Weak Premise to Solid Routine

Don't skip this video!
This covers A LOT of information on taking a subject from zero to jokes.
How do you take a weak premise and turn it into a great routine? That's one of the questions I received from someone on Twitter. As a comedian and writer for nearly 30 years, I've learned that there are no bad premises, just certain premises we feel more emotionally connected to.
But as a comedy writer, if you're working on staff on a show, you'll often be hit with an assignment to write something funny about something you have zero connection to. Learning to step it out is the key. How do you step it out? Learn more about the subject, then find your angle or point of view, (this is usually your attitude about the subject).
This will also help you get from the subject to the premise.
Connect with me on other social platforms too!
www.standupcomedyclinic.com
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jokedoctor

[@alghanekar313]

Dating at 55 , the only noises coming out of the bedroom are both our hips cracking. "This isnt sex. Its was a reminder of my chiropractor appt next tuesday. "

[@munstermum4328]

......or both your bodies making popcorn instead of whoopie! Don't steal my joke, but you can borrow it! :-D At 59, I can only remember there used to be 2 sexes. awake or asleep!

[@yashdubey7356]

Sir u helped me to write something for my standup at my senior's farewell ..... Which my mom will not allow me to do ..... But maybe my next mother will 😁

[@brianpotter2812]

As an aspiring new comedian, I found this information VERY valuable. THank you!

[@OG3Maliii]

Best videos ever please do more I’m starting to rewatch them 3 times. Huh maybe I’ll just buy the course

[@Waynside]

thanks Jerry, I find myself doing a lot of what you where talking about in your video at work in front of my coworkers on the fly but I now have a quantifiable idea of what I was doing in conversation to apply actively while writing comedy. Very informative :)

[@whatthefook409]

One of your best, Jerry! Very inspirational... Keep it up!

[@AwestrikeFearofGods]

That's what SHE said.

[@LegendenFyllekjetil]

Thanks a lot for being so generous with your knowledge! Your content is filled with quality, insights and fun. You have really inspired me and Im getting your book! 0:16

[@Ben.Standup]

Thanks for the vid doc ☺️

[@laurenfinley777]

This helped a lot! I appreciate you

[@Jahnnalee]

Great video! Very informative! Thank you for creating these videos 😍🙏🏻🎤

[@ValdemarTatiano]

Great video. Thanks for give us this good information 👌🏾

[@beweslee]

Love this (and you) so much! Needed some writing help today. Premise for the moment: dating as an ER doctor

[@EddieWiedmann]

hard E R?

[@AwestrikeFearofGods]

You give your best treatment to each one, and then you never see them again.

[@gargarcomedy]

I love good premises especially houses..

[@matthewmerritt1265]

😂😂😂👏👏

[@righteouslioncomedian1069]

😂😂

[@xavimriyo2977]

😂😂😂😂

[@gargarcomedy]

@@xavimriyo2977 this is still getting me laughs 🤣🤣

[@wilsoncoronado8569]

This vid is straight 💎Jerry knows his comedy 🔥🔥🐐🐐

[@linaalvaa]

The best of the best right here

[@GloriaReyesUrKrazzyMom]

YES!!!!! I agreed 🙋🏻‍♀️💐

[@JerryCorley]

Lina Alva Thanks Lina! Good to see you again!

[@GloriaReyesUrKrazzyMom]

Thanks 🙏 The universe give you health and happiness with your family💐😘

[@TheScripflipNetwork]

peace man. They closed my local open mic night but I'm coming back at this stuff shortly though. Can't keep me away from the mic

[@livingyourlife3130]

Thanks, i knew a lot from your videos

[@salzurzolo6365]

Hi Jerry, I love your videos, getting your book soon. Here's a premise I had problems with: "getting my meat and potato eating friend to try sushi." Maybe I havent spent enough time on it, but i dont like anything I've come up with so far. -Z

[@mattystewart8]

I would laugh at that.

[@heathkitchen4315]

So I started him on beef Wellington and were gunna go from there.

[@robertkarlsson3007]

What's your attitude towards the subject, what's your friends? Is it like something else? Is he all american, no asian maybe? Analogy with cars perhaps. In Sweden asian cars in the past was called rice boilers.

[@MCLuiV]

that was tough to sit through. I still liked some of the information.

[@shadowambush711]

Yes! Thanks for uploading another video! Im only 18 but im thinking of going to open mics in my free time even though im already starting college

[@lloydjoseph1652]

Use your college experience for joke material

[@evilbetty99]

Dooooo itttttt!

[@Steve-hc4bc]

Damn! he just knows his stuff

[@nathangrima6503]

You should do a podcast

[@markpar2]

Getting the Bank to laugh while you're robbing it. Thanks for the tips,❤😊

[@jilliankennedy4236]

Jerry i need the book.... wheres the linkl

[@queengsexya8218]

Do you have the book on CD or cassette tape or on talking books

[@totechess]

I am trying to write about dating for someone who stutters and limps (my case). I already have some material but I am trying to come up with more

[@jjmiles7173]

Do you make the limp just look like a swagger strut?

[@charlesbell5500]

I got it! Make a bit where you're portraying yourself as a creepy psychopath trying to lure a woman into your house. So, you meet this attractive woman online and you text her, and she wants to go out on a date but you tell her you want to keep texting (because you want to avoid stuttering in front of her, but she's assuming you're being creepy of course). But eventually, she says that she really wants to meet you and then you accept but you text her that she should go over to your house because you think she'll get embarrassed and leave if she sees you limping into the restaurant or where ever. She tries calling you on the night but you hang up and keep texting, giving instructions to make yourself seem creepy to her. Like, approach the back door, and stuff like that. And by the way, all of the lights in your house are off because you don't want her to see you limping. Holy shit I'm laughing just writing this! And then, she works her way into the house by following your instructions, and you see her silhouette and you start limping towards her and she sees your creepy silhouette, gets scared and then she accidentally turns on the lights as she's about to escape and in the light, you see that it's not the person you saw on her profile (you could choose whatever you want, either an ugly old woman, a man, who ever.), and then YOU get scared! And you guys both run, or something like that. If you don't do that type of premise, it would be a wasted opportunity. LOL

[@macameo8841]

is a premise sorta like a setup?

[@fulcrumswacademy8892]

The wife/dating bit was good.

[@callahanwelsh]

(Anyone else living in Burbank watching this and going to Flappers Comedy Club or The HaHa Comedy Club after this?) ;)

[@gospodinivanov5447]

Jerry, question for you: Why when I make jokes with the joke-structures are not better than my "spontaneous" joke... What is wrong with me? Is there any specific *inportant* part that i miss?

[@alecMh999]

No that's how it comes dude. There's a formula and guys doing it for 20 yrs I'm sure can sit down and squeeze out some ha's. The truck for newbies is to just take ur idea to the stage record it and re write re write and rewrite. U should be looking at ur material everyday and rewriting for 15 minutes I'll be surprised when in a week the one u thought was done sprouts something new. Try to take out extra at first then start unpacking ideas...Gary Gulman on Twitter has the best page for new comics imo

[@gospodinivanov5447]

@@alecMh999 thanks

[@get8bit]

I heard a comedian the other day say he prefers to date older women. "They still got problems... but they mostly health."

[@mcdick700]

"Dating at my age is hard... ...because I sure ain't."

[@jodiarias4401]

No one liked, nor LOL'd at THIS? but they were har har haring up in these comments over "vacate the premise"....this is a crime.

[@janenothisrealname6789]

Good one! To the point

[@bonkahermitakaintjudge9228]

I get scared every time I hear about anything quantum theory stuff lol. Lately I’ve been teaching my phone how to be a comedian lol. See it prompted the lol as soon as I texted the word comedian in the last sentence. Thanks for your presentation. Always looking to improve my ability to make others laugh.

[@bonkahermitakaintjudge9228]

Thanks for your response. It shows respect for those people that watch your videos and comment. To follow up on my earlier message I hope that they never put eyes on the phone. I don’t want Siri and that voice message lady to stop talking to me. The way they say bye now they must think I’m good looking lol.

[@yohann580]

Thank's for your video ! Can you put subtitling in French, please ?

[@jackfrey47]

Dating after 55? Dinner, a movie and shopping for orthopedic condoms

[@YakJones]

I have one I need help with! I find it funny in that women that do the online dating are guarded! Yet they walk threw a cross walk like 30 construction workers and whistling at them! Bit$) look the f;&;!! uppppp!!! I do one of 3 things when I’m driving. Texting or watching porn or stalking said b&)h on line! In which none of them are paying attention to your ass in a cross walk. I just came up with this just now I had the idea Then it just came to me?!?! How was it analogy’s? I guess I answered my own question hahha thanks for all you do man!

[@anguslewis23]

OK, I'm Stuck !! Is This The "Pre" Mise Or The "Mise" Or The "Post" Mise" ???

[@Observ45er]

I like that...

[@Iksiksinski.]

Where can i get the book?

[@JerryCorley]

You can get the book here: www.standupcomedyclinic.com/breakthrough-comedy-writing-system/

[@Iksiksinski.]

@@JerryCorley thanx

[@bsdiceman]

premise is a subject and an angle or POV topic plus who what when where why how compare and contrast example dating dating who dating a friend dating a stripper dating a man dating a friend vs dating an enemy(absurd) dating where dating in new york dating in America dating when dating during the me too era dating today vs dating in the 90s dating what decriptive of dating dating sucks dating is boring dating is fun dating is funner than staying single (contrast) anthropomorphic dating a rock dating how dating poorly dating successfully dating why dating for self esteem dating for sexual connection dating, why do humans do it? (from the pov of a robot, asexual, sociologist or alien)

[@JerryCorley]

I love this! You’re a machine!

[@ChannelOfDiscord]

u guys getting funnier yet

[@Renovegas6109]

Dating as a moocher

[@Observ45er]

you have to get permission to go onto someone else's premise or they can get you for tresspassing.

[@influentia1patterns]

Growing up my dad took me on vacations. Yeah, for instance, when I was 5 years old a sherif came in and told us to vacate the premise. So we went on a camping trip for somewhere around 3-5..... years.

[@marvin1574]

Thought you were "Stone Cold" until you started talking..

[@Geppicomedy]

Gimme a hell yeah

[@JesseFragale]

Me too at first. But then he slowly gets more relaxed.

[@bumpyshow745]

He warmed up

[@huggz7543]

Alternate Title: Walter White Teaches Comedy

[@xavimriyo2977]

😂😂😂😂 talk about accuracy

[@mattystewart8]

Technology is not your friend my good man 😂

[@andrewhale313]

He should write a premise abou that

[@anguslewis23]

Do You Have To Eat A "Persimmon " To Have A Premises??? Today I Had An Erection For The First Time In Years. I Looked At It And Thought Too Myself" I Angus Will Have Footlong Angus Hot Dogs Today" !!!!!!!!!

[@lostmind8781]

I wish you could help me I'm 19 year old Somali Kenyan with both my mom and dad live in america and Europe respectively I stay here with friends and struggle a lot my mom and dad divorced each other when I was 2 and I never seen her since

[@lostmind8781]

@Holy Drug Lord🔼 I want to be a comdiam but all odds seem off , what kind of drugs will you recommend all holy drug lord

[@FUNNYMANERICWHITE]

@@lostmind8781 😆 😆

[@GloriaReyesUrKrazzyMom]

lost mind talk to me “I am Mexican!!!! Per Donald Duck

[@evilbetty99]

@@lostmind8781 do what you need to do. Do anything that helps. Dont let unsuccessful people like that guy above to lay their shit on you. Get out there and make something happen.

[@munstermum4328]

@Holy Drug Lord🔼 ...& you're the PUNCHLINE!"

[@krismer7742]

i would like the video but that would ruin it being .357

[@CD-wp8fc]

No “old man struggling to make technology work” jokes? 14:00 “Maybe he was dating because he couldn’t make the porn box work”?

[@Kenkamerman]

Dating is a topic not a premise. Dating at my age is hard is a premise. sure.

[@Owenwilsonsnose386]

Dating at 55 is like dating Jerry Corley

[@TheRightLadder]

Einstein = Mouth Cancer ²

[@nknighton70]

Back then people didn't care about cancer.

[@TheRightLadder]

@@nknighton70 They just spat blood into a handkerchief and went about their day with a hop and a skip.

[@bumpyshow745]

Thought MC² was a conservative rapper

[@wayneflake2171]

What emotion are you trying to convey? That's the take away from this viewing.

[@influentia1patterns]

If Rodney Dangerfield were a musician today.... My sheet music is a total bigot. The other day as I was playing I missed a note, I look up at the sheet music and it said “slight retard”. I said it’s 2019, watch your language. The next note was an F, I said thanks a lot, what are you my high school teacher? Plus it’s never satisfied. It said crescendo. So I said [repeat “what are you my high school teacher” louder each time]. I looked at the sheet music, it said decreshendo. I said oof, make up your mind, will you! My 2nd wife comes home, it says A flat. I said listen buddy, she’s a B cup, okay!? You kiddin me? She came home from plastic surgery one day, sheet music said Augmented C where A flat once was. My ex wife got a breast reduction she comes over to pick up the kids, my sheet music said diminished D. She once gave me confidence but now I’m diminished. I start making love to my wife it says “sad duet”. Not too kind, my sheet music... The next night my wife wouldn’t make love to me, but I can’t sleep so I go to play the piano... my sheet music says “play solo”... So I got a shredder. No more sheet music, now I play by ear. My wife and I we have a deal. Any time we perform music we get to make love with our musical partners. I haven’t played a duet with her since 1995... mostly I just perform solo piano. But what bothers me is she‘s been playing with orchestras and marching bands every night for years. It was not the best deal I ever made, let me tell you.

[@Owenwilsonsnose386]

Dating at 55 is like dating Jerry Corley