How to put together a joke: or why mine isn't working

Putting together an effective joke is one of the hardest things for new comedians. How long do I wait for the punchline? Is it realistic enough? And, the most commonly asked question, why aren't people laughing? Well, don't sweat it, the main thing to remember us that comedy is often an experiment in what works and what doesn't. Another key, is exaggeration. Don't go all out with an exaggeration at the beginning of the joke, slowly build up, to a highly exaggerated version of reality. This is where people start to trip up. Going all out at the beginning is usually a no-no. Take it slow, hit the good stuff at the end.

Nicole Byer, and UCB Comedy: The New Players in Comedy

For those of you who are not big enough comedy nerds to know what UCB stands for,it stands for Upright Citizens Brigade. They are one of the biggest improv groups in the country, on par with Second City. Many comedy stars of note are alums of the UCB including Amy Poehler, Matt Walsh, and Horatio Sanz. So obviously UCB itself isn't new, but their Youtube content is fresh and exciting. As I was looking through their awesome sketches I found so many gems, each is well produced and written, and they all feature incredible talents.

This virtual side for the group, is absolutely worth checking out. It is very similar to Funny or Die in both its editing and length, but the writing is completely different. The writing is much closer to what you would see on SNL or Mad TV (RIP 1995-2009). One of the comedians featured on their channel really caught my eye. Her name is Nicole Byer, and she has a great comedic voice that is definitely worth sharing. She actually has worked with Sasheer Zamata who I talked about last week a lot, but she still has a unique voice, and I hope she stays with UCB, and maybe even takes it to the next level (hint hint SNL).

The the new fresh female voice in comedy: Sasheer Zamata

SNL has taken a big step towards equality in comedy by bringing on a woman of color: Sasheer Zamata. This is the first time they have had a black woman on the show since Maya Rudolph left, and its about time.And even better, Sasheer is incredibly talented and funny, and has a fresh new voice to bring to both the African American and Female comedy communities. Here is a video of her early stand-up, and her timing is impeccable. Not to mention, how poignant the topic she discusses is. I have always felt that comedy is at its best when it making jokes about things that are viewed to be "inappropriate". Those things we don't want to talk about can be discussed in the forum of comedy, forcing people to laugh and pay attention to those things they don't want to here.

Since joining the SNL cast, I don't feel they have used her talents as well as they could. While they have increased the number of jokes about race and gender inequality, I feel they continue to use her as a backup to senior member of the cast, Kenan Thompson and Jay Pharoh. This is understandable as she is a newbee, but she clearly has a voice that needs to be heard. I hope in the coming season, they give her a chance to show the world her comedy. Here is sketch from her work on Saturday Night Live.

Sasheer is definetly worth checking out if you have some time, her channel is under her name "Sasheer Zamata" and she has some great sketches and stand-up posted. Get ready, cause this girl is taking the comedy world!

Things That Don't...Make the Line Go Faster

I have been working in retail for over a year now, and I've noticed a few... lets call them, bad habits, that people do when their waiting in line. So, I thought, since I was getting ready to do my first "Things That Don't" segment, the best topic would be, "Things That Don't... Make the Line Go Faster. Without disclosing where I actually work, it is a grocery store, that it often very busy. We tend to have a... lets call them, discerning, clientele. This leads to some pretty inflated egos sometimes, and inflated egos, don't like waiting. I have seen some incredibly rude people do some incredibly rude things, so I have included in this post, all of the worst things I've seen.

Thanks for watching, see ya next week!