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Happiness Through Stand Up: May 2013
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Happiness Through Stand Up. Saturday, 4 May 2013. Up 6 at 15 it's 'What's the deal with airline food? In a Green Room conversation, the fact that The Independent had printed a 'Top 100 jokes of the Fringe' article last year. Or - how brilliant. The newspaper wins because they get to fill a page with funny and clever stuff that they didn't write or have to pay for, and the acts win because they get to put it on their CV and impress literally everybody they ever meet. Subscribe to: Posts (Atom).
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Happiness Through Stand Up: September 2012
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Happiness Through Stand Up. Saturday, 1 September 2012. The initial tension part one. Much of 'how stand-up works' is based on the theory that the comedian creates tension, and then punctures it to cause the audience to laugh. It's how most jokes work, and subsequently how most (but not all) comedy 'bits' work. You're already doing something that they would never do, they already kind of respect you.". COMING SOON: There's going to be another part to this post where I ming on about opening lines. View my...
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Happiness Through Stand Up: The initial tension part one
http://standupcourses.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-initial-tension-part-one.html
Happiness Through Stand Up. Saturday, 1 September 2012. The initial tension part one. Much of 'how stand-up works' is based on the theory that the comedian creates tension, and then punctures it to cause the audience to laugh. It's how most jokes work, and subsequently how most (but not all) comedy 'bits' work. You're already doing something that they would never do, they already kind of respect you.". COMING SOON: There's going to be another part to this post where I ming on about opening lines. View my...
standupcourses.blogspot.com
Happiness Through Stand Up: February 2015
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Happiness Through Stand Up. Wednesday, 11 February 2015. What I learned from a religious text. Recently I went to see the most mainstream, middle-of-the-road, middlebrow, middle class of things - a West End musical, and it had more to say about the state of the world, and it did so in a funnier, more charming and energetic way, than the vast majority of 'stand-up comedy' (including my own cack handed efforts). Also, it has really catchy songs. So - how are they 'getting away with it'? Particularly at a t...
standupcourses.blogspot.com
Happiness Through Stand Up: What I learned from a religious text
http://standupcourses.blogspot.com/2015/02/what-i-learned-from-religious-text.html
Happiness Through Stand Up. Wednesday, 11 February 2015. What I learned from a religious text. Recently I went to see the most mainstream, middle-of-the-road, middlebrow, middle class of things - a West End musical, and it had more to say about the state of the world, and it did so in a funnier, more charming and energetic way, than the vast majority of 'stand-up comedy' (including my own cack handed efforts). Also, it has really catchy songs. So - how are they 'getting away with it'? Particularly at a t...
standupcourses.blogspot.com
Happiness Through Stand Up: August 2012
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Happiness Through Stand Up. Wednesday, 29 August 2012. Some mid week links. Here's a couple of things that you may already have seen. First of all Liam Mullone's glossary of terms for the Edinburgh Fringe. A lot of comics have just had to leave the bubble and some will find the come down harder than others. I may have to write a longer piece about the ridiculousness of the 'star review' system. Second - after the Essex lion 'furore', here's Louis CK talking about lions. Saturday, 25 August 2012. Thread -...
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Happiness Through Stand Up: More Expensive Than Therapy
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Happiness Through Stand Up. Monday, 11 March 2013. More Expensive Than Therapy. This is the story of how I tried out something new and different last night. I've broken it down into chunks so you can skip to the bits you want. Early 2000, having gigged in a half-arsed way at and post University, and having had a depressing 3 month stint living in London not getting any gigs, I found myself living with my parents, temping at a utility firm and having no gigs in the diary. Honest, insightful and revelatory.
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Happiness Through Stand Up: March 2013
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Happiness Through Stand Up. Saturday, 16 March 2013. The Road Comic's Playlist Part I. Songs that seem to be about the experience of being a road comic in the UK - even if they're not really. This is merely Part I so is not intended to be in anyway definitive. More will occur to me I'm sure. Hopefully they'll occur to other comics too and they'll get in touch for inclusion in the inevitable Part II. 1 Steely Dan - Deacon Blues. As used over the end credits of the excellent documentary movie Comedian.
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Happiness Through Stand Up: February 2014
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Happiness Through Stand Up. Monday, 10 February 2014. Sometimes, I get the feeling that some comedians think that they have magic powers. If something can be learnt, then it stands to reason that it can be taught. We don't, and there isn't. I am completely upfront with all my course participants about what the course can do for them (show them how to think creatively, give them confidence etc) and what it can't (make them funny). The people who sign up for stand-up courses usually already have a sens...
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