Paul: This absolutely encapsulates the spirit of Lobster Lobby. The slow motion truly captures the manic, frantic, and wild dancing of Your Host. The eyes, the hair, the erratic behavior all make perfect sense all working in unison to create a sense that the show is nearly a secondary thought at this point and madness washed over Your Host.
1. Blocking -Not accepting the scene.
Whether you just started Improv or a seasoned veteran the concept of "YES, AND" is one of the few constants in this medium. Blocking is when you refuse to accept the scene and characters around you. It's OK for things to change but there must be a reason behind this change. There is a (thin) line between illogical and absurd.EX:
Me: I never would have guessed the Moon could be so cold! [shivers]
Not Me: We aren't on the Moon! We're on Uranus!
Me: Oh.
Not Me: Why are you talking?! You're a cat! No, a unicorn!
Me: Damn it.
As soon as that happens it derails all momentum of the scene and it makes no sense. It shows a lack of trust in your partner and the audience can't get into the story you are trying to build. There is no rule against finding a portal to Uranus on the Moon or the Moon Wizard turning someone into a cat but it has to happen within the premise of the story you are trying to build.
2. Wimping - Refusing or holding back information.
This is an easy one to overcome and it's not too common. Every scene has to have a purpose, no matter how absurd. When your character is asked a question or when it's your turn to help build a scene you have to try and fit as much as you can into a short amount of time. Holding back information not only puts more pressure on the rest of the players but it really stalls the story you are trying to tell.
EX:
Me: Hey, Jim! I haven't seen you in forever! What are you doing here at the ER?
Not Me: I don't know.
Me: I think I twisted my ankle doing some sweet-ass karate moves.[laughs] Do you still work in the area?
Not Me: Why do you ask?
Commit to your choices, your characters, and the scenes. Don't hold back.
3. Pimping - Giving other's your ideas.
I've done this for games that include first timers or audience members who don't necessarily know how to move along the story. It should be avoided when performing with a group. Trying to control a scene alone is a sure fire way to upset the people you are performing with.
EX:
Me: This is my first-time skydiving. I feel like I'm going to throw up.
Not Me: Well, Dr. Frankestein you shouldn't worry because you have wings!
Me: Oh We ...
Not Me: You're the instructor! You should be pushing me! Ready?! Go!!
Let scenes organically happen. Accept what is being established around you and feed off of your partners.
4. Gagging - Ruining the scene with silliness.
Before there's an immediate objection, silliness is the foundation of improv. However, it needs to happen naturally in order for the audience to share the same journey you are taking them on. If you interject a random nonsense into the scene it derails everyone's train of thought and makes everyone adapt to your idea.EX:
Me: I think there is at least 12 dead outside. The zombies got most of them.
Not Me: I'm glad we're safe for now, we should probably barricade the door.
Me: Good idea. We can probably use those chairs over there.
Not Me: Maybe we can use these dead babies from my magical backpack! Ew, they smell! Farts!
Me: Sonofa ...
This is also described as "bulldozing" in some of the material I have read. It's a perfect descriptor as you crash into the scene for a little spotlight. Improv is about sharing, helping, and building a story together not one giant gag.
5. Bridging - Not getting to the point.
In most shows, you only have a finite amount of time to build a story on-the-fly with your partners. Within that period of time, you have to introduce who you are, what you are doing, a conflict, and a solution. This does not give time for a lot of superlatives. If you're an Olympic swimmer in a scene you have to skip over the stretching, swim cap adjusting, and warming up. You have to establish that you are a swimmer, you are there to swim, something is happening, and how you are going to solve it.
EX:
Me: Well, Bill what's the situation down where you are at with this Tornado Warning?
Not Me: What I've learned from going to 4 years of meteorology school is that you can't quite predict these things exactly. You have to account for air pressure and different temperatures in the air. My old roommate - who used to only drink tomato juice - used to tell me that Tornados were like a wild horse ....
Me: Is there a tornado coming or ...
Not Me: It's too soon to tell. I'm outside of this diner where I enjoyed the best slice of pie I think I've ever had ...
Imagine Grandpa Simpson and his stories. Stick to the established scene. Too much information will bore the audience. Short games especially need to have all penetration and little foreplay.
6. Narrating - Excessive Narration.
Although some games exist that require this exclusively, most games in Improv are more showing than telling. You should always refrain from saying what you are doing. It's unnatural and it will keep the audience from suspending reality. Miming your actions, reacting to the other characters, and scene can speak volumes for itself.
Me: Can you come over here and check out this fossil? It might be the biggest bone I've ever seen!
Not Me: Sure I'll just walk over these rocks and grab my canteen and I'll be there in a second!
Me: I think this is a rib-bone from a T-Rex! We are going to be so rich!
Not Me: I'll dust this off and see for myself! I'm going to open up my journal and compare it to my notes!
Speaking like this is unnatural and when you use actions instead of words, the audience pays more attention to you and the details of the scene. You can accomplish more with less.
7. Limping - Refusing to be physical.
Improv is a physical form of comedy. You have to move, adapt to a scene, interact with your partners, and (in my case) take falls. When you are in a scene you have to not only embrace it with your mind but also with your body. If you are on the back of a garbage truck, you have to hold on to the grips, deal with the wind, and the uneven road. If you are a ballroom dancer, you have to dance! Standing there in one place and merely reacting to a scene instead of being apart of it takes a lot away from your performance.
Every since I started comedy I've run across magnificent and supportive people. Andrew Young and Damian Stokes run an open mic out of the Bear Brick in Little Valley NY. Both of these guys are a huge piece of the puzzle of our local scene. Go to www.andrewwyoung.com to check out his other work!
Ian: Ugh, not the call in quiz schtick again! I don't know where I got that ridiculously large Lobster Light from. I don't know what the Lobster Light does. I do love that song though! But Your Host does raise a great question "How does a lobster go?" I am glad Paul used the "Hello" bit because I was super proud of doing that idiotic thing. And a solid edit between the irate caller and Your Host. And a wonderfully peaceful resolution.
Paul: We really wanted to put The Lobster Light on iTunes but it would have cost more money to do it than we thought. Your Host is very involved with this episode and the brilliant song. Now I have the "Looooobster Liiiiiight is shine'n on yoooooou" in my head!
Ian: Paul and I had a discussion about cold openings (not just the kind necrophiliacs go for) for this episode. I don't think I ever did provide an actual explanation, so we sorta missed the mark on that but it's a cute opening. So excited in this episode. Paul so defiantly insists on adding the Tiny Tim dub, it cracks me up. The phone call with Paul really puts me in mind f the old WPIX days and the talent/director/producer dynamic. I'm confident Paul will expound on the long and complicated history Your Host has with Kid Rock. & y'all know what, y'know what, I am a fucking funny fucking performer. This one ends on a CLIFFHANGER! DO we EVER get Kid Rock???
Paul: Ian is right, I had no idea what a cold opening was. I do have a fondness for this episode - like most of them - with the drinking to music, our strange inclusion of Kid Rock, and Tiny Tim. To this date, I have not received a copyright strike for using the Tiny Tim line like I have in previous episodes. Sadly it took until season 2 to obtain Kid Rock. Very underrated part of this episode is when Ian ignites the set on fire (again). The beer gag is very vaudvillian but brilliant.
Ian: I think this is for real my favorite episode of the season. I love the Does it Offend You, Yeah? song and the Fat Boys gag is pretty damn near perfect. And not even ashamed of how proud I still am of the timing on striking that match. I'm inclined to believe it was the first try because I know Paul would have used a botched take or two. And let's face it, tzatziki is a very funny word. I do wonder if Melody is the same person Your Host was referring to in Episode 14. I also wonder if you can get cancer from smoking Sterno fuel from a pipe.
Paul: I agree with Ian, this may be my favorite episode. At this point the show has moved towards the perfect blend of it being a show and it being a delusional stream of Your Host's consciousness. This episode was a launchpad for so many recurring jokes. The Does That Offend You, Yeah? song makes an appearance in all three seasons and Your Host dancing umprompted have both become a staple of the series. Watching this series more analytically now, I am wondering who Your Host is speaking to? He deliberatley knows the producer (Paul) and how to contact him, and it can't be a camera operator since he mentions the camera several times ...
Ian: Where did that blood come from?!?! I'm kidding, I know where it came from, but I'm so happy that I was able to just use resources I had lying around at my disposal. It was my first time living alone for two years or so and I really indulged in making messes (see the video "A Healthy Lifestyle"). The blood really works with the combat sounds, but this one is a complete assault on the senses. I absolutely love that milk music. I forget why I had a pint of milk in my fridge (some baking or something) but I'm glad I did. "Lobsters were up, very up" is one of my favorite lines from the series although the rest of that monologue sorta trails off. And then Paul saves it, Ted DiBiase style. Is it a show? Is it a store? WHAT IS HAPPENING?
HAM!
Paul: The debut of Bill DeMarcus (shrug.jpg) one of Construx's arch-rivals debuts here. Ian's brilliant improv brings out the Lobster Treaty and our enemy Bill DeMarcus. This is a landmark episode!
Ian: Oh man. Bill DeMarcus!!! What a long and storied history there is there. I never was clear if he was universally derided or just a personal nemesis of Your Host's (on par with Dad from ep 8). Why is Bill DeMarcus DEAD? This is such stream of confidence. This is probably arrogant to say, but I love the commitment in putting this show on. I love the second half of Lob Lob Ssn 1 and how dedicatedly unhinged it got. Paul put some real great edits together. These eps are the same length as a catchy pop song. The show is so weird, but the studio audience seems to love it. Before you go researching, there is no North American Lobster Treaty.
Episode 16: We had alot of questions regarding our official stance of Lobsters we answer these questions. We go over the history of Lobsters. We call out our rival Bill Demarcus and your host brings it all home!
Paul: Ian sets the set on fire! For real!
Ian: WHY IS IT A SPECIAL EDITION? This was one place where Paul's edits really saved the comedy of a forced gag. There is definitely raw footage of me trying several times to place the paper on the candle surreptitiously. There was definitely a lot of sterno gel on my fingers (that's what I put in my pipe when I smoke it) so I'm lucky and the audience is unfortunate that I did not go up in flames immediately. The letter joke is a real favorite of mine. Subtle humor, delivered straight. Love it.
Episode 15: SPECIAL EDITION! Tonight, your host reads his favorite correspondences over the passed nth years. Is there a special lobster in your life? The studio catches fire!
Paul: I love Ian's asides with the unknown people off-camera. Being half factual they come off as genuine but vague. The question, again, is the host talking to someone or is he a prisoner of the show. Being in that confined space, episode after episode in the same location, same place, having to repeat himself time and time again. Are we seeing the deconstruction of our host?
Ian: Times like this, I am basically just injecting real life into the scene. I love talking to imaginary characters. I don't think there was a specific person I was talking about, but the emotional content behind it is real. It's fun to vacillate between professional/serious and silly/manic. And the cuts in/out at the beginning and end of episodes are great, when they are behind the scenes for the whole episode then cut right as it's about to begin. That's a classic Paul joke. There's evidence here that the episodes are batch-filmed then released (in the cXnX LL universe). Interesting to get insight into Your Host's process.
Episode 14: Your host has been vocal about it, going back and forth in this silly game. Does she know? Your host doesn't think so! The music is ready! We've taken a special liberty with Lobsters but we still can read your letters.
Paul: This is one of my favorites excluding the vomit-inducing coffee cup biting. You can see that Ian is taking his character away from the traditional host model and turning him into someone who is losing control of his mind. Is the host self-aware, are these outtakes, or is the show taking this direction? Amazing.
Episode 13: Your host takes a sake bath! Bienvenue to Episode 13 of Lobster Lobby! We introduce a contest for our callers to let us know. Lobsters Lobsters Lobsters! Raaaaaaaargh!
