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Clean or Dirty? – Working “Blue”

© Vince Martin

Clean comedians - comics who don't use offensive, insulting, or dirty language in their act - are often fond of saying, "You don't have to be dirty to be funny." But there is a huge difference between telling dirty jokes that are funny and telling jokes that are funny solely because they are dirty. The shock value of using certain words on stage (none of which I shall repeat here - you can leave that to your imagination) is not, in and of itself, enough to make a quality joke.

That said, to claim or insinuate that working clean is somehow preferable or more difficult than working dirty is simply wrong. Both styles can be effective means to the same end - creating laughter and entertaining the audience. There are places, and markets, for both types of comedians; both the Howard Stern Show and IBM regularly book comedians for various purposes. Understanding where your act fits in, and choosing whether or not to use certain words, phrases, or jokes in your act, is important to your development as a comedian.

What is Clean?

There are obviously varying definitions and levels of 'clean', depending on the audience and the type of show. The basic definition of working clean is avoiding the use of swear words; it can also be enlarged to include avoiding racially insensitive comments, sexual material, or anything possibly offensive to anyone at all (which, let's face it, nowadays knocks out A LOT of material). Zanies, a well-known, excellent club in Chicago, requires guest spots to be "network TV clean," a definition which focuses on language, as opposed to content. A booker I work for in the South requires features to be G-PG clean, which precludes not only dirty words but references to drugs and sexual content.

The Value of Working Clean

There is an inherent value to working clean, even from your beginnings as a comedian. As mentioned previously, many, if not most, clubs require or prefer clean emcees. While my home club did not have such requirements, there were shows - such as special events, or shows with large groups from a church (seriously) - where I was told ahead of time to stay clean. Since you will most likely get your first significant comedy experience at the emcee level, it is important to at least have ten clean minutes, if not a focus toward working clean in general. Even when doing "guest spots" - an unpaid, one-time set, usually between the emcee and the feature - you will likely have to be clean. (The last thing the club wants is some no-name yutz who isn't even getting paid to send paying customers to the exits.)