Do the work. The honest way to feeling good.

Making people laugh is not such a hard job, actually it's a wonderful cool groovy job. The satisfaction you feel on stage when a tidal wave of laughter rushes over is absolutely life giving. It's like you're plugged into a human electrical current that recharges you and everybody around you...the feeling is electrically awesome.

My wish is that everybody at least once in their lifetime would get an opportunity to experience the rush of performing stand up comedy. That's why I don't blame people for wanting to get into it and when they do- getting hooked on it...without a doubt the attention, the love, the sensation of adoration is addicting.

I really love to see it when my students get acquainted this mystical love in happening the first time they take the stage in a live audience show. It can be overwhelming...a rollercoster ride they can't wait to do again and I can't blame them.

That's why I take my comedy classes very seriously. I want my students to succeed and I want them to succeed in the correct way and so not to fool themselves. What does that mean?

It means being honest with themselves and doing the work. I demand they write their own bits from personal experiences and never NEVER take somebody else's material. Don't be a mimic of a famous or more creative comedian....doing that will set their developement back years. Once you savor the nector of thievery it is hard to lose the taste for it...so don't even start. I am quick in my dojo to let a student know if he's 'sampling' somebody else's jokes. It is forbidden.

When you think about it there is zero need for being a joke thief when the whole world is out there for you to write about...there is SO MANY defects and inconsistancies in everyday life to twist and turn and have fun with....why would anybody take a joke???! It's counter productive and it garnishes you a reputation that stays with you and retribution can follow you to the higher levels of the business (if you ever get that far).
Actually I feel sorry for dishonest comics (notice I don't call them comedians)...I know they want to experience what the big boys and girls feel but they just don't have it and should take their toys and go home. The best thing they could do is start over - do the work - come back and succeed on their own merit.

I think this is true of any business. Being honest and fair has not gone out of style has it? Is there any better feeling than getting that promotion and knowing it was bona fide??!

Always do the right thing kids it really is the class way....at least in the dojo class it is. ha! see what I did there??? lol

Have a nice day. :)

ur Uncle Hippie chill

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Art?

What is art? I often call stand up an art form and comedians artists and have on a few occasions gotten an argument. I may remind those people that art is defined as a craft, a skill, creativity, expertise, ingenuity, cunning, obsession, etc etc etc on and on.

I believe that helping people laugh is an obsession of mine no doubt on and off the stage. Not that I am one of those dreadful comedians that is 'on' all the time. I find those artists annoying. I know they're just doing what they do but jeez save it for the show!

I think artists that use pictures have an advantage over comedians. The old saying 'a picture is worth a 1000 words' is apt for artists that draw, paint or use photography and film. The lowly comedian doesn't have that kind of time. We have to paint a picture and get a laugh using minimal words and expressions. There is no standing and appreciating our art form we have to something ready for consumption every 10 seconds or so. Phew!

Oscar Wilde said: "A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament". I rest my case that attitude is a much needed part to the formula of a great spoken joke.

However this type of study and use of artful communication is not just for comedians anymore. The average person would be well off to take a comedy class or two (such as my stand up comedy dojo ..hint-hint lol) and learn how to shorten and clarify their thoughts as well as to how to use attitude and passion in speeches, pitches and everyday conversations.

The word is out on my class for this very reason and I have to believe this is why I get so many salespeople, teachers, policemen and others that are just there to experience the dojo, face a fear and learn to communicate using stand up comedy techniques that help them gain a perspective on their unique temperament.

Stand up is art. Effective communication is a unique result of getting in touch with your unique temperament and therefore an art form.

Go out and give somebody some passion and attitude! Take a comedy class somewhere.
Let art ring! ;)

Have a nice day. :)

ur Uncle Hippie chill

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Aren't we all sometimes?

Ever heard the old saying 'ignorance is no excuse'? Who is that for exactly? Are the ignorant helped by such a saying? If they are then are they so ignorant after all? Should we update the saying to 'totally unfounded ignorance is no excuse either'?!!

My guess is 'ignorance is no excuse' is just a way of warning 'don't use the old I didn't know crap'.

Of course I don't think it takes a genius comedy mind to factor in that the truly ignorant probably aren't going to be helped by such as saying because ...well, that's not how the ignorant roll.

The dictionary gives the definition of ignorant as somebody that is uncultivated, uncultured, unenlightened, uninformed, unread, (anybody else visualizing certain family members?!!) unschooled, untrained, unintellectual, unwitting....unon and unon and unon.

I wanna help some people I come in contact with once in a while so I'd like to go on record as declaring right here and now that being an 'imbecilic bird.brain is no excuse'!
... 'mindless moron is no excuse'! ... 'obtuse thick or oblivious' is no excuse;!!! Not even if you are
...'naively shallow- NO excuse' ok ok for now that's it...however I maintain the right to amend this 'no excuse law' to include the 'witless'.

I rest my ignoRANT. ;)

Have a nice day. :)

Uncle Hippie chill

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What's funny about that?

What do you think is funny? You'd certainly think I'd know after having written and performed stand up for about 30 years as well as within that time frame written thousands of pop culture jokes for tv talk shows, cartoonists and a throng of other comedians in various situations from radio, film and such.

It's easy really, funny is anything that gets a laugh from the majority. Funny has to possess some kind of release from pain, confusion, misunderstanding, defect or inconsistency. Funny is articulate translation of being lost and taking a delight in gossiping or reporting back on it.

Funny is almost never shocking or anything that will make you cringe- that's a whole other release that may simulate funny but in close examination is not really. Shock laughs can be had but are never long lasting or memorable.

Funny should be something shared by all of us and reported on by a person of sympathy and attitude.

Surprise is definitely part of being funny...though there are degrees of surprise...it could be a quick or even drawn out reveal. If it's drawn out it must be compeling for the audience, something rich in character and or rarity of event.

Funny is the positive side of failing but yet continuing. Funny should draw the audience together. Too many new and unknowing comedians fragment their own audiences and don't even know it. Funny should be heartfelt and having a form/structure as to reach a part of everybody in spirit.

Funny should only be a ripple of tension then soothed.

You've probably guessed I could go on and on. Funny is life to me. It's not everything but it's right up there. Funny isn't it? ;)

Have a nice day.

yur Uncle Hippie chill

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*A message to women. Men cannot be changed. We can be altered a bit to fit the occasion but never completely changed.

Enduring interruptions.

It's the age of interruptions I guess. People interrupt MTV acceptance speeches and even the President of the United States giving a speech to Congress. Being a stand up comedian I get interrupted all the time even if it's just by somebody enjoying my show. Who hasn't been interrupted these days? Interruptions are a fact of life. This blog is interrupting your day...except perhaps you allowed it by taking the time to deal with my interruption.

lol...I was just interrupted by my gal and a news story while I was drafting my interruption of your day. That's true. Jeez!

I guess it's not that we're interrupted it's how we deal with it. It's hard to factor in time for interruptions because you never know when they're going to happen...that's why they're called interruptions huh?

The dictionary says an interruption is 'an interference'. Not to be confused with an interception...that's a good thing in football unless of course it was your quarterback that was interrupted by an interception and so the offense's plan was interfered with.

I think that's why we have patience...thank goodness for patience...it helps us deal with all these interruptions, interferences and interceptions of our time and space and gives us a capacity to endure them. Viva la patience! Whoever invented it was right on and something tells me in the coming age we're gonna need a lot more of it.

Have a nice day. :)

Uncle Hippie chill

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Another comedy dojo today!

Well it's come around again, the start of a brand new stand up comedy class or as I call it the comedy dojo. It all starts tonight in Ann Arbor, MI at the historic Comedy Showcase. I will have some shiny new faces along with some regulars all waiting for me to inspire and coach. In 5 weeks they will face the fire of a live audience with only their jokes/bits written from personal experiences and of course made up lies- lol. That's what's good about stand up- everything doesn't really have to be the total truth...but it does have to be funny.

I will go through setup/punchline formulas and coach them on attitude 'selling' of their material. They will learn to 'live it as they give it' as I always say and they will hear my dojo mantra...
'Do the work'! For gosh sakes 'Do the work'!

Most of these people will never be a working stand up comedian however the dojo training will be very valuable to them as they will learn to be funnier and have more command of their thoughts and ways. They will get to know themselves better than most people because I will ask them to look inside and around. Writing comedy material is a lot about looking for and investigating in consistencies and defects in the world and your own!

I look forward to it all always! Come join me sometime in a live class or seminar or join my online class at www.standupschool.com . You'll see what I mean about how much goes into performing of stand up.

Have a nice day.

Uncle Hippie chill

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Working it!

Some days you're simply too busy. Things slip and new priorities have to be set. I call it flow. Sometimes your flow much change, which of course is the nature of flow and you must make adjustments. This has been one of those days.

I am preparing to go to Chicago tomorrow and many things have come up. I am in the office working on my writing class that I will be conducting and my P.A. is making CD's for me to sell after the shows. They have to be burned into disks and then placed into packages ready to slipped out quickly and signed at point of purchase, of course everyone has to be checked for quality both in sound and prints.

Still things like preparing, packing, eating, making and taking calls, shopping etc etc-busy busy! It's all good but every minute is spoken for...show business is so glamorous ha!
If this was an hourly job I'd probably hate it but since it's my life's work I go at it like a kid at a candy store. That's the big difference- this is my business and it's hitting great strides lately on all fronts. I have to keep up and putting out extra effort is just the way it is, I'm delighted to do it.

As I'm writing this I just realized that I have new material I want to do and so I have to dig out the notes and cards and get that all ready. All I can say is I wish this for everybody! I wish everyone could have this kind of wonderful day. It's called being alive, active and immediate. May you all work this hard and if you do already - well then bless you and I hope you break a leg in all things.

I'll see you in Chicago if you can make it. I'll be at Walter Payton's Roundhouse Fri/Sat doing what I do and love. Sometimes it hard to believe I am enthroned to work like this. lol

Have a nice day.

Uncle Hippie chill

**I once worked at a company that made pink slips. It took me two years to realized I'd been fired.

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