{"id":8175,"date":"2025-11-21T22:58:25","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T03:58:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/?p=8175"},"modified":"2025-11-21T22:58:25","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T03:58:25","slug":"being-influenced-vs-copying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/21\/being-influenced-vs-copying\/","title":{"rendered":"Being Influenced vs. Copying"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey Dave \u2013 I\u2019ve been working on material and continue to search for my comedy voice. Although I want to do some improvising, I want a good amount of material to work off of. Someone said I have a somewhat eccentric and iconoclastic persona and should take advantage of that. Therefore, I\u2019ve thought about using Prof. Irwin Corey and Steven Wright as influences and been writing material similar to theirs, especially since I like it. However, I\u2019m afraid I\u2019m not using them as an influence but just copying them. Is there a thin line between the 2 or just between fishing and standing there doing nothing? \u2013 JK<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Read and remember!<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Hey JK – I was fortunate to work with the late, great Prof. Irwin Corey and with Steven Wright during my years at The NYC Improv. And as I always tell the younger comics: if you don\u2019t know who those guys are, look them up. You\u2019ll learn a lot about the history of stand-up and how much past performers have shaped the headliners we see today.<\/p>\n

Both Prof. Corey and Steven Wright are incredibly smart and incredibly funny. I also know that if I ever tried to write like either one, I\u2019d be lost – completely confused. My brain actually hurts just thinking about it. But I do have some thoughts on your question, so instead of standing here doing nothing, let\u2019s go fishing for an answer\u2026<\/p>\n

Yes – there is<\/em> a line between being influenced and copying. Ideally, it should be a wide one.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As Prof. Corey would say, \u201cLet me explain\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

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Prof. Irwin Corey<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

I often compare comedy to music. I\u2019ve done this in my workshops, books, and more than a few FAQs. You can\u2019t reinvent the wheel. Someone had to hum the first tune, and someone had to make the first joke. Musicians and comedians have been building on those firsts ever since.<\/p>\n

One of my all-time favorite bands is The Rolling Stones.<\/strong> They\u2019ve influenced countless musicians for more than sixty years – yet there\u2019s still only one<\/em> Rolling Stones. But even they started by copying their heroes: Muddy Waters, Howlin\u2019 Wolf, Robert Johnson, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley\u2026 the list goes on.<\/p>\n

Did they copy? Absolutely.<\/strong><\/p>\n

They played a lot of covers early on. But that\u2019s not what made them legends. Mick Jagger found his own voice. Keith Richards found his. Together they wrote new songs inspired by what they loved – but filtered through who they<\/em> were.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly how comedians develop. They start by emulating what they like.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keith Richards isn\u2019t going to play Bach when he grew up loving Chuck Berry. And based on how you described your humor, I doubt you\u2019re going onstage with props like Carrot Top or with the kind of sharp-edged commentary Dave Chappelle is known for. You admire Corey and Wright, so of course they\u2019ll influence you – just like Chuck Berry influenced the Stones.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the big difference between comedy and music:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Steven Wright<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

The Rolling Stones can play \u201cJohnny B. Goode\u201d in concert. A comedian can\u2019t go onstage and say, \u201cHere\u2019s one from Steven Wright,\u201d and then perform his jokes.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not influence – that\u2019s theft. And yes, there are<\/em> comedians who do it. And most of us know exactly who they are. The respect level for joke thieves is somewhere below sea level.<\/p>\n

Being influenced is not the same as stealing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Creative artists build on what came before them. A Rolling Stones song might have a Chuck Berry riff or a Bo Diddley beat hiding in the background, but it\u2019s still a Stones song. Likewise, comedians can\u2019t help but be influenced by the style of humor they enjoy.<\/p>\n

Carrot Top didn\u2019t invent prop comedy. Every kid who ever held paper plates to their head and pretended to be Mickey Mouse dabbled in prop comedy. He took what he liked and built on it.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what you need to do.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You understand your comedic style. It\u2019s reminiscent of Corey and Wright, but you\u2019re not Corey and you\u2019re not Wright – and that\u2019s the point. You didn\u2019t grow up in their neighborhoods, their families, their jobs, or their lives. You have your own stories, experiences, personality, and point of view.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where your material has to come from.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t ask, \u201cWhat would Steven Wright say?\u201d Ask, \u201cWhat do I<\/em> think about this?\u201d Respect your influences, borrow the sensibility<\/em> you appreciate – but say things in your own words with your own brain.<\/p>\n