Shayne-Michael.COMedy

Road Comedy NO .5: Looking Back - by Shayne Michael

What is expected on the road as a comedian? By far the most important rule that is to care for your car. Getting stranded can be a very costly experience. And, it can cause you to miss your next gig. If you're lucky it will only cost you one. The six rules I deem most important rules there rules included:

• Take Care Of Your Car
• It's Not As Easy To Write As You Think
• Tape Every Show
• Bar Owners Like Long Shows Not Good Ones
• Hotels Blame Out Of Towners For Everything
• Don't Leave Anything Behind

Only two rules might strike you as outside the realm of common sense, or what you would expect. First, "It's Not As Easy To Write As You Think". All this means is when you drive 300 miles between gigs, sometimes it's hard to come up with the energy to write when you reach the hotel room. Also, Bar Owners Like Long Shows. The reason is, they make their money on drinks. A 45 minute show won't cut it. If you're hired to do 30 minutes, do 30 minutes.

Understanding these rules will give you an advantage in understanding the basics of playing small towns you will pass through. Your next advantage comes from preparing for the different types of towns you will see. When tailoring your act for these small cities you need to take three steps.

First, know the city you're playing.

Second, select bits from your act that fit their needs and rewrite (referred to as Translate in Road Comedy II) the jokes that don't.

Finally, record your act. Remember the smaller the town, the less likely they are to understand things like traffic congestion or hookers on Sunset Boulevard.

When you reach the point where you are ready to step on stage, remember, a lot can go wrong. In smaller cities, sound systems go out a lot. The lighting doesn't always work. Sometimes a dog runs on stage. You will need to be explain set ups better. You will need to act out bits more. You will also need to work on your improv skills to bridge the gap between your life and theirs.

On the road let go of your prejudices and don't assume the room is a living cliche. Start every show by sizing up the audience. Who is there? Are they already drunk? Were they drunk before you arrived? Talk to people before you even start the show. When the show starts, watch the comics who are up first. The less comfortable you feel, the more observant you should be.

Don't dumb down; but don't expect the audience to understand things that aren't commonplace in their world. Meet them half way. Handle the jokes that are not working by taking the time to ask why things are and are not working, while you are still on stage. That simple pause will help you connect with your audience and make you much less likely to repeat premises that can't work.

Have a strong opening. Have a clearly defined beginning, middle and end. Ideally, make sure your ending ties back to the beginning. Have at least three ways to end your act. But don't use your second ending when the entire act bombs. Along the way, act out your material without overselling it. Improv simply means you can learn something from every reaction you get. That knowledge will give your act a dynamic quality because it will influence how your act continues. By the time you finish, that toothless biker polishing is rifle and cleaning his mounted swordfish will be your biggest fan.

Making sure you return with a set list that works in LA after you play Montana begins by realizing you can't always play the same character in a small town and a big city. Some of the jokes that you write for Montana will be inconsistent with who you are in LA.

As a general rule, ask yourself, "Is all the material I wrote on the road about sex and drugs about me?" If the answer is yes, of course keep it. If the answer is no, be strong enough to realize some material is only for Butte Montana.

Also, realize that not all material written about Montana is out of place in LA. Ask yourself, "Which new material about small town life is still useable?" As a general rule, the material that defines specific towns you played isn't. The material about the people you met and how they live can either be scaled back or connected with the current audiences through metaphors and similes.

Road comedy is not as complex as you believe. There are two general classes of road comedy. The first is one-nighters. The second is club work. One nighters are not as hard to get as you might imagine. Take it from the bookers perspective. Even if you're the headliner the booker must sell you on a 500 mile drive, often for less money than it takes to break even. If you do more than one show, you might find a 500 mile drive followed by a 300, followed by a 50 that makes you stop and say Thank God, followed by three off nights where you spent every cent you earned over the last 850 miles.

Not everyone is willing to do this.

If you want my recommendations about going on the road. Use the time to write {though finding the time to write on the road is still not as easy as you might expect} and develop performing skills. The catch-22 is sometimes an open mic 30 minutes from your house will pay less but give you better feedback. In LA, where 30 minute sets are hard to come by, you might try the road just so you can stay on stage longer. You might try the road to make connections. If you're at the point where one night bookers are paying you well, you might even be doing it for the money. Of course, that's only if you have a good accountant and understand how to write the expenses of travel and meals off that income.

Hopefully this series will leave you more prepared for a show someone else is booking. The next series will focus on booking your own road tour.

Seven Types Of Audiences You Will See On The Road: (In Order of Average IQ)

All these types of towns also exist in the South. Some people will tell you that the South is much different. I would simply add in the following for any type of city you see below, that exists below the Mason-Dixon Line: #1: They have a strong tie with tradition, #2: They don't realize they lost.

1. Scientist: 1%

This type of city is a gem to play. You can do any material you do at a comedy club and kill: even that material that isn't about small town life. Why? Some cities are actually science stations. McCay Idaho is an example. Everyone there is a worker on a local nuclear plant. Nuclear technicians are smarter than your average redneck. You would be in a similar situation if you ever played McMurdo station in Antarctica. Sure it's remote. But these are very bright people doing a difficult job. You'll have a clue that you're in this type of town when they laugh at stuff they shouldn't get. Also scientist tend to be very proud of their work, so in all likelihood they'll tell you what they do.

2. Rednecks: 90%

Rednecks are by far the most common types of audiences you will find. These cities will relate to you easily. There also 90% Republican as most are farmers that own businesses and huge land crops. When dealing with this type of crowd your best focusing on common sense material. However, big city material won't be completely lost on them, they do travel just in pick-ups.

3. Fishing Towns: 1%

Fishing towns are probably any town around a big lake. Ft. Peck Montana was a fishing town. These towns are actually better than redneck towns. The reason is they don't sell all the fish they catch within their own town. The fact that they engage in intestate or even intercity commerce forces them to understand what's happening elsewhere in the world. Comedy is a social skill. Therefore any town that has those skills is going to get you better. Treat this town as if it's a smart group of rednecks.

4. Indian Reservations: 1%

Blackfoot and Hardin Montana were shows on the Indian Reservation. My experience has always been that the shows on Indian Reservations go well. However, especially in Hardin Montana, I have been warned that it's dangerous to be out late. I would highly recommend both men and women enjoy the shows and the good crowds, but if someone warns you the city is dangerous at night, take them seriously.

5. Biker Towns: 1%

Biker towns are places like Belle Fouche South Dakota. It's no coincidence that every year about 1000 bikers get together here. The hotel was owned by bikers here. And even the women heckled me here. You can't afford to be intimidated here. But I would recommend not being stupid here either. I responded to the girl. And, I looked here over carefully before I responded with this {after she implied no girl would want to be around me}, "Hey, I'm not the one in the dark here." Pick and choose come-backs carefully.

6. College Towns: 5%

College students, like those in Larmie Wyoming, are simply stupid 90% of the time. College towns, even the brighter ones, understand jokes in the following categories: sex, drugs or school. Open with this type of material. Remember college students can't relate to relationships, most of those students haven't had one yet. You can be a low energy comic and still win them over, but this is one type of crowd you'll have to spend a little time talking about sex, drugs or school.

7. Mountain Men: 1%

These types of towns are almost two different places. In the day you meet sweet innocent people, probably put there to fool travelers into believing city hall isn't plotting a government coo. The bar owners will be nervous about having you there. Everyone will tout the 2nd amendment of the Articles of Confederation, especially the hecklers. Nobody will own much land, although a few people might own shacks filled with explosives. If you're forced to play this type of town remember, you hate the government like everyone else and you already have the pamphlets.