How do you remember stand-up comedy? You know each joke by heart. You’ve practiced a hundred times. But still, there you are, staring at the sea of faces from the stage, with a metaphorical tumbleweed rolling through your head. Crap! You’ve got an acute case of stage fright. Stand-up comedian and Hard Knock Knocks co-founder, Ben Horowitz, knows the feeling. As …
“Why should you take an extra pair of socks when you go golfing?” “In case they get a hole in one!” A pun can lighten the moment. But used too often, you can become annoying. Mind you, that hasn’t stopped an endless supply of books being written on the subject. Often referred to as ‘dad jokes’, puns are so engrained …
There’s a new stand-up comedy venue in Melbourne, and it’s ‘south of the river’! It’s the ‘The Rubber Chicken‘, and it aims to be Australia’s first comedy hub. Those familiar with Melbourne’s comedy scene will recognise the names of comedy disruptor, Morry Morgan. Since 2016, the Morry has been helping build Melbourne’s stand-up comedy industry, first with his stand-up comedy …
The audio interview of this transcript with Gavin Sempel is available here. Morry: Comedian Gavin Sempel is one of the hardest working new comics in Australia. At the age of 18, in March 2016, Gavin Sempel began his stand up comedy career by enrolling in the very first Hard Knock Knocks course. Two years later, almost to the day, he’s …
Comedian Ben Horowitz knows Raw Comedy well – he entered three times. His first brush with the amateur competition was in 2002, and although he did pick up two footy club gigs immediately after, he got no further. “The gig was huge,” says Ben reminiscing of his first brush with fame. “There were over 500 people in the audience, and …
Australian comedian Joe White is the nice guy of stand-up comedy. Ethiopian born, Perth raised, Joe has quickly developed a loyal following, both in Australia and around the world, due to his great habits of giving before receiving, and customising his comedy sets to his specific audience. In this Hard Knock Knocks podcast episode, you’ll hear how Joe got started …
What a year we’ve had at the School of Hard Knock Knocks. In this episode, Ben Horowitz and Morry Morgan talk about the year that was, the celebrity guest comedians who taught our stand-up comedy courses across Australia, the personalities that emerged from our comedy graduates, as well as the upcoming opportunity for our “Best” graduates to perform at the …
Comedy has ups and downs, but it’s less violent than boxing.
Stand-up comedy can be terrifying. Jim Jefferies compares it to acting, stating that acting is “harder than a lot of things in life, but it’s not as hard as stand-up comedy.” If a pro like Jefferies thinks it’s tough, then you better believe it! But it doesn’t have to be all sweaty palms and tears. But building confidence in stand-up …
