Your Body is Your Greatest Comedy Tool

Since I was a young age, I've always been insecure about my body. Whether it was general attributes like my height or my weight, or more specific areas like my lack of a neck, front teeth gap, or bags under my eyes - there's been no shortage of reasons to seek therapy due to my own self-conscious perception of myself. But it wasn't really until stand up comedy where I began to feel confident in the limitations my body contained. 

I think a lot of comics feel this way. And somehow while we feel constrained in daily life, we feel free on stage to embrace our bodies in a way regular people would never do. 
Think about how Chris Farley and Jim Carrey act on stage compared to interviews. Farley would do anything with his body to get the laugh. Carrey loved contorting his face. But when you see them in interviews, often they were much more reserved. Michael Richards (Kramer in "Seinfeld") is another master of physical comedy who was super stoic in everyday life. 

Your body is greatest tool in comedy, and sometimes when we focus too much on the joke writing we lose the opportunity to get laughs just off a body twist or an eyebrow raise. So let's dive in on using your body to increase your comedic output. 

Your Greatest Weakness in Life is Your Greatest Strength on the Stage
I'll never forget hearing Greg Dean on a random YouTube clip say the above words. Being short, tall, skinny, fat, too muscular, having a weird hair cut, etc. all feeds into your ability to make jokes about yourself and to create a personality to joke about other topics. This is why comics like Rosie O'Donnell, Brad Williams, and Fluffy all thrived on stage. 

O'Donnell was a heavyset lesbian who got to make jokes about how people see her. Williams, as a little person, was able to talk about his unique experiences, and Fluffy takes full advantage of his ability to be the fat and funny character we've grown to love. Yet, in the regular world, all of these physical traits would hold a person back in the dating and business worlds. But in comedy it made them superstars.    

​So when using your body on stage, understand, your greatest weakness is your greatest strength. And this goes for people who are very attractive as well. Crystal Marie Denha opens with jokes about her body, but from a different point of view. She knows her greatest weakness is people don't take her seriously because of her body, so she tackles that first. But also notice how still and stoic she is. She won't let her body become more of a distraction. Understanding how the audience sees you is the key, and playing off the assumptions they make in their head is how you get the classic, "that comic just says what we're all thinking" praise.

Your Body Should Make Every Joke Funnier 
In the clip at the top of the article, look at how John Pinette (one of my faves) uses his body to convey frustration, joy, and various other emotions. He yells, sings, and dances, taking full advantage of his bodily contrasts. 

His early death is a hard one for me. He died at 50 years old in 2014. As a 43 year old man (44 in 30 days!) that number scares me immensely. Even though he lost a lot of weight, it wasn't enough, and the damage was done. 

He wrote one of the funniest bits of all time where he went to an all you can eat buffet and scared the owner. His ability to use his body was inspiring. He was a master at using his body to get a laugh off eye bulges, eyebrow raises, smiling, and stalking the stage. Use the clip as a template for how to create more laughs by just connecting your body to your punchlines.

As Bruce Lee said, be water. Water ebbs and flows, and like the comedy ninja you are, embrace all your little curves and physical ticks.       

Your Body Is A Tool To Perform At Your Highest Levels 
Too often comics worship the grind of comedy, as if a young death is somehow a virtue. Comics like Patrice O'Neal, who died at 41 years old from diabetes, and Mitch Hedberg, who died at 37 years old of drugs, were brilliant, but yet they didn't monitor their body, using food or drugs as fuel to maintain their grueling schedules. By not slowing down they deprived themselves and their fans of years of more insight and work.

I drank so much in my 30's I found myself almost dead in 2021. The food and the drinking caught up. I was literally using sleep aid to crash and various energy drinks to maintain during the day. I was eating 4,000+ calories a day to keep up with the long days and longer nights. The drinking would level me out at night, allowing me to calm the demons. My performances were struggling as well. It was hard to get on stage constantly exhausted yet pumped up on caffeine and vodka - sweat always dripping from my forehead. I would have to step outside to wipe down my mop of a head. 

But instead of seeing a doctor, I continued doing shows, until I was forced to go to the hospital. Looking back, if I had to choose between saving my body or not making a booker mad for canceling to see the doctor, I'd choose an upset booker. No one is a "martyr" for comedy by dying young. 
Getting rest, having down time, exercising, and eating right (most of the time) is a key component to having a better life and longer career in anything you want to do. This old YOLO philosophy is a death trap. I know from personal experience. Since taking my health seriously, I've seen a dramatic improvement in my stamina on stage and in life.     

​Final Thoughts          
A comedian's body is their vehicle to some of their success. Confidence stems from your body. Comedic insecurity flows from your body. And your body's health will determine how long your life will go on. Take full advantage of modern medicine and health education. Use your body to move on stage and create the most memorable experience as possible. When you just stand on stage awkwardly you ruin the endless opportunities to find new punchlines and tags. Move around and enjoy the great God given tool you own. Because one day you won't be able to, either though old age or bad decisions. In the words of the most gross 5th grader in the world: Use it before you lose it.