So what’s my big hang up with Acknowledge, anyway?
For years I’ve told classes that Acknowledge is a magic word. To really drive the point home I say “Tattoo it on your body.” because I’m convinced acknowledging whatever is happening is the key to the kingdom in stand up. When you don’t acknowledge, you’re no longer live, you’re a recording.
Warren, a student at UC Davis, delighted me by actually taking my advice regarding the tattoo.
Hopefully they took my advice about why it’s important, too!
In a prior post I talked about acknowledging when a joke bombs. Also acknowledge when a drunk falls out of their chair, when an audience member laughs in a weird spot, when there is any kind of elephant in the room (That’s just an expression unless you’re getting really weird gigs). You must acknowledge it so that you’re there, live and not a recording, and so it can stop being distracting while you’re trying to hold their attention.
When Al Franken would be booked in front of conservative audiences, he'd acknowledge it immediately, in a funny and self-deprecating way, "Why am I here instead of at a liberal event? Come on, you know the liberals can’t afford me.” and this put everyone at ease, he laughed at himself, and now he could laugh at them and with them.
My friend Michael O’Connell would be introduced and more often than not had to have two big friends or sometimes even audience volunteers lift his wheelchair, with him in it, onto the stage. He’d then have to get the mic, often almost out of reach on a stand adjusted for people standing up. The amount of time from his name being announced to him starting his set was much longer than the norm. He’d address this awkwardness in his first joke, “I object to the term ‘Stand-up’ comedy” and immediately what could have been an obstacle becomes a strength.
And this can work when you’re nervous too, or an odd fit for the room. Whatever you're struggling with, acknowledging it might take that struggle and make it part of the joke. I’ve seen comedians acknowledge when they’re the only black person in the room, when the room is uncomfortably hot, when the crowd is especially quiet, or especially rowdy.
My very funny friend Jesse Fernandez would seem to have some of the same memory issues I have. I try to inconspicuously put my set lists, written on an index card, on the stool so I can take a sip of my water and sneak a look at the set list without anyone noticing. Jesse on the other hand does his act from memory until his memory fails him at which point he very conspicuously pulls his set list out of his shirt pocket as he announces, “And that ladies and gentleman, concludes the memorized portion of this evening’s set.” and it gets a big laugh, and I’ve seen him do it enough times that I wonder if sometimes he just pretends he can’t remember whats next because the bit does so well.
Acknowledge when a joke bombs. Acknowledge when a joke kills. I love in the Das Racist song Michael Jackson when the emcee yells out "I’m fucking great a rapping!” Inspired by this, one night I called it out whenever one of my jokes hit. “I’m killing!’ “You love me! I’m very funny!” and the audience was giddy. It was really fun to acknowledge how well it was going.
Whatever is going on, be there, be present, be live, and just acknowledge it. It’s almost a cheat code it works so well and it makes your act feel real and in the moment and after all, isn’t that what makes live entertainment so special? It probably ain’t the special effects.