To Swear or Not to Swear

Let's fucking get into it!
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[@padawansound6423]

Always a good day when you drop a video! Loved this one as always. You didn't mention it, but I found James Acaster's decision to start swearing in Cold Lasagne really interesting - rather than making the delivery of his act more palatable by sending certain jokes "over the edge", he used it to draw attention to and then destroy his previous stage persona, potentially alienating large chunks of his audience in the process. Rather than using swear words as a safety net, he used them to plummet himself and his audience into unknown territory.

[@joseraimi]

My god what a long awaited notification, yayyy

[@Lessdeth14]

"Fuck off, he hinted".

[@peterclarke7240]

I would argue that what Mitchell is phenomenal at is the slow burn rant. He builds his outrage like a man building a fire. He carefully constructs it, layer upon layer, until finally his fury overflows and he chucks a hand grenade onto it, goes and sits down, and glares at his creation, but he invites his audience along for the ride, so we all end up glaring at it together. It's sort of playing on his accent and persona as being a posh, repressed, angry logician, to paraphrase Rob Brydon and Stephen Fry. Kevin Bridges does the reverse, while also playing on his accent. There's something inherently funny about a Scottish accent littering the air with swearwords. It's very non-threatening, like a friendly bloke in the pub who's on his third pint and is enjoying the fact he doesn't have to watch his language. In fact, you know when Kevin is properly angry about something because he STOPS swearing, kind of a similar approach to Gordon Ramsay (who's also Scottish), who's incredibly sweary until he's properly exasperated with someone, when he switches to his "I'm not angry, I'm just INCREDIBLY disappointed" voice. I'd also mention the real genius of comedic swearing, Rik Mayall who, because of how he pronounced words and the sorts of characters he played, could make swearwords sound hysterical even while chucking them around like they were going out of fashion, largely because he was able to say them in a way that made it clear HE thought they were naughty, so he came across like a cheeky schoolboy who only smokes because he knows it's frowned upon. Look up "Bottom," "The Dangerous Brothers," or "The Young Ones" for examples.

[@jordanthomasgray]

I’d love to see one on storytelling in standup

[@Pdaaaawg]

Great video! It isn't in a comedic way per se, but the Netflix show 'Bojack Horseman' uses the same rule of "less is more" for their use of the F-word. Sure, the characters will use all the other, milder swears, quite frequently, but they save their F-word for once per season for maximum impact so by the later seasons once you've caught on that this is what they're doing, the sting of the word is infinitely more meaningful than if it was used as freely as the other swears in the shows. Pair that with the use of the F-word symbolising an end of a relationship Bojack has in his life, it really punctuates it in a way I hadn't seen in a show before or since. Very smart choice by the writers, and glad to see the reasoning behind it explained clearly in your video!

[@rahhhbkdx1]

This video is a 10/10. Funny, educational, and cultured. As an American, it’s beautiful to see our legends like CK, Carlin, and Burr edited throughout the video with the likes of Skinner, Mitchell, and Boyle. And as much as I love swearing I think this video has convinced me to tone it down a bit. I’ve also noticed substituting swears can lead to more laughs like calling my friend a silly goose instead of a fucking dumbass. Unfortunately due to youtube being the way it is this video won’t get the millions of views it deserves, at least not yet. But it’s definitely something I will have to throw on for the next smoke sesh with the boys. Good shit my man. Subscribed

[@Hocra]

It's insulting how interesting your content is. Inspiring and engaging, as always! Thanks!

[@mavriksc]

The dude is as chill as the come and even he perfers fuck it to what the hell. Fuck it is actually way more chill in this case because you're not even bummed out about the wrong stuff showing up.

[@dkmenzies5569]

Amazing content! And no Malcolm Tucker here, that must of taken some restraint… More content please!… a dive into some of the standup type techniques used in some classics of British character comedy would be great, would love to see you dissect Partridge, Thick of It, Peep Show etc. keep it up, great work!

[@CybrosisEvolved]

Fuck is an brilliant short Synonym for Frustration but its shorter. - Brevity is the soul of wit.

[@jacko250]

Glad to see you back!! I would love to see you make videos on topics such as plagiarism in comedy or even a video essay on niche comedy genres like anti-comedy etc

[@JessicaFriedman32]

Josh! Thank you for coming back with your brilliant analysis. I started my stand-up comedy website based on your kinds of deep dives into comedy as a whole and, as always, your video essay here is TOP-NOTCH and edited beautifully. There are three comics you didn't mention who use/don't use cursing that I just wanted to add to the list: John Mulaney, Jim Gaffigan, and Demetri Martin. While Gaffigan is more like Regan, Mulaney and Martin pepper it in so beautifully that you can't help but admire their craft. Thanks for sharing a new video with all of us, and I'm so glad to see you back on KZbin! 😀

[@MrTraingle]

Absolutely love the hidden taskmaster music❤

[@hanqcomedy]

Thank you for this QUALITY video. I thought you won't update anymore but glad to know you still active. A comic fromc China

[@brianyule1289]

Always top level analysis! Great stuff!

[@reubenhendy]

another incredible essay, thank you as always ❤️

[@Squantle]

Love this channel. Never leave man

[@petsounds3612]

Your channel is the defintiion of quality over quantity. Thanks!

[@leightonmilton5162]

Brilliant as always!

[@robertmarshall2502]

Every video of yours I've watched has been absolute quality

[@akacollier]

Excellent videos, keep up the good work!

[@SeveralOnions]

Your videos are always straight 🔥🔥. Big ups chief

[@HARRi81_UK]

Great video mate!

[@dboots123]

I can’t stress enough how important this channel. Love it ❤

[@OGRE_HATES_NERDS]

I cant understand why some people think every single thing in the world needs to be appropriate for children

[@elimoranodicio4163]

Always with the best content

[@sir.william2278]

I feel like it hinges a lot on your audiences expectations of whether or not you are a person who swears. And off those expectations a comedian can play with either playing in that space or breaching those expectations. If your audience doesn't believe you are a person who swears, and you swear conversationally (even if you truly are a person who swears conversationally) they will be less likley to be on board with your stage persona.

[@realperson6957]

Yay! New video! Thanks for the hard work. I really enjoy your explorations into comedy as an art. Videos to stretch your brain whilst also crying with laughter along the way. I personally think (I am British) that swearing can really hone comedy. I do find it weird when i watch comedy and there isn't swearing in it, as if I am observing comedy in polite society when most things that are funny to me aren't polite or generally accepted as funny in society. When I am watching a comedian swear, I might as well be down the pub with my mates, laughing about all the silly things that have happened to us.

[@marinkocomedy7218]

Love 'Comedy Without Errors'! Absolute gold! Brilliant advice, exceptional research, beautifully edited. Please don't stop making videos.

[@TheArtOfGoingMouldy]

Terrific. Clearly well-considered and researched while very entertaining too.

[@jennab8649]

Swearing signaling the intensity of emotion is really interesting bc then, yeah, you can try other methods!! Great video

[@pookiepookie6305]

All your videos are awesome. I love watching videos on comedy.

[@deangordon2215]

Thank you for the acknowledgement towards the start about how the Scottish swear. There's definitely a cultural difference, in my limited experience. Some tidbits if anyone is interested: We often use swearing as a hesitation noise. That "eehhh" or "mmm" when making a decision - we also use "fuckin'" No matter where we are. An ice cream shop surrounded by kids - "geez wan ae they ... fuckin ... mint yins, tah" I have no idea if this happens in other English speaking cultures but I haven't heard it. "Cunt" is contextual, and in casual environments can just mean "person" "Jimmy's comin, you'll like him he's a gid cunt" This is rarer but definitely happens - we will change the word function of swears. Ever heard the word "bastard" as an adjective? You'll hear it in Scotland. Cheers.

[@nordikkai7185]

The usage as the word "fuckin" as a thinking noise and "bastard" as an adjective are also pretty commonplace in Canada, or at least some regions.

[@dannyrowleyyt]

Awesome!

[@caseyflynn666]

i wish you mentioned bob saget i love his stand up because of the shock value

[@SpectreDeluxe]

Excellent analysis, this does a perfect job of illustrating how comedy requires picking the right tools for the job in each joke. The f-bomb is a hammer

[@dennisrossonero]

Why don't you have a million subs yet? Excellent video as always.

[@iconoclast137]

i love your videos! i am shocked i didn't see bill hicks in this video even once, but i agree with you that david mitchell is one of the very best at judicious use of swearing

[@jamesormrod4656]

Great video as per

[@boyreporter]

Neat topic to approach. I think Mitch gets away with shifting the Pringles joke to fourth gear for the same reason you cite the George Formby joke -- it's incongruous. It's not some drunk at a bar saying the word, it's a corporation. But I also think we are more inclined to see the swear as more justified when we think the comic is more talented (or even maybe just when we like the comic more). Maybe the converse of your point, or something; if I'm not laughing at someone's set, the swears stand out more as a crutch or desperation for laughs by any means necessary. But if Shane Gillis or Hampton Yount does it, it seems more like style, or at worst sort of a tic. And if Louis does it, I'm more aware of how much thought went into the phrasing, and how much woodshedding went into the set, and my guard is down; I'm in the hands of a professional who I think is excellent, so I can laugh without examining it at all. Plus, I assume, his elite skill is part of what led him to swear, so probably he's better at recognizing whether it's gonna be 'appropriate' for/help the joke.

[@djscottdog1]

"your an inanimate fucking object" that film was gold

[@jpjapers]

Its hilarious to me that there are grown adults that get upset by swearing purely because theyve been told they should be...

[@themightyleek]

I honestly had no idea that people saw swear words as dirty. Like, it is just part of language. It is like saying “um” or “like”.

[@vahakntchelderian3285]

I think one of the most interesting pro-swearing examples in standup is Lewis Black who swears so often that he has acknowledged it to be a part of his entire act and persona multiple times. The way he does it never gets old for me and he uses insanely creative vocal deliveries that hit you in the face every single time he says "fuck". He's almost the anti-Jerry Sienfeld. Also you have Doug Stanhope whose use of swearing (and also slurs) match perfectly with the macabre nature of the material

[@CybrosisEvolved]

In defense Mitch Headburg was on Herion 60% of the time and had a massive fear of speaking in front of crowds. But the Audience at the time was getting into his set. The hell, works way better because he was enjoying himself and didn't need the Symbols.

[@LiquidSpiral]

Best channel on KZbin

[@bornhuman67]

Do more on Daniel Sloss - there's something unusual about him that I think is worth exploring...

[@KenLieck]

My mentor Shelley Berman was never comfortable with the comedy scene as we know it now. He felt that it basically passed him by -- you couldn't be a low-key storyteller-based comic in a club filled with loud drunks (although we did take him down to Austin's Laff Stop in the mid-80s where he performed an unannounced short set and it went over great), but he was never an anti-profanity crusader either (given that he was friends with Lenny Bruce I suppose I shouldn't find that surprising). His feeling was that "dirty words" are absolutely fine in a comic's act, as long as they're not overused or just being used as a crutch.

[@Anthony-eg2pj]

Amazing video, loved the use of Brendan Schaub 😂

[@Garbageman28]

Punch Drunk Love is such a good movie

[@ceresuziel5089]

3 Words ''There's your card!''

[@MikesOrganicVideos]

It figures that one of the best words that contains both the hard C and K sounds, and begins with the hard F sound is considered profanity. And as such, should be used sparingly.

[@lordcrispen]

Did you sprinkle Reggie Watts loops throughout or did I just notice something similar a few times? (particularly during the 5:05 David Mitchell piece?) *edit*: I don't think it is, but if anyone is like 'wtf are you talking about?' it's at around 3 : 18 in "Reggie Watts disorients you in the most entertaining way"

[@idglet9565]

It's the key and peele theme which was made by Reggie Watts

[@altohippiegabber]

And they all have Lenny Bruce to thank for even being allowed to say F#%$ 🤐 He literally died for their sins!

[@wesleybush8646]

There are some audiences who even find some "clean" comics too much. They might not use any swear words, but still have sexual material for instance.

[@jdixon390]

Heyyyyy

[@bigol9223]

It's gotten to the point for me where fuck and cussing in general easily kills the humor more often than enhances it.

[@DrSpaceman69]

Quality over quantity 💯

[@skimpenguin]

my guy said fuck monitization ❤

[@ChillGoblin]

Comedy without swearers

[@TheLeeWhiteShow]

I'm all for supporting clean comedians..But acting like cursing is beneath comedians is some holier than thou BULLSHIT. Comedians should do what they are comfortable with and what works for them. Some are Blue and Some are not.

[@JG-zu5wc]

Full video on cussing and not mentioning Bernie Mac’s motherfucker bit? Come on man 😁

[@PaulEcosse]

Bridges is guilty of over-use imho, we had this discussion the other night and suddenly felt like I was in the body of a cranky old man whilst telling my friend this, but I think I'm right on this one. It alientates sections of the audience simply because it's not used in a clever enough way.

[@iffracem]

Meh, Much rather "suffer" through a Billy Connelly tirade of swearing than any amount of Seinfeld, with or without swearing. Each to their own I guess, but I feel we're always over analysing things, always trying to sort into neat little packages. We're human, we're all different, even the same person on a different day will accept swearing, or not, in a different way. Maybe I'm too simple, but I just gave up trying to think too much, analyse, judge or dismiss based on such innocuous things as how much swearing is happening. Especially after I turned 60. Sh1t happens, just f*cking live with it.

[@bareakon]

I think the joke construction isn't 100% of the comedian's job. If something's not *quite* landing, you can save it with the delivery, and swearing is a tool for doing that. On one hand, there's integrity to crafting a joke that stands on its own. On the other, you're an entertainer, not in a competition. If the audience laughs and you're not ruining someone's night, it doesn't matter as much that you're cheating.

[@MikesOrganicVideos]

My early Open Mic appearances have been at libraries and an Italian restaurant that caters to families. So I cannot even THINK about using the F word at these venues. Not a chance.

[@howdj]

You can say fuck on the internet though, you're not in an Italian restaurant now. You don't need to say f word

[@MikesOrganicVideos]

@@howdj I'm a parent. I use it very sparingly. It wasn't necessary.