Last week while I was at the Stand-Up at Candor show, Steve Hofstetter made a statement during his set that pretty much puts the whole David Letterman-Sarah Palin joke issue to rest (although Letterman’s joke hadn’t even happened yet).

In so many words, Hofstetter said that you can never be offended by live comedy or comedians, because the comedian’s intentions are pure. They simply want to make you laugh. That’s all. They are not looking for a debate or a discussion or an inquisition. Just a laugh. If you are going to be offended, be offended at the people who actually do the offensive things.

The reality is a comedian does not care about the politics of the matter. They just want the laugh. You are more than entitled not to laugh because you did not find it funny. But you cannot be offended because that is not the intent. Never is. And never will be.

Keep this in mind next time you go to a live comedy show or listen to a comedian like Letterman (he’s a stand-up comedian you know) do a bit on TV this weekend. If for some reason, you are not grasping this concept. Please don’t go see a comedy show. You’re annoying to the rest of us.

I learned some very important lessons last night at my first visit to the monthly show Stand-Up at Candor:

1. Corey Holcomb is off the charts funny. The man is a professional. I had never seen Corey live but had seen him on TV a bunch, so I knew he was great. I wasn’t sure though if he was going to hold back and work clean because the show is filmed for Hulu (more on that later). Thankfully, he stayed true to his brand of comedy and let loose. Abortion jokes, sex jokes…you name it…he brought it. His style of comedy is what I love most…dirty, honest, and he just doesn’t give a shit. To me, that’s the recipe for a great comedian.

2. When a stand-up comedy show is filmed, I don’t think you get an honest reaction from the crowd or a truly candid performance from the comedians. When the host says, “This is being filmed, we want laughter” right before the show starts, something feels a little forced. Laughter isn’t as natural. Comedians aren’t as free. I had this same feeling at the Dov Davidoff taping last week. I didn’t use to feel this way because I believe in the importance of TV for comedians. However, if you go to enough live comedy shows, you can feel the difference when it is being filmed. Maybe that’s why successful stand-up comedy on TV is tough. This is another reason why Corey’s set was so great. He didn’t care either way. Also, it gives me even more appreciation for a show like Russell Simmon’s Def Comedy Jam. I don’t think any stand-up comedy show on TV has been able to duplicate the authenticity of that show (the original version).

3. I confirmed that I enjoy watching live comedy the most in a non-entertainment industry atmosphere. I might be wrong, but I just got the feeling that the show leaned more towards a networking event than a comedy show. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just a different live comedy experience than I enjoy. I prefer the UCB/Ice House vibe. Which is more like…”Let’s make the neighborhood people laugh”.

4. All comedians should be paid if their material is on Hulu or anywhere else in which advertising revenue is being generated against their content. I will do a more in-depth post on this subject, but companies like CandorTV and Comedy Time should be paying comedians. If they aren’t…it’s a problem. I will find out.

5. Abbey Sibucao is my new favorite host of a comedy show. With all due respect to Ritchie Angeles, Karl Hess, and Matt Baetz, it’s almost impossible to compete with a hot girl and the C-Cups she brings to the table. Plus her willingness to display them is unparalleled at a comedy show. Good lord! You should have seen the dress she had on. Boobs win fellas, boobs win. I’m just being honest…I’m a man. I do, also, appreciate her passion and sincerity for live comedy, though. You could tell when she brought the comedians to the stage that she appreciated each one of them. Abbey is also the producer of the show.

This can be distracting though:

Abbey Sibucao

Shoutout to Ben Morrison, Jen Kirkman, and Steve Hofstetter for great sets.