Be Fearless

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This week, three things were done. I talked, I listened, and I wrote a little.

First, I had a conversation with my dad about comedy. He gave me some good advice, telling me this...

• Everything can be funny.
• No matter what the topic is, If the delivery and emotion associated with it is appealing and humorous, you will be funny.
• Talk about universal experiences that people typically don't talk about but are common.
• There are lots of things that are uncomfortable for people to talk about - if YOU talk about them though, they will laugh.
• Talk about human nature.
• Attack, Attack, Attack - comedians are fearless.
• Make fun of someone or something. Don't be afraid.
• Be confident.
• Know you're funny
• Tell your audience you're funny

Actually, as I was writing this, I was sent two very helpful texts...

Thanks, Dad.

I also started to listen to comedy on YouTube and Pandora (well, with a purpose at least). I did this in hopes of learning some lessons and picking up on things from the greats, such as:

• George Carlin
• Chris Rock
• Rodney Dangerfield (whose real name was Jacob Cohen)
• Kevin Hart
• Sam Kinison (who I particularly enjoyed)
• Richard Pryor

Just paying attention to the way they presented was beneficial.


The video below is of Sam Kinison on World Hunger.

Anyway, I didn't take notes on these specific comedians, but I did take mental note of their similarities.


They...

• Use different voices
• Make weird noises and sound effects
• Tell stories
• Interact with the audience
• Have fun on stage!
• Say things in ways people have never heard before
• Are clearly prepared, but their stories and anecdotes come across as impromptu

In addition to the above, I began writing down some topics and ideas that I could possibly create a routine around for the TED Talk. Since I was looking for relatable topics, I couldn't write about marriage, raising kids, or subjects of the sort - but I could write about things we as teenagers suffer through, like school. Therefore, I drafted some ideas relative to school. They are below...

Recently, I saw a skit on Saturday Night Live that was absolutely hilarious. However, it was controversial. Still, I'm going to post the video because I know it will make you laugh.

[sorry, but there was no video of just the skit - I had to use one with commentary]

Well, this concludes my post for this cycle. Over the days of the next cycle, I'm hoping to begin writing specific jokes/stories about the topics above. The only thing I'm worried about would be writing something that I ultimately want to use in my TED Talk, but would have to post in my blog, even though it would spoil my TED Talk... :(


Okay sorry I'll leave it there. See ya!