When I started doing stand up in my early 20s, I had no idea what I stood for.
There were some basics I could get behind, like, war is bad (which was the inspiration behind my song, “No More War” and ultimately had almost nothing to do with war), the need for more understanding in society around the plights of women (my song “Sudden Change” came out of that) and how ridiculous, at the time, the concept of love seemed to me (my song, “I Was In Love With You,” which took a gentle mocking to the variety of odd ways people show each other love was the outcome of that).
But I knew absolutely zero about politics. I’d never voted. I’d never been taught much at all about politics or how legislation worked. I remember complaining about it to my mom one day.
“I have no idea what it means to be political,” I said. “Pick up some different news papers, read the political articles and see what you think; form opinions,” she told me.
She might as well have asked me in Cantonese to make her a sandwich.
About two decades later, I have a pretty good sense of who I am and what I stand for, and over the years, I’ve fearlessly incorporated that into my performance.
But is that such a great idea in these divisive times?
“The world is on fire from climate change, democracy everywhere feels under the gun, corporate greed seems at a very transparent, all-time high,” said Jake Kroeger in a commentary piece in the Los Angeles Times from last October 2023 entitled, “L.A. comics share the secret of political comedy — ‘everything is political.”
“With all of that in mind, to be a political comedian these days seems more daunting than it has been in quite some time, perhaps even more so than the Dubya Bush years,” Kroeger added.
Hear, hear!
It used to be fun to take pokes at various presidents and billionaires, back before it felt like it mattered so much to people, before it lacked the danger it seems to have now, when mental illness was less a widespread issue, back when I had little to no idea what the heck I was even talking about and absolutely nothing to lose.
As an example of this, check out the lyrics in my (oldie but goodie) song, I Wanna Be Famous:
It’s not that hard
All I gotta do is find someone
Maybe a CEO
Maybe someone like the guy who runs something like the country or whatever
An article in The Morning Times quoted Julia Louis-Dreyfus as saying that comedy has never been more interesting.
"It’s a ripe time," Louis-Drefus said. "Comedy is risky and it can be offensive, but that’s what makes it so enjoyable. I personally don’t buy the conceit that this is an impossible time to be funny. Maybe some people aren’t laughing at your jokes, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be made.”
Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, Colin Quinn and George Carlin are just a few of the countless comedians who have been fearlessly political in their comedy and stand up, and it worked out well for them.
Comedians like Joe Rogan, Seth Gillis and the Skankfest crew, it seems, can say and do whatever they want with little repercussion.
Meanwhile, Jack Black and Kyle Gass of Tenacious D. had to cancel shows after political comments about Trump’s (first) attempted assassination.
"I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday," Black said on his social media following that incident. "I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form."
“Political comedy is complex and highly varied, but it can be divided roughly into two camps: mockery and satire,” said Sophia A. McClennen, Professor of International Affairs and Comparative Literature, at Penn State on The Conversation U.S. on Medium. “Mocking comedy tends to negatively affect political participation… and can create negative views of candidates, and… lead to voter apathy.”
On the other hand, she says, satire is a more appealing angle.
Research suggests satirical comedy makes viewers more likely to be politically active. and that humor makes it more likely that the political information will be remembered and passed onto others. These things motivate voter engagement. Furthermore, those who see political satire are more politically confident and informed on issues.
So, it sounds like if you hope to reduce your audience, include political mockery in your comedy, and if you hope to encourage political change and have your bits shared, work on your satire.
Either way, you might piss a few people off. But at least you’ll be making some kind of a difference—if that’s your thing.
Daily Musings:
Comedians share the secret of political comedy | L.A. Times
Trump Jack Black Controversy Explained | Looper
The Affect Effect of Political Satire | TandFonline
Not all political comedy is equal | Medium
Etc.:
I Was In Love With You live (NSFW)| TikTok/@TheJessDelfino
No More War, my first political song (NSFW)| Bandcamp
Catholic League song