"I need a comedy song..."

I also get students who say "I must have a comedy song".

My first question is "why?" (If you are a comedy specialist you have usually already found several). Not everyone plays comedy well, so do you really need one?

My second question is "what type of comedy?". A chunk of the FOAL Process is devoted to your tastes in comedy - stand-up and situation, likes and dislikes. There are almost as many types of comedy as there are types of musical style. Do you prefer clever word-play (I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue) and puns (I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again), slapstick (a long line of performers from Buster Keaton to Mr Bean), surreal (Eddie Izzard, The League of Gentlemen), motor-mouth (Robin Williams, Richard Pryor), "real-life" (The Office, Marion and Geoff)?

Whatever you prefer, there will be a set of songs that will fit your tastes. Comedy is also a state of mind. The unexpected and the unusual, or the juxtaposition of two different and opposing ideas can be funny by their very nature.

Reworking the subtext of a song is an excellent way of portraying a particular comedy style. Off the top of my head, Barbra Streisand on film (Funny Girl), and Spike Jones and the City Slickers on record (You Always Hurt The One You Love) have reworked songs to bring out the comedy.

So if you are looking for a comedy song for your portfolio, work out your particular brands of comedy first and then start looking for the material to fit! Or you could book a coaching session with me, of course...

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