Is there Such a Thing as Bad Comedy?

Yeah, unfortunately there is such a thing called bad stand-up comedy, at least in my eyes. But the funny thing about bad stand-up is that no matter how awful a comedian's act may be, someone in some place is enjoying that very act. Comedy is all based on perspective. The only thing that is important in becoming a successful comedian, is gaining respect from the majority. 

In the stand-up business, there is no such term as "indie" like you may have in the music industry. There is not going to be groups of people only attracted to the non-pop comedians like there is in music. Some people only follow underground low-key bands/singers because they feel they have a stronger relationship with that band/singer. And when the singer goes main stream, those people can say "I've been listening to him/her years before they were on the radio." or even "I've known them years before..." even though those people never met the band/singer face to face. You've might of been in a conversation with a person like this or you may even been that person. This is nothing wrong with idea because music is relative to how you think and feel in that moment in time. When listening to lyrics in a song, one might take those words and brainstorm how they pertain to that person's situation in life or just life in general. Examples would be: love songs, break-up songs, songs about materialistic objects, songs about peace, hate songs, and the list goes on and on.  

Even though comedy and music share similarities, comedy can only thrive by the audience's acceptance. A musician can play the piano or guitar with no one around and still gain satisfaction and pleasure. On the other hand, the only time a comedian will say a joke to him/herself is during rehearsal, unless that person is a nut. There is no self-satisfaction in telling yourself your own joke. The gratification only comes from sharing the jokes with others and having them accept it. This point proves why good stand-up is based soley on the perspective of others while good music can be based on both the musician's and/or other's perspective. 

The other day, two of my co-workers were crack'n up laughing their asses off about something during work. Me, being the intrusive person that I am, interrupted their affair to ask what was so funny. Both of them immediately started going off about Mike Epps's stand-up routine. For those who do not know, Mike Epps is primarily known for acting in such films as: All About the Benjamins, Next Friday, Friday After Next, and a few others. He is actually a pretty funny guy in those films, but I never knew him as a comedian. After my friends reenacted a few of the man's lines I immediately became anxious to watch Mike Epps. One of my co-workers lent me the comedy, I went home and watched it. Shortly said, it was awful. It seemed though Mike Epps was improvising his whole act, in fact, I think that is what he did. He had a few shiny moments, but there was no transition from joke to joke. Epps just simply jumped from subject to subject in a random manner. There was even times the audience wasn't laughing at his jokes, and to avoid the awkwardness, Mike Epps would shout a popular line from one of his movies just to distract the obvious: he is a bad comedian. 

Later on in the evening, I tried to convince myself that my two friends from work just do not know comedy. Maybe this was the first time either of them watched stand-up which would explain why they were so easily amused. Or maybe they just watched Mike Epps from a different perspective than I. Maybe an act does not need to be perfectly pieced together with original material to make some people laugh. And although, I felt Epps was not a good comedian, he was funny enough to make my friends laugh. 

Perhaps in the end, all you need, to be a good comedian, is to make two people laugh or even just one... Good thing this isn't a traditional essay because my conclusion does not reflect my opening statement here. Turns out I have learned something through typing this post.