Monday 28 July 2014

Being Politically Correct.


Dear One and All,

Hope you're doing well. Well,today's topic is how important is it to be politically correct as a stand-up comedian. I just have to say that i am not a clean comedian and what do i mean by that?
A 'clean comedian' is one who doesn't swear on stage and her/his act doesn't have any sexual references . If this comedian can make you laugh with his/her  'clean material' then this comedian can do more and more corporate gigs. I just wanna say though that its not more difficult to be a 'cleaner' act. Some might argue and say that - " OH! -  A sex joke can get you an easier laugh!" but i don't think that is possible. People nowadays have easier access to youtube and the internet to read and watch different kinds of comical material and they are very much educated on what's out there. In short, people can look through bullshit. How important is it to be cleaner? Essentially, i think that every comedian should just follow his/her own journey in comedy and not try to be clean or dirty. There was a time when i first started out when some comedians thought they had the liberty to come to me and say - " You shouldn't swear too much or you shouldn't be so manly on stage!" but when i tried to please people - My comedy suffered.
Every comedian has to follow his/her own journey in stand-up and that means to be truthful on stage.

If you're not the kind of act who gets hired for corporates very often - don't fret. We just have to keep writing and crafting our jokes well and jumping up on stage to try out our material. With every gig, you learn something new. I know i do. Recently, i did Pune, Delhi, Mumbai ,Bangalore and london and in each of these cities, the audiences were so different. So then how do you find out what to do? - You just throw yourself in the deep end and give it your best shot. Does it then matter if you are getting enough corporate shows? Do your comedy so well that people start hiring you for the comedy you do and not the comedy they EXPECT you to do.

Also, i would personally would like to mention..NO COMEDIAN should give ADVICE to any other comedian unless the advice has been asked for. Very simple. If i respect a comedian,i would personally ask them myself and i know that they would gladly help. They know who they are. If not - shut the fuck up. :) It's very simple. If you would like to advice someone..it should only be about stage craft..like how to hold the mic, standing under the light or where you should place the mic stand. All comedians are unique and they have their own journey..don't think you have the permission to sit anyone down.

If something doesn't work on stage - the audience will let you know. They are the best judge of it. If they are laughing, you have successfully done your job. I will never advice any comedian…Like any other job, you have to work hard and concentrate on doing better. Keep writing and gigging. Rest is bullshit.

Thank you for reading and my punctuation will always suck.

Warmest Regards,

Sharul Channa