Writing For A Roast - Chronicles of a Comic 008

You have to be a little crazy to want to be in a roast, but you have to be clever if you want to win it. Next week I'm doing a Roast Battle. Roasting is fun and you have to be able to laugh at yourself... and be prepared for anything. Unlike these two guys in this video.

What is a roast battle?

Much like the roasts you see on Comedy Central, but here the comics face of two at a time and go back and forth telling jokes.  8 comics go head to head in single elimination rounds until a champion is crowned. Each comic gets four jokes per round. The audience picks the winner each round.

In the Roast Battle, I could literally face any of the other comics, so I have to write accordingly. I have to have jokes for every single person on stage... and a few for the host for good measure.

Winning a Roast Battle comes down to preparation. You have to write before hand. It is not something you want to just try and wing on stage.

When it comes to writing roast jokes, here is what I do.

If I know the guy well, I just start writing. I pick things about that person and just start finding things to say. If I don't know the person I try and do a little research. Go to Facebook and see what their "real" job is and look through their pictures. I make a little word list and then write off of that.

When writing roast jokes, you want to use popular references but in different ways. Misdirection is a good technique as well. I try to find one thing and just magnify it. 

For example, I'm battling one guy that has a full beard like James Harden and he has slightly large teeth and smiles all the time. I take those characteristics and then exploit them. Here are two jokes I'm working on for him...

• This comic’s teeth are bigger than Rhianna’s forehead.   
• This comic looks like MoNique and James Harden had a kid.  

Now when I do roast jokes, I come prepared. I consider this a friendly battle, and making fun of each other is part of the game. BUT... if someone gets personal or really tries to be mean... then I'm ready for that. I don't get my feeling hurt... ever. But if someone tries, then I'm going to fire back as well...

Sometimes I take jokes I have already written and just add a very hurtful or mean tag. I could take a joke from above and add a single line at the end and make it mean. I don't like saying mean things, but if a comic goes after me... I'll be ready.

Roasting is just about having fun, and being able to laugh at ourselves. It is a great way to push your comedy writing and it keeps things fresh for the audience. 

Make sure you check back next week to see the video of the roast battle. If you want to see recent open mic performances... check these out.

Hosting Open Mic And Things Got Dirty Pretty Quick

Trying New Jokes While Hosting Open Mic

Thank you for reading and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.