Jun 03, 2014

So you've just seen a stand-up comedy show at your local comedy club, comedy night, casino, coffee house or whatever.  Hopefully the comedians were sharp, clever and funny.  And now they're hanging around for a meet and greet.  What do you say to them in the Secret Lingo of the Comedian?

Here's a simple guide for you, the comedy audience member:

First:  If the comedian was unfunny, they (in comedy's secret lingo) died. It's best just to compliment their shirt on your way out the door.  They usually realize they had a bad set (comedy lingo for the routine they just did on stage) and just want to be left alone to wallow in their failure.

Second:  If most of the audience was laughing most of the time, the comedian killed. Or killed it, to put it in the language of today's hipsters.  Shake their hand and say, "Man (or "Woman", if the comedian is a woman), you killed! (Or killed it, if you are a hipster.) It's almost the highest compliment a comedian can hear except for:

Third: If the entire audience was laughing the entire time, or if the comedian had relevant and poignant points and touched the entire audience, well, he (or she) killed the entire audience.  And… the best way to kill a room full of people (sorry the secret lingo of the stand-up comedian is so violent) is to use a bomb.  The comedian bombed.  After the show, in the lobby, don't hesitate to approach said comedian, and, with a big smile on your face proclaim, "You really bombed tonight."  Let me assure you, the comedian you tell that to will never forget you!

Thanks for your readership. (And may the next comedian you see be Dane Cook. Please tell him he bombed, for me.)

 

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