Claudia O'Doherty, a comedy pioneer, talks about using high concepts and holograms to behave like a dickhead. They discuss the inspiration behind topics like ocean research, soil erosion, and how to make esoteria funny. They also explore the challenges of the writing process, brainstorming ideas, and creating collage-like comedy.
Claudia O'Doherty uses research, brainstorming, and note-taking to write her comedy, asking herself questions like 'What is funny?' and 'What would be fun to see?'
Claudia finds it ridiculous how stand-ups attract adoring fans while often beginning as insecure individuals seeking validation, seeing comedy as a platform to showcase idiocy
Claudia admires comedians who embrace a unique comedic style, incorporating absurdity, idiocy, and strong character work in their performances
Deep dives
Claudia O'Doherty's Approach to Writing Comedy
Claudia O'Doherty takes a unique approach to writing comedy, using a combination of research, brainstorming, and note-taking. She writes lots of bullet points and notes, often asking herself questions like 'What is funny?' and 'What would be fun to see?'. While she finds the writing process agonizing and procrastinates initially, she eventually focuses and dedicates a specific time each day to writing. Claudia also mentions that she doesn't mind the financial challenges of being a comedian, but acknowledges that she may need to explore other avenues like television to improve her financial situation in the future.
Claudia O'Doherty's Humorous Observations on Comedy
Claudia O'Doherty has a humorous perspective on the world of comedy. She finds it ridiculous, from actors pretending to be great to the perception of comedians as cool rock stars. With a sharp wit, Claudia points out the irony of stand-ups attracting adoring fans while they themselves often began as insecure individuals seeking validation. She sees comedy as a platform to showcase idiocy, and her own performances often involve intentionally bad acting and self-deprecating humor.
Claudia O'Doherty's Appreciation for Comedic Styles
Claudia O'Doherty admires comedians who excel in their craft, particularly those who embrace a unique comedic style. She mentions Tigna Tarot, Bridget Christie, Josie Long, and Nick Kroll's 'Kroll Show' as examples. Claudia finds herself drawn to comedians who incorporate absurdity, idiocy, and strong character work in their performances. While she appreciates the artistry of stand-up, she mentions that she personally gravitates more towards sketch comedy and comic characters.
Claudia O'Doherty's Comedy Style
Claudia O'Doherty's comedy style is described as being a mix of stand-up and sketch comedy. She incorporates elements of silliness and absurdity into her performances, drawing inspiration from movies like "Waiting for Guffman". Claudia's persona on stage is an exaggerated version of herself, where she portrays an idiotic and jerk-like character. She aims to embarrass herself as much as possible to create humor. While some of her jokes touch on serious topics like racism and sexism, they are presented in a lighthearted and silly manner. Although Claudia does not use improvisation in her shows, she engages with the audience to make the performance more interactive and funny.
Claudia's Goals and Future Plans
Claudia's main goal is to make a living from comedy and have it as her full-time job. She is open to opportunities in television and enjoys the process of creating videos and sketches. Claudia's experience working with a director for her performances has been limited, but she seeks feedback from trusted friends and considers their opinions valuable. She acknowledges that comedy is a constantly evolving art form, and she is willing to adapt and change her material based on audience reactions. Claudia's next 10 years in her career are focused on earning a sustainable income from comedy and venturing into opportunities that allow her to expand her creative work.
Claudia O'Doherty is a genuine comedy pioneer, who uses high concepts and holograms in order to have fun behaving like a dickhead. We talk about the inspiration behind topics like ocean research or soil erosion, and how she manages to make such esoteria properly funny, as well as why both clowns and standups are jerks.
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