Becoming a Stand-Up Comedian: Working Blue

Clean comedians - comics who don't use offensive, insulting, or obscene language or imagery in their act - are often fond of saying, "You don't have to be dirty to be funny." But there is a difference between telling dirty jokes that are funny and telling jokes that are funny solely because they are dirty. The shock value of using certain words on stage (none of which shall be repeated here - you can use your imagination or turn on HBO) is not, in and of itself, enough to make a quality act - or even, a quality joke.

That said, to claim or insinuate that working clean is somehow preferable or more difficult than working "blue" - comedy parlance for using dirty or obscene material - is simply wrong. Both styles can be effective means to the same end - creating laughter and entertaining the audience. There is room, and there are markets, for both types of comedians; both the Howard Stern Show and IBM book comedians, for obviously differing purposes. Understanding where your act fits in, and choosing whether to use certain topics, words, and jokes in your act, will affect your development as a comedian.

What is Clean?

There are varying definitions of "clean", depending on the audience, venue, and media. The basic definition of working clean is avoiding the use of obscene words; clean comics or clean shows may also preclude the use of racially insensitive material, sexual references, or anything possibly offensive (which, nowadays, knocks out A LOT of material). The term "clean" is often qualified; a club may ask for "TV clean" material, which focuses on language, as opposed to content. I have worked for a booker who requires comics to be "PG clean", which eliminates not only dirty words but drug references and sexual content.

The Value of Working Clean