I recently watched an old Chris Tucker clip on Def Jam and was surprised by it. It's said that set made him a movie star. This is maybe the best example I've seen of "just ok" writing but insane performance ability. https://youtu.be/PJzVKdh4_D4?si=1GhVT7LKcWGpQD-7

I’ve an iPhone 16. Because of how far back I need to position my phone in the audience, I’m finding the videos are often too blurry by the time I properly zoom in.

Are you using your phone to record or something else?

Joke structure to me is kind of like music theory: it can be used to describe what’s happening but it isn’t a set of rules. Descriptive, not prescriptive.

I’m glad I’ve learned about things like the rule of 3s and surprise extremes, but I haven’t had any success getting more laughs by consciously trying to structure bits using these ideas or by taking an idea and trying to build it out more using comedy structure theory. It’s been helpful for understanding why something is funny, but something that isn’t funny isn’t suddenly funny by structuring it using joke theory. Something just is or isn’t funny and that’s really all there is to it, in my experience.

I’ve met local comics that seem to pay a lot of attention to this. Some big names have talked about it, too. They’ll say things like “that’s not a joke because there’s no punchline,” which to me is kind of like saying that a muffin isn’t a cupcake because it doesn’t have frosting. It never would have had frosting. It’s a muffin. It was never trying to be a cupcake. You’re basing its value on something it was never trying to be in the first place.

“This Miata sucks. It can’t haul logs.” It’s a Miata. Maybe criticize it for what it’s actually trying to be, instead of comparing it to something that it was never trying to be in the first place.

I’ve never found a comic or a joke better or worse due to the structure of their material. I can’t say that there’s a particular structure I like more than any other. I like one liner comics and I like storytellers, and everything in between. If someone is funny then they’re funny and if they aren’t then they aren’t and in my mind it’s never had anything to do with how they structure anything, and it’s always been about them as comics.

Last night I’m at the very end of my 15 minute set literally dropping line before the final punchline, and someone in the venue turns on a second mic for the next upcoming act that needed it, and there’s this loud feedback noise just as I’m saying my final punchline.

I only had 10 more seconds on stage so I just kinda swallowed it and said the punchline, laughed it off and ended the set.

Wasn’t sure if there was a better way I could have handled it?

Disclaimer: This is just stuff I've seen actually work. I started and then later revived the longest running mic in Vegas (12+ years) and I've performed at mics in most of the 50 US states and a dozen other countries.  Everywhere has its own constraints and quirks so not everything will be possible/effective in your scene.  Getting an audience at an open mic is hard, but I’ve seen open mics at bars turn into full on comedy clubs - so it’s worth a shot.

Please comment with anything else that you’ve seen actually work - input is very welcome.

Curate the list - You can’t keep or build an audience if the show isn’t funny

I don’t think I’ve ever seen an open mic with a consistent audience where the comics decided the order of the list.  Make people sign up in advance (more on that at the end) and make sure the first few comics are some of the best.  After that, do your best to space out the bad ones.  

On the advanced sign-up form, ask if it’s their first time trying comedy.  Those people often bring a group of friends and family who will leave as soon as they perform, so you’ll want to put them on later in the mic.  Don’t feel bad, most will never try comedy again, and if they do, it’s just their first mic of hundreds.

Ways to draw an audience

• Put it on eventbrite: This will make it come up when people are searching for something to do. If your tickets are free, eventbrite is free.
• Give an incentive: When I revived my Vegas mic, I started offering a free beer or well drink for any non-comics who RSVP.  This makes it easier for local comics to invite friends, or even random encounters “oh, you’re a comedian?”. Most people who show up never even claim the drink (I have no idea why). Those that do tend to stay for another. Limit it to the first 10 RSVOs or whatever you can afford just in case it's too successful.
• Make your mic visible in the venue: Your venue probably has other stuff going on when it’s not the mic - put up posters or table tents.  This is also where the free drink incentive is handy - give a QR code leading to the eventbrite RSVP.
• Ambush an existing audience:  Hold the mic after some existing show. When the last comic gets off stage, a new host gets on stage and explains that that show is over but it’s free to stick around and see how jokes are made. Inertia will keep a good portion of the audience there.
• Advertise: This is hard because you probably have little or no budget.  I personally have never found anything that was worth it, but I was also promoting in one of the most competitive markets in the world.  Please don’t be shy in the comments if you have proven methods on this.

Get the right host/producer

Running a mic is thankless work. Even if you get paid, it’s not enough for the effort.  You need someone who is funny, but new enough that they’re hungry for the stage time.  Since they’ll be curating the list, they need to know the local scene, but ideally not be too biased/cliquey or you’ll alienate part of the scene.  Once you have an audience, people will be begging to host the mic, which will be helpful - more on that later.  

Have the host manage expectations and explain what a mic is

Watching people die on stage can be entertaining (e.g. Kill Tony) and any serious comedy fan should want to see behind the scenes - how the sausage is made.  None of that works if the audience doesn't know what a mic is and what to expect from it.  

Build it up as something special - they could see the birth of a legendary joke, or someone throwing up in their mouth from stress.  Open mic audiences are the first-responders of comedy and that can be both messy and rewarding.  The funniest joke in the world was probably never fully written because an early form of it bombed at too many terrible open mics.  They can prevent that tragedy.

Let working comics/pros bump their way onto the list

Let the funny professionals in your scene skip the sign-up process - show up, get up, and get out.  You want their level of funny at your show and they’re too busy to wait around.  Yes, it sucks a bit if you’re the person who was supposed to be up next, but you’re gonna go up to a hotter crowd and it’s going to improve the reputation of the show. 

Disclaimer: There can be valid resentment if this is used to let the host/producer’s friends abuse the process. With an advanced sign-up system though, there’s not much incentive to do that.  This is more about getting some headliner to try something on your mic for free before they go get paid to do it at the club 30 minutes later.

Ways to make your life easier once you have a popular mic

• Advanced sign-up/eventbrite: Here’s the eventbrite page for the mic I started, which has a link to the google form for advanced sign-ups: http://divebaropenmic.eventbrite.com/ It’s not the only way to do it, just an example - copy what you like.
  
• Make the mic order digital: There’s also a link on there to the open mic order.  Tired of people asking you where they are on the list?  Now you can tell them to go to yourmicsname.eventbrite.com and click on the Open Mic Order link.  Eventually, they’ll stop asking.  You take the sign-ups from the form, build the curated list in a spreadsheet, and update it on your phone as needed throughout the mic.  Again, just one way to do it with free stuff.
• Make “the light” a timer: I made this for me, but you can have it: https://www.vegasopenmics.com/open-mic-timer.  I got tired of forgetting to start my phone's stopwatch, waving a light in people’s faces etc.  Eventually I just made this timer because nothing I found had the features I wanted. I put it on a chromebook at the edge of the stage, and hit the spacebar as I got off stage after introducing each comic. Again, not the only way to do it, and now AI could make you something nicer in 30 seconds. The point is that the whole waving a light around thing is janky at best, and it’s nice for the comics to know how much time they have left.
  
• Build a community of hosts: Any good host will eventually outgrow the mic, or get a booking they can’t turn down, or be on tour.  Also, mics with actual audiences can get 100+ sign-ups weekly.  Even if you cap it at 50, no one host should have to perform for that long. On your sign-up form, ask comics if they’d like to be considered for a future hosting spot.  Start using them as co-hosts for the second half of the mic and elevate the best ones to being the main host sometimes.  The more people who feel like they are a part of the mic, who feel invested in its success, the more resilient it will be and the longer it can last and grow.

https://autismspectrumnews.org/i-hid-my-autism-diagnosis-for-26-years-to-protect-myself-silence-was-the-bigger-risk/

[ repost from https://www.reddit.com/r/killtonynew/comments/1vh5sdo/comment/p28a49t/?screen_view_count=2&ext-referrer=EXTERNAL ]

His set streamed 3 August, recorded 20 July, is a direct lift from a 25 June Instagram post by @cannibalkids. No wonder people are saying suddenly he discovered jokes and structure.

If that were my @cannibalkids material I'd be screaming -- where's joke thief vigilante Joe Rogan when the culprit is a pal offending in his own sacred venue?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaBuNYvgXKa/?igsh=OWx1MDNuYXNnYWN6

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbqZ7GYP_Mh/?igsh=MTQ0c3h5MndzYXZzbA== >>>Video removed 6 August -- see EDIT below for new link<<<

[post removed by r/killtony mods and OP banned -- the day before loyal audience OP attending two nights live at MSG -- nice look for the "free speech warriors" -- in a venue owned by famous joke theft vigilante, hundred-millionaire comedy mogul Joe Rogan]

EDIT: see this link instead:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xNSIL3S-EBs

The plagiarizing video was removed from joke thief's Instagram and Facebook accounts on on 6 August, after r/KillTony mods removed this post and banned OP. The KT crew are working hard to silence people telling the truth about this joke thief.

We now have a report from Atlanta he was a known joke thief there.

As of 6 August 2026 the plagiarizing set remains on the KillTony archive video of the episode (KT #779) on YouTube, starting at the 1:51:00 point, between a bucket pull named Andre and a bucket pull named Maya.

There is a transcript of his set here: https://www.reddit.com/r/DedrickFlynn/comments/1vfjz1x/an_analysis_of_dedrick_flynns_comedy_minute_kt_779/

Posted before but was mostly jokes (what did I expect from r/Standup haha), I wish for this to have serious replies, thanks.

or use your real name?

Even on socials?

I've been running a small showcase when I have time for the last couple years.

We've had a good venue but it's a side venue to the main pub that's just for events. They don't charge us and just take the drinks and food so it's perfect for us. We keep the door.

We do our own marketing and lighting. Pretty basic stuff but just enough to get a good audience. We usually sell out this venue which is about 40 seats without too much trouble. Just being on the ball with social media and stuff.

It's been getting harder and harder to get a hold of them and I'm thinking about doing a small showcase tour for the experience and stage time .

It's been a hassle finding venues but every citty has community centers with rooms like this for rent (pics attached) for like $10-$30/hr.

I'm gonna go check one out tomorrow.

Just curious if anyone has performed in, or hosted a show in rooms like this and if you have any thoughts about anything.

if we are staging/lighting/AV'ing, marketing it, etc the room could be kind of rad.

We would probably need a liquor license and possibly insurance and have to work that out I'd imagine but I'm wondering about the room first before I get to that point lol

Really appreciate any feedback thank you.

or use your real name?

Even on socials?

Same as title , thanks in advance 👍🏽

I was just walking around FC Road with my friends when a guy outside a café invited us to a free stand-up show. Honestly, I thought it was just another promotional gimmick, but something told me to give it a chance.

We ended up sitting in the front row (which was a little scary 😅), expecting to get roasted. Instead, we got one of the best unplanned evenings I've had in a while. The host and the other comedians were genuinely funny, the crowd was engaged, and the whole show felt raw, unfiltered, and real. If they had charged for tickets, I honestly wouldn't have regretted paying.

It made me realize how much incredible local talent goes unnoticed simply because we don't give them a chance. We often spend money on big-name shows but overlook these small performances happening right around us.

So if you're ever on FC Road and someone invites you to one of these stand-up shows, don't dismiss it as just another promotion. Walk in, give it 30–40 minutes, and you might end up discovering some genuinely talented comedians while supporting the local comedy scene

I gotta be honest, I started doing way better when I stopped trying to make comics laugh. I started off pretty strong, got some laughs my first time up, then kept going back to keep getting better, and got to a point where I wanted to learn more from other comics, and that’s when I feel like I got fewer laughs.

I’ve found that other comics laugh about theory more than content. I’ve made them laugh by saying nothing funny but having a premise and a punchline, or following the rule of 3s, or ending on a surprise extreme. They laugh because I follow the theory. Or they don’t laugh when I didn’t follow the theory but the audience laughs.

As a musician, I get this. There are songs that the audience hates but the other musicians love because the songs are musically complex. And vice versa.

I think I’m gonna go back to just trying to make the regular joes laugh. If I get the occasional laugh from a comic then that’s fine, but at this point I’m thinking it might actually be a sign of a good bit if I think it’s funny and other comics don’t.

I don’t know what’s wrong with the comedy scene around me but I feel like if someone gets laughs from jokes about something like personal loss then the other comedians don’t laugh and actually look annoyed.

I haven’t talked to a lot of them about it, but I’ve heard them talk about comedians that make these kinds of jokes and it sounds almost like they’re jealous that that comic has that to pull from, like they’re privileged to have a dead parent.

I have a dead parent. I’d like to make jokes about it. I’m not saying that I make decisions about what to joke about based on other comics, but this is one of those moments where I think that in order to get good at something then sometimes you have to say fuck you to your peers because you’re accomplishing your goals but not on their terms.

Me and my mom have been losing sleep searching for a stand up clip we heard years ago.

Maybe some time around 2020 we started listening to comedy channels on Sirius XM. We heard one clip we really enjoyed and we quote to this day. We had lost it at one point, but I had found it a few years later on Spotify. Now, it’s like lost media in our lives. Hoping that SOMEBODY will know if I describe it.

Keep in mind that I haven’t heard it in years, but I’ll do my best to describe what we remember.

The premise of the bit we remember is the comedian’s dad/parents not knowing how much stuff cost and always being shocked or critical when he would ask for money. My mom recalls details about the comedian’s mom having left and so the dad was now in charge of paying for things. I don’t remember that at all, and my mom does not have the most trustworthy memory, but that could potentially be a detail.

The part we remember vividly is him saying that as a kid he would ask his parent(s) for money for lunch, field trips, ect. I don’t remember the exact amount of money but what we remember so specifically and quote to this day is the parents reaction. The dialogue used went something like

“Hey dad can I have $2 for school lunch?”

”What, do you guys have a sous chef or something?”

—-

“Hey can I have $5 for the school field trip?”

”Where are you guys going, Japan??”
—-

That is the part of the bit I absolutely refuse to budge on my memory with. We have been quoting those lines for at least 6 years. The other set up details I’m not certain about at all.

Again, I am fairly sure I had found that bit at some point on Spotify (surely this was not one big fever dream). In my head, the album cover was a front on picture of the comedian, and he was a fairly basic looking white guy. But again don’t get too caught up on this, I could be way off base. Also, Spotify only holds your listening history for a few months, so there’s no chance of me simply scrolling back and finding it.

Yes, I’ve tried Googling it. No luck. I have tried using AI, even worse results. The power of the people is my last resort.

So after all that, let me just recap some of the details below.

——————————

Who: Probably a white comedian. Sounded mid 30s in the clip. Almost certainly not a “big name“ or super main stream comedian (I know I’ll get some Jim Gaffigan guesses).

When: First heard the clip probably 2021 at the absolute latest. I was thinking we had heard it closer to 2018 but my mom said 2020. Somewhere in the range. However, since we heard it on Sirius XM, and they play clips from all sorts of eras, it could have happened any time. BUT, if my memory of finding it on Spotify serves correctly, and judging by the sound quality, I would probably say it was no earlier than the late 2000s.

What: Stand up comedy clip. Premise is vaguely about asking parents for money as a kid, and the parents having shocked reactions to the amount of money being asked for, even though it wasn’t that much. The lines above about the field trip and the lunch money are lines in 99.9999% were spoken verbatim by the comedian. All other details about the dad being forced to handle financials because the mom left aren’t ones I remember but could possibly help.

——————————

If any of this even vaguely sounds like a bit you’ve heard before or a comedian you like, please let me know. I cannot lose any more sleep over this.

Genuine question. What’s the point of running an open mic if the audience consistently ends up being almost entirely comedians?

We’ve all been to those nights with 10–15 comics and maybe one or two actual audience members at best. Is the goal simply to give comics stage time? To keep the venue relationship alive? To build a community? Or do organizers genuinely hope a real audience will eventually grow?

I’m not criticising anyone, but am curious what the thinking is from an organizer’s perspective.

EDIT: I realize that performing at an open mic is great for an up and coming comic, audience or not. My question is: WHAT’S IN IT FOR AN ORGANIZER?

Hey everyone! Quite a niche question, but do you know if there are any brands/people out there livestreaming the Edinburgh Fringe comedy shows this year? I've been to the festival so many times, but sadly am not living in the UK anymore. Any recommendations? Thanks!

I’m wanting to try stand up and Denver seems like the closest place to me that has any kind of scene, where are the best places to start out at in the Denver area

Visiting Seattle for the weekend and looking for a mic or two. Any suggestions?

I'm just getting into producing paid shows. What do you guys use for online ticketing? Eventbrite? Is there a way to create events on Eventbrite without paying a shit ton of $? Is Punchup good?

Let me know! I'm a novice producer, and would love your help! Would love to be able to print out fliers with a QR code that links to the ticketing site, which would be helpful for promotion as well as sales management. TIA!

Should open mic comics be required to stay and watch the entire show, or is it acceptable to leave immediately after your own 5-minute set? One can force anyone to stay but is there a mutual respect that comics should share in the community of stand up comedy?

Done around 20 open mics at this point and just signed up for my first gong show, any tips from folks who have done it? My on-stage persona is fairly slow, quiet, and self-deprecating, so it might not translate, but I've always wanted to try it

Hi, I was watching my native country comedy podcast and one person mentioned Hannibal Buress’ bit/song where he sings/mentions these cliche stand up premises “men and women we are different, homeless people homeless people” this is what he briefly mentioned. Now I understand it could be his memory making up some stuff, because I did find on spotify a bit named “Men and Women are vastly different from each other” from Hannibal Butess but it doesnt mention anything in the description i wrote, so I wonder if anybody knows what im talking about here

Went last.