To do great radio, you have to Entertain. In its simplest form, this just means that what you say has to stand out.
Here’s the “secret formula” – two ingredients: (1) camera angles, and (2) vocabulary.
Those two things are the hammer and the chisel. They carve out of life specific shapes and descriptions that weren’t there before.
It starts with a camera angle that isn’t obvious; something that’s slightly askew or unique to you. The vocabulary brings it to full bloom. Here are ten great examples from some of the greatest comic minds in history:
George Carlin: “One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.”
Jonathan Winters: “If God had really intended man to fly, He’d have made it easier to get to the airport.”
Rodney Dangerfield: “I told my dentist ‘My teeth are going yellow.’ He told me to wear a brown tie.”
Robin Williams: “If it’s the Psychic Network, why do they need a phone number?”
Woody Allen: “Some guy hit my fender. I told him to ‘Be fruitful, and multiply’…but not in those words.”
Steve Martin: “Don’t have sex, man. It leads to kissing, and pretty soon you have to start talking to them.”
Jerry Seinfeld: “That’s the true spirit of Christmas – people being helped by people other than me.”
Louis C. K.: “I don’t stop eating when I’m full. The meal isn’t over when I’m full. It’s over when I hate myself.”
Chris Rock: “Black people dominate sports in the United States. 20 percent of the population; 90 percent of the Final Four.”
Steven Wright: “I have a paper cut from writing my suicide note. It’s a start.”
Some people think these skills can’t be taught. That, of course, isn’t true. There IS a way to cultivate these skills. Call me, and we’ll start.
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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (iPhone)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2016 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.