(Part 2) Best products from r/Standup

Brutally honest, open.. Nothing he won't make jokes about.. If you're any part misfit, you're really gonna love him. If you listen to his podcasts, you'll hear Chad Shank.. Just a guy from Bisbee on disability for bipolar, mental health issues. It's his connections with these kinds of people and of course Bingo (his laaady) that I think really let you understand how great a person he is, on top of being smart funny.

I just got his book the other day, I'm 23 pages in and love it. Already some unbelievable stories. I hope it sells like crazy so the world demands Doug to tour more, podcast more, do tv, radio, etc. If anyone is interested here's a link..

http://www.amazon.com/Digging-Up-Mother-Love-Story/dp/0306824396?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

I think Louis C.K. nailed it on his description of Doug on the back cover of Digging Up Mother.

Yeah. Man crush alert.

I've heard lots of people recommend "The Comedy Bible" by Judy Carter.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Comedy-Bible-Stand-up-Sitcom-The/dp/0743201256

There are plenty of other books about stand up comedy and comedy writing in general, grab one and random from your local library.

Any or all of the things you mentioned are good first steps, but eventually stand up comedy boils down to standing up in front of a crowd and telling jokes.

Do what you need to get yourself started, but remember that you aren't going to be completely comfortable the first several times getting on stage.

For what you want, I think $300-500 is way too much. It sounds like you just want clear image with decent audio? I personally use an old point-and-shoot from 2008. The footage can get grainy depending on the lighting, but the audio records fine. This is just reference for myself though, I don't send this out to bookers. I think even an iPhone 5 can record sets pretty well.

Check this point and shoot $88

Go youtube test footage for certain camera models to compare. If you just want clear footage with decent audio, you can do so with a tiny camera with a budget of $150 or less. $300-$500 is a cheap DSLR, maybe too much for what your needs are.

So, I'm going to list 3 that I caught at Moontower Comedy festival. One that hasn't been mentioned yet is John Tole, who was the only one of the 3 that I wasn't familiar with. His set was very funny, and pretty compelling.

John Tole on the mainstream media.

John Tole on working in mortgage banking.

John Tole on judgmental fundamentalists.

Another I don't see mentioned is Baron Vaughn. His album Raised By Cable is absolutely amazing.

Baron Vaughn on Conan earlier this year

Baron Vaughn on Hip Hop, growing up in Las Vegas, living in Queens, etc.

OP mentioned Myq Kaplan, so it's not helpful, but I'm going to name-check him here anyway. He's a redditor, and his album Vegan Mind Meld is incredibly good.

Myq Kaplan on Craig Fergeson.

When it comes to comedy writing, I suggest checking out Fred Stoller's Kindle Single called My Seinfeld Year. It's his recollections of being a writer on Seinfeld for one season, and what that process was like. There's also a lot of great behind the scenes info (some of which covers writing and development) about NBCs golden era of sitcoms in Warren Littlefield's book, Top of the Rock. If you want to read some scripts, this site is one of the best collections I know of.

I see a lot of books I should check out, good thread.

Im reading http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/158648317X for the second time. "I'm dying up here. Heart break High times In Stand up cp
Comedies golden era" the book is a great look into the lives of young comedians who are famous now, in the hardships of trying to make it big. (Richard Lewis, jay Leno, letterman, robin Williams, many more.) and how mitzi shore (Pauly shores mom) had a huge impact on the future of stand up and individual comics. So much In one book of how comedy got to where it is today. Also "war for late night" is cool, going over the whole Leno conan dispute and how other late night hosts got to where they are and how they shaped the game. Sorry for typing like an idiot using iphone.

Hey Op,

The album is "Live" and it's available in most major outlets.

iTunes Store link:
https://itun.es/us/qh_9H

Amazon Link:
http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00HL00PZC

Also free if you have Amazon Prime as part of their streaming service.

Hope that helps! It's an incredible set--very funny and touching at the same time.

There is a common term for the pivot point in a joke. It's called a punchline.

If you want to read up on joke and humor writing, the only good book that I personally know of it is Scott Dikkers's "How to Write Funny." It breaks things down pretty well.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Funny-Step-Step-ebook/dp/B00K9PI7AQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1496660024&sr=8-3&keywords=humor+writing

I'm a girl, so I love stationary.
I write in this notebook and either use "Le Pen" or "Flair" pens.
http://www.amazon.com/These-Are-Days-Miracle-Wonder/dp/1935414453
My friends make fun of me because my notebook is so dopey.

After I fill up this notebook I have some rifle paper co. notebooks I can't wait to use.

If I don't have my notebook on hand then I just jot things into my iPhone notes and write them in later.
Once my ideas are in my notebook, I pick and choose things that go together and try to riff them out until they're ready for an open mic.

Wow thanks, I really need to hit a bunch of open mics and suffer some bombs to neutralize all of this validation.

I'm still trying to develop a solid writing habit to be honest, it's very difficult for me to maintain a steady productive flow.

I'd recommend reading Poking a Dead Frog by Mike Sacks and Sick in the Head by Judd Apatow, both are collections of interviews and advice with amazing comedians and comedy writers. You can get some fantastic advice there but mostly it's just inspiring and motivating.

For writing specifically, the only book I'd seriously recommend is How to Write Funny by Scott Dikkers, he was a founding editor of The Onion and it's a slim, no nonsense book.

If you're shooting clips for promotion/management/etc just ask a friend with a DSLR to shoot it for you. Or, go on Craigslist and offer $20-$30 to someone to do it - there's plenty of budding videographers who'd be happy to get the experience. Also, bring your own memory card (ask the videographer which memory type they use) so you can get the footage back immediately and pay them at the same time.

Beyond that, I personally recommend filming EVERY set you do. I've been using a little Kodak Zi8 for years and a gorillapod. Both of them fit inside my inner jacket pockets. The newest version (pretty much discontinued) of that is the Zx5 : https://www.amazon.com/Kodak-PlaySport-Waterproof-Pocket-Camera/dp/B004FLL5BI/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1469148445&sr=8-14&keywords=kodak+zi8 -- I set it up in the back of the room (the GorillaPod grips onto fuckin' anything) and watch my sets at the end of the night and take notes.

However, if you've got the scratch, I would recommend a GoPro instead. Much better quality and it's even smaller than the Kodak ones. You can get a refurb'd HERO3+ Silver for under $250 : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XIXNSH8?psc=1&smid=A5OS1RR2Q6H5H

Another cheap but very useful item would be a lapel mic for your phone. Here's one for $10 : https://www.amazon.com/Microphone-Omnidirectional-Recording-Interview-Conference/dp/B01E3L1ESS/ref=sr_1_3?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1469148822&sr=1-3&keywords=iphone+lapel+mic (some lapel mics require a separate AUX connector to work with modern phones, this one seems not to). Plug that bitch into your phone, clip the mic onto your shirt (or inside jacket if you wear one), and put the phone in your pocket. This way, you've got crystal clear audio if you ever want to use any of the footage you've shot on YouTube, etc.

Here are some great books I've read recently by great standups.

Patton Oswalt - Zombie Spaceship Wasteland

Chris Gethard - A Bad Idea I'm About To Do

Mike Birbiglia - Sleepwalk With Me (My favorite of the three. Very well written. Couldn't put it down... immensely funny.)

This one is fantastic: How To Look Like A Winner. https://www.amazon.com/Look-Like-Winner-Dorothy-Woolfolk/dp/0590313320

Philology of Humor Course by /r/thelowkeythinker (aka me lol)

Linguistic Theories of Humor by Salvatore Attardo


Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor by Morreall and Mankoff

Edit: Writing is one half of the equation in Standup. Performing is a whole ‘nother part that takes a while to get comfortable with.

I think you need to step up the production value. Proper lighting and sound go a long, long way in making a video look professional. This is a really great cheap light that you can mount on your camera or on a tripod. You may also want to look into getting an h1 and a lav mic when you've got the cash to spare.

I'm not sure what your vision is on this project, but it could be cool to craft a little more of a narrative instead of having you talk straight into the camera.

I'm also living in the metro NYC area, so you can PM me if you want and we can talk a little more in detail.

Cease sounds like a tool, but I don't know of preying on the ignorant & gullible is the most egregious of sins.

Fuck, this blog post was hilarious, though.This makes me really excited to read Doug's new book. ( Digging Up Mother: A Love Story )