Did Someone Say "Improv"??

Here it is...every standup's nemesis.  As any budding comic will tell you, THIS (above) is the most intimidating thing in the world--the mic and the stage.  I have a friend who is a very successful actor and voice over artist who can do any accent and any cartoon voice imaginable (he had to fill in for the Hanna Barberra legend Daws Butler in the second season of "the Jetsons"), and in fact, he was the voice of ALL of the storm troopers in the original Star Wars films.  He has starred in plays in NYC and Los Angeles, been in movies and worked on countless television shows.  In real life, he's quick with a joke, extremely entertaining and one of the funniest people you'll meet, and yet the very thought of doing a 10 minute comedy set...well he's admitted more than once to me that its "unnerving."

For a lot of people, being funny or entertaining "on the spot" without preparation and rehearsal is the "ultimate" test of comic talent.  Robin Williams was well known for his manic, off-the-cuff delivery of some of the funniest bits ever recorded on film or video. His comedy was a rare genius fueled by intelligence (he was conversant on many issues--I watched him flip from Palestinian political issues to Saving the Whales in one quick conversation), "practiced" comic genius and an incredible sense of generosity.  Robin was so quick, so lightning fast, so brilliant and entertaining that he could have easily demanded every second of screen time for himself, but he often took small roles, preferring to add "texture" to a film rather than dominate it--this is how generous he was as a man and a professional.  Those of us who knew him or met him will never forget him...

Now, WHY, do you ask, am I talking again about Robin, "comedy" and "standup" on my Smule Sing! blog?

Good question....

"Smulenesians," as the singers of the app are called, often possess more than simply the ability to sing.  Some are trained actors and performers, and others (as I mentioned in my previous blog post), well, they are "comic geniuses" in their own right.  Take, for example, my pal David who goes by the Smule tag @DaVideos. 

David is an incredibly talented singer with a magnificent and extremely well controlled high vocal singing range, and wickedly inventive funny streak about "yea" wide (please imagine my arms stretching, oh, 20-30 yards across or 18-28 meters for those of you on the metric system).  He is, like all good comedy troop leaders, supported by a "crew" of zanies that includes other incredibly talented singers such as Lou @Laudios and Jessica @JdubDav and Dory @dorygray--to name just a few.   If you need a laugh or just want to watch an entertaining video, check out David's site for some incredible performances in "costume" and "wigs" by his cast of crazies.

Recently, David has added another ingenious feature of fun to his site.  Instead of posting songs, David created two original "open calls" that he titled "Improv Classes" and invited the singers to use audio or video to join.  The scenario for the first "class" is David, a hot dog seller, and you, his partner of 15 years, discussing shocking news that he has to tell you.  The second "class" involved David playing a Smule "SUPERSTAR" and calling you, the renowned lyricist and owner of "Last Minute Lyrics" to help him write a song.

I actually took the assignment as a true test of improv and did not listen to the second class (the one I did first, actually) before hopping in and recording my "version".  I did it straight since I didn't really know what David would say, and it turned out rather well.  I did some "voice over" work when I was younger, so a bit of that training did come out, but what amazed me was David's absolute spot on timing and performance.  He had everything--from the length of the time he needed to give the other singer to talk, to well timed "uh huhs" and "umms" to make it sound as if he was actually "listening" to the other performer.  His performance was perfect, his words funny, and his setup of the sketch was impeccable.  In the end, the 14 of us who have, to date, recorded a "take" on this "improv" class only sound this funny because DAVID (like Robin Williams) was generous enough to make us look THAT good! 

In the first improv class, I agreed to do a video, as did many others. The recording was only a few minutes long, but many of us, women, told David off when given the news of what he had done.  I loved the version posted by my country singing diva and pal @Eldn who repeatedly told David, "you touch my clothes...I break your neck."  She was hysterical!  And then there was my friend, Duman @_duman_ from Kazakhstan who, with a straight face and a soft, forgiving tone in his voice, took in every absurdity and then vowed to continue to love David for the "sake of their children"!  HAHA Priceless!  Even our own lovely Anna @_AnnaK_ got snookered into trying out the improv, and she did marvelously. Anna looked concerned, forgiving, even supportive of David's big news--proving, of course, that Anna really does have the biggest heart of all of us!!

David's second "Improv" class remains on his site in case you want to give it a go.  If you would prefer to simply listen to the hysteria that is me and his friends, check out the following performers and performances.

Lou @laudios - Lou, who is David's "other brother," like me, did both Classes 1 and 2.  His second class in which he portrays both parts of a lyricist brother "team" is riotous. From the start where he announces "Last Minute Lyrics, Your Lack of Talent is Our Emergency..." to the end where he tells David that Victoria (his lady love) is their "mum" is...is...is....okay I just don't have words to describe it, but it's funny!  In the first class, Lou is a tad more demanding "send the wienies, mister," but equally as funny!

Joe @orionjoe_sos.  I recently connected again with my pal, Joe, who is a voice over artist out of Illinois with an "ohmigod" singing voice.  Little did I know, Joe is not only an incredible singer, he's hecka funny! In the first course, he bleeped himself!  I don't know where he got the bleeper, but it was insane!  In the second class, his dog begins to howl when David sings--hysterical!!  I laughed until I cried!

Jessica @JdubDav - Jess is one of David's regulars of crazies. In the first class she killed it as his "wife" and in the second, she "topped" herself in using a wine glass to demonstrate her boredom with David and then dropping her iPad on the floor (which was NOT staged...that happened by accident).  I love Jessica because she looks oh so nice and innocent, but behind those lovely eyes, is a wickedly funny gal!!!

Dory @DoryGray - I have to admit to "haunting" Dory's songs for the past year.  Her voice is so good that I cannot bring myself to ruin her site with my Muppet like vocals, so when I saw her do both of David's improvs...well, I just had to watch it.  Decked out in a sweater with stripes and a HUGE POLAR BEAR head on it, Dory plays a busy security executive in the first Improv Class.  In the second, she plays both the lyricist and then dresses again to be the girlfriend, Vicky. Her ending was PERFECT in the second improv class...absolutely PERFECT!

Last but not least, my pal Linda @SmoogieMystik outdid herself in two performances on the second improv lesson.  She was first a "wrong number" followed by a very sultry sounding "Vicky"!  In the second version, she plays it more conventionally, but nonetheless, funny!!

I'm just highlighting a few performances on David's site, but, truth be told, they're all really really good performances, so check them out!! 

David has promised to unveil yet ANOTHER inventive OC sometime soon.  So check his site for the latest at @DaVideos!  Thank you, David, for sharing your inventive, creative genius talent with all of us!  We love ya big guy!!

Singers Mentioned Here:

David @DaVideos is our wonderfully wild and crazy comic genius here on Smule.  His Improv Classes are a huge hit, and you can find them on his site.  Feeling bold?  Join one!

Lou @Laudios is all kinds of crazy talented as a singer, a comedian and a man of business! You gotta love his style, his voice and his incredible Smule personality!  Lou hails from Australila, the only continent big enough to accommodate his largess!!

@eldn is my country singing, gal pal, who obviously has undiscovered comic talents to share.  Her improv recordings are the stuff of legends!  But I gotta warn you, you touch her stuff, she's gonna "break your neck"  HAHAH!!!

Dory @DoryGray what can I say except this gal is SOOO talented and SOOO special (she knows exactly HOW I'm saying that bit too) that you have to hear her sing and hear her comedy bits to really appreciate her talent! She is amazing!

Jessica @JDubDav is another of David's "crew" and she is wonderfully talented with a lilting voice, an impressive high tone, and the most uplifting performances on Smule!  I just loves her!!

Duman @_Duman_ is, as previously mentioned, from Kazakhstan and sort of a zany guy to begin with. He and I have sung duets at train platforms, in front of ATM machines, and recorded a "morning voice" on one song.  Recently, he ran the lyrics of a song through Google translate and then translated it back again for everyone to sing.  What resulted was, well, CRAZY!  Look him up...he's an incredible singer.

Joe @orionjoe_sos is my pal Joe from Illinois. He has a crazy good voice, and a tremendous tone that "fills" the room with smooth vocal goodness.  He is also naughty and wickedly funny, so listen to him and join him.  I am so thrilled to reconnect with Joe on this app!!

Anna @_AnnaK_ is one of MY crew members!  She is so funny and so entertaining both when she sings and when she laughs that it's hard not to completely and totally fall in love with her!  Anna is a member of the "42s" (Musical Theatre Singers) so you know she has a fantastic voice

Linda @smoogiemystik Last but not least is my comedian in training, Linda.  Linda has been stretching herself both vocally and comically as a performer here on Smule.  You can find some of fantastic songs and her signature sound on her site, as well as some funny joke songs that she posts from time to time.

Me?? I'm @pokeypal here on Smule and I'm Grace from San Jose in real life.  Join me and my crazy friends above for some really cool times here on Smule Sing!  I love these nutcases!!!