Everything But The Weed

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In A Word, YES!

Although the loud, bombastic, and foul mouth comedians have a tendency to get the the majority of publicity, it ought to be noted that clean comedians are also discovering prominence in the world of entertainment.  Their primary audience has typically been in company excursions and conventions.  However, in today’s world we can find these non-vulgar talents becoming more prevalent in “mainstream” areas such as Television and nightclubs. And of course they continue to do well in small, traditional niches such as class reunions, church groups, etc.

In truth, this development towards the mainstream has been to some degree forced by the monetary problems running rampant within the corporate world.  Many top-flight clean comedy acts have experienced the crunch of business cuts in spending for non-essential employee benefits. Employing a comedian, for example, to provide an inspirational discussion at a conference seems to be classified as non-essential by corporate executives. It’s uplifting to see these comics find new outlets for their skills.

Here are two prime examples of successful clean comedians :

Clean Comedians Example #1:  Brian Regan

Brian Regan is most likely the first name on anyone’s list of clean comedians.  He has developed an act that is absolutely killing audiences, from kids to grandparents to evangelical Christians, with nary an expletive!

It hasn’t always been that way with Regan, however.  When he began in 1981 he was known to spice up a joke by dropping an intermittent F-bomb, but ultimately he removed them from his act.
“I started thinking, ‘If you’re that close to the finish line anyway, why not just put the ball over the line?'” he says. “It seemed kind of silly to be 95 percent clean. You may as well be 100 percent clean and see what happens.”
Although his comedy can best be described as goofy–but hilarious–observational humor (“holding up a circus-funhouse mirror” to society is how he describes it), he doesn’t intentionally stay away from stepping on toes.
“I don’t want my comedy to be totally devoid of a point of view,” he says. “I’ll give them the gift of knowing I’m not going to throw any four-letter words in there and that I am not going to hit on any sexual topics. But other than that, I need to retain the right to be able to say something on-stage. I need to be able to risk bumping up against a topic here or there that might have somebody go, ‘Wow, I do not agree with that.’ That’s okay. I do not want it to become so wholesome it has no substance whatsoever.”

Clean Comedians Example #2:  Ryan Hamilton

Ryan Hamilton  is a clean comedian who was raised in Idaho. He now makes his home, and largely performs in New York City, where he has made quite a name for himself.  His forte is thoroughly clean humor, with a little Mormon flavor. This interesting twist has made him one of the best clean comedians in the business.  In fact he was not too long ago named one of Rolling Stone magazine’s ‘Five Comics to Watch’ and appeared at Montreal’s prestigious Just For Laughs festival.  Not bad for a guy who never resorts to vulgarity to get a laugh.

Hamilton says he tries to be authentic and true to himself when he performs his mix of observational, energized comedy.  “For me, it doesn’t feel like I’m changing myself as a person, or making concessions. … I talk about whatever I think is funny,” he said. “I don’t think of a (vulgar) joke and go ‘Oh, I can’t do that.’ … It just does not come up when I’m writing.”

Hamilton goes on to say that his emphasis on clean comedy is not so much a moral decision as it’s an issue of genuineness. He said he does not just wish to be clean, though. He wants to perform comedy that leaves individuals feeling more happy than when they came, as opposed to the negative, heavy mood that lingers long after a pessimistic or cynical comedian departs the stage.

“You can go to a show and chuckle a lot and come out feeling heavy because even though what the comedian is referring to might be super funny, it can still have a heavy tone,” he said. “You can cry laughing and come out of the show feeling, ‘Whew, I kind of feel sorry for that guy’s life. His life is really difficult, and boy, there are a lot of problems in the world.’ … And even though there is an important place for that in comedy, I’ve just kind of made a decision that I want people to laugh a lot and come out feeling good.”

To sum it up, He says “I want to be a good comedian who happens to be Mormon rather than ‘The Mormon Comedian.’  Amen to that!

Conclusion:

With so many nasty comics running rampant on cable, I believe we can all be thankful for comics such as Ragen and Hamilton.  It’s great to know that comedy does not have to be shocking, and that it is not necessary to be offensive in order to be humorous.

Want to read more?  Click here:  How To Do Stand UP Comedy