If You’re Not Recording Every Set, You’re Not Doing Comedy
Sweetheart, let’s have a moment.
If you’re stepping onstage without hitting record, you’re basically walking into SoulCycle without turning on the bike. You’re moving, sure — but nothing’s actually happening.
Recording your sets isn’t a chore. It’s self-care. It’s exfoliation for your act. It’s the nightly ritual that keeps your comedy glowing and camera-ready.
And trust me: your comedy deserves a glow-up.
With love, a wink, and a gentle hip-pop:
If you’re not recording every set, you’re not really doing comedy.
At best, you’re doing well-lit karaoke with punchlines.
Playback Never Lies — Which Is Why It’s Fabulous
Your memory lies. Your adrenaline lies. Your drunk friend telling you “You KILLED!” absolutely lies.
But playback? Playback is that one brutally honest gay best friend who tells you your shirt is ugly before you walk into the party.
And we need that friend.
When you listen back, you’ll hear:
The jokes you thought bombed (but actually got laughs you missed)
The tags you invented on the spot (you brilliant improvisational unicorn, you)
The moments you rushed because your brain was doing cartwheels
And yes, the lines you mumbled like you were ordering Starbucks underwater
It’s not judgment — it’s clarity. And clarity is hot.
Recording = Self-Love for Your Act
Let’s not pretend: the real reason comics avoid recording is because it forces us to hear our actual voices instead of the Beyoncé-in-our-head version.
But growth doesn’t happen in delusion — it happens in honesty.
(If it happened in delusion, half of West Hollywood would be on Broadway.)
Recording is how you:
Track what’s working
Keep your magical riffs
See your momentum
Celebrate your wins
And tighten the stuff that’s almost there
It’s not nitpicking. It’s nurturing.
Capture the Magic, Honey
Every comic has had that moment where they were suddenly possessed by the Ghost of Joan Rivers and delivered a tag so good the audience levitated.
And every comic has lost one of those moments forever because they “swore they’d remember it later.”
Recordings save your brilliance from your goldfish memory.
The One Button That Changes Everything
You don’t need a ring light.
You don’t need a mic pack.
You don’t need Spielberg.
You need… your phone.
And a tiny bit of discipline. Like… Pilates-level discipline, not CrossFit-level.
Walk into the venue — hit record.
Walk onstage — keep it rolling.
Walk offstage — stop, save, strut.
Do it for a week and you’ll feel the difference.
Do it for a month and you’ll hear it.
Do it for a year and you’ll have tapes so good you’ll wonder who that star is.
Spoiler: it’s you.
Don’t Just Do Comedy — Become a Comic
Recording every set isn’t harsh. It’s hopeful.
It’s a declaration that you want to grow, evolve, and get funnier faster.
And you will.
No excuses.
No disclaimers.
Just that fabulous little red button and your gorgeous ambition.
Hit record, sweetheart.
Future you is ready for their close-up.
