1st Museletter: 3 Free Jokes, 2 Tips About Recording Comedy At Home, A Comedy Class I Recommend
3-2-1 Here we go...
If you are a subscriber, first of all, I owe you a pretty big apology. I started this newsletter a long time ago, and have been quietly amassing subscribers but not actually writing any newsletters. That’s kind of like inviting people to a birthday party that’s two years away. So, what was the hold up? Well, I had a baby. I know, GREAT EXCUSE. But babies take up A LOT of time. Especially little ones. But here I am now, and I promise not to disappoint.
In today’s letter, I want to share 3 free jokes, 2 tips about recording comedy at home, and a comedy class I recommend. Let’s get into it.
THREE FREE JOKES
These jokes were written by me for a TV show that I am trying to get to hire me.
JOKE 1: According to gastroenterologists, the three healthiest frozen vegetables are broccoli, okra and root veggies, or as the kids call them, yuck, disgusting and over my dead body
JOKE 2: A study investigated what makes people happiest, and it reads a lot like an Alanis Morissette song. Topping the list are (sing this to the chorus of Ironic):
Getting breakfast — from your partner in bed
All green lights — when you thought they’d be red
Finding cash — in a pair of old pants
A compliment from a stranger
JOKE 3: Scientists have proven that brain wide changes occur during the female cycle. Women everywhere responded by transforming into werewolves under a full moon, then eating a pint of ice cream and taking a nap.
Share your thoughts…
Now it’s your turn. Write me a joke to 3, and email them to jessdelfino at gmail.com. Maybe I will share one in an upcoming Museletter.
TWO TIPS ABOUT… Recording Comedy At Home
I recently recorded a music video in my yard and home, which is another thing I haven’t done in a very long time. Recording videos isn’t hard, if you have a smartphone of some kind and any type of working knowledge of an editing program. If you don’t, there are free courses on how to use this kind of software literally everywhere—YouTube, Apple’s website, your friend’s head. Here are two tips from me.
Wait until your baby is asleep. Kidding, not kidding. But one that might apply more universally is, Don’t Be Precious About It.
But Jessica, you may be thinking. This video IS my baby. It’s my ART, man. I HAVE to be precious about it. No, you really don’t. In fact, the more you sweat it and get all in your head over it, the less likely it’s actually going to be recorded. As Nike might say, JUST DO IT, already. Stop putting it off because the weather isn’t perfect, or you just want to do one more quick thing, or YOU HAVE A BABY. Find the time and make it happen.
Let Your Imagination Run Free.
But Jessica, you may be thinking. This one is so obvious. Is it, though? I think that we all get caught up in what our peers are going to think, or, even worse, what people who we have never met who are trolling around on the internet are going to think, or even worse, what our idols are going to think (they aren’t going to see it, so just take that one off your plate). The other thing to not be concerned about is that no one cares. Part of hearing that may make you think, Oof, well then what’s the point? But I see it as rather freeing. No. One. Cares. That means I’m free to do whatever I want, any old time, as some guy sang in that song a long time ago. If you have an idea you want to try and you can make it happen, do it, and then you can edit it out or cut it later. Make it happen while the camera is rolling. Because if you second guess yourself, later on when you go to edit, you’re going to be like, shoot, I don’t have enough footage, or I should have recorded that idea because it would fit right here really well.
UNSOLICITED ADVICE: Scott Dikker’s Comedy Business School is The Comedy Church I Didn’t Know I Needed
I took Scott’s class a couple years ago during the height of the pandemic. You may have heard of Scott—he is a founding editor of The Onion. Everything was shut down and I knew it might be a while before I was able to get on a real live stage again, so I decided to try it out. It was one of the best classes I’ve ever taken, and trust me, I’ve taken MANY. I walked the circle I lived on every night at dusk and listened to the class in my headphones. It was a pretty lonely time for me. I had a (different) little-ish baby, and I felt very isolated from my friends and family. Building any kind of social network was really hard. I’d been in NYC for a long time, surrounded by friends, and then I relocated to the woods, and I was like, “this kind of sucks.”
Anyway, there was this one part of the class where you write down all the things you hope will happen in like 5 years; it was kind of a manifestation exercise, which many of us have tried in one form or another—we write down a list of things we want to make happen, or jot down goals on paper. But what was different about this was that Scott encourages listeners to really envision every element of it; smell the smells, see the sights, feel the feels. And I did. I really went to town on this exercise, writing out all my dreams, hopes and desires. Among the things on my list were, I would be living in what I considered a dream home—a large-ish house with a pool, and an office that overlooked the pool. From my office, I could see my two kids swimming in the pool. At the time, I only had one kid, and I’d been trying for a second for a few years, and it wasn’t looking good. I would be working at a well-paid comedy writing job that I was able to do from home.
Well, dearest reader, I am not lying or exaggerating when I say that all those things came true, and in 2 years instead of 5. First, I got unexpectedly pregnant (yes, Scott’s class got me pregnant, haha!). Next, I found, bought and moved into what I’d consider my dream home. It is a beautiful, large-ish home that I love. Next, I got hired to write for an amazing job where I was running a writer’s room, creating comedy for a political organization. I got to select my own writers and staff the writer’s room, and then serve as creative lead / showrunner on the project. I worked from home and was paid very well. And it kind of fell into my lap out of nowhere. Dream job. That led to me getting another very well paid remote writing job where I did a similar thing, and while not exactly a comedy writing job, I did get to rely on my humor, at times.
I didn’t really click until one afternoon, I was sitting at my desk, looking out over my pretty back yard and saw my two kids swimming in the pool with the babysitter. It then occurred to me that the stuff I wrote down had come true—just like that cartoon guy, Simon.
So anyway, Scott’s class is really good. It’s basically a mish mash of a lot of great suggestions and tips he’s collected from all the business classes and books he’s taken and read, and then applied to comedy. And I loved every second of it. In fact, I’m thinking it might be about time for me to take the class again.
I promise you I’d never proselytize about something I didn’t 100% believe in. It’s just not who I am. This class is the real deal. If you sign up, let me know.
I hope you enjoyed this first installment of Museletter. See you next time!