7 ms·

Show HN: Live Stand-Up Comedy from Home

65 points by karamazov 7y ago

GurnB 7y ago
I haven't been to a comedy club in 15 years but in my opinion a large part of the fun is actually being at the club. (And the over priced, 2 drink minimums) I do applaud these performers trying to find a alternative in these trying times.
anticsapp 7y ago
This is cool. I might try one, even at the $10 price point. Although, that's the price of one drink at a real comedy club, so it is kind of a bargain. I would love to see something like this on Oculus.
A4ET8a8uTh0 7y ago
I hate to be the complainer for the Show HN projects, but all I can see is white screen regardless of what browser I use. Why can't websites fail gracefully? edit: It worked on browser with no extensions installed so I guess one of the extension in other browsers broke it. I like the idea since it seems timely. People do need real entertainment now and it might fit that niche nicely.
- redlollipop 7y ago
  Loads for me, try again?
lpolovets 7y ago
I love stand-up and this is a great idea. One feature that I'd love is to have 1-2 embedded "highlight" clips on each performer's ticket page. Otherwise it's hard to know what kind of comedy they do.
jedberg 7y ago
I just sent this to my friend who is a professional comedian. She’s been doing a weekly “pay what you want” show the last few Saturdays. I’d love to see this take off because I don’t want stand up comedy to go away. Thanks for making this!
- karamazov 7y ago
  Thank you for sharing!
zavulon 7y ago
Good idea. Maybe put a Youtube video of the comedian's performance on the detail page, so we get a little preview?
gexla 7y ago
Let's be honest, this isn't even close to stand-up. If there isn't a live crowd, it's not stand-up. You need that feedback and the regular drilling to find your voice. Stand-up comedians find their "voice" by doing the same set, same jokes as often as they can get up on stage. If you're serious about this as a career, you're getting up on stage multiple times a day if you can figure out a way to do it. You're constantly working and re-working your set to a different crowd. There's no way you're going to get high-end comedians on this platform, which means you're going to get people who are relatively new. Doug Stanhope (greatest comedian alive today IMHO) said that you don't want to be putting videos of your earliest crap performances on the web. You also don't want to be putting video of your best jokes on the internet because you get more exposure for people stealing them with little return. Stand-up comedians have already had an alternative for getting up on stage for a long time. It's called podcasting, and many of the greatest comedians do podcasts.
- thaumasiotes 7y ago
  > you don't want to be putting videos of your earliest crap performances on the web. You also don't want to be putting video of your best jokes on the internet because you get more exposure for people stealing them with little return. > Stand-up comedians have already had an alternative for getting up on stage for a long time. It's called podcasting I'm not seeing the crucial distinction between putting up video of yourself doing jokes, and putting up audio of yourself doing jokes. The value isn't coming from the visual part of the video.
  - hobs 7y ago
    Podcasts are not standup, they are ways to riff and show you are funny in a different way - akin to radio spots back in the day.
    - thaumasiotes 7y ago
      A podcast is a prerecorded album. These are common in standup. I have comedy tapes and comedy CDs; a podcast is not different in any way. If you ripped a CD and concatenated all the tracks, you'd have a "podcast".
johnmoonyy 7y ago
Love standup comedy! $10 for a 30m is really expensive. Stanard shows I've gone to were like $15 for ~3 comedians for a show lasting about an hr. What about lineups? (3 comedians for $10) Also does the comedians interact with watchers? Can I leave a comment and chat with other people (not sure if this will distract the comedian or not)
- ftvy 7y ago
  From what I've seen of comedians, they don't appreciate someone talking throughout their set. It is distracting, and it is also insulting to them. (They are paid to perform, and they want to perform.) With that said, some handle it with grace, and some not.
  - lostphilosopher 7y ago
    "Talking throughout their set" is just rude, that's not even heckling, which I don't support/appreciate, but is considered "part of the experience" by some. "Crowd work" however is a very normal part of lots of stand up acts. I could imagine comedians wanting some way to do that in a digital setting and I suspect that's what is being referred to here. If anyone haven't seen it done or don't know what I'm talking about Todd Barry has a whole special where it's all he does - appropriately titled "Crowd Work"! :-)
flaque 7y ago
This, but it should be interactive, like a twitch stream.
- lixtra 7y ago
  Life streams are usually delayed by half a minute. So it spoils the interaction.
  - seganddr 7y ago
    On Twitch normal latency is ~10 seconds and with their low latency modes it can be 2s or less.
Vinnl 7y ago
My brother's a professional comedian, and he's been doing shows from home now. That said, he's not performing his regular sets, both because they can be recorded, and because the interaction with the crowds is no longer the same. However, he's doing more streaming improv now, where the crowd can give input through chat. It's working pretty well for him, but also isn't bringing in much money yet.
mattl 7y ago
Shared in a couple private Facebook groups with a few hundred comedians.
- karamazov 7y ago
  Thanks! Much appreciated
rgoodwintx 7y ago
Warning for plug below my main comment :) Not trying to piggyback this post, but share my experiences doing something in the same area. We've been doing something similar to support comics who lost some or all of their paying gigs; but using the alternate model of free-to-watch, donations-welcomed. We're also still working through the best format; some performers work great in a "vacuum" (and/or create new styles for the medium). Interaction through the chat is also fun, but as mentioned, not suited for real time. We've also got some other ideas to increase the interaction being tinkered with. We've been able to really help some folks, whether through monetary means or just to give them a place to perform they wouldn't otherwise have. (Honestly, the most feedback we get from performers is how thankful they were to just get to perform again, a feeling of normalcy, such as we have these days.) Second warning, plug below :) This is completely a labor of love, so feel free to drop by, or not. Even if you just watch clips and have suggestions, we'd appreciate it. All proceeds go directly to the performers, this not a business venture in anyway. Up/downvote away, no hard feelings! https://twitch.tv/comedywham https://twitch.tv/comedywham (or isolationcomedyshow.com will redirect there)
jonshariat 7y ago
I actually just attended a remote standup comedy show last Friday. Its tough for the comedian but it can work if: 1. The audience is encouraged to turn on video (so the comedian and others can see them) Unmuted if possible (but most wont its like giving everyone in the audience a live mic) 2. For those not willing, encourage them to use chat. Emoji, me-too, reactions 3. The comedian should keep bringing the audience in. Read off chat, talk about people with cameras on, etc 4. Dont just use your regular material, lean into the current situation, use the audience and tech.
- rgoodwintx 7y ago
  Agreed. It's most fun when someone explores something that they couldn't normally pull off on stage. We've had spouses, pets, elaborate visual aids. I look forward to being surprised each time.
_curious_ 7y ago
Goodstuff, thanks for sharing! Humor and laughter are very important elements to life. I do Love the choice of stock photography and the premise here, but unsure about the pricing I see there ($10?). probably some room for pricing model experimentation and innovation. Godspeed!
jhymn 7y ago
My concern is that a lot of stand-up comedy is really "blue" and NSFW. Are there warnings or ratings for each set (I don't see any). Do you provide clean content?

65 points by karamazov 7y ago

I haven't been to a comedy club in 15 years but in my opinion a large part of the fun is actually being at the club. (And the over priced, 2 drink minimums) I do applaud these performers trying to find a alternative in these trying times.

anticsapp 7y ago

This is cool. I might try one, even at the $10 price point. Although, that's the price of one drink at a real comedy club, so it is kind of a bargain. I would love to see something like this on Oculus.

A4ET8a8uTh0 7y ago

I hate to be the complainer for the Show HN projects, but all I can see is white screen regardless of what browser I use. Why can't websites fail gracefully? edit: It worked on browser with no extensions installed so I guess one of the extension in other browsers broke it. I like the idea since it seems timely. People do need real entertainment now and it might fit that niche nicely.

redlollipop 7y ago
Loads for me, try again?

lpolovets 7y ago

I love stand-up and this is a great idea. One feature that I'd love is to have 1-2 embedded "highlight" clips on each performer's ticket page. Otherwise it's hard to know what kind of comedy they do.

jedberg 7y ago

I just sent this to my friend who is a professional comedian. She’s been doing a weekly “pay what you want” show the last few Saturdays. I’d love to see this take off because I don’t want stand up comedy to go away. Thanks for making this!

karamazov 7y ago
Thank you for sharing!

zavulon 7y ago

Good idea. Maybe put a Youtube video of the comedian's performance on the detail page, so we get a little preview?

gexla 7y ago

Let's be honest, this isn't even close to stand-up. If there isn't a live crowd, it's not stand-up. You need that feedback and the regular drilling to find your voice. Stand-up comedians find their "voice" by doing the same set, same jokes as often as they can get up on stage. If you're serious about this as a career, you're getting up on stage multiple times a day if you can figure out a way to do it. You're constantly working and re-working your set to a different crowd. There's no way you're going to get high-end comedians on this platform, which means you're going to get people who are relatively new. Doug Stanhope (greatest comedian alive today IMHO) said that you don't want to be putting videos of your earliest crap performances on the web. You also don't want to be putting video of your best jokes on the internet because you get more exposure for people stealing them with little return. Stand-up comedians have already had an alternative for getting up on stage for a long time. It's called podcasting, and many of the greatest comedians do podcasts.

thaumasiotes 7y ago
> you don't want to be putting videos of your earliest crap performances on the web. You also don't want to be putting video of your best jokes on the internet because you get more exposure for people stealing them with little return. > Stand-up comedians have already had an alternative for getting up on stage for a long time. It's called podcasting I'm not seeing the crucial distinction between putting up video of yourself doing jokes, and putting up audio of yourself doing jokes. The value isn't coming from the visual part of the video.
- hobs 7y ago
  Podcasts are not standup, they are ways to riff and show you are funny in a different way - akin to radio spots back in the day.
  - thaumasiotes 7y ago
    A podcast is a prerecorded album. These are common in standup. I have comedy tapes and comedy CDs; a podcast is not different in any way. If you ripped a CD and concatenated all the tracks, you'd have a "podcast".

johnmoonyy 7y ago

Love standup comedy! $10 for a 30m is really expensive. Stanard shows I've gone to were like $15 for ~3 comedians for a show lasting about an hr. What about lineups? (3 comedians for $10) Also does the comedians interact with watchers? Can I leave a comment and chat with other people (not sure if this will distract the comedian or not)

ftvy 7y ago
From what I've seen of comedians, they don't appreciate someone talking throughout their set. It is distracting, and it is also insulting to them. (They are paid to perform, and they want to perform.) With that said, some handle it with grace, and some not.
- lostphilosopher 7y ago
  "Talking throughout their set" is just rude, that's not even heckling, which I don't support/appreciate, but is considered "part of the experience" by some. "Crowd work" however is a very normal part of lots of stand up acts. I could imagine comedians wanting some way to do that in a digital setting and I suspect that's what is being referred to here. If anyone haven't seen it done or don't know what I'm talking about Todd Barry has a whole special where it's all he does - appropriately titled "Crowd Work"! :-)

flaque 7y ago

This, but it should be interactive, like a twitch stream.

lixtra 7y ago
Life streams are usually delayed by half a minute. So it spoils the interaction.
- seganddr 7y ago
  On Twitch normal latency is ~10 seconds and with their low latency modes it can be 2s or less.

Vinnl 7y ago

My brother's a professional comedian, and he's been doing shows from home now. That said, he's not performing his regular sets, both because they can be recorded, and because the interaction with the crowds is no longer the same. However, he's doing more streaming improv now, where the crowd can give input through chat. It's working pretty well for him, but also isn't bringing in much money yet.

mattl 7y ago

Shared in a couple private Facebook groups with a few hundred comedians.

karamazov 7y ago
Thanks! Much appreciated

rgoodwintx 7y ago

Warning for plug below my main comment :) Not trying to piggyback this post, but share my experiences doing something in the same area. We've been doing something similar to support comics who lost some or all of their paying gigs; but using the alternate model of free-to-watch, donations-welcomed. We're also still working through the best format; some performers work great in a "vacuum" (and/or create new styles for the medium). Interaction through the chat is also fun, but as mentioned, not suited for real time. We've also got some other ideas to increase the interaction being tinkered with. We've been able to really help some folks, whether through monetary means or just to give them a place to perform they wouldn't otherwise have. (Honestly, the most feedback we get from performers is how thankful they were to just get to perform again, a feeling of normalcy, such as we have these days.) Second warning, plug below :) This is completely a labor of love, so feel free to drop by, or not. Even if you just watch clips and have suggestions, we'd appreciate it. All proceeds go directly to the performers, this not a business venture in anyway. Up/downvote away, no hard feelings! https://twitch.tv/comedywham https://twitch.tv/comedywham (or isolationcomedyshow.com will redirect there)

jonshariat 7y ago

I actually just attended a remote standup comedy show last Friday. Its tough for the comedian but it can work if: 1. The audience is encouraged to turn on video (so the comedian and others can see them) Unmuted if possible (but most wont its like giving everyone in the audience a live mic) 2. For those not willing, encourage them to use chat. Emoji, me-too, reactions 3. The comedian should keep bringing the audience in. Read off chat, talk about people with cameras on, etc 4. Dont just use your regular material, lean into the current situation, use the audience and tech.

rgoodwintx 7y ago
Agreed. It's most fun when someone explores something that they couldn't normally pull off on stage. We've had spouses, pets, elaborate visual aids. I look forward to being surprised each time.

_curious_ 7y ago

Goodstuff, thanks for sharing! Humor and laughter are very important elements to life. I do Love the choice of stock photography and the premise here, but unsure about the pricing I see there ($10?). probably some room for pricing model experimentation and innovation. Godspeed!

jhymn 7y ago

My concern is that a lot of stand-up comedy is really "blue" and NSFW. Are there warnings or ratings for each set (I don't see any). Do you provide clean content?