This site has some great comedy writers but I'd like to get some feedback.
Do you feel it is effective to pad a routine with jokes from gag or joke books if one is writing a new routine from scratch?
Or if one follows the ebb and flow system of a monologue do you feel it is effective to use a very few old gags to pad out a routine before final edits? Thanks all. Ron

Ron There are really only 7 different syles of jokes so take an old joke give it a twist and make it your own and yes you can use some old jokes that are tried and true as well as your own...A good example is the Abbott anbd Costello Routine 'Who's On First' used by various other comedy teams but forgotten because it belonged to the A&C team....Now I have seen that routine twisted and new words added to give it a whole new approach you can do the same with a joke...good luck N Jay

I agree. I have seen numerous local magicians (and pastors) throw in old jokes into their routines and for 90% of the people they are new. Of course, eventually you'll find it easier to write your own than to look up another.

I've also noticed that many speech writer's books or joke books say, "I wish I could tell you where I first heard each of these..."

It follows too that once you discover the fun of joke writing that you will rediscover the old jokes anyway by writing many of them as if they were new... so making a study of the standard jokes, in joke files and building on them saves time and gives you shoulders to stand on. Steve Allen was one of the best... check out his books and joke files.

Ax

Thanks guys.
N Jay a tip of the John Deere hat for your twisted advice to rework the tried and true; Write Reverend Tony for reminding me that not all homilies are divinely dictated and Ax for his advice about using the old ones as shoulders for new routines.
Ron

There is a brand new TV show called Middle which aired last night. I enjoyed the show, but near the end I saw the punchline coming.

She: I'd like to hear you say I love you.
He: I told you that on the day we married. If anything changes I'll get back to you.

OLD joke, NEW comedy. Perhaps it was to establish his character.

It took me 3 days, but I finally got the Gag Reflex title! If you don't get laughs just picture your jokes simmering and realize they will get them on the way home.

Shouldn't that be "gag reflux" now that you bring it up? I have hundreds of old jokes cataloged for various topics that I recondition as my routines call for them. Nobody is talented enough to come up with completely new material every time... no matter what they tell you.

100 percent of my sermons contain recycle jokes or stories, only about 10-15 percent of my routines are truely original.

But they laugh anyway.

You can thank your dangling uvula for the gag reflex.