Clean comedians – comics who don’t use offensive, insulting, or obscene language or imagery in their act – are often fond of saying, “You don’t have to be dirty to be funny.” But there is a difference between telling dirty jokes that are funny and telling jokes that are funny solely because they are dirty. The shock value of using certain words on stage (none of which shall be repeated here – you can use your imagination or turn on HBO) is not, in and of itself, enough to make a quality act – or even, a quality joke.
That said, to claim or insinuate that working clean is somehow preferable or more difficult than working “blue” – comedy parlance for using dirty or obscene material – is simply wrong. Both styles can be effective means to the same end – creating laughter and entertaining the audience. There is room, and there are markets, for both types of comedians; both the Howard Stern Show and IBM book comedians, for obviously differing purposes. Understanding where your act fits in, and choosing whether to use certain topics, words, and jokes in your act, will affect your development as a comedian.
What is Clean?
There are varying definitions of “clean”, depending on the audience, venue, and media. The basic definition of working clean is avoiding the use of obscene words; clean comics or clean shows may also preclude the use of racially insensitive material, sexual references, or anything possibly offensive (which, nowadays, knocks out A LOT of material). The term “clean” is often qualified; a club may ask for “TV clean” material, which focuses on language, as opposed to content. I have worked for a booker who requires comics to be “PG clean”, which eliminates not only dirty words but drug references and sexual content.
There is an inherent benefit to working clean, even from your beginnings as a comedian. Many, if not most, clubs require or at least prefer clean emcees. While my home club did not have such requirements, there were shows – such as special events, or shows with large group contingents – where I was told ahead of time to stay clean. Since you most likely will get your first comedy experience at the emcee level, it is important to have at least ten clean minutes, if not a focus toward working clean in general. Even when doing “guest sets” – an unpaid, one-time set, usually between the emcee and the feature – you will likely have to be clean. (The last thing the club wants is a comic who isn’t even booked into the show to offend people or, worse, to send them to the exits.)
At the headliner (and occasionally the feature) level, high-paying gigs such as corporate work, cruise shows, and office parties almost exclusively require clean material (for obvious reasons). Some clubs still have specific guidelines regarding material; Bill Brady’s Barrel of Laughs in the Chicago suburbs, one of the oldest clubs in the country, allows comedians to use only three swear words (s—, damn, and hell), a rule that has been in effect for nearly thirty years.
And, of course, television spots, outside of HBO and Showtime, require effective, clean material. I once worked with a headliner who spent years working in New York with Jerry Seinfeld in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. “Jerry,” he asked Seinfeld after a show one night, “how come you never swear on stage?”
“What I am supposed to do?” Seinfeld replied. “Edit the joke once I get on The Tonight Show?”
Working clean does limit your act, obviously, and there is a drawback there. As I alluded to earlier, avoiding offensive content is a slippery slope, because so many are offended so easily. (It even varies according to region; in the South, the f-word is often tolerated, while the use of any form of “taking the Lord’s name in vain” will often draw complaints.)
I, for one, believe that clean comedy is limiting. While I understand some people’s aversion to dirty material – and often share it – I believe that good comedy, as an art, is at its best raw and unfiltered. If given the choice between a PG comedian and an R comedian, sight unseen, I would choose the R comedian every time. While there are numerous exceptions to this rule – Seinfeld and Brian Regan spring to mind – good comedians are honest and direct, and avoid taboos. These goals are often in conflict with working clean.
Writing Clean
I have found, and I have heard many other comedians agree, that my writing naturally grew cleaner as I developed as a comic. In my case, this was partially due to beginning my career in New York City, where lowbrow “shock humor” was prevalent at many of the bars and open mikes I performed at, and then moving to South Carolina, where a certain level of decorum was expected by many audience members. As you grow as a comedian and a writer, your need to rely on “blue” material will lessen, as your skills grow broad enough to tackle nearly any subject you choose – clean or dirty.
It is also easier to work clean as you move onward in your career simply because you have more material. Doing ten minutes clean is much more difficult when you have to edit your existing fifteen minutes of jokes, as opposed to picking and choosing from forty-five minutes of material two years later.
When writing, it is important to note the distinction between swearing as part of your act and swearing solely in order to enhance the power of a punchline. One well-known headliner I work with, who no longer curses, noted that he stopped swearing because he felt that if the joke needed profanity, it wasn’t good enough to stay in his act. From my end, I use curse words where appropriate, but they aren’t essential. I can easily clean up my material, just as off-stage I might soften my language when meeting my girlfriend’s parents.
The essential point here is this – it is your choice whether to use dirty language, to probe taboo subjects, or push the envelope with your act. But the key is to be honest. If you are writing solid jokes that are naturally funny; if you are using language that you are familiar and comfortable with; if you are being yourself – you will have a chance at success, clean or dirty. There are, have been, and will be hundreds of wanna-be comics who attempt to shock their audience into laughter. It is an ineffective tactic which is doomed to failure. Make your own rules and follow them – but it is important to remember that your choice of language and content can affect your career.
This article was originally published on Suite101.com. Subsequent changes have been made.
