Upbringing, Formative Experience, and Their Effect in Improv Comedy By Brian Melamed
This paper raised a few interesting questions.
1) How does the upbringing and formative experience of comedy inform the aspirations and motivations of improv comedians?
2) To what extent do similar past experiences in comedy affect interpersonal relationships in improv comedy groups?
Anyone care to answer?
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14 comments:
I was just told- when I tried my hand at stand-up comedy- that I would never be successful, because I had too normal a childhood. No abuse, no death, no racial discrimination . . . so I tried my hand at Improv comedy instead!
Lots of big words Em, but you're cute so I'll let it slide. I'm not entirely sure what you're after here, but I think for me, being able to make people laugh since grade school on forward was one part defense mechanism, one part social acceptance and one part creative expression. I didn't know it by those terms then, back then it was just goofing off. Looking back though, it's kinda funny how nobody saw any value in it and all I heard was a barrage of "Jim's not working to his potential", and a dozen other phrases like that. I guess teachers didn't see the skill involved in the crafting of a humorous story or how comedic timing can make or break a joke. If I had to look underneath it all, I'm sure the abusive environment at home played heavily into me craving some sort of positive attention (at least from those I was playing to). There may also have been an element of trying to control my surroundings away from home (since I had no control of them AT home). This is kinda deep stuff for a fella with no post high school book learnin' ....
I remember two moments in my childhood when I clearly realised I was not funny. The first was in sixth grade, when I pointed out an error by my teacher he had made on the board. He was an ex-drill instructor; I found out quickly I should not have made fun of him. The second was in eigth grade. The entire grade was given daily planners in which to put their school assignments and what not. Instead, I wrote what I thought were "funny" things in it. Once I left it behind in class, some students found it, and read the whole thing. I don't remember what was in there, but I do remember they all accused me of being a pervert, Satanist, and Nazi. I don't think what was in there was that bad- remember, we were all just 14 or so- but I do remember distinctly remembering they were kind of right: if no one laughs, it is not funny; just because it is stupid and/or silly does not make it funny; and most kids my age were not watching SNL or Kids in the Hall, so repeating what I saw there would not get a laugh. In between 8th and 9th grade I made some changes. First was I gained weight, in a good way. I was 6 foot in 8th grade, the same height I am now, but about 130lbs lighter. Imagine a kid my height and shoulder-width weighing just over 100 lbs. My acne also cleared up, I got contacts, and my voice finally finished deepening. I swear, it took me four years to go through puberty. And somewhere in there, my sense of humor took a much more subtle approach, and it worked. Quick one-liners, impressions, funny voices . . . they all caught up to me. I also became a very accomplished liar, something my girlfriend at the time complimented me on (although when we broke up, she used it against me. What a bitch.) The lying transferred into stage acting, and that transferred into hosting events at my high school, and eventually it was agreed I was funny. I was picked to take a week of classes with the Comedy Sportz team, and was allowed to draw cartoons and write funny articles for the newspaper. I always wanted to be funny; I think the trick for me was to realise I wasn't funny first, and then to fix it somehow so that I was. I don't remember when I first realised I was funny; I just remember how much it sucked thinking I was- or was going to be- funny, and then knowing that I wasn't. That's a lot of rambling, I know, but it is my high school history of being funny. Coming up next: Woolhouse, the college years!
I think I am going to post another comment on here, just so I can delete it, too.
Adam, I applaud you for leaving your comments in light of the fact that others have taken a much more cowardly approach (anyone who wants to argue that, go ahead ... I DARE YOU)! What's the point there, huh Adam, they'd probably just retract them before I could read them. At least you and I are opening up to the group ....
Cowerdly implies that you all know what my intention are in taking my posts off. Truth is I had a bad childhood and I no longer want to use that as if it hurts my life today. I have choices and I am working through them. I deleted all postes and will refrain from any references to that particular excuse again. well, except in this post.
I leave my comments on facebook. You should join!
I'm not a hero, or brave . . . I just naturally assume everyone wants to know everything there is to know about me, and that I would be doing a diservice to you all if I deleted them.
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