Hecklers

[Morgan Hearst]

What's the best/worst heckle you've got? How do you deal with hecklers? Have you ever heckled an act?

Talk now!

[Twanky]

in an attempt to 'be prepared' i thought about the things i would get heckled for/things people would say...from the obvious 'fat bastard' to the les obvious 'hippy bastard' and i wrote down and learnt some fairly funny cutdowns...all of different levels of 'fuck you!' depending on how pissed off it made me. i tend not to heckle others as i understand it takes a bitta balls to standup. still, saw someone trying to deal with a fairly obvious and shitty heckle the other night but he came over as aggressive himself so it alienated a lotta people...it's all about judging the room i think.

Twankmund Freud

[George]

still, saw someone trying to deal with a fairly obvious and shitty heckle the other night but he came over as aggressive himself so it alienated a lotta people...it's all about judging the room i think.

I noticed that, too.

There are different levels of heckling. With the smaller rooms there's quite a community spirit so people (simon ) will just join in without thinking. I'm sure I've done it before too.

I don't think I've ever been properly aggressively heckled (well not by a grown up anyhow).

[Sanchez]

First real heckle I got was probably at Bernard O'Shea's Banned Rooms in Whelans, Dublin. Wasn't over scathing, just some wise-ass comment to which I replied with an overly unscathing comment that was more aimed at gaining room sympathy and turning them (all 6 of them) against the heckler. Memory's a little hazy on this one but I think it worked. Anyway, the heckler in question apologised at the end of the evening, which is a rarity.

Begs the question, is heckling "part of the show"? Should comedians have to tolerate hecklers? Why should they? Its probably the only professional where blatant and occasional offensive disruption is seen as acceptable. Although, that being said, I have heard some ace heckles The Seinfeld episode regarding the ultimate comedian's revenge springs to mind...

[Morgan Hearst]

My favourite heckle was from a very drunk woman that shouted out:

"You're the one that's hallucinating, not me!"