Analyzing a Bad Set

Here is a set (and my annotations) I did recently (1/15/2012) that didn't go as planned. The audience still had a good time but my intended goal of working new material and not doing any old jokes was not met.



There is a great deal of foul language in this video, so if that offends you feel free to just read the annotations below!

Before the video starts: I was introduced as a reverend (I guess because I was wearing a suit, LIKE I ALWAYS DO) I don't like this intro (as I dislike most intros) because it sets up the audience to expect something from me. When I do sets like this I like the audience to have 0 expectations so we can just see what happens. So right off the bat I get to address that.

0:19 I say my first words to the audience, they are asking a table of talking ladies to not talk. This is in no way a good sign

0:57 I have finished talking to said table and can now start my first joke.

1:23 I am starting a new joke and I have already messed up the joke.

1:46 I end the joke to heckling from the same table of ladies

2:09 legitimately funny comeback to heckler, I enjoy this type of banter but still just 
wanted to do real jokes.

2:40 I name checked another comic (and friend) I hate doing this, but the joke is sooo new I 
had no idea how to get into it.

2:55 I legitimately thought I said good and bad, that is how I intended the line to go, but I said “good and black” which made the audience laugh, I prefer it the way it is written, as it makes sense that way.

2:59 ugh, I am dropping racial slurs. I feel like I am above this type of shock but in my desperation I resorted to the N word.

3:33 I am chastising the audience for not laughing, at a joke that needed more setup and better delievery.

3:43 There is a bar below the bar I am in and in an effort to distance myself from the hecklers and my previous bad joke, I pretend to address the below bar.

4:24 I just messed up a joke I have been telling for months, this set officially can’t get better.

4:53 minor applause as I return to original crowd.

5:04 when I ask for audience suggestions, someone yells out “Sh*tty white Texans”

5:11 A gentleman comes forward and claims to be a “Sh*tty white Texan” I now cannot succeed and am doing too much back and forth with the crowd.

6:11 the hecklers inform me I am doing fine, whatever.

6:35 I chastise a couple, because I am having a bad time. I never want to be THIS guy...

6:58 I yell at the audience for applauding an easy joke

7:15 I criticize the bar (which is a dick move on my part)

7:36 Great improvised line about Flaming Lips Alley

7:46 Heckled again

8:12 The set up for this joke is too long.

8:34 I guess I have stopped doing punchlines at this point. Great job Brandon!

8:56 Hecklers assure me I am still “doing great”

9:13 Stupid talking with stupid hecklers, this is a waste of time

9:30 I have one minute left

10:06 I also don’t normally say this when I do this joke. The joke is worse because of it.

10:29 I leave the stage to scattered applause and various compliments

Why is this a bad set? The material didn’t work. Flat out. The crowd loved my interaction with them, but that was secondary to what I was trying to accomplish. I wanted to do some new jokes and have some fun, instead I got really mean and my material suffered because of it.