Context, Confidence & Delivery in Stand-Up - Part 3 I menti..
Published: February 14th 2023, 2:06:59 pm
Context, Confidence & Delivery in Stand-Up - Part 3
I mentioned the Danish comedy circuit a few posts back. I said that jokes in Danish have to be so much funnier, because the language doesn't lend itself to comedy. That's true.
There is an extra level to it aswell, context-wise.
Stand-up is still fairly new in Denmark - newer than in the UK and the US. I guess, that was way truer a decade ago, when I started out. But we are also a country where Tall Poppy Syndrome is alive and well. Bragging and elevating yourself is taboo. In the US, they love an alpha comedian. They love a confident person on stage. In the UK, we like a confident person on stage, too. As long as they don't anger the wrong people. But in Denmark - no thank you. How dare you think you're better than others? How DARE you?
So not only do the jokes have to be funnier than they'd have to be in English - but they also have to be delivered in a way that doesn't make people think the person on stage thinks they're better than the audience. This means there has to be some vulnerability showing. But of course, you also have to seem like you do know what you're doing, otherwise, they'll lose all confidence in you as a performer. It's a very tricky balance.
An example of this is how you open a set, when you're doing an open mic.
In the UK, a comedian could walk on stage with a notebook in their hand and say, 'Hey, I'm just going to try out some material, it might be shit.' and if the audience is in a good, up-for-it mood, they'd probably laugh.
In Denmark, a comedian walks up on stage with a notebook and says the same thing, they would be met with a wall of ice - a bunch of beautiful, Danish faces just waiting for something funny. They would have to think of something funny to say before they start testing their jokes.
Now, I can already feel the anxiety creeping up, because obviously, of course, naturally, a bunch of Danish comedians would disagree - and they'd mention that I haven't done stand-up in Denmark in years - and they'd be right. Of course, I can't generalise. I don't speak on behalf of all of Denmark. Etc. Etc.
(Danish people absolutely HATE IT when Danish people tell other people about Denmark. It's quite tiring.)
More on all of this soon!