Pop culture references are a massive priority for your comedy routine. However, they can’t overwhelm the rest of the content. Otherwise, your delivery quality and role in the bit will be minimized. Here are some tips on how to effectively find that middle ground.
What are your biggest strengths in your current routine?
Every comedian has a single or pair of characteristics that really sets them apart from the crowd. Whether it be how you interact with the crowd, impressions, monotone sarcasm, etc. They all will have be to be able to deliver pop culture references effectively as well. If you have a bit that can be applied to any television program or movie as well, it’s great to be able to just incorporate a well known piece. With this small addition, it connects the audience to something familiar. Familiarity will allow them to feel comfortable. Also, it can be a great way to introduce yourself to the crowd. Letting them know what you are familiar with and what you are connected to connects you to them as well.
In addition, you can also touch on a more difficult subject. This is more dangerous territory for you to traverse. However, if not done perfectly, you may swing big and miss big. Are you ready to take that risk? If you are, make sure you are aware beforehand and have something to fall back on in your routine.
What are some of the best comedy routines of all time?
The likes of Eddie Murphy, Jim Gaffigan, Eddie Izzard, and Dave Chappelle didn’t build their routine just by luck. They all play to their strengths, and almost perfectly play into their pop culture references.
Time sensitivity
Pop culture references are often time sensitive before they lose their value, so it’s important to keep that in mind as well. If your entire bit is heavily reliant on an event that happened over the past month or two, it’ll likely still be effective. However, anything past that has huge potential to fall short when you tell it. Be careful how you implement it as well, and make sure to keep up with how the situation or events may change.
Unfortunately, sometimes more casual news can very easily end up going far south for your routine. This is because new information may arise out of your control that your audience may take out of context. The best way to avoid this is to stay on top of any facts or stories that are in your routine.
Consider the popularity of the industry as well
Comedy is at a peak in 2022 that it’s never seen before. Movies, podcasts, television shows, stand-up shows, etc. There are so many accessible formats and platforms for comedians to try their hand at. Finding which is best for you will be the first step, while getting pop culture involved is an important following step. However, if you find that those types of jokes don’t fit your personality, don’t use them! They don’t work for every comedian. You shouldn’t amend your routine to include material that doesn’t fit what you do best. You are speaking to a very particular audience for the most part when you build up a following. Although, if that following hasn’t been built up yet, spending some added time to invest in how you read into pop culture is a great additional step.
If you have any questions about how to move forward with your routine, you can always give us a call. We’ll learn more about what drives you work in comedy, what makes your current routine great, and how pop culture can then be implemented.