Let's Talk About Sets! Episode 056 MORALITY – Roy Wood Jr: “It’s fun to juggle dynamite”
Dec 10, 2019
Roy Wood Jr., Daily Show correspondent and stand-up comic, shares how he researches and builds risky, perspective-driven jokes. He talks about flipping morals for laughs, pacing complex premises, turning confrontation into material, and the roadcraft of testing and organizing sets. Expect stories about courting outrage carefully and creative hacks he used to get ahead.
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Research Before You Flip The Premise
- Research deeply on a topic before you build a counterintuitive joke.
- Consume documentaries, films, and media to create a supporting shell for your thesis.
Let The Audience Chew The Premise
- If a bit asks the audience to chew, slow your delivery and give them processing time.
- Use calm setup to make the later punch land rather than sounding preachy.
Comedy As Reflective Journalism
- Roy uses comedy as journalism to reflect changing social norms and hypocrisies.
- He exposes how partial boycotts reveal discomfort with following values all the way down the chain.
