How to Construct Political Comedy Material

All too often when people hear the phrase "stand-up comedy" they immediately think of a guy with a cheesy grin and a bow-tie talking about airplane food and the differences between men and women. This is a stereotype that sadly bears a fair amount of truth. Because of this stereotype it can certainly be tough for comics that really want to address the issues. Political comedy is a tough animal, very tough. I'm no master by any stretch, but I have failed quite a few times, and I've found a couple things that have worked too.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Guts
• Opinion

How to Construct Political Comedy Material

1. First, don't bash Bush too much. Having a Bush joke or two is fine, but don't just get up there and say "hey, our president's a moron" and then go on to make fun of the way he talks or says his words.
2. Don't get too preachy. Remember, you're not George Carlin, you're a no-name in a night club somewhere. A huge problem I had (and still have sometimes) is that I don't throw enough punchlines in there. Then, 60 seconds will go by and I'll notice I haven't had a laugh and I'm losing the crowd. I revive myself with a safety joke. Make sure there are punches in there.
3. Don't start off with political material. Win them over first with some of your safer stuff. Get them to trust and like you so they're willing to go into politics with you.
4. Have confidence and always be writing. Pay attention to the news, try to find material. Work out your material several times a week at open-mics, and I also recommend recording most of your sets.

Tips & Warnings

• DISCLAIMER: I'm by no means an authority. In fact, I'm not even a professional, I'm a beginner that's still learning, and, failing and succeeding. This article contains observations I've made about what won't work and what can work.