Standup Comedians Love Hecklers 😈
Like a lion loves a deer.
Getting heckled was my greatest fear when I started comedy.
Every comic knows it’s going to happen, the only question is when?
In today’s email:
Heckler History 101: Even MLK got heckled
My first time [VIDEO]: I got heckled during my 4th show, here’s how it went
Comic to watch: This one’s really special to me
Shows to watch: Um, I am auditioning at a major club, more details below.
Heckling History 101
Since there have been speeches, there have been hecklers.
But heckling isn’t always negative.
The most iconic being the George Bush shoe incident.
I recently found out Dr Martin Luther King’s iconic “I have a dream” speech was spurred by a heckler. A heckler none other than the iconic gospel queen Mahalia Jackson, who during his address told him from behind the podium “Tell them about the dream, Martin” - to which he stopped giving his prepared talk and proceeded to improvise the most iconic speeches of all time.
BUT probably the most popular heckler stories occur in comedy clubs. Because:
Heckling someone who writes jokes for a living is most likely going to backfire
Crowdwork videos with the occasional Karen’s do SO WELL on social media
It’s a vicious cycle. Social media has been a boon for comedy and comedians. No longer do we have to work our way through a club for 10 years to finally get a spot on the Late Night show, to hopefully do well and get picked up by a sitcom.
NAH with social a handful of 30 second reels, can propel you to millions of followers and a tour headlining clubs all over the world.
The game has changed.
But that means comics are flooding the platform with comedy clips and the clips that do the best are the ones with hecklers.
More heckler videos = More people think it’s ok to heckle = More heckler videos
Every comic will tell you that hecklers suck, we don’t wait for them to strike, they throw off the momentum of the show and generally create a worse experience for everyone present. But sometimes it’s fun 😈
My First Heckler
This took place two months into doing comedy. There was a drunk lady in the front giving her opinion on every comedians joke. She was a nightmare. This club happened to be a smaller club catering to newer comics and didn’t deal with hecklers as seriously as most bigger clubs would (which kick them out)
Once it was my turn to go on stage, I had to make a decision. Ignore her comments or attack her before she does. I chose the latter.
Here’s what happened:
REMEMBER THIS JOKE - BECAUSE
Right after this I went on to bomb for 4 minutes and even got a warning from the club owner. Plus it took 6 months to turn that joke into my best one.
More on that next week…
Comic To Watch:
The first ever weeks comic to watch is my buddy Neel Nanda.
Neel unexpectedly passed away a couple weeks ago and is one of the most selfless and funniest people I knew. RIP brother.
I used to watch him in awe before I started comedy and eventually had the pleasure of being able to perform on the same stage as him.
You’ll be missed Neel.
Shows to watch
Your boy is auditioning for the Laugh Factory on Tuesday January 23rd at 10pm.
This is the first round of many to get a chance to start performing on their weekend shows!
If you are in LA then I’d love for you to see me make or break my dreams Tuesday night.
Come through for the Winner’s Showcase at the Laugh Factory Hollywood and I’ll love you forever.
— That’s all for this week. Hope you enjoyed it, please let me know in the comments and I’ll see you next week!