Quality Versus Quantity

You’ll often hear that quality is a better attribute than quantity.  For most things this is true.  While eating my weight in Snickers sounds heavenly, my waistline and wallet are better off if I just savor one or two.

Quality often supersedes quantity but not within the realm of comedy.  This sounds counterintuitive.  It seems that the comedian with quality material is a better comedian.  What gets overlooked in this example is that comedic material takes time to develop.

Rarely is a good joke written.  Usually a good joke is one that is rewritten and rehearsed over and over.  With time and practice, a joke can evolve into a prized piece.  As a series of jokes take shape, a bit forms and soon a comedian might have a decent two minutes.

Of course, not every concept makes a good joke.  A comedian must note each idea and invest time and energy turning that idea into a joke.  Dozens of ideas a day run a gamut of tests to prove their hilarity.  Some make laughs while others find their way into the ever growing pile of bad ideas/my jokes.

It is for this reason that quantity is of the utmost importance in comedy.  The more ideas that a comedian has, the more opportunity he has to create quality material.  Quantity leads to quality.

So, the next time you hear a comics’ great joke, take a moment and think of the process.  Realize it is the quantity of ideas, time and effort that made you giggle and then tip accordingly.