How to Squeeze Three Jokes Into One Like Dave Attell

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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Dave Attell is perhaps one of the most underrated comedians in the United States. His unusual delivery and obscure story-telling have kept him at the forefront of the alternative comedy scene. Dave's fans have certainly recognized his unique comedic style and enjoy following the bizarre twists that his jokes often take. The key to Dave Attell's performance is the ability to weave multiple jokes together to create a single strand.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Step1
Know your destination. Backwards design works best for this style of joke telling and you need to figure out what your punch line is going to be first. It might seem as though Dave keeps going off on weird tangents, losing focus of his initial joke, but the truth is, he knows exactly where he wants the joke to end up.
Step2
Begin your joke with a seemingly harmless topic. This gives you more room to let your joke become stranger as you go along.
Step3
Brainstorm related topics. This is where you begin to think of your secondary jokes that lead into your final punch line.
Step4
Link your three jokes, or topics, together with subtle and strange transitions. Your three jokes can't be completely random; they have to relate to each other in order to build up to your ultimate punch line.
Step5
Create a nonchalant delivery. The more naturally you tell your joke, the more you lull your audience into a false sense of security and the harder your punch line hits.
Step6
Drop the punch line on your audience. This is where your audience realizes that they've just listened to one long joke, rather than three seemingly unrelated topics.

Tips & Warnings

  • Prepare yourself for losing audience members. Part of the reason why Dave Attell is a respected comedian is because he's willing to alienate audience members for the sake of telling a funnier, more outlandish joke.

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eHow Article:  How to Squeeze Three Jokes Into One Like Dave Attell

eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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