I actually like some adult comedy. When I say adult I don't mean foul language. I mean humor or tricks that some adults might like but shouldn't ever be shown around kids.

Having admitted that I have fun with some of these adult presentations and jokes. I want to express a warning about performing them.

Some audiences love this stuff and when they love it they'll probably enjoy your act when you do it. Many comedians are very successful with this kind of humor.

The warning I want to mention here is that using this kind of material can really harm your reputation. Just because 80% of your audience like what you did there may be a hand full in there that where actually offended.

There is a lot more to say about this topic but I figured I'd just get a discussion started on it.

Ron Jaxon

It really depends on the venue. When I work a comedy club the audience had better know what they are going to be seeing and expect it. My act is actually rather tame compared to some of the comedians I work with.

Booker

Best way to go around it is with the advertising. If the advertisment says blue comedy is involved, then all of those who come to the venue are prepared for your type of comedy.

Well, I say I don't do blue material and I don't think I do. Put another way, to me, fowl language has just never been an acceptable substitute for talent. (They can't pay enough for me to put up with it.) I do enjoy entertaining adults with intellectual concepts that children aren’t ready to discuss. My favorite is a symbiotic relationship between businesses. (A symbiotic relationship is one that benefits both parties but one is necessary for the benefit of the other.)

Since my wife is a physician, she was also able to provide me with a prop that is in fact blue. It actually came off the top of an advertising clipboard supplied by the manufacturer.

The symbiotic relationship discussed deals with two companies. One has a problem with limited communications while the other has extremely severe performance problems. The companies are Viagra and AOL! They should help each other. The prop is a huge (plastic) Viagra pill and it is blue! The prop that symbolizes AOL is their history for a total lack of adequate or sustained performance. In the five years I subscribed to AOL they never caught on. They had major problems with delivering Internet service, getting it up and keeping it up. They just repeated useless messages and passed out bad phone numbers and “talked” as if something was going to happen. But they never ever performed as advertised. And they wonder why their software CDs are passed out as jokes! You do know that Time-Warner took AOL off their name? They really did! They took it off their buildings too!)

Bob
Magic By Sander

Well said Bob. I agree 100%.

Regan

Blue comedy doesn't mean you have to use foul language. It's just the nature of the gags and jokes. In fact, to me a good blue comedian is that person who actually says nothing foul, but deep inside the meaning is there. I mean he leaves a gap where you fill in the rest.

I remember a poem which was blue in nature but actually said nothing blue.

Here is an example:

Once there was mary blits ,
Who had a nice pair of... shoes

She was wed to mick,
Who had a really long... nose

For her birtday he got her a duck
and then they went to... sleep

Etc., etc...

As you see, there is nothing foul in the way its said. Of course the words which are far apart are the punch lines.

I don't know if this fits in with what you're talking about but a magician friend of mine does balloon animals as a side gag for his magic show . He blows up a long balloon and asks the girl (who's over 16) is this long enough? .. after she answers yes he says "you've been spoilt!"

Well, first let me say that I loved that bit about AOL and Viagra Bob Sanders. I agree, it's adult but I could even see a performer like Red Skelton saying something like that and he's one of the cleanest entertainers ever. Good stuff.

Now, I've got to tell you that I've gone a little extreme on occasions with adult humor. Like I said, I try to use my best judgement as to where or when to use it, but there are times when I feel it was the right time and place.

Let me share some examples. I'm divorced now but when I had my Bachler party my best man was also a magician. What I wanted for my party was for a group of magicians to just hang out. A few pretty well known magicians joined us (Won't mention names here... )
WE went bowling, to a few bars and just had a blast talking and basically messing with people. It was very fun.

Anyway, we did end up at a stripper bar. Obviously adult humor is completely accepted in this venue. One thing they do is take money from your mouth using (Fill in the blanks). I put the mouth coils in my mouth that looks like money..

I've used a lot of adult humor with the balloons like macGyver mentioned.

The long card from the fly gets a lot of laughs with the tag lines I use with it.

As you can see, these things can be very funny to some people. We just have to be very, very careful about it. To my knowledge I haven't stepped over the line yet. I hope it stays that way but I know that's really up to me. For the most part my shows are clean and acceptable for all ages though.

Ron Jaxon

I love and seem to being doing more "adult venues".

I like to make references to National Commercials.

I am thinking/writing one now on Card to Swifter..

The desposable mops advertised on USA Television.

Also a take off on The Geiko Car Inurance Ads..

Creating a take off of the old Insurance Policy with

The card(could be signed) inside the policy wallet.

Is this your card...

No but I did save 15 %...

Says the blank card in the pocket on the inside of the wallet. Hmm check the zipper......

Be safe with some risk,(comedy takes risk and is not always pretty.

Harris Deutsch
Laughologist

Never change who you are...

It may damage your reputation...if you think like that...or it could boost it. Look at George Carlin...yes...he offends...pretty much everyone...yet he was still a successful children's star on Thomas the tank engine show, etc. He is a man I respect, and not because of Thomas the Tank Engine, but because he stands up for what he believes in, and has a masterful use of colorful language.

What is my point? I don't know..........

A musician friend of mine, commented that I can work well in a lot of different venues.

I quipped, perhaps but not in strip clubs.

He said, yes, but you probably could.

I didn't tell him, but yes in my younger days, I did singing telegrams with 3 different types of strippers.

It was the comedy warm up before the "main attraction."
These were back in the 70's when the telegrams were more popular. It was great practice getting up before a crowd. Especially because the crowd was there for the main act. Getting and keeping their attention was great training.

Enjoy the process.

Harris

Surely this applies to any show you do--adult or children: the old saying "you can only please some of the audience some of the time. You cannot please all of the audience all of the time."

I think common sense is the key. We saw David Copperfield's show this past Friday and I was surprised by the adult humor(?) he used for a family audience.
As discussed on other threads, I don't think he realizes how poorly his performance is being received by parents and others.

Know your audience!

Personally I don’t work blue.

But, it's like comedian Don Rickles once said, "...if somebody wasn’t buyin’ it, nobody would be selling it."

There is a market for it. I still don't do it.

Michael Finney reckons the best advice from the Pros he got was Keep it Clean-a bit of innuendo doesn't hurt!

His shows are brilliant-no toilet jokes

Just a thought!

Terry Seabrooke is a perfect example. His show does not change but his patter does. His stag act is one of the dirtiest act out there, but the same show is hysterical as a clean family or corporate show. The main thing is to know your audience, then you can do appropriate material.

I personally agree with that comment above.

I work a bit of blue, or a lot maybe. But I have basically 2 acts when I go to perform so if people are finding one a bit on the vulgar side, I can immediatly shift to the other one.

Sometimes I start my routine by picking up a blue silk and changing its color (via dye tube usually).

I just don't do blue material!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

I love this thread. My act has one swear word in it and it comes towards the end of my act. All along I have been saying "shucks", "bummer"..etc. When I finally say "sh*t" I get laughs because we all have done it. I remember Mike Caveney once told me"A clean act can play anywhere". I agree totally. Doing "adult" humor is not the same as doing "blue" in my opinion.

Charlie

Many have stated, and I agree, that...

If you try to create an act by removing anything you're afraid might offend someone, you'll end up with a bland act that pleases no-one.