Leave a Comment
The season of public speaking is almost upon us, and chances are between graduations, weddings, funerals or announcing mass layoffs, you're soon going to have to get up and speak in front of some people. It's not easy to impress a live audience of rabid, booze-hungry humans, but Steve Coogan has done it before and survived it. So we thought we'd get the British funnyman to give us a few pointers, from how to get your audience ready for some filth to when you know it's time to run for your car.
When to Drop a Dirty Joke
Coogan: "They need to drink some alcohol -- not too much, but some is a good thing. It also helps if you've drunk a little bit of alcohol too, but again not too much. You have to kind of ramp it up. Get them to laugh at a little thing -- if you're going to be really rude you've got to edge up to it bit by bit. It's like sneaking up to someone and hitting them over the head. You've got to do it quietly. That would be my advice. And as long as the joke's funny enough and the punch line's funny enough, you can go where you like."
Find out what to do when a joke flops, how to take out hecklers using comedy shock and awe.
What If a Joke Flops?
"I've got the keys to my car on me, and I park my car near the rear entrance. If it goes really badly, I just run. Sometimes I'll just stand there and soak up the silence because in a masochistic way it's as strangely pleasurable as an audience laughing. So I might just soak it up and enjoy the experience so I can tell my grandchildren.
"If you're going to be really professional about it, make a quick reference to it and keep moving. Don't stop. Don't stand still for any of them to take a pot shot at you. If you imagine the audience are several hundred snipers, then your best chance of surviving is to keep moving around."
Heckler Control
"I do have a few tired old gags to try and put them down. But also you have to fly by the seat of your pants. If there's something vulnerable about the person that you can use to take them down, then by all means use it. If they are in some ways challenged, either mentally or physically, obviously you are allowed to use that. If they've decided to attack you verbally, then the gloves are off. Anything goes. It can become pretty brutal out there. If anyone heckles, I expect there to be blood on the carpet. I mean metaphorically speaking. It's kind of comedy shock and awe."
Memorizing Your Material
"[I have a method] that's top secret and it's called auto-prompt. They put it all out on a TV screen and it looks like you know it all, but really it's cheating. There you go, I've let the secret out of the bag."
Preparing to Be a Host
"I prepared for the Independent Spirit Awards by eating a low-fat diet and not taking any class-A drugs. I only took over-the-counter medication. I raided my comedy bank, I tried to source every single gag an American audience hadn't heard me say before so I'm looking forward to rehashing some old material."
Looking for more expert advice? Check out some features below ...
"Miss March" Star Reveals How to Infiltrate the Playboy Mansion
Ricky Gervais' Keys to Creating a Wildly Successful Podcast
Aziz Anasari's Guide to Marketing Yourself
