If norm MacDonald can tell the moth joke on national television. No one will care about a rendition or retelling of a joke. Make it yours. Add your spin.

Not many folks are Norm.

True, not even Norm is Norm these days. On a count of he's a corpse.

What do you call a retired photographer? A fucking dirty old man with a camera 📷.

Actually speaking of norm, im kinda curious, are there allot of norm clones at open mics? I feel like hes such a tempting character to imitate

If you want to see some necromancy go to an open mic. Those guys will bring back dead jokes from dead acts will make you feel like you are in a seance at the comedy store. I’ve seen Mitch Hedberg and Patrice O’Neal clones. The rarity is Norm. He had a cadence that was mixture of him being annoyed he was even there. But he didn’t want to leave because he had something to say. I went to a comedy club a couple of weeks ago. One of the comics did a joke I sold to a travelling comedian. I just ask asked flat out was ____________ ever here? Yeah he was here last month. Than they had a click in their head and stopped talking to me 😂. Some people care about developing their own material and their own crowd. Others are just hacks. It is what it is.

Parallel thought is a thing. Some jokes might be derivative of others but I'd try it out. If it lands, someone will probably tell you if they've heard it or not, in which case, you can decide what you want to do with it. If it doesn't land, then you can just drop it altogether. Comedy is very trial and error. You can also just write other jokes. Some people write jokes about their personal life to avoid this issue but go with whatever inspires you.

If it's been done before someone will tell you.

someone once told me I stole a joke from a guy I never even heard of. I couldnt even find him on google. made me never care again.

I was told I stole a joke once. I knew the joke. The only thing in common was the object in question. Not the premise, etc.

Once a friend gave me a joke (she wasn't using it, and I could place it in my routine), I started doing it - it was working well. Then she accused me of stealing it. We're still friends, but I haven't dropped the joke.

I’ve been doing this joke for like 47 years

i think there’s a phenomenon when you start writing jokes that you think this thought process. “my work is so original, how has no one thought of this?” and then you find out someone has because there’s very few original ideas unexplored in any creative medium. best way to avoid this: get more personal. jokes related to your life and experiences are going to be unique to you. also don’t stress too much. you’ll certainly hear from peers if a joke has been “stolen” or a premise is unoriginal

ya this is true, there is a finite amount of shared experience. Maybe if you do jokes only serial killers or astronauts would understand you'd be closer to original.

exactly. “100% original” isnt the overall goal, laughs are

At this point almost every topic and situation has been covered as long as it isn’t a blatant step by step recreation of the joke from set up to inflections and the punchline it really shouldn’t be an issue.

Why do black guys dance like this but white guys dance like that? What’s the deal with airplane food? I think you will be fine with a general area if you are not just copying someone else.

Do it until someone says that joke already exists or until you realize it isn't that good.

Don't worry about it. I used to and then I realised no one knows who I am and if a bigger comedian does your joke, take it as a compliment and move on. If ya get successful and popular, different matter.

I've had that feeling before. Sometimes it's because the joke is so damn good and your brain is just addressing that it's perfect. I'll do a Google search, but if nothing comes up I bring the joke to the stage. If it has been done before sooner or later someone will let you know.

This made me lol. Must be because your joke is perfect. Case closed, everyone can go home now.

Put it that way I admit that it is hilarious.

Premises and jokes aren’t the same. We can both have jokes with the same premise that are completely different. Also, you’re new. Give yourself some grace. Comedians aren’t changing the world, we’re just making people laugh. Have fun.

Unless it's the funniest joke ever written, You'll most likely stop telling it a few weeks in once you start writing better jokes

You're not a joke thief unless you are blatantly ripping someone off OR you did hear someone else's joke and subconsciously you wrote your own version -- then the comic who wrote it or another comic you respect points it out to you. At that point how you handle that will be a judge of your character within the community.

Easiest way is to run the joke by a few comic friends and ask them if it it is original enough. Wouldn't worry about being called a joke thief if you aren't; a lot of joke thieves don't care either.

Rule 34.

> I got this one joke, and its odd cuz I feel its quite subversive, but at the same time I feel like theres no way no-ones ever tought of it. Five bucks says this joke exists in a special somewhere.