The pros and cons of being a hack
Hacks get laughs - and isn't that what being a comedian is all about?
What is a hack comedian?
It’s when you tailor your jokes to what you think other people might like, rather than speaking your authentic truth. It’s saying things that are fundamentally untrue about yourself just to fulfil a supposed expectation you think audiences have. Hack jokes are easy jokes that have probably been done before, and/or are stolen.
Comedians can be hacks for many reasons. Fundamentally it’s wanting to be liked by the audience, and/or other comedians. It’s also an unwillingness to be vulnerable and to show your real self because you don’t think you’re interesting or cool enough. So many comedians do sex jokes like they’re saying “I fuck! Aren’t I cool?”, yeah so does your mom. I'd much rather hear about how you play competitive chess.
The audience can always tell when you’re being fake, they might not know exactly what’s up but they’ll know something isn’t right and this investigative thought will lessen the laughs. If they’re thinking they’re not laughing.
I always tell my students that they can avoid being hack by being detailed and personal. No topic is in itself “too hack”, it’s how it’s delivered. Some hacks are hacks by accident, they simply don’t know enough comedy to know what they are doing is unoriginal. That isn’t an excuse - you should take an interest in the art-form you are trying to pursue. You should see the Pikachu surprise face when I tell students I’ve heard their “My girlfriend isn’t real” punchline before.
Most comedians grow out of their hacky beginnings, and cringe at the bad quality dad jokes they used to make for a couple of chuckles. But some comedians never grow out of it, and wonder bitterly why less experienced comics seem to be progressing much faster with their careers.
Hacks get laughs
Easy jokes get laughs, and sometimes an audience wants a PB&J and not a Filet Mignon. The thing is, the opposite of hack is not necessarily a tight 5 about dad’s cancer. It means jokes that come from within you and not from without. It means jokes you wrote primarily for yourself that you hope the audience will like too. A hack has constructed their entire persona in order to please an imaginary audience.
So what exactly is wrong with being a hack? They get laughs and audiences like them. Sure they might be the kind of audiences that cheer when a glass is broken, or tell you to smile because it “might never happen” but they’re still people dammit! and they want to laugh at the funny man!
As far as I’m concerned there is nothing wrong with hacks, any more than it’s wrong to sing Wonderwall around a campfire. As long as it’s not my campfire what do I care? The only problem I see is being a hack - what a waste of your one life! Yes, you are entertaining, but what is in it for you? After a while it’s really got to grate.
It can pay off, being a hack. Given the depraved state of American culture, a slick dude can make millions being a hack. But even if you succeed, you lose, because you've sold out your Muse, and your Muse is you, the best part of yourself, where your finest and only true work comes from.
- Steven Pressfield - The War Of Art
Pros of being a hack
You will often get laughs
Laughs are why we do comedy, so this has to be a good one..? If you’re not concerned with the quality of laughs or who is laughing then I guess it is.You will get booked for club gigs
You’ll probably slot nicely into any bill, not so much on the art or alternative scene but that’s alright.You are likely unburdened by artistic integrity
Most artistic people I know are kind of sad-sacks about their own work. They never think their work is good enough, and strive for a level that seems always out of reach. If you’re just content with getting laughs then this is probably better for your mental health.
You can make a quick connection with your audience
A nice easy joke will relax your audience and get them on side
You are probably good at marketing and social media
Marketing and being a hack go hand in hand. In fact many hacks I know are from a marketing background and it makes perfect sense. They’re adept knowing what the public want and selling them rubbish. Many hacks do very well online and seem to know how to amass followers, I’m a bit jealous of that to be honest!
Cons of being a hack
You’ll never be a comedians comedian
I personally think the goal of a comedian is to make everyone laugh, especially the comedians. Sometimes a comedian will love a hacky comedian because they’re “so bad they’re good”, but that’s not really what I’m talking about. Comedians on the whole have heard it all and crave originality. If you’re not making the comedians laugh other than pityingly, you almost certainly need to write better material.
Your career will plateau
I have seen comedians who plateau because they are too used to going for the easy joke. They've established a certain level, and they're terrified of starting again with a more authentic voice. That means they get stuck in a middle gear. They’re aware what they’re doing isn’t very original, but they don’t have the guts to do anything about it.Before you know it, much less experienced comics will start overtaking you because they have quirky and vulnerable sets. You’ll bitterly think it’s because they’re better looking than you. It’s probably both.
You probably wont make finals of any major comedy competitions
One of the reasons I started a comedy competition in Berlin is to show people that authenticity > hack. OK it backfired a little bit because you just don’t know how people are going to perform on the night. But in general, the trend definitely is that hacks are slick enough to get to the semis, but when challenged by their peers, they almost never make the finals.You might have a crisis of confidence
If you create art that it for other people and not yourself, it’s likely at some point you will hit a wall and start to despise your own work. It happened to me!You might be picking up bad habits you can never shake
Hack4life baybee! Going for the easy obvious joke is an addiction. As is writing jokes you think are in the zeitgeist, and not about stuff you actually care about.Hacks suck
I wanted to make sure I had more points in the “con” list. Boooo! 👎👎👎
Further reading
Show Plugs Berlin
Thursday 25.04.24 @ 8pm I’ll be in The Free Show an improv show with improv teachers - Link
Friday 26.04.24 @ 8pm I’ll be performing with my house team Funfdollar - Link
@ 9.30pm I’ll be in the sketch show Macrodose - LinkSaturday 27.04.24 @ 8pm I’ll be in Drunk Classics - Kill Bill - Link
Teaching Plugs Berlin
I’ll be teaching an Intro to Improv intensive in May - Link
My Spring In-person Stand-up classes are sold out but join a waiting list here - Link
World Wide Web Plugs
Berlin Stand-Up School - berlinstandupschool.com
Linktree - carolineclifford.com
Wonderful piece— much of this can be helpfully applied to the similar phenomenon in other arts. (Music, prose, songwriting, my god, hacks are thick on the ground in those fields.) I’ve never seen your points collected more effectively— this piece goes right into my archive. Thanks for posting!
"If you create art that it for other people and not yourself, it’s likely at some point you will hit a wall and start to despise your own work. It happened to me!" - sad to hear that. I realise this is blowing smoke up your arse but I always thought you were one of the most original and fresh voices among our crop of aspiring stand ups.
I think it takes a will of iron not to fall into at least some hackiness as a new act. You think up a joke and think, "haha, that's funny, clever me!" rather than "is this joke me? Does it work in my voice?" To paraphrase Jeff Goldblum in Billy and the Cloneasaurus, you're so preoccupied with how it can be done, you never stop to think whether you should.