I’m co-staring in
the “Baby Boomer Comedy Show; Clean Comedy For People Born Before Seat Belts, Safety Helmets and Facebook” with my comedian friend Kent Rader. We started out by just combing our comedy acts into a great 90-minute comedy show. The reviews have been fabulous, and we’re being booked back. In fact tonight we’re performing for a second time this year at the Fountain Inn Civic Center here in lovely Fountain Inn, SC. And even though we have a great comedy event going, we wanted to make it even better. We’re not using a warm up act – it’s just Kent and I, so we wanted to get people in the mood for humor before we hit the stage.
Thus we’re going to kick off tonight
with some clips from old TV commercials that Baby Boomers will remember! The commercials crack me up just watching them. . .everything from doctors smoking to kids playing with guns and soda being hailed as a great “medicine.”
Which brings me to a good idea
for people trying to add humor – use video! I know several speakers who have their introductions on video. That way they control how they’re introduced (no screwing up their name) and the audience will actually “get” the jokes in their intro. But you can use humorous videos too for your intro or just to warm up the crowd.
I once opened for
Doris Roberts, and my comedy rocked. She’s not a comedian, but she followed me brilliantly by using video clips from the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond. She was doing more of a keynote speech, rather than comedy, so it was a good way to get the audience relaxed and laughing and in tune with HER. She didn’t have to follow my comedy directly and it worked great.
So next time you’re faced
with needing to use humor, think of funny video, or hilarious pictures or entertaining audio clips that you can use that will open up well, get the audience laughing and make them love you before you walk out on stage.
Jan
A few favorite commercials for baby boomers. . .
CHARLIE – Shelly Hack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Sn8H42FZcI&feature=related
ultra brite – Farah Fawcett
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaGR0SGuRkk&feature=related
PALMOLIVE – Madge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzmTtusvjR4