Things You'll Need:
- CDs of Jeff Foxworthy and other well-known comedians
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Step 1
Test your talent on open mike night. Performing in public is not the same as breaking up coworkers at the lunch table. Do you have the stamina and the material keep an audience laughing? Jeff Foxworthy got his start when he won a contest at a local Atlanta comedy club.
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Step 2
Observe humanity. This is where the best comedians get their material. Jeff Foxworthy does not depend on shocking language or insults. He talks about the silly things real people do. Audience members laugh because they recognize their own experience in the routine--only funnier.
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Step 3
Listen to the masters. Most of the best comedians made records or CDs. Foxworthy listened endlessly to Bob Newhart and Bill Cosby. You also should listen to these two as well as your favorite humanity-based comedy and of course--Jeff Foxworthy!
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Step 4
Pay your dues. Foxworthy, like every successful comedian, started out on the road handling hecklers in smoky local clubs and cocktail lounges. It takes awhile to work your way up to a Showtime comedy special.
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Step 1
Decide who you are on stage. While it is best, like Jeff Foxworthy, to stick to something like your real self, you need to settle on a few recognizable characteristics. Foxworthy's include his "down home" accent, bemused "observer" detachment (he is seldom the "hero" of his own jokes) and a friendly, low-key attitude toward his audience.
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Step 2
Base your jokes on your persona. No one should be really successful with your jokes but you. While a lot of people quote Jeff Foxworthy, no one tells his jokes like he does. Check out videos of his routines at YouTube to study his technique (see Resources below).
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Step 3
Think up a catch phrase like Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck if . . . " that matches your persona. Try it out on audiences to make sure it is funny and memorable. If it isn't, pick another one.
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Step 4
Stay focused on your theme. Scatter shot, "anything goes" jokes wear thin quickly. By the end of your routine you should have come full circle and made a point of some kind.
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Step 1
Keep your material fresh. Coming up with new routines is a challenge, but it is the only way to stay alive in the business. The comedy landscape is littered with has-been one-joke wonders.
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Step 2
Branch out. Find as many venues as you can. Jeff Foxworthy has made record-breaking live performance albums, starred in a sitcom, done voices for animation, written 20 some books and is currently the host of the popular game show "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader?" You can find a list of his titles at the Google Books website (see Resources below).
