Creating a New Routine: Danger (Part 2)

Here is part 2 of the process creating a new routine for my College and University Stand up comedy magic show.

Putting it together

When you think about board games and Trivial Pursuit you don't think about danger but if the 90's taught me anything, it was to TAKE IT TO THE EXTREME! 

I know Harold and Kumar was released in 2004 but this scene is all 90's all the time. I mean check out the arm band tattoo.

And just because it is the best name for a character ever, "I know, Extreme Sports Punk #1."

So how do you make a board game more extreme? Add some consequences. When someone gets a question wrong you've got to bring the pain, or the possibility of pain. But as we saw in last weeks videos, hurting your audience members is highly frowned upon.

The Surrogate

I think I'm a pretty likable guy and I think that audience members don't want me to fail. So, I think if I put myself in harm's way they are going to do the best they can to save me? Or will they? 

The Rules

Four players are picked from the audience and each gets to choose an '90's icon playing piece. They can be a Grunge Rocker, a Cappuccino, a Dot Com Stock Certificate, or a Digital PDA.

A very sharp aluminum spike is hidden under a foam cup and mixed with three other empty foam cups. The cups are then numbered.  Unknown to the players each playing piece is labeled on the underside with a number.

Each player is asked a '90's Trivial Pursuit question. If they get it wrong, their cup is smashed. 

Will the right person get their question right? Will Edd go unharmed? 

About the Author:

Edd Fairman is a stand up comedy magician that performs for college and university events. You can find out more about him by visiting http://www.wizardofsorts.com

 

Seriously People, I'm trying to be funny here.

Comedy is a dangerous business. What I may think is super funny may not be funny to you at all. In my comedy magic show I often improvise with the audience volunteers and with situations that arise during the show. This of course leads to certain number of jokes that don't work. I think of it as a matter of percentage. If you tell more jokes in a day than the average person then you will have a larger number of them bomb. Boy there is no feeling quite like coming up with something on the spot that you think is hilarious and it just falls flat. It's like a little part of you dies right there on stage. Of course when a bit hits that you've just created right there it's like you suddenly grow wings.

So, this is where you have to ask yourself, "Do I risk it?" I know some comedians that if they think something is funny they will say it, no matter what. Even if no one laughs night after night. Of course there have been comedians who broke new ground and barriers doing this but there have also been others who just languished in obscurity. There are also examples of comedians who are very precise in their material and never say anything that would offend. There are many examples of this type, most of whom were given sitcoms. So, as a comedian I have to ask myself, do I only do material they couldn't possibly offend or do I do I stay true to myself?

Staying true to myself doesn't mean I'm going to go around and say lots of naughty words but it does mean I'm going to have some fun. I recently read an article about performing magic for businesses and corporate functions that said you can never joke about the boss or the employees. Sure you don't want to make the hackney old jokes about the boss or the underlings but geez if you can't even take a joke maybe you shouldn't hire a comic magician. Sure a guy who is over weight doesn't want to be called fat nor is that very funny. It's too easy. I still haven't found a name for the type of comedy I do. My friend Jason describes it as Gentle mocking or Humble teasing. I guess if you can't take that you shouldn't hire me.

I can just hear some of my business guru pals freaking out by me saying that someone shouldn't hire me. But if I have to choose between not getting a gig and being generic I'll choose not getting the gig.

Remember folks, keep it funny and keep it honest.