Finding Your Funny Muscle

By Mike Lukas

"The blueprint for how to be funny." - Charna Halpern, author of TRUTH IN COMEDY & ART BY COMMITTEE.

 

"Deceptively simple techniques." - Kelly Leonard, The Second City (Exec. VP, President of Theatricals), "Yes And" (co-author), "Getting to Yes, And" (host).

 

"A must-read for anyone looking to upgrade their humor game." - Peter McGraw, coauthor of The Humor Code.

________________________

 

When a joke flops…It hurts.

 

Nothing beats getting big, genuine laughs from a room full of people.

 

But when a joke doesn't land, your confidence takes a hit, and it feels like you've let everybody down.

 

Figuring out why a joke didn't work and trying again is what makes you funnier.

 

You could try grinding it out on your own, hoping you'll get lucky.

 

Or you could get serious about your sense of humor.

 

With a career spanning a quarter of a century, veteran comedian and comedy coach Mike Lukas (Tonight Show, Comedy Central, Second City, CBS Radio) strips comedy down to the bone.

 

In Finding Your Funny Muscle, Mike shows you how to "flex" your ideas into funny, original, and relatable humor that gets big laughs—and makes you memorable for the right reasons.

 

His proven blueprint includes:

- How to develop your own brand of comedy by answering just four questions.

- Five ways a 'Comedy Lens' helps you create original punchlines.

- The exact joke framework pro comics have used to build their careers.

- How to come up with A+ material—fast—using the Humor Blueprint.

- 36 Humor Heightening Devices to consistently create fresh material.

- A simple technique to avoid freezing and easily remember your 'bits'.

- All the laugh-getting tips and tactics from Mike's 24-year career as a pro comedian, improviser, and comedy coach.

 

Whether you're a fan of comedy, an aspiring joke-slinger, or a working pro with an 'itch' to make it big, Finding Your Funny Muscle reveals the hard-won truth: you can learn to be funnier.

_______________________

 

"Lukas really knows what he's talking about." - Brian Stack, Writers Guild Award Winning / Emmy Nominated writer for Conan O'Brien, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, actor, comedian.

 

"Mike Lukas is a brilliant, hyper-observant comic." - Rich Talarico, writer/producer Key & Peele, MADtv, SNL, The Tonight Show, Second City.

"This is the blueprint for how to create an act that will be 100% your own." Eddie Clark, comedian & actor (Law & Order, Exiled, Orange Is the New Black, A&E, OPTIMUM ONLINE).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Merlin Makes Publishing
• Release date: May 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9798988174127

Book preview

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What they are saying about Finding Your Funny Muscle

Not only does this book have the blueprint for how to be funny, but Mike Lukas is also going to make you laugh out loud while reading it. Whether you are an aspiring stand-up or a corporate VIP who regularly speaks in the workplace, this book lays it all out—step by step. My favorite part is the mistakes unfunny people make—it is hilarious and so true. So to all who have asked, Can you really teach someone to be funny? My answer is MIKE LUKAS CAN!!!!

—Charna Halpern cocreator of iO with Del Close; author of Truth In Comedy and Art by Committee

Mike Lukas is one of only three people with the comedic knowledge, experience, and insight to write such a book. The other two are dead.

—Dan Carlson, Chicago Comedy Festival founder, Zanies Comedy Club GM, comedian

Is Mike Lukas funny? Yes, I can vouch for that, and I’ve hired and worked with some of the funniest people in the business (including him!). In Finding Your Funny Muscle, Mike translates what has worked for him on stages across the country over decades to give readers some deceptively simple techniques to hone their craft. In the words of Steve Martin, Comedy isn’t pretty, but Mike Lukas makes it easier to understand, craft, and execute."

—Kelly Leonard, The Second City (executive VP, president of theatricals), Yes, And (coauthor), Getting to Yes, And (podcast host)

Mike Lukas is a brilliant, hyper-observant, comic; a solid stage and screen actor; a hardworking, dedicated teacher; and a goofy, welcoming friend. I’m a better writer and comedian thanks to my time studying with and laughing with Mike.

—Rich Talarico, writer/producer Key & Peele, MADtv, SNL, The Tonight Show; The Second City, Chicago alum

I’ve known the hilarious Mike Lukas for a long time, and I deeply resent him for not writing this great book years ago when I was starting out. When it comes to comedy, Lukas really knows what he’s talking about. Just don’t buy any books he writes about tragedy.

—Brian Stack, Writers Guild Award–winning

and Emmy-winning writer for Conan O’Brien; The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, actor, comedian

Having owned a comedy club for twenty-plus years, we’ve worked with many funny comedians, but Mike Lukas stands out as the funniest of them all. His wit and humor are unmatched, and he never fails to make us laugh. Mike Lukas is one of a kind, and it was a pleasure to have him work for us.

—Wiley and Jodi from Wiley’s Comedy Club in Dayton, OH

We at the Humor Research Lab typically deal with the scientific side of understanding the complexities of comedy. So it was refreshingly fun to see veteran stand-up comedian Mike Lukas tackle the difficult topic of how to become funnier. His stories are hilarious, his insider insights are enlightening, and his application of the Benign Violation Theory would pass peer review. This book is a must-read for anyone looking to upgrade their humor game.

—Peter McGraw, coauthor of The Humor Code, founder of the Humor Research Lab (HuRL)

As a young comic I was lucky enough to see Mike Lukas perform live in Chicago. Watching him on stage reminded me of watching old clips of Steve Martin—funny, silly, physical comedy—that would leave you doubled over with laughter. Being able to read how Mike breaks down his process is helpful for any comedian, whether you’re a grizzled veteran like me or someone who just wants to learn the art of being funny. Throughout the book Mike writes in a way that’s both funny and easy to understand, all the while giving you concrete examples of what he’s talking about. Get this book and throw out all your other books!

—Tom Clark (comedian from Conan, Comedy Central, and I once opened for Mike Lukas)

I really liked your book … I really like your style. Your mix of humor and professional insight seems to click with me. Well done.

—Greg S., humor writer, South Carolina

It’s good. Very good. I was surprised at how funny it is. So much great information. It digs deep. It’s written logically … and looks at stand-up comedy like a recipe, by breaking it down and showing the ingredients, when all we usually see is the finished dish. But I’m a terrible cook … so, probably not a good analogy.

—Kathy N., teacher, Second City Training Center instructor, stand-up student, Michigan

Really good book! I’m on the ADHD spectrum, so I was worried that it would feel complicated, but it was a smooth and enjoyable read! No stumbling blocks, and the many examples of applied techniques really help make it clear how to do it for yourself. Great job!

—Marla T., Texas

Copyright © 2023 by Mike Lukas

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of quotations in a book review. 

Printed in the United States of America

First printing, 2023.

ISBN: 979-8-9881741-0-3 (Hardcover)

ISBN: 979-8-2230321-0-6 (Paperback)

ISBN: 979-8-9881741-2-7 (eBook)

Cover by Jun Ares

Interior by KUHN Design Group

Cartoon Art by Milton S.

Edited by Robert Kenney

https://FunnyMuscle.com/

For MAPSL and MPL, the two who started all this silliness …

Contents

Introduction

What’s So Funny About This Muscle?

Comedy Lens

Humor Blueprint

Bit Name and Premise

The Setup

The Norm

Violating the Norm: How BLANK Is It?

Heightening Is Yes, And-ing

Bringing It All Together

Humor Blueprint Applied

Flexing Takes into Jokes

Examples

What’s Next?

A Final Thought Before Farewell…

Glossary

Four Questions About Your Comedy Lens: Further Breakdown

Thirty-Six Humor Heightening Devices

Even More Humor Blueprint Examples

My First Trip to The Tonight Show

Top Ten Mistakes Unfunny People Make

About the Author

Coming Soon

Introduction

I wrote a few children’s books.

Not on purpose.

Steven Wright, 1955–,

American comedian, actor, writer, and film producer.

A good laugh can feel better than sex on drugs in a rock-and-roll hot tub.

Know why?

Because your mind and body and mood all get a literal rise out of laughter.

Guffaws give us an emotional, physical, and energetic lift that’s cheaper than caffeine, less fattening than carbs, and 100 percent free of whatever that frothy funk is floating in rock-and-roll hot tubs.

In fact, it’s been scientifically proven (based on my one Google search) that laughter:

Enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air.

Stimulates your heart, lungs, and muscles.

Increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.

Relieves stress.

Empties your bladder (if you do it right!).

And all for free, with no hangovers or sudden weight gain.

The most hilarious people you can think of have been funny their entire lives. So, if that’s not exactly you, it makes sense that you might feel like you weren’t meant to be all that funny or weren’t meant to make other people laugh.

Wrong!

Sure, being born with a natural sense of humor helps with getting laughs, but that’s not the only route to becoming funnier. Anyone with a clear understanding of how humor works, even the most serious of people (squirrel tamers, federal workers, etc.), can learn how to create jokes that make people laugh.

That’s exactly what I’m going to teach you how to do in this book.

Why me?

Well, I’ve been funny since just before birth (once during an ultrasound, I mooned my parents). Plus, from 1990 through 2014, I toured the US as a stand-up comedian and improviser, making groups of drunk strangers laugh for money. I did packed shows from Chicago to New York to LA at bars, then clubs and theaters, on ships, and on radio and national and cable TV. I even did a yearlong run in Las Vegas.

(Tough to do all that without becoming famous, but I managed to get the job done.)

When I started to make a living at being funny, I wanted a better understanding of my natural gift so that it wouldn’t be such a mystery. I figured if I could break down how comedy works—you know, understand the nuts and bolts of what goes into creating a good laugh—then maybe I could reverse engineer the process. That way I could learn to create funny material sitting at my desk in my boxer briefs, instead of having to be fully dressed on a stage in front of a tipsy crowd to do it.

Turns out, there is a method to the madness of creating laughter.

After decades of studying and performing the craft of comedy, mostly while wearing pants, I have put together a simple but effective game plan for creating laughs.

I call it the Humor Blueprint.

It unapologetically borrows from several classic laugh-creating strategies that the pros have been using over centuries of busting guts:

Premise, setup, and punch line

Yes, and-ing

Heightening your Comedy Lens

How BLANK is it?

McGraw’sBenign Violation Theory

I didn’t invent any of those brilliant concepts—the same way Einstein didn’t invent energy or mass or light. However, just like phat Albert, I have glued it all together in a simple way to clearly explain a concept—getting laughs—that for most laypeople can seem as complex as mass/energy equivalence.

It doesn’t have to get complicated to be fun-E (equals MC2).

And you ain’t gotta be no Einstein to do it!

The humor blueprint is easy to learn and apply to your own world. It can help anyone learn how to create more laughs, especially if you think you’re the most unfunny person in the world.

Or if you’re always trying to be funny but only get groans and headshakes.

Or if you’re already sorta humorous or, maybe, a yet-to-be-famous comedian.

Absolutely anyone can use the humor blueprint to take their funny to the next level. It’s a simple-to-follow game plan for finding more humor in your world and turning it into laughs.

Okay, I’m getting the light, so I’ll wrap up this intro…

Bottom line, humor isn’t some obscure concept that only the chosen few can master.

Funny doesn’t come from a bone, either—bones are stiff and rigid, and