How to be a stand-up

BBC Learning 1 EnglishLondon LifeHow to be a stand-upAnna: Hello, I'm Anna Jones and in today’s programme we’re going to be talkingabout comedy.
　　BBC Learning English reporter Clare Mace 2 recently spoke 3 tostand up comedian 4 Shappi Korsandi to ask for some tips onhow to make people laugh. A stand-up comedian is someonewho stands up on stage in front of an audience and tellsjokes and funny stories to make them laugh. Shappi isIranian and comes from London – Clare asked her whatqualities you need as an individual to become a stand upcomedian. As you listen try to note down what qualitiesShappi describes.
　　Shappi KorsandiYou need to have a very thick skin, you need to have a lotof confidence, you need to be able to take rejection 5 welland by well I mean you need to have a kind of madness aboutyou – that even when you don’t do well on stage, evenwhen the audience boo you - you must have a need to getback on a stage again the next day. So you’ve got to be alittle bit crazy, a little bit mental and above all elseyou have to really want to do it more than anything else.
　　Anna: Shappi says that you need a “very thick skin” –which means you need to be not easily made unhappy bycriticism. The opposite of this is to have a “thin skin”
　　– which means that you become unhappy very quickly ifcriticised. She also says that you need to have a lot of “confidence” – you need to be certain of your ownabilities. Shappir says that you need to be able to “takerejectionwell” – you have to accept that others do not like or donot accept what you aredoing.
　　Vox: He’s got a very thick skin – he never noticeswhen people are laughing at him.
　　She always gets upset when people criticise 6 her – she’sgot a very thin skinWhen he wasn’t picked for the national team he took therejection very well.
　　Anna: As well as these qualities Shappi says that standup comedians 7 need to have a bit of madness about them too -She uses two other words which also mean a little mad –those words are “crazy” and “mentalAnna: Shappi goes on to talk about how you learn theskill of becoming a stand up comedian. How can youlearn how to do it?
　　Shappi KorsandiObviously it’s not a job that you can study at college –you have to learn on the job. But if you stick at it forlong enough and if you do just get better and better thedifference between stand up comedy and other art forms likeacting for example – you can be the best actor in thewhole world but not get a job but as long as you’re a goodstand up you’ll always earn a living. So actually it’s areally good living – it’s a bit like being a bricklayer– it’s a skill that you have and as long as no-one tearsyour tongue out you can always make a living from it.
　　Anna: According to Shappi you need to learn “on the job,” which means you can’t learn how to do it at college –you have to learn the skill while doing the job. She saysif you “stick at it” for long enough – if you carry ondoing it for long enough – then you you just get betterand better – you improve all the time. Shappi believe youcan always earn or make a living from stand up – you canalways support yourself and get enough money to live on.
　　So what would be her advice to people wanting to becomestand-up comics? What does she say?
　　Shappi KorsandiMy advice would be to watch as much comedy, as much livecomedy as you can and learn from it and just start doingit. Get three or four minutes of material together and justperformit and die, and perform it and die, perform it and die‘cos that’s the only way you’re going to learn. And whatdo you mean by die? Dying 8 is when you’re on stage andnobody laughs and its called dying because it feels likedeath!
　　Anna: Shappi’s advice to aspiring 9 stand ups – if youaspire to do something then you really want to do it – heradvice is to watch a lot of stand up comedians performingand then start performing yourself. Perform it and die, shesays. By this she means, tell your jokes and get used topeople not laughing at them. So I suppose that’s what shemeans by comics needing to have a thick skin – they haveto get used to people not laughing at their jokes but carryon performing anyway.
　　Well I’m afraid we can’t carry on anymore so join usagain next time.