Looking sleek, smart, and suave, John Mulaney enters the stage, picks up his microphone, and beings to deliver his comedic masterpiece. John Mulaney is a prominent comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for his array of original stand-up comedy bits, and his talent shows no limits as he continues to amuse society through his infectious humor.
John Mulaney was born into an Irish-Catholic family in Chicago, Illinois. He attended St. Ignatius College Prep for high school and attended his parent’s alma mater, Georgetown University. After college, he moved out to New York City to pursue his career as a comedian. Comedians in general are certainly creative. It takes specific types of jokes, an ability to relate to the audience, and flawless delivery to please a crowd. However, John Mulaney naturally incorporates an aspect into his stand-up shows that most comedians do not: intelligence. John Mulaney’s intellect helps perfect his sharp-witted jokes and aids him in connecting with his audience.
Mulaney is undoubtedly intelligent; this is seen through his acceptance into top tier schools, the earning of his English and Literature degree, and his passion for political activity. However John Mulaney’s talent is not formed independently in each area. Rather, it is formed through his ability to effortlessly combine these domains. Through this process, comedy is created. This skill is seen throughout his various jobs, inspirations, and original shows.
After moving to New York city, Mulaney auditioned for Saturday Night Live and was offered a position as a writer. Mulaney utilized his strong writing background to organize many amusing skits and sketches. He also helped tweak Tina Fey’s impression of Sarah Palin, which he was able to do through his attentive observations in politics. Mulaney combined his natural satirical humor with his views on current events to make light of political situations and other prominent issues in society. His creativity did not go unnoticed, and he eventually went on to create and perform his own stand-up shows: The Comeback Kid, New in Town, and Kid Gorgeous.
John Mulaney has a very notable presentation. The comedian always dresses in a fully ironed three piece suit, perfectly gels his hair, and remains in good posture throughout his entire performance. These physical traits align perfectly with Mulaney’s pure and carefully constructed jokes. Mulaney engages in rich storytelling from his past and wisely articulates these tales with wisdom and wit.
However, John Mulaney’s sleek delivery of jokes was not as smooth as they are today. In fact, Mulaney specifically touches on a situation in which his delivery tactics were completely altered. Mulaney was performing at the Stress Factory in New Jersey, and after delivering a repeatedly rehearsed joke, was met with complete silence from the crowd.
The comedy club manager confronted him after his bit, advising him to make his jokes more concise. Mulaney boldly returned to the Stress Factory the following night and performed with brevity, consequently receiving significantly more praise. He developed this technique out of failure and trial and error. He applied the constructive criticism from both his manager and the crowd to his next performance, which eventually helped develop the ingenious style of his jokes and trademark polished presentation. This failure has served to bring him success in his comedic endeavors.
https://www.vulture.com/2018/05/john-mulaney-became-the-best-joke-writer-of-a-generation.html
https://peoplepill.com/people/john-mulaney/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/30/arts/television/john-mulaney-kid-gorgeous.html
John Mulaney is actually from the area I grew up, and some of my friend's relatives went to school with him (even the party he talks about in one of his bits). People form the southwest side have a different perspective on his bits because they relate to them/probably experienced something similar. Since everyone I know raves about him, I would have never thought there was a time he wasn't considered as funny as he is now. I think it's really interesting that he was able to become better from his failures. One of the things that makes people funny is their ability to deliver with confidence, and it seems like this is what Mulaney gained from returning to the room where he originally failed.
ReplyDeleteJohn Mulaney is one of my favorite comedians of all time! As an Irish-catholic, I think his jokes are dead on. They are SO CREATIVE and absolutely hysterical! He isn't afraid to make fun of himself and show his failures to the world, which is so refreshing. His comedy shows are well put together and light hearted, but I think his delivery is what sets him apart from other comedians. When you go to his show you can tell just how much time and effort he put into making every joke seamless. This was a great blog post! John Mulaney is the perfect example of a creator of our time. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI love John Mulaney. In particular, his children's musical comedy "John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch" is one of my absolute favorites. As an aspiring pediatrician, I feel a special awe for children and the ways in which they view the world. Children are so special in the ways they process experiences and oftentimes, this innocence is shattered in adulthood. In the show, Mulaney and the kids tackle complex, existential problems through song, skits, and nostalgic guest appearances, making the show suitable for audiences of all ages. Mulaney was inspired to do the show when he noted how adults talk down to children. In an interview, he said "'When I see people interact with kids, I was always like, 'Why are you talking down to them? Why are you crouching on the floor talking in a high voice?' I don’t recall needing that as a kid.'" Upon this revelation, Mulaney was inspired to incorporate his intelligent content into digestible, genuine material for kids. He didn't water things down or dumb down his jokes, illuminating how comedians are extraordinarily intelligent. His ability to make relatable content for all ages shows how his creativity is so complex, yet simple that it can be enjoyed by everyone.
ReplyDeleteJohn Mulaney is my absolute favorite comedian. I knew most of his background but was not aware of his experience in New Jersey and that is so important to the development of his comedy as we know it today. I love all of his stand up specials and I'm a HUGE fan of "Oh Hello" which he performed with Nick Kroll. I think that (somewhat strange) approach to comedy was so unique and enjoyable. I loved reading this post and always enjoy finding other John Mulaney fans!
ReplyDeleteJohn Mulaney is my favorite comedian. I remember seeing his first set before Netflix even came out! I fell in love with his dry yet witty sense of humor. I know in one of his sets he mentions that he majored in English and made a comedic bit about how useless it was, but it was so eloquently written that it seemed to pay off! I think its funny to see so many creatives get traditional training and then rebel against it in some way, even though they use the skills they acquired while they were undergoing the training. Instead of taking any conventional route under the English major field (whatever that may be), John Mulaney took a risk and became a comedian. Thank you for sharing this post!
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