Overdoing it

[Bigfella]

One of the joys of stand up is getting an insight into other lifestyles and cultures.  Irish, Jews, gay, disabled.  However, some performers do it too much and it quite annoys you.  The wee guy whose whole act is being Iranian, and Gina Yashere - every story ends with an impression of her Nigerian mum.  Am I just too grumpy?

[olliebean]

I'm definitely fed up with the "impressions-of-my-ethnically-stereotypical-parents-that-would-be-horribly-racist-if-anyone-else-did-them" trope in stand-up.

[Jumblegraws]

I'm wary of criticisms like this for two reasons. Firstly, I think it's perfectly possible for a comedian to focus on a particular theme like, for instance, their immigrant background and for it to remain engaging for a whole set. Secondly, I think it's highly likely there's comedians I like who do routines that have a particular resonance to my demographic (white, cishet male) but it doesn't occur to me in the way a comedy hitting on the experiences of outgroups would.

[bgmnts]

My dad was Jamaican, and my mom was from Lithuania, so when I see a plantain, I dunno whether to eat it, or shove it up my ass!

[Magnum Valentino]

I know a fella whose act centers around his race and family/cultural expectations and how he's subverted that, but I've never heard him saying anything funny and I don't think he knows how to write a joke.

I agree with OP if they're saying substituting being different from whatever constitutes normal is not a suitable alternative to being funny, but we're a repressed enough society that enough people entertain them.

I guess what I'm saying is, if the guy I know didn't have his upbringing, he'd have no material.

Like there's being the son of two doctors and then quitting medicine yourself and being funny, and there's being the son of two doctors and quitting medicine yourself and calling it standup.

[Famous Mortimer]

I think you could say the same about a lot of comedians. Thinking Gina Yashere and Omid Djalili are not always hilarious has little to do with any overused tropes in their sets.

[Petey Pate]

In Marc Maron's infamous interview with Gallagher, there's a bit where Gallagher complains about an unnamed 'midget' comedian whose whole act revolved around him being short. Maron's reasonable response was something like 'what else is he going to talk about, that's his life'.

[Bigfella]

After considering the replies, I should reflect that the real problem is poorly thought out routines.  Limited subject matter is fine if the quality is there.

[Brundle-Fly]

It also depends what your upbringing is to find routines about pushy and truculent Jewish/ Nigerian/ West Indian, Catholic Irish, Bengali mother's etc particularly resonant. I've illustrated there that pushy mothers are a universal experience but as my mum was neither pushy or truculent I can't say the tears will be rolling down my cheeks. If they did a funny routine about mums going into forensic detail describing the plot of an episode of Star Trek TNG or embarrassing me at Xmas dinner by telling the same fish and chip shop anecdote from 1979, I might actually make a loud guffaw of recognition.

[Bigfella]

It also depends what your upbringing is to find routines about pushy and truculent Jewish/ Nigerian/ West Indian, Catholic Irish, Bengali mother's etc particularly resonant. I've illustrated there that pushy mothers are a universal experience but as my mum was neither pushy or truculent I can't say the tears will be rolling down my cheeks. If they did a funny routine about mums going into forensic detail describing the plot of an episode of Star Trek TNG or embarrassing me at Xmas dinner by telling the same fish and chip shop anecdote from 1979, I might actually make a loud guffaw of recognition.

It's not always easy, mate.  I know that, you know that. Just keep going, good stuff will happen.

[Shaky]

I know a fella whose act centers around his race and family/cultural expectations and how he's subverted that, but I've never heard him saying anything funny and I don't think he knows how to write a joke.

I agree with OP if they're saying substituting being different from whatever constitutes normal is not a suitable alternative to being funny, but we're a repressed enough society that enough people entertain them.

I guess what I'm saying is, if the guy I know didn't have his upbringing, he'd have no material.

Like there's being the son of two doctors and then quitting medicine yourself and being funny, and there's being the son of two doctors and quitting medicine yourself and calling it standup.

That sounds, word for word, identical to someone I know (or knew). If you're from NI as well there's a reasonable chance it's the same person...

[Magnum Valentino]

If we can narrow it down with the unusual qualifier of "ex wrestler" that's a snap.

[Jockice]

I have a problem with disabled comedians. It's that probably about 80% of the time once they start a sentence I know exactly what the punchline's going to be. And I've seen several start their sets by going: "in case you're wondering what my problem is, it's called (something unconnected with their impairment. Usually 'being Northern' or similar)."

It might just be the way my brain works, or that I've had similar experiences to them but I find it a bit boring. But then they've dared get up on stage and have a go, which is something I've never tried. Although I would like to think that if I did so I'd at least attempt something slightly different.

[turnstyle]

I have a problem with disabled comedians.

CANCELLED

[Jockice]

CANCELLED

Hurrah! Now I can sell the story of how I've been cancelled to the Daily Mail, The Sun, The Telegraph....

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

CANCELLED

I had the same reaction, then I looked at who was posting.

[Jockice]

I had the same reaction, then I looked at who was posting.

Ironic eh? I should be a stand-up comedian. Only I can't...oh, you know where this is going, don't you?

[Fr.Bigley]

We all need to revert to telling jokes about burnt up Falklands veterans and Asian grooming gangs. Give people a reason to hate Michael Mcintyre that bit more. How funny would that be though, king of the banal, milquetoast, plain white bread comedy suddenly has a breakdown and starts laying out the manning level vitriol live at her majesty's variety.

"How d'ya stop a puff drowning? Take yer foot off his head"

*Daft head wobble*

[Norton Canes]

The wee guy whose whole act is being Iranian

Omid Djalili? Or is there another one?

[Bigfella]

Omid Djalili? Or is there another one?

Remember the name now, yeah it's him.

[checkoutgirl]

I agree with OP if they're saying substituting being different from whatever constitutes normal is not a suitable alternative to being funny

Yeah, Gina Yashere isn't funny because she's just not funny. Someone like Felix Dexter could do something in the same area and it's genius.

[checkoutgirl]

In Marc Maron's infamous interview with Gallagher, there's a bit where Gallagher complains about an unnamed 'midget' comedian whose whole act revolved around him being short. Maron's reasonable response was something like 'what else is he going to talk about, that's his life'.

For the first few years I agree with Maron, but after that a better comedian would come up with something different. For their own sanity if nothing else.

[Brundle-Fly]

milquetoast,

Recently, I keep seeing this phrase being used on CaB and it always makes me want to eat some toast. I'm going to the toaster now. Damn, your eyes!

[olliebean]

Recently, I keep seeing this phrase being used on CaB and it always makes me want to eat some toast. I'm going to the toaster now. Damn, your eyes!

Don't forget the milque to dip it in.

[Fr.Bigley]

Recently, I keep seeing this phrase being used on CaB and it always makes me want to eat some toast. I'm going to the toaster now. Damn, your eyes!

That's probably me to be fair, it's my favourite put down.

[Brundle-Fly]

That's probably me to be fair, it's my favourite put down.

The slur 'gammon' has much the same effect. Now, I want a nice juicy steak cooked just on the right side of history to go with a portion of centrist chips and cognitively dissonant peas.

[stonkers]

Don't forget the milque to dip it in.

The term milquetoast does actually come from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_toast

[Shaky]

If we can narrow it down with the unusual qualifier of "ex wrestler" that's a snap.

Ahhh, wrong sport. My chap was into Jujutsu.

[Magnum Valentino]

Him surely.