Practicing Being Clever

I'm perceived as very clever.  Fast wit, a lot of comeback lines.

I absolutely don't think of myself that way.  I've been doing this so long, I have to go lines.  My strengths, I'm a pun guy.  I imagine, many people that do clowning are pun people.

After 50 or 100 shows, the puns start to repeat, at least what I call the peg for the pun.  

These don't have to be puns, they can be jokes, it can be falling down at certain points in your show, it can be be having a balloon get stuck to your tongue, it can be making a comment when a child picks their nose (yup, I've had that a number of times in my shows).

Being clever is being present, being very very present, paying a lot of attention to what's going on around you.  Often just pointing out the obvious can be very clever, e.g. a kid picking their nose.

Yesterday, I asked a little girl her name her name was Sienna.  I said "Toyota Sienna?  Is this your boyfriend Honda Odyssey?"  That's a new joke to me but it will come up again and again and again.  Sienna is a popular name right now.  Not as popular as Emma but it comes up enough, I can get a joke in.

I'm clever because I pay a lot of attention.  I can use that exact same joke over and over. Paying attention means, I need to say that joke when it's quieter.  When there are parents around to laugh.   I have to ask a child's name.  I need a little boy or brother very close to her to make the joke.  The joke is different if I have to go looking for a little boy...although, it would be very funny if I looked around for "Honda Odyssey".  Focus at that point has to be on me.

I'm giving you a glimpse into my brain as I work on this joke, as I write this joke.  I can use it in a lot of ways.  When a little girl says her name is Sienna.  I can say "Oh, Toyota Sienna?  You're a good minivan"  Or "Oh, Toyota Sienna, your parents must love their car to name you after it"  or "Oh, Toyota Sienna, is your husband Honda Odyssey here?"

I've got 3 quick jokes there.  I stumbled on the joke Toyota Sienna.  I can use it now as a peg to hang other jokes.  In my head, I have that peg titled "Toyota Sienna"  in my mind closet.  It now looks to the world like I'm an incredible improvisor.

When I see a joke come up twice, I use it as a peg in my brain.  If something comes up twice, it's going to come up again at some point, all I need is a peg.  There are a lot of Indian families where I live, especially in the high tech area of San Jose.  The name Rohan is a very common boys name.  I created the peg Rohan.   "Row row row your boat"

A lot of school names have the word "day" in them.  "Children's Day School, Marin Country Day School"  come up a lot.  These are two private schools near me.   The word "day" is a peg.  I say, "what do you do at night?"  or "what happens to the school at night?"  (Developmentally, opposites are very important to stimulate a child's brain.  Up/Down, Day/Night, Hot/Cold.)

"Creek"  Lots of schools have the name "Creek" in them.  "Really, you have to go to school in a creek?  don't you get wet?"

I look for a word, then use it as a peg.  Look for the repetition in your shows, pay attention to things that happen again and again.  You'll have a huge bag of clever on your hands before you know it.