When a good joke goes bad

[AJYO]

Hello everyone,

I recently did some street performing a couple of weekends ago. Pretty much everything went smoothly. However, there was one thing that I just couldn't understand: my jokes. The jokes would go right over the audience's head. Only a few of them would laugh. I tried every kind of joke at my disposal and I still got very little response. How do you counter these flat jokes? Does anyone have any funny lines to use when no one gets the joke?

Thanks.

[rsummer27]

Yeah, try a few of these.

*These are the jokes people!

* Don't worry, I'm sure your wife will explain that on to you when you get home.

*If you think the jokes are funny laugh. If you don't, laugh anyway.

* Are you people still out these or did you sneak off during the last trick.

[Chris Griffith]

it's all in the . . .

. . . timing.

90% of the time, when I don't get a reaction from the audience to a joke, it's because my timing is off. Usually this means I'm rushing too fast - they can't keep up.

The secret? Slow down, listen to the audience like a doctor listening through a stethoscope. You've got to go their speed and keep them with you.

I also find it very useful to have someone videotape me, and watch it later. I'm always amazed to see what I thought was perfect timing on tape & realize how fast it was & that I could have/should have slowed down even more.

The other 10% of the time, it's usually due to a major distraction or something that steals their focus away.

[Evan Young]

timing= presentation, character, confidence, etc. Not just pace.
also, you really have to make the audience like you before they will laugh at you. it's the L factor= Likeability. and just cuz they are watching and not leaving doesn't really mean they like you very much.
once you are bombing, it's hard to bring it back. they already know you're not funny. you have to do somthing to aknowlage it or they will think you are stupid to. I usually ask my volounteer if he/she has ever seen a comedy juggler bomb before. sometimes I can bring it back after that, sometimes not.
sometimes they won't laugh because they arn't the kind of audience that likes that kind of joke. read your audience, they are all different.
and sometimes it's just too f'n hot out and nothing will ever help. just do the show and get to the end.
good luck. do a lot of shows.

[Magic Mickey]

Another line I use when jokes die is, "Its so quite in here you could hear a career drop!"

[scot]

Go out right now and try again. Keep trying.

Instead of putting some makeup over your tumor deal with it. Don't use quick fix lines to cover up the problem.

First make sure people hear and understand you. Speak slowly, clearly, and loudly.

I'm not going to write a ton on the subject, but the best advice as usual: practice.

The second best advice: Try talking to people as though they're people.. individuals. If you want, you can speak to just one person throughout your show. If you do it well, people will love watching it and will be amazed. The problem is being a human talking to a human or a group of humans. This is nearly impossible.

[scot]

Evan, your solution, bomb right off the bat. Make people adore you immediately and don't be funny or even be unfunny and intruiging. They'll get attached to you and every trough will just be anticipation for the crest every crest will be anticipation for fresh breath.

I like to start off with an impression: "Tyrany and despotism can be exercised by many more rigorously, more vigorously, and more severely than by one... Andrew Johnson... nobody got it?"

[Mr.Taxi Trix]

A little rouge for that tumor?

Butterfly Man used to say, before wiping away the drool cascading down the craggy, gnarled, rhino-wrinkled half moon that he calls a chin, "If you can't ignore it, hang a bell on it."
It can be very very valuable to talk about the fact that you know it didn't go over. Then, you're enduring the suck together, and something shifts. The Great Dave had us all on the edges of our seats one hot day in Covent Garden. He kept dying, but more, kept talking about how that was for him, and being a bit put off about it, but gracious. We were in his hands completely. Watch Johnny Carson tapes... he did it well.
Here's a quote from a moron teacher I know.
"We all trot out our bits, but the good ones listen. Listen: there is a private, wordless conversation between you and them, and it is formed of commentary on the fact that you are in front of them now. An eyebrow lifted at an intruding toddler beats three of a toss every day. If you communicate to them that they are impacting you, they are glued."

And in terms of that rouge, here's a textbook quip, since you've read this far.


"Services for that joke will be on Sunday."

[Evan Young]

Originally posted by scot
First make sure people hear and understand you. Speak slowly, clearly, and loudly.

I had a lot of trouble when I started using a sound system. I didn't like hearing my own voice that loud, and I would do much better just yelling (because I can yell pretty loud).