Tape and listen to every set
It's tedious but then there’s that one line you’ve never said before that hits...
Texas: Come see me this week in Austin (4/11) and Houston (4/13).
NYC: I’m taping my next special in NYC on 4/21 (promo code SHINEON gets ya $10 off).
🗣️🎧
I hate listening back to sets. It’s so tedious. “This joke again!? Ugh.” But still I do it. Usually on the subway when I’m on my way to my next set. It’s usually a lot of the same ol’.
But then there’s that one line you’ve never said before that hits. Or that tag that came outta nowhere. Or somehow the setup to a bit is five words shorter and still works.
And that’s when I’ll write whatever I said onstage down verbatim and put it in my “Jokes That Work” note on my iPhone (FYI: The “Jokes That Work” do not always work but…) so I remember to do it again. Voice-to-text is helpful with that if I’m on the go.
Listening to a hot set can also juice you up before you hit the stage again. Here’s Neal Brennan (check out his new Netflix special!) discussing why he listens back to sets in an interview:
When I was in New York, I was working a lot with Aziz Ansari, and he has a really, really great work ethic when it comes to stand up. He listens to every single set he does. He'll write notes in his notebook about it, he'll change punch lines, he'll alter tags, and he's really really dogged, to the point of it being kind of weird to people. Because he'll be sitting at a table with a bunch of comedians, with his headphones on, just listening to his own stand up, but it really improves your (set). I remember when I was kid, I remember my brother Kevin and (Dave) Attell would tape their sets, and then when I was doing it I wasn't, and now I started, and I just know it makes you better. So I've been listening to all my sets. It's just also more positive reinforcement when you're listening to yourself get laughs right before you go on. So that's helpful also.
Another good side effect of this process: It encourages you to experiment onstage. Why not wander a bit and see what comes out of it? Go into the wild and see what you’re able to capture.
And if you just can’t handle taping, write down whatever new worked right after a set. Otherwise, you’ll risk finding gold and then losing it forever. It’s a real bummer to nail a perfect line only to let it vanish into the night.
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dear matt,
great piece! i might listen back to it again later!
re: "Another good side effect of this process: It encourages you to experiment onstage"
i think that could even be what i would call a FRONT effect. if you're not experimenting, what are you doing? (other things? okay that's cool too.)
thanks for sharing!
much love
myq