Paid Members Dead Mike Posted February 28, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted February 28, 2012 So how are people who genuinely want the product to change in a good way supposed to voice their views in a way that the performer will take notice? by buggering off and doing something else? Â For a comedian? Stop buying tickets. If no-one's going to see them then they'll soon notice & either go back to the drawing board or, in the case of Chubby, Davidson et al blame their dwindling audiences on 'political correctness' & plough on doing the same schtick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Halitosis Romantic Posted February 28, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted February 28, 2012 So how are people who genuinely want the product to change in a good way supposed to voice their views in a way that the performer will take notice? by buggering off and doing something else? Â For a comedian? Stop buying tickets. If no-one's going to see them then they'll soon notice & either go back to the drawing board or, in the case of Chubby, Davidson et al blame their dwindling audiences on 'political correctness' & plough on doing the same schtick. Â Exactly. You wouldn't express distaste at a music gig by forming an ad hoc band, getting together a soundsystem, and putting on your own mini gig-within-a-gig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted February 28, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted February 28, 2012 So how are people who genuinely want the product to change in a good way supposed to voice their views in a way that the performer will take notice? by buggering off and doing something else? Â Well, yes. You make it sound like there is only one way to register a dislike of a live comedy show, that being heckling. Unless it's a small intimate gig, the chances are that there are some people there enjoying themselves and heckling just because you don't like what you're hearing is shit and spoiling the show for others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rey_Piste Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Wth comedy acts you can tell how funny a guy is early on in his act. You'll get the usual applause when they step on stage, if they can't engage the audience within that first minute they'll die on their arse. If they tell a joke and the crowd is either dead silent and you can hear a mouse fart next door. Or the crowd are just chatting amongst themselves then there's very little the comedian can do to turn it around. When a comedian is dying like that then heckle away, it's like a comedian's 3 minute warning and the best thing for them to do is duck and cover for the short time they're there. Â That's really not true. Ideally a comedian should come out with a strong opener to get the audience's attention but it's not always like that. Anything could've happened to throw them off their game a little, shit gig before yours, been stuck in traffic & got to the gig just before stage-time, argument with the missus, ill child etc. They're still just people & there's no one size fits all rule. I've seen plenty of acts start off slow & finish strong. Sometimes (if they've not seen the rest of the show) they've got to spend the first few minutes judging the room. How many bands have you seen that take a couple of songs to relax into their set? It's not uncommon for live performers to take a bit to settle in. Most stand-ups who are trying to break in only have 5-10 minutes to do their act. With that kind of time and being one of anywhere between 6 and 15 other guys you've got to get the audience on your side quickly. A good comedian will block out everything else going on and go out on stage to perform. That audience feedback is what causes guys to judge how their act is going and what needs to be changed. Some acts do rely on a build up, but you need to get the audience early for it to work. Some guys are hilarious to talk to and are really quick witted in everyday life, but flounder on stage due to being too rigid with their acts. It takes time to get a feel for timing and how to get their character across. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Bellenda Carlisle Posted February 28, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted February 28, 2012 Â First thing that came to mind when I saw this thread, I love it. Â I have no problem with hecklers, someone stupid who just talks over the show or a drunk who doesn't make sense are shit but I think stand up comedy can be a bit dull, someone telling the same jokes they've told a thousand times to the same reactions is boring, at least a heckler keeps them on their toes and adds a bit of unpredictability. Â A good comedian should be able to destroy a heckler with words anyway and it would probably be the best part of the show. Â I'm not the biggest stand up comedy fan though, I love humour but stand up just seems too much like a guy (or girl) who thinks he's hilarious standing in front of a room of people and expecting them to worship him for reeling off a bunch of jokes he's told to death before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Houchen Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 So how are people who genuinely want the product to change in a good way supposed to voice their views in a way that the performer will take notice? by buggering off and doing something else? Â For a comedian? Stop buying tickets. If no-one's going to see them then they'll soon notice & either go back to the drawing board or, in the case of Chubby, Davidson et al blame their dwindling audiences on 'political correctness' & plough on doing the same schtick. Â Exactly. You wouldn't express distaste at a music gig by forming an ad hoc band, getting together a soundsystem, and putting on your own mini gig-within-a-gig. Â And destroys another heckler here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members ColinBollocks Posted February 28, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted February 28, 2012 Hecklers are only fun when the comedian retorts with a devastating line/rant. It then gets tedious when the heckler/hecklers spend the rest of the show shouting out nonsense and ruin the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Bellenda Carlisle Posted February 28, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted February 28, 2012 Richard Herring makes a similar point. And destroys another heckler here. Â That was brilliant, that's exactly what I meant, a good comedian can make a heckler in to a fun improvised part of the show, if you can't handle a heckler you probably shouldn't be on stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Houchen Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Richard Herring makes a similar point. And destroys another heckler here. Â That was brilliant, that's exactly what I meant, a good comedian can make a heckler in to a fun improvised part of the show, if you can't handle a heckler you probably shouldn't be on stage. Oh absolutely, but likewise, a heckler can ruin a show for the paying audience. Noted wit Chubby Brown has hecklers removed without replying to him. Are you suggesting that he shouldn't be on.......Ahhhhh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Halitosis Romantic Posted February 28, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted February 28, 2012 Hecklers are only fun when the comedian retorts with a devastating line/rant. It then gets tedious when the heckler/hecklers spend the rest of the show shouting out nonsense and ruin the show. Â Exactly - most shows I've been to with real heckling, it's been pissed up twats who've responded with either: "Wahaay! I'm part of the show! Me and my new mate are going to banter!" or "Fuggin' bollocks! That bastard just called me a fat drunk twat, and said that I must have trouble satisfying my bird! Fuck him! I'm going to fight back!" Â Or, on one memorable occasion at Lee Hurst's Backyard Comedy Club, some drunk wanker tried to get to the stage to fight some Aussie comic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Dead Mike Posted February 28, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted February 28, 2012 We're at the point where we don't take bookings from stag/hen parties & if an audience member heckles more than once (and it's not funny...they never are) they'll get booted. The big clubs pay very well but a lot of acts hate doing them for this very reason so at your local jongleurs you'll see an act go out there, head down & autopilot through their set. If you've got a gig where people can still get paid relatively well but have the freedom to relax on stage & enjoy themselves word spreads & more good acts will want to play there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Like Rey says, it really depends on how the act is going. In the case of that Richard Herring gig, the guy fucked up his set pretty much from the word go and, as funny as Richard was, it basically ruined his act. Â On the other hand, if a comic is shit, particularly if you've paid for a comedy night and they're just one of a number of acts, then honestly heckling can be quite fun, and often get the best material out of the comic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Houchen Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 We're at the point where we don't take bookings from stag/hen parties & if an audience member heckles more than once (and it's not funny...they never are) they'll get booted. The big clubs pay very well but a lot of acts hate doing them for this very reason so at your local jongleurs you'll see an act go out there, head down & autopilot through their set. If you've got a gig where people can still get paid relatively well but have the freedom to relax on stage & enjoy themselves word spreads & more good acts will want to play there. When I got tickets for Herring at Manchesters Frog and Bucket, I had to specify how many of each gender were going. They made it very clear that groups of over 6 might be turned away, especially if they were the same gender. I assume that is the Stag/Hen do crowd, Mike? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Dead Mike Posted February 28, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted February 28, 2012 Yeah exactly, the Frog & Bucket on a normal Fri/Sat night is known as a stag/hen venue but they're very friendly with Richard Herring, he always does a tour date there so they're ensuring they get the least cunty crowd possible. We do exactly the same thing, also if we get large group bookings they go right at the front where it's well lit & we can deal with them swiftly if they're acting shitty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bashar Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 A friend of mine was performing at a try-out night in Camden, about a year ago. Barely anybody there who wasn't performing. And it was a really bad night. Some shocking stuff. Â After a few ales and many bad acts, some eejit tried to make some weak political point about John Lydon being a sell-out for promoting butter. So I decided to call him on it. And he had nothing. Â The next act tried to banter with me (I said my name was Ruddiger for some reason), I made some comment about his shirt being one size too small and it clearly hit a nerve. He then invited me onto the stage, tried some more banter but lost his nerve and walked off the stage, leaving me there with the microphone. I was then heckled by the comedians, and I'm not going to pretend I dealt with it as well as Jimmy Carr - but I fronted it out better than they had done. Â I probably would not have done it if there were many other paying customers, but turned a bad night into a memorable one for all concerned and maybe the wannabe comedians learnt something. My friend thought it was funny, but doesn't invite me to go to try-out nights anymore for some reason. Which is a good thing. Â The only other time I have heckled was when a compere asked me my name during one link before insulting my line of work fairly weakly. In his next link, he referred to me as 'that guy over there'. So I pointed out that he had forgotten my name, which he was clearly flustered by. Again, a lesson there for him perhaps. Â I guess what I'm saying is that weak support acts are fair game, within reason. They are there to learn and be tested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.