Each day in May I’ve been sharing a stand up set that I like. This weekend, I want to pass on a pair of classics. They aren’t standalone sets, since they’re coming from specials, but they’re so strong I wanted to talk about them. Here’s “How Old Is 15 Really” from Dave Chappelle and, while I think it’s able to make me laugh for many reasons, here’s just a few that stand out:
• THE CONTROVERSIAL ARGUMENT. I really enjoy when a comedian takes a stance that runs counter to prevailing thought. I’m placed into dicey territory, and seeing a comic then make the case for a questionable proposal gets me laughing out of nervousness and excitement. I think Chappelle walks this tightrope masterfully in this set. He establishes the tension with his question, and then systematically relieves it with personal and news stories. It’s like the very idea is on trial, and this is Dave delivering a closing argument.
• PAINTING A SCENE. I’ll laugh at good jokes and be intrigued by novel ideas. What distinguishes sets that give me a one-off laugh, though, from a set that gives me rolling laughs that I’ll replay over and over again are compelling scenes. Chappelle seamlessly weaves in and out of numerous scenes - the crowd being pissed on, the girl chewing through ropes, Elizabeth Smart deliberating, himself scrubbing urine off his body- while making his case. Some scenes are short and some are long, but they’re all so clearly portrayed, that I’m still drawn in today even after I know the jokes.
• POIGNANT FLIPS. When anyone makes a very serious point, it opens up the space for a very funny moment. It’s kind of like a slingshot — the more I’m pulled into drama, the opportunity to release me that much into comedy exists. Chappelle does this to me in this bit. He makes the poignant point: “And they gave a 15 year old boy life in jail.” I remember feeling a lump in my throat hearing that line, but Dave follows it up with, ”If you think that it’s okay to give him life in jail, then it should be legal to pee on him.” After a trenchant moment, he flings me into laughter with a hilarious statement and brings his argument full circle.
Day 10: Marina Franklin
As I’ve been doing all month long, I’m passing a stand up set I really like and discussing why I like it so much. Today’s set is a great 2016 performance by Marina Franklin. Here’s some ways she gets me laughing:
• FACIAL EXPRESSIONS. Whether she’s looking for a man, being an angry suitor, or a giving us an “FYIIII,” Marina makes big choices with her face to indicate her mood. I laugh at the jokes Marina tells, but the faces she makes during and after are silent punchlines that further enhance the funny.
• DISARMING. There’s a reason why when someone gets us to laugh, we say they “crack us up.” I have a hard exterior that has to be “cracked” before I’ll laugh, and that’s why in the sets I like, the comedian always finds ways to endear himself or herself to the audience. Marina’s set makes edgy points (e.g., she’s a feminist who cares about her man’s pay, a bad economy hurts minorities disproportionately, and cops don’t protect black people the same way), but she gets away with it. She wins me over by first talking about her relationship troubles. Once I feel like I can relate to her, then she delivers some of her most biting material. By that point, I’m already on her side, and the smiles she consistently reveals after her satirical jabs keep making me feel like I’m in on the jokes.
• VOICES. In this set, Marina turns her ability to do different voices into big laughs. Not only do her voices make the scenes she’s portraying more vibrant and entertaining to me, she also cleverly uses Juxtaposition, placing her angry black man voice right before her naive white girl voice. The result is some of the biggest laughs in the set. In addition, by using voices, she’s able to sneak satire into the very words the characters speak. So while I’m laughing at the voice, I’m also cleverly consuming Marina’s points.
Hope you enjoyed it. Full link in comments. For more Marina, check out her podcast Friends Like Us and follow her on Instagram: @marinayfranklin
Day 9: Joe List
Every day in May, I’m passing along one stand up set I really like. In honor of performing back in my home state today, I’m sharing a set from a fellow Massachusetts native. Here’s Joe List in 2017 and a few of the reasons I think it’s great:
• QUESTIONS. Joe speaks in questions throughout the set. Not only do they continually get me laughing, they allow Joe get to the punchline quick. Questions are naturally faster sentences because they don’t demand verbs (e.g., “How about a visit from a lawyer?” and “What about my pubic hair?”) or otherwise necessary articles of speech. In addition, Joe’s questions often end in an object, so he deftly places the funniest part of a line at the end of the sentence (e.g., “Will you be removing any of my teeth?” and “Is this is a hospital or a frat house?”). This construction lets a punchline have the biggest pop without being muddled by words afterwards.
• STORIES. Early speech wasn’t used for abstract ideas. It was used to describe action. In other words, our brains are hardwired to hear stories. Joe relays two main stories in this set. He doesn’t rely on them to get laughs, instead injecting jokes wherever there’s space, utilizing Repetition and Callbacks in really funny ways. But the stories give the set a compelling through line that further help keep me engaged.
• THEORETICAL ACT OUTS. Joe has some funny theories about surgeons. Maybe they’re bored or maybe they’re vengeful. Either way, Joe extends my laughter when he pretends to bring these theories to life. For example, he could have just stated his theory that surgeons are bored, gotten that laugh, and moved on. But since it’s a theory, we don’t know what it would have looked like. By acting it out, Joe is able to create dialogue that rapidly turns one punchline into many and gets me to see the really funny, theoretical world that exists in his mind.
Hope you liked it. Full link in comments. For more Joe, follow him on Instagram: @joelistcomedy
Day 8: Greg Giraldo
I’m passing along one stand up set I really like every day this month. Today’s comes from a comic I would have loved to still see performing. Here’s a 2005 Conan appearance from the late Greg Giraldo and some of the ways he gets me laughing:
• SPEED. Comedians can be effective delivering jokes slowly or quickly, but when the pace matches the persona, it’s captivating. Greg has a such strong point of view. He’s worked up and ranting against society, and the speed of his words give an energy that ignites the comedy.
• LABELS. Greg pokes fun at the unrealistic portrayal of women in rap videos by using a vivid label: bitches. We saw in past sets how repetition (Darryl Lenox), juxtaposition (Ian Edwards), and no fat (Phil Hanley) generate laughs, and by employing a label, Greg gets to utilize all those tools. He boils the idea into one word, and then illustrates the distinction between bitches and women through a series of examples that still crack me up. (For Labels, see also: the famous Chris Rock bit.)
• EXTREMES. Heightening a funny idea to its extreme allows us to magnify the absurdity. (Think of caricatures or the old “How BLANK was it” jokes.) Greg does this throughout the set to get big laughs. Whether he’s talking about the greatest city, how he knew he got too drunk, or what would make a truly impressive bicyclist, he takes it to an extreme, and each time successfully tickles my brain.
Hope you liked it. Full link (where he sits with Conan afterwards) in comments. Greg Giraldo passed away, but if you’re interested, he left a rich stand up legacy, including his hour special Midlife Vices, his album Good Day to Cross a River, and his two half hour specials on Comedy Central.