What makes a good stand-up comic?

I don't claim to be funny. I am not a stand-up at all. I don't even really tell jokes that well. However, much the same as a person that loves wine doesn't have to be good at making wine to be able to tell good from bad, I would like to think I can tell the difference between good and bad comedians.

I fancy myself a connoisseur of stand-up comedy. I realize that is pretentious of me, but nevertheless there it is. I think I have really good taste in comedians. Rather than take the time to disect whatever bizarre psychological trauma makes me have these delusions of grandeur, let's just assume I'm right.

Most people would say the same thing. I mean it's easy, right? If they make you laugh they are good, if not they are bad. I would disagree. There are many things to consider whether or not a comedian is good or bad.

First, we have to look at the simplest test. Do they make you laugh. If they don't make you laugh at all they are not a good comedian. They may not be a comedian at all. This is why some people would argue performers like Andy Kauffman (who was hilarious at times) was more of a performance artist than a comedy. He did not always make his audience laugh. Sometimes all he did was enrage people. That however is a debate for another time and Andy was a unique man. In general we can take as our first measurement "Does the person make me laugh". Whether or not you are chuckling or laughing so hard you can't breathe, do you laugh?

Now that is out of the way let us look at other measurements.

Repeatability - How many times can you listen to this comedian before you get bored? Assume the first time you listen to an album you die laughing, but on the tenth time you aren't even chuckling. That person is less funny than someone who still draws a chuckle on the tenth, fifteenth, and twentieth times you hear an album. Even when you know the punchline is coming, is it still funny?

Longevity - How long will the humor of this album last? Jokes about specific people generally don't age well. If the next generation doesn't know who a person is they won't be able to appreciate the joke. If you go back and watch Chevy Chase's impersonation of Gerald Ford (an SNL skit, not stand-up but the principle is the same) a person who has never seen Ford in office isn't going to get a lot of the jokes. This is the danger of particular person oriented observation humor. It has a shelf-life.

Originality - The first time you hear a comedian use a lot of filthy language you'll probably laugh. The first time you hear a joke stereotyping rednecks you'll probably laugh. The first time you hear someone tell about the differences between black people and white people you'll probably laugh. However this type of joke loses it's luster very quickly, because everyone does it. It is an obvious joke. This is where originality comes in. If you can take an old joke and make it new, then you are an excellent comic. Don't go 'White people go "doo dee doo doo" and black people go "bop bippity bop boop". We've all seen that. You can only do that bit if you have a new angle.

Universal Appeal - Who is going to get your jokes? Only young people? Only old people? Only married people? Only single people? Only people raised in Northwest Georgia in the early 80's? The more people that can access your jokes the more skillfull you'll have to be to get that deep connection. We don't all share the same culture so it'll need to be something that transcends culture. I think this is why so many comedians use relationships as banners. We all either are in or want to be in a relationship. All cultures have them, so everyone can relate. Mom and Dad humor is good because everyone had a mother and father. Even if they didn't have the same type of mom/dad people can relate to the idea of the mom/dad.

Presentation - How well is the joke told? Timing is important. I don't know if timing can really be taught or if it just something that you're born with. My timing is mediocre. Sometimes I draw a joke out too long. Pacing is important. You have to start well and end well. You can't maintain a manic pace for too long. People will get tired. You also have to know how to end a joke. One of my biggest complaints against Dane Cook is that he never ends a joke soon enough. He could have some killer material if he would just end his jokes about 20 seconds earlier. You don't have to explain the joke. People get it. Move on.

So, that is what I think makes a good comedian. I would probably say my favorite comedian of all time is Billy Cosby.