Are You Gonna Use This In Your Act?

Short answer, no. Anytime something happens, whether it's a little unusual or mundane, people ask if I will use on stage. I can say with 99% certainty that I usually won't. I can't speak for all comedians but material does not usually come from quirky things that happen to us all the time or a mediocre date. Most comedians, especially those of us who have done this for years, have a point of view that is unique and personal. I talk about things that happened to me as I experienced them, not a waiter who forgot your order or you spilling your drink on your pants and having people think it is urine.

Most of my material does come from experiences that I had but its usually because I was not expecting the funny in the experience. For example, I often talk about my friends and family. Not because they are funny or say something funny, but because it's often surreal what happens when I am with them. They are not trying to be funny, but I find it funny that, say, my friend taught himself to say the alphabet backwards in less that 15 seconds.

Sometimes people will say "Hey you can use this" after a show to me and tell me a joke or something that they did. I think I can speak for all comedians when I say we do not want to use something you "gave us" at a show, unless its money. We are pretty smart. Some of us go on to become true heroes against opposition (Ukraine's President Zelenskyy was a former stand up comedian) #standup #careerchange #laughter #comedy #ukraine #formerlawyer