The Philosophy of Modern Standup Lesson 4
Watch every comedian
Lesson 4: Study every comedian.
The ones you like will be your guides.
The ones you hate will be your best teachers.
“When I walk along with two others, they may serve me as my teachers. I will select their good qualities and follow them, their bad qualities and avoid them.”
— Confucius, The Analects, Book 7, Chapter 22 (Legge translation)
To be a great author is to read every book. To be a great artist is to go to museums and take in every painting, sculpture, and engraving. To be a great poet is to be able to quote poems written by those who came before you.
And so, too, if you wish to be a great standup comedian you must do this:
