Heckling at stand up

RuggieBear

Just back from Des Bishop's stand-up show at Vicar Street.

Funny for the most part but the crowd was really weird...full of people heckling...and not funny heckling either, but just making weird sounds and really unamusing comments.

Got to the point where Bishop couldn't carry on and he ended up just 'jigging' to himself or whatever while he waited for the idiots to shut up! I'd say it was his toughest gig in a while, and he even mentioned that he thought it was surreal!

What was even worse was that the warm up acts were first-timers and part of Bishop's new project to encourage 'disadvantaged' communities to try comedy as a bit of relief. One of the poor guys ended up walking off stage nearly as soon as he'd started because he could hardly get a word out!

Why do idiots like this pay money for tickets to see someone's show just to listen to their own voice all evening?!!

D-Generate

I always wonder if they go on their own or do their friend around them get embarrassed when they stand up to do an unfunny heckle.

Dave!

Gah I hate idiots like that... Booing, etc., because you don't like an act just shows how much of a scumbag you are.

nesf

Sounds sickening tbh.

I can't stand **** like that at stand up gigs.

Mimikyu

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RuggieBear

Yeah, why don't their mates tell them to shut the fcuk up?! I would!

And it was weird that they had these burly bouncers on the door but nobody came to kick the muppets out!

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

Gandalf23

I think most comics are able to handle stuff like that.

Do you think Jon Kenny, Denis Leary, Dylan Moran, etc would have done what Des Bishop did? I dont think so... they would have distroyed those idiots on the spot.

whiskeyman

What is it with us irish and heckling? I think we're one of the worst nations at it.
We all think we're bloody hilarious after a few and need to share it with everyone.... while ruining their night in the process. Mind you, I agree with Gandolf - any comedians I've seen heckled usually puts them down straight away.

Kinda reminds me of an infamous Ryan Adams (not Bryan... but born on same day... freaky!) gig.
Some heckler shouted "Play Summer of '69!!!!"
At that, and well fed up of it, Ryan asked for the houselights to be turned on, went over the the bloke and said something like "look, I think you've come to the wrong gig.... here's your money back... now f**k off!"

simu

Yeah! With lasers!

Pigman II

Heckling is all part of being a comedian. If a heckler is just going 'uhhh fu.ck off!' to the comedian then he's out of line but if he's actually saying something thats funny or true then he should be encouraged.

If a comedian can't take it and better still beat it then he shouldn't be up on stage.

simu

Pigman II wrote:

Heckling is all part of being a comedian. If a heckler is just going 'uhhh fu.ck off!' to the comedian then he's out of line but if he's actually saying something thats funny or true then he should be encouraged.

If a comedian can't take it and better still beat it then he shouldn't be up on stage.

Why is it? Says who? Comedians are supposed to make people laugh, not prove that they can get morons to shut up tbh.

RuggieBear

Gandalf23 wrote:

I think most comics are able to handle stuff like that.

Do you think Jon Kenny, Denis Leary, Dylan Moran, etc would have done what Des Bishop did? I dont think so... they would have distroyed those idiots on the spot.

He was able to keep putting them down but the idiots kept on going and he ended up just saying that he could keep going with the comebacks all night, but he'd end up with 950 pissed off punters in the audience and 5 happy goons!

Plus, it was obvious that the rest of the audience were getting really annoyed, and the atmosphere was turning more 'angry mob' than 'jolly stand-up viewers'!

Btw, I've seen Denis Leary rendered speechless when confronted with an aggressive Irish heckler!

Gandalf23

RuggieBear wrote:

He was able to keep putting them down but the idiots kept on going and he ended up just saying that he could keep going with the comebacks all night, but he'd end up with 950 pissed off punters in the audience and 5 happy goons!

I remember being at a Pat Shortt gig a few years ago... the audience was terrified to even look at him for fear he would pick them out and make a gobsh1t of them.

RuggieBear wrote:

Btw, I've seen Denis Leary rendered speechless when confronted with an aggressive Irish heckler!

Wow, now that I would like to have seen!!! What happened?

Gandalf23

simu wrote:

Why is it? Says who? Comedians are supposed to make people laugh, not prove that they can get morons to shut up tbh.

I agree, but its definately part of the job, and any comedian who cant deal with hecklers just wont survive in standup.

I do agree however that agressive idiots can ruin a comedy gig... I've seen it a few times in college.

RuggieBear

Gandalf23 wrote:

Wow, now that I would like to have seen!!! What happened?

At the olympia on his lock n load tour.....just some gob****e hurling abuse at him and leary put him down a few times but this guy kept getting the last word till leary just ignored him and continued on as if nothing had been said...suppose that's what you've got to do if people just won't quit, and that's what Bishop ended up doing at points tonight

delly

Was at his gig last Saturday and there wasn't a bit of heckling, pure class all round. I know that he's been really looking forward to having the two traveller kids on, as he talked about it last week, and has mentioned it on his site www.desbishop.com . He's pretty active in the forum and keeps his Diary section up to date, so i would imagine that he'll make a reference to these hecklers soon enough.

RuggieBear

Gandalf23 wrote:

I agree, but its definately part of the job, and any comedian who cant deal with hecklers just wont survive in standup.

True, but it was particularly mean with the newbie, especially as the audience was told beforehand that it was his first attempt and that he was part of these workshops. People just went for him in a really ****ty way....and as another guy said, this newbie was a traveller, and I bet if one of these heckling idiots met him in the street they wouldn't be so quick to slag him...it's easy to be a prick when you can hide in the dark with your mates!

Vikings

Just back from Denis Leary myself and my god was it amazing. No heckling whatsoever, I think the 8,000* people there had too much respect for the acts.

*according to Dr. Denis Leary.

Gandalf23

RuggieBear wrote:

True, but it was particularly mean with the newbie, especially as the audience was told beforehand that it was his first attempt and that he was part of these workshops. People just went for him in a really ****ty way....and as another guy said, this newbie was a traveller, and I bet if one of these heckling idiots met him in the street they wouldn't be so quick to slag him...it's easy to be a prick when you can hide in the dark with your mates!

Totally agree with you. These guys are idiots indeed... showed themselves to be true cowards tonight.

eth0_

Sounds cr*ppy alright, although did Des make no attempt to shut the hecklers up?

You at least get FUNNY hecklers in the International club.

I saw Julian Clary in the olympia a few years ago and this crazy woman sitting a few rows in front of us kept making pigeon noises throughout most of the show, at random points. Julian was actually getting pretty pissed off with it, and most of us wanted to throw her over the balcony.

I guess it's just a case of people having far too much to drink before going to a comedy gig!

ghostchant

yeah I'm just back from the denis leary gig too...dane cook was amazing - it was him that I had gone to see, and on dane's cd (his new one I think) he destroys a heckler before the heckler has a chance to really get going. God it was class

whiteboard

I was at the gig too. Hecking was bloody awful. But as Des said 5 people heckling, 995 soon goin to tell them to shut up; an thats what happened. Would agree that it was a really tough gig.

Felt sorry for the guy who froze; you could see that he was really nervous from the time he walked on. Didnt help that he was being heckled by the same knobs for being a traveller; I bet they wouldn't have gotten up on the stage and had a go themselves. :mad:

Chong

I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the Denis Leary gig last night at the point well worth the money i paid.

tba

Heckling is one of those things that happens at live shows, in stand up it can enliven the preformance. It can go both ways aswell, never get up to got to the toilet at a Billy connelly show is all I can say.

bounty

booing is comedian quality control

whiskeyman

bounty wrote:

booing is comedian quality control

perhaps for a new act you've never seen, its pretty harsh feedback, but for someone on tour like a big name, why the hell bother going if you're going to heckle in this manner? It's not as if you've no idea why they're like.
It's like going to a gig where u hate the artist and then booing because you cant stand them.... why the f**k did you pay and go in the first place and ruin it for those who like and wanted to enjoy it?

bounty

if no one ever booed, comedian standards would drop

Vikings

ghostchant wrote:

yeah I'm just back from the denis leary gig too...dane cook was amazing - it was him that I had gone to see, and on dane's cd (his new one I think) he destroys a heckler before the heckler has a chance to really get going. God it was class

Dane Cook was the highlight of the night (apart from yoko's gonna wreck the band) the goodyear line was f***ing amazing.

JackKelly

whiskeyman wrote:

It's like going to a gig where u hate the artist and then booing because you cant stand them.... why the f**k did you pay and go in the first place and ruin it for those who like and wanted to enjoy it?

On the button.

Chucky the tree

why didnt the rest of the crowd turn of the hecklers? i know if i paid a fair bit of money to see a comedian i wouldnt allow a couple of twats in the audience ruin it for me.

RuggieBear

oh they did....just the usual shusshing and shouting "STFU" but the stupid bastards just kept on

MrPinK

bounty wrote:

if no one ever booed, comedian standards would drop

Just not laughing would have the same effect.

MrJoeSoap

If it was that bad I really would have turned on the muppets doing the heckling. I don't pay €27.50 to go listen to idiots like that.

I'm going on Friday, hope it isn't too bad then.

Were the support boyez good? Don't spoil it for me though!

panda100

I think the way the comedian handles the hecklers reflects what a good comedian he/she is.Went to see des bishop last year and this year and i just think he cant do anything away from his script.The sign of a good comedian shows he can move easily fromm interacting with the crowd to telling his own jokes.Went to see jimmy carr last year in vicar street.He had hecklers all night and was well able to handle them-his show was miles better than any des bishop

MrJoeSoap

Des Bishop is normally quite good with hecklers and the audience in general, it just seems that this was an extreme case of muppets shouting for an entire show.

cooperguy

A SMALL bit of heckling at the start of a show can be funny and when the comedian slags off the hecklers thats funny too. But if the hecklers cant take a hint and shut up after that then they should be kicked out.cause they just start to piss everyone off

RuggieBear

cooperguy wrote:

A SMALL bit of heckling at the start of a show can be funny and when the comedian slags off the hecklers thats funny too. But if the hecklers cant take a hint and shut up after that then they should be kicked out.cause they just start to piss everyone off

which is exactly what occured last night.

except the silly ****ers weren't turfed out

bug

RuggieBear wrote:

which is exactly what occured last night.

except the silly ****ers weren't turfed out

such a pain.
although in fairness I wouldnt really pay to see Des Bishop. I really think he should go full time into helping communities and leave comedy alone..

went to Bill Bailey last night, great show.
There was this youngone, she wouldnt shut up. Only her and her mates got up and left I was so close to punching her in the face.


Not a word out of her the whole gig, then some random, woooh woooh woooh and some get your clothes off sh*te which wasnt funny at all especially after the tenth time she said it.

think she might have come up on something half way through. Either way... kicks to the head!

RuggieBear

bug wrote:

went to Bill Bailey last night, great show.

couldn't get tickets for B Bailey.....

Kernel

Last time I was in Vicar Street at a Tommy T gig, he got a guy in the front ****ed out by security for eating noisy crisps while Tommy was talking. haha.. legend.

angry

When I was at Ross Noble there were quite a few heckles and I thought it was a testament to how class he is that he just put them down straight away. Any time he put down a heckle he kept that put down and used it throughout the rest of the show when it was appropriate. I think he dealt with it perfectly. He's definitely one guy I would not take the mick out of for fear of the come back!

tba

bug wrote:

to Bill Bailey last night, great show.

yeah that was a good show

WE ARE THE BBC! FOLLOW US!

eyedrenalin

Best Anti-Heckle I ever heard was at kevin gildea in the gpo, galway a few years ago. This annoying bird kept droning "ginger.....ginger....ginger...." and without missing a beat he says "you know the way they say you are what you eat.... well you [spins to her and points with a manic look in his eye] must have eaten a ****ing c*nt for breakfast!" - Classic. Everybody turned and laughed and she had this really embarrassed look on her face. It was kinda like that dream where you're in school with no pants on and everybody knows!

E

Roar

I went to see Joe Rooney (Fr. Damo!) here in cork last year i think.. for some reason the gig was on at midnight, so i got hammered before hand, had another few jars during the gig too..

well to cut a long story short, i had seen him do a gig a year before and he was using all the same stuff at this gig.. so being drunk i started finishing his jokes for him in a very loud voice... he wasnt amused at all...

karlh

i'd be more worried about why anyone would go to see Des Bishop do standup!?

i'd be cringing all the way through, hecklers or not tbh.

kodute

anyone see a Bill Hicks bootleg of his show in chicago? Amazing way to deal with a heckler. He starts screaming insults from the stage, goes absolutely insane, its quite uncomfortable to watch...

Tar.Aldarion

eyedrenalin wrote:

Best Anti-Heckle I ever heard was at kevin gildea in the gpo, galway a few years ago. This annoying bird kept droning "ginger.....ginger....ginger...." and without missing a beat he says "you know the way they say you are what you eat.... well you [spins to her and points with a manic look in his eye] must have eaten a ****ing c*nt for breakfast!" - Classic. Everybody turned and laughed and she had this really embarrassed look on her face. It was kinda like that dream where you're in school with no pants on and everybody knows!

E

kevin gildea eh....with a name like that im sure he is a great guy....what!? im not biased!
we are a crazy family,us gildea's....

MrJoeSoap

Kevin Gildea is the boring priest in Father Ted afaik. Correct me if I'm wrong though!

"We ran the gas off the electricity, and the electricity off the gas, and we saved TWO HUNDRED POUNDS!"

karlh

kodute wrote:

anyone see a Bill Hicks bootleg of his show in chicago? Amazing way to deal with a heckler. He starts screaming insults from the stage, goes absolutely insane, its quite uncomfortable to watch...

that's the way to do it alright. i think if someone is annoying the comedian and annoying the people who paid to see him they should be made feel like shít which hicks did perfectly

i think it seemed all the more shocking that he was screaming it at a woman.

segadreamcast

I was at the same Des Bishop gig (Sunday night) and didn't notice any of this heckling at all. Where were you sitting RuggieBear?

BTW; the Naaaavan guy (afaik) was due to finish at that time. He wasn't forced to walk off at all.

Incidentally, you should've seen the traveller from the Des Bishop show that performed in the international on Friday night (the one whose jokes Des Biishop paraphrased on Sunday); he was brutal. Just grabbed onto the top of the stage and pretty much played to one corner of the room where his mates were sitting.