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Your Secrets are Funny

Your secrets can be comedy gold. As a comedy coach, I've watched thousands of new comics ignore the personal, relevant topics that could get them laughs, and even a career, in favor of the hack routine of every other beginning comic - Viagra, BJs, Online dating. They're literally standing knee deep in gold nuggets of authentic material but grabbing at all the shiny plastic around them.

Last week I was coaching a talented comic, whose new material had a "heard it before." feel to it. When I questioned her about her life, she revealed that her parents are Holocaust survivors. I said, "That's your topic."

She was dead set against it, "I can't talk about that! Everyone will hate me."

Now, granted, the Holocaust is not known for generating a lot of yucks, but isn't that the challenge of comics and speakers - to transform tragedy into comedy? Anyone can get a cheap laugh off of an already-funny topic, but it takes skill and talent to find laughs where there are none. After all, it's not the topic that determines how many laughs you get; it's how skillfully and creatively you handle it. And when something serious IS a part of your life, as a comic or a speaker, you HAVE to include it. Sorry, but it's part of the job. Your secrets are funny. It's as simple as that. So share them or get off the stage.

Every gay comic went through this in the 80's, with the whole "I can't talk about being gay" thing. Now it's your turn to open up. Let's face it, we all have something to come out about. Omitting a topic that is a big part of your life (and secrets tend to be a big part) will create a disconnect between you and your audience, and between you and your career. Just ask comic, Samuel Comroe.

Samuel Comroe refused to talk about having Tourettes Syndrome

for the first part of his career. But now this brave young comedian has come out about having this disorder, and he's turned the trials and tribulations of living with Tourettes into an unforgettable stand-up comedy act that has made him a hot ticket in the college market.

Honesty builds careers.

I got a call back from the comic I was coaching. She's decided that her story has to be told. "It's hard growing up with parents who are Holocaust survivors. As a kid, no matter what happens to you -- if you fall off your bike, if the teacher is mean to you, if you get kicked out of Brownies -- you can't get any sympathy because 'You haven't been to Auschwitz.' 'But mom, the Brownies wear brown shirts.'"

It's a start.

-Judy

Motivational Humorist, Comedy Coach, and Author.

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Comment by Ron Rigby on January 9, 2012 at 7:31pm: Hi Megan, I once worked closely with a 35 year old beginer who has ADD. He wasn't ADHD so he was very calm and slow talking and he would often just stop completely in the middle of a line and just look confussed. The audience loved him because now a days everyone knows someone that is either ADD or ADHD. The great thing he was able to do was just stop and tell the audience "I've completely forgotten what I was supposed to say" and it was really funny. He also kept a really straight face, never even really smiled.....but it worked. You have a great opportunity to use something you are very close with and make fun of it. Think of all the embarrasing (to you) things that you've done over the years. An audience loves when you make fun of yourself, especially when it's genuine. I couldn't do it because the audience would probably be able tell that I'm not ADHD. I was a fat kid, so I use that at times and it always gets a good response. Just start writing in the format Judy details in her book and you'll see that it'll be funny.

Ron

Comment by megan mills on January 8, 2012 at 9:24am: I was drawn to this blog first because I've been considering using an embarrassing part of life to write a book or begin a stand-up career. Also, I noticed Judy is a Sagittarius!!!! Yaaay! So I have that much in common...but seriously though - I found out that my youngest child suffers from ADHD and Anxiety...her older sister (11 yrs her senior) was diagnosed ADHD when she was 8 too! Then as I began reading about the condition...I realized who they got it from! ONLY I don't have the hyperactivity type, mine is the Inattentive type! As I thought about my childhood...I realized even more that my own MOTHER has it!!! Wow...I KNOW my life stories are comedy gold! But I am a beginner, and I look to the pros for help...HELLLLLPPPP!!!

Comment by Ron Rigby on December 10, 2011 at 4:15pm: Thanks....he truly was amazing!

Comment by Judy Carter on December 10, 2011 at 1:37pm: Amazing how Pryor could make child abuse funny. Great comments Ron.

Comment by Ron Rigby on December 10, 2011 at 12:05pm: All very true! I just did a solid 10 minutes on what it was like to be a fat 12year old...which I was. All very funny now , but back then, not so much. I think the worse things (at the time) that happened to you haveare the funniest things to an audience. Find something in your past that happened to you that at the time it happened was very hard or even devastating for you. Start writing about it now and you'll find that it comes off as very funny to other people. I'm sure you'll find it funny as well. Remember Richard Pryers story about how his mom could hit him with her shoe from anywhere in the house while she was on the phone ? He would always talk about getting beaten by a parent figure...very funny now, but not so much at the time it.

Your Secrets are Funny

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