page 139 FAQ 37 How Can I Be Funny, When My Life Ain’t Nothin’ to Laugh About?......Page 146 Part Four BACKSTAGE......Page 152 FAQ 38 Is it Professional to Get So Personal?......Page 154 FAQ 39 Where in Cyberspace Can I Find a Resource for Comedy Clubs?......Page 157 FAQ 40 Is an Audition a Good Place to Try New Material?......Page 159 FAQ 41 Will Making Friends and Networking Really Help Me Book Gigs?......Page 163 FAQ 42 Is Laughter the Best Medicine?......Page 165 FAQ 43 I Know You Can Help Me, but How Much Are You Gonna Pay?......Page 167 FAQ 44 How Far Do I Gotta Travel to Get Booked in My Local Club?......Page 171 FAQ 45 Can I Get My Big Break on Local TV?......Page 175 FAQ 46 What about Putting “Extras” on My Promo Tape?......Page 178 FAQ 47 Am I a Comic, an Actor, or a Comic Actor?......Page 180 FAQ 48 How Do I Get to Letterman or Leno?......Page 183 FAQ 49 Got Any Tips for Breaking into the College Market?......Page 185 FAQ 50 Okay, You Promised Us College Marketing 201. So, What Are NACA and APCA?......Page 187 FAQ 51 What’s the Deal with Corporate Shows?......Page 195 FAQ 52 What’s the Going Rate?......Page 198 FAQ 53 Do You Think I Should Sell Stuff after My Show?......Page 201 FAQ 54 What If I Want to Publish My Comedy Material as a Book?......Page 204 FAQ 55 Any Advice for Someone Who Wants to Just Write for Other Comics?......Page 206 FAQ 56 Got Any Words for a Grand Finale?......Page 211 FAQ 57 Help?......Page 212 CAST OF CHARACTERS......Page 215 INDEX......Page 221 From going onstage during last call, to beating the open-mic system, to booking corporate gigs, this is the real guide to the world of stand-up comedy. Successful comedians and industry insiders share no-nonsense advice for every stage of a comic's career. The top names in the business-including Ray Romano, George Carlin, Christopher Titus, Weird Al Yankovic, Margaret Cho, and many others-share the lessons they learned the hard way, while club owners, talent executives, publicists, and others reveal what goes on behind the scenes. The author, a former network talent coordinator, covers it all: getting started, writing material, finding places to perform, making performances better, getting seen by the right people, coping with hecklers and "rough crowds," protecting your comedy material, getting an agent, creating a press kit, booking gigs, and much more. Readers will find tips for breaking into specialized areas such as comedy book publishing, the college market, corporate shows, merchandising, and writing for other comics. Anyone with dreams of making money as a comic will need this straight-talking guide. In this guide to surviving and thriving in the world of stand-up comedy, some of the biggest comics in the business--including Dave Attell, Lewis Black, Brett Butler, George Carlin, Margaret Cho, Mark Curry, Jeff Foxworthy, Richard Jeni, Ray Romano, George Wallace and Weird Al Yankovic--share the lessons they learned the hard way, while club owners, talent executives, and publicists reveal what goes on behind the scenes and what it takes to succeed in the serious business of making people laugh. Learn about: choosing the right material; overcoming writer's block; running your own open mike; booking gigs; dealing with hecklers and unruly crowds; becoming a good MC; getting a manager and an agent; putting together a promo package; doing your own publicity; getting on television; breaking into the college market; doing corporate shows; writing for other comics.--From publisher description