Comedy Writing Tip #8: The Lazy Comic's Guide to Stealing Material Ethically

Good artists borrow, great artists steal - but smart artists do it without getting sued. Here's how: 1) **The Genre Flip** - Take a classic premise but make it yours: "A priest, a rabbi and a duck walk into a bar... turns out the duck was running the whole scam." 2) **The Modern Update** - "Why did the chicken cross the road? To avoid being canceled for cultural appropriation." 3) **The Perspective Shift** - Old joke: "Take my wife... please!" New version: "Take my wife's alimony payments... please!" 4) **The Mashup** - Combine two tired jokes: "Knock knock. Who's there? The doctor. The doctor who? Exactly - that's what I said when the bill came!" 5) **The Homage** - Steal from legends but credit them: "As George Carlin once said... (long pause)... I have no idea, I wasn't paying attention." Pro Tip: If called out, claim it's an "homage" or that "all comedy is derivative." On-Stage Line: "I write all my own material... except the good bits - those I lease with an option to buy." SOURCE: http://comedywriter.info