Your fascinating life still needs jokes
Interesting doesn't always mean funny
Have you ever noticed that people who do wild adventure holidays are actually very boring people? Oh you bungee jumped while on Ayahuasca in Peru?? I’m literally asleep. And don’t get me started on extreme artists that set their nuts on fire or whatever. It’s cool that you like that but it’s not as interesting as you think. I *need* to be able to relate to something to like it, we all need to connect. It’s your point of view that makes a joke interesting, not the topic.
Berlin can suck it
One could say that Berlin is a very interesting place full of interesting people. What with all the sex-clubs, drug clubs, tennis clubs? And everyone here is foreign, and from wow you’re from Montana? Can I touch you? and everyone leads such interesting lives, and have jobs like tattoo artist and lighthouse keeper. EVERYONE IS SO DAMN INTERESTING ALL THE TIME, and do you know what that means - absolutely nobody is interesting! Do you know what would be interesting - if you got a real job and used a condom, Steven.
Do you know how many Berlin comedians talk about exactly the same topics, and I’m sure this happens in your town too. We’ve started to call it “Berlin Comedy Bingo” - Clubs, drugs, speaking German, bad customer service, I’m from “a country” and it’s different there, I’m exploring my sexuality, everyone else is exploring their sexuality but me, Germans are mean, Berlin dating is hard, finding an apartment is hard etc. I’m not saying these topics can’t be funny - all topics can be funny. But you have to find a unique angle in order to stand out from the crowd.
What is this article about? Am I OK?
So my point is, whatever unbelievably riveting stuff you get up to in your life, or whatever your zany quirks are are - they aren’t inherently interesting, and certainly aren’t inherently funny. If you grew up in a cult, that’s still only interesting to you unless you find a way to make it relateable to me.
Remember, the comedy formula is Believability + Surprise = Comedy
Some of the best comedians out there talk about the very mundane things in life
The quirks and stories you have are probably a great starting point for a joke, but they are unlikely to be the whole joke. As comedians we’re always looking for these “ah ha” moments. Simon Amstell has a joke about how he was in the 2004 tsunami - but the funny and relatable part is that everyone he was trapped with wanted to make “tsunami friends” and he didn’t. (I can’t find the clip).
So write about your interesting life, obviously. But make sure you are focsing on the emotional parts that make it relateable to your audience.
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dear caroline,
another great piece!
this is right on: "It’s your point of view that makes a joke interesting, not the topic."
and this is also great: "Remember, the comedy formula is Believability + Surprise = Comedy"
thank you for sharing as always!
love
myq
I think we do a lot of those jokes about Berlin because that's the one thing we have with the very international audiences in this city. Comedy is totally about relatability and context, and it's hard to find something in common in a 5 minute set without hitting the larger topics.