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In a moment of stupidity/brilliance (I'll get back to you on which) I've promised a few close friends that I'll have a go at standup comedy.

I seem to remember someone on the TEF (Costanza?) giving it a go a few years ago but can't find anything on the Search function. Can anyone remember who it was? If they're still around or anyone else knows something, how do you go about it, any experience/tips etc?

For everyone else, mindless heckling would seem the order of the day.

Tell some good jokes.

I believe it was indeed the westbury ben elton, the seinfield of the west, Costanza.

Ooooh yes, I do it. Currently inactive due to my move to Bristol.

1. Find a friendly open-mic night. Most comedy nights in Newcastle (including places like The Stand) have a strict no heckling policy so I imagine this will be the case in the south.

2. Before committing, go to said friendly open-mic night for a few weeks. I sort of scouted out what jokes people were laughing at.

Being told by your mates that you're funny is one thing but being able to make strangers laugh is another. There are people there who have an odd love of watching people crash and burn.

It's good fun, I've nailed it and I've bombed - all part of the fun. Mind you, when I bombed I already had a good few successful gigs behind me so it didn't feel that grim.

I was scared shitless before doing my first gig, until I took the mic and all was well. I went 'off the cuff' to start with, did a few observations from the night itself, they got some laughs and it calmed my nerves.

There's nothing worse than an amateur shock-comic, so if that's your thing make sure it's good.

I'm thinking of starting a night in Bristol next year (depending on time and demand).

I will support some of your comedy evenings if you do set one up in Bristol, I often go to the Komedia in Bath, the Oppo in Bristol,  as well as Yeovil Comedy Club, Bristol BrouHaHa Comedy Festival and Jongleurs @Bristol as well as always visiting the Edinburgh festival each year for a week.

I have a lot of close friends in the business and respect them very much for what they do for a living which takes a lot of guts and nerve.

Even though several of my comedian friends think I could do it I do not have the confidence to do so and doubt at my middling age that I ever will now.

With my band as well we went through a stage of inviting seasoned comedians to support us before gigs, a crossover of comedy and music, which went down well.

Oh and a tip.......telling jokes is not always funny its often the observational humour that gets much more laughs, tell stories that people in the audience can relate and avoid the "old fasioned gag telling" in the main, even though a lot of comedians make a good living at it, its very difficult to just go on stage and tell jokes.

Cheers JJ,

I do anecdotal and observational, I think you're brave at open-mic level if you try anything else. I do it for fun, no aspirations to 'make it'. Wil Hodgson is Wiltshire's finest (as JJ will confirm).

The stand-up audience are often very knowledgeable and know other peoples jokes. I've seen people do outright steal jokes from DVDs that have sold millions of copies. It wasn't pretty :)

Oh and for crying out loud, don't let them convince to do a gong show until you feel you are ready. BRUTAL.

Wil Hodgson of the Chippenham massive is indeed excellent value for money.

Saw him in the Vic, back in February, he was doing a bit of MCing, for a band, and some ladies who wanted to expose their assets...all in all, a win win situation.  :)

Cheers for the advice gents, it's likely to be observational type humour in any case as I'm not great at sticking to scripts in any context! Will have a look round London and see what's available...bit difficult not being there in the week as these things tend (unsurprisingly) to be on midweek rather than on the weekends.

He is a top bloke a big ska fan and a good mate of mine, he loves MCing at Burlesque nights and does them often in Swindon, the only minus point is he hates football, so would make an excellent Swindon Town fan :D

And nemo all the best mate I am sure it will be a very nervy night for you but take the bull by the horns and do it, I am sure that you won't be the worst act on all night even if you have a stinker, theres always someone worse than you!

Just go on with confidence and do your thing, it will be an experience for you so do it because if you don't then it could be something that you will always regret for the rest of your life.

So, almost ten months later wasn't quite what I had in mind but it's happening...I've signed up for Comic Relief's Stand Up If You Dare south west event at Komedia in Bath on Monday week. 20 of us completely new to it (one other from Swindon, anyone know an old chap named Tony Kay?) and Mark Olver, who knows what he's doing.

Was on BBC Wilts yesterday morning to promote it and back on Monday morning 8.50 and Points West that evening, so it's probably a little more high profile than the quiet open mic night I had in mind but there you go :D

If anyone lives around Bath and fancies coming the event details are here: http://komediabath.ticketsolve.com/shows/873491512/events

Mark Olver is a good mate of mine he is the warm up act for Noel Edmonds deal or no deal, very funny Bristol comedian.

Good luck, if it was closer we would have popped up for that.

Yeah, we had a training session this morning that Mark came to- really nice guy and he's been doing it for donkey's years so plenty of help.

He is a proper old hat and a top bloke, big football fan....but not Swindon!

Tonight's the night- absolutely bricking it but should be good fun - anyone in Bath please come down to Komedia, tickets on the doors, anyone else there should be highlights on Points West tomorrow, I'm whichever one you find funniest.

Currently rehearsing in a mirror using a spoon as a microphone, which might be one of the low points in my life.

Best of luck with that.

Good luck Nemo.

Good luck Nemo. You have much bigger balls than me.

All the best

Good luck pal.

Booooooo! Get off, you're rubbish!

Fair play to you nemo/

Ah you'll be fine.

Good luck!

Best of luck Nemo, I wouldn't fancy doing it,  go on and do your best and most of all enjoy yourself

More....More!.....good luck.

Just imagine them all naked, but don't start to fantasize about the attractive women in the audience or you will forget your lines!!!!

Just tell them about the gay bacon you eat, that should get them rocking in the aisles.

Good luck!

:D

Good luck Nemo!

Good luck nemo.

It happened, I didn't die and I wasn't even the worst there!

For anyone with a weird curiosity it should be on Points West at 6:30 and my section is on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvHHFPcQ97U&feature=share

Bath Spa dig. Noice.

Well done Nemo, takes admirable balls to do that and in the name of a good cause too.

Next time maybe you should start a TEF thread before and ask for contributions/ feedback? Wisdom of the crowds etc.

Anything to stop you telling that doctor-doctor-post office joke again.

Some decent gags. I would never be able to get up and do that...

:D

Fair, totally fair.

Unfortunately as it was BBC event it had to be completely PG- which I'm not sure the TEF would be the ideal breeding ground for!

I had a mate who went Nemo, said you were good!

Chris Addison is on at the Wyvern tonight, I've been told I look and talk a bit like him.

Hope you're funnier than him-fucking twat(him,not you)

HOW VERY DARE YOU SIR, I SHALL NOT STAND FOR BEING CALLED A TWAT ON THE INTERNET.

Nah, I have trouble finding him funny sometimes too. He's great in The Thick of It, and I do find him quite good sometimes, but he doesn't always tickle me the way that someone like Bill Bailey or Hugh Dennis does. Not that Hugh Dennis does stand-up, but you get the picture.

Well done.....and dont be put off if you want to do more.

Talking of the Post Office i went there today and asked for a dozen stamps......12 seconds? says the lady serving.....no problem i say....i can wait :-[

Working with joke based restrictions for your debut is really quite impressive. I think I swore within seconds of my first gig.

Plenty of open mics about.

Hooray for comedy.

I've written two or three 10 mins (in my head, but probably not anywhere near if I was panicing and realing them off) routines, but never had the bottle to go and do them. One day I will do it, just not today, and probably not tomorrow.

But it goes to say that I massively envy those who do have the bottle.

If you really want to do, you will eventually.

I haven't done it since moving back down to the West Country. Which is a shame as I was doing 3 or 4 gigs a week nearer to the end and compered a couple (which was stupid difficult) too.

I've got a plan for an open mic night which is sort of comedy but from another angle, but does involve getting some shit together. Problem is that I'll have to do it in the Vic, which is so close to home that it makes it so scarey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC1P5jfpphw

I'm pretty sure that yesterday they said the um bongo would be lifted tomorrow.

I've watched and read too much Stewart Lee. It's very difficult to look at standup the same way when you've read the footnotes of a master.

are you a b3tan, flammableBen?

nah, I'm not. Almost surprisingly.

was your julian alsop game not once featured in the newsletter?

If it was then they didn't ask me.

I'm quite intrigued now, did it actually get out there?

Okay so update time, did a second gig in Bath at the end of term which didn't have content restrictions and was therefore notably more fun. Leaving Bath shortly though and want to spend my hilariously long student summer doing something, so another request for help TEF: I've been out of Swindon for a few years so where is still open, where are open mics and new act nights (either in Swindon or on train routes out) and other such local knowledge appreciated

See if you can get in touch with Will Hodgson.  He does a monthly at his local in chippenham (the three crowns).  Sure he'd put you on or give you some advice.