The Funny Muscle Podcast

Heightening Bits with Sound Effects and by Overstating the Obvious

What does a golf club sound like being thrown across the course?
We learn how Mike (@mlukas1111) made the frustrated golfer come alive with the humor heightening device sound effects.
We also introduce "overstating the obvious" (wherein you emphasize the glaringly apparent, obviously) and "made up institutions" while discussing truth in comedy. 
Chris (@econ_comic) learns how to not turn your audience away by claiming to have done something you hadn't. 
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Expanding Your Bits with These Devices: Anthropomorphize, Contrast, Cut Back To

Mike (@mlukas1111) and Chris (@econ_comic) talk about 3 more humor heightening devices in this episode: anthropomorphize, contrast, and cut back to. 
We listen to and learn about Mike’s talking alarm clock while we learn why it’s not enough to give something a voice, you must give it an attitude/opinion as well. 
We also learn how contrasts work with a bit about asking for the directions in New York vs. the Midwest. 
And we cut back to Mike’s first kiss.
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Bait and Switch, Cut Forward To, Funny Specifics (Deep Dive into Humor Heightening)

In the previous episode Mike threw a bunch of humor heightening devices at Chris’s Plane PDA bit to show how to transform a 20 second joke into a 2-3 minute bit, but they never gave a full explanation of each heightening device.
In this episode, Mike (@mlukas1111) and Chris (@econ_comic) take a deep dive into 3 specific heightening devices (bait and switch, cut forward to, and funny specifics) while dissecting a bit by Wanda Sykes and by pointing out the humor devices in the writing of David Sedaris. 
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How to Heighten Your Bits

Mike sees it all the time at open mics: a new comic does a good bit but leaves it under-developed. 
That 20 second joke could turn into 3 great minutes of material if the open mic-er would learn to use what Mike has dubbed the “humor heightening devices.”  
In this episode, Chris (@econ_comic) brings a fresh joke idea to Mike (@mlukas1111) who then runs it through the humor heightening devices to produce more and more material. 
We see techniques like anthropomorphizing, extension, exaggeration, different perspectives and bait and switch.
This episode will give you a hands-on look at the humor heightening devices in action. 
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The Humor Blueprint

Misdirection is at the heart of getting laughs.
That’s one piece of advice often overlooked by fledgling comics. 
In this episode, Mike (@mlukas1111) teaches how comics can use misdirection to their advantage.
He does so with a tool/template he’s dubbed the Humor Blueprint.
Mike teaches the Humor Blueprint, then Chris (@econ_comic) runs some famous bits through the Blueprint as practice.
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The Comedy Lens

Why is understanding your Comedy Lens a critical first step to learning how to do standup comedy?
What’s your unique take? What’s your persona? 
The comedy lens gives you a port hole through which to view the world. 
This helps in narrowing your focus when writing material. 
A clear comedy lens also increases the chances that your audience will remember you. 
The discussion concludes with some take-away homework for the listener by providing 4 questions to answer to get you started developing your own comedy lens.
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