Its so strange to see Ralphie come out and shoot it straightforward no bull. He's brutally honest and genuinely helpful. Thanks Ralphie. I appreciate the laughs and its great to see a new side to you. RIP.
I noticed that, too. I noted that he barely smiled. I was impressed not only with how much wisdom he had---like others have said, a lot of this could be life advice---but also how seriously he took this and his responsibility to contribute to the new comics.
The Quintessential Comedy Class. Wow, Ralphie was always hilarious and smart, but now I see what a true genius was. So much he says here, is true, analytical, strong, real, funny. Thank you for this Ralphie. This is gold, much wisdom here, for comics and non-comics alike. R.I.P. to a Legend.
You know what is incredible about this? You know from watching his comedy specials just how smart Ralphie is......but watching this video only confirms his genius. He is talking about very complicated things...without referring to any notes....He's just talking off the top of his head.
While watching this I teared up because I never realized how intelligent Ralphie May truly was. This man could have been a professor is he chose that profession. His breakdown of comedy was thoroughly refreshing. R.I.P. Professor May
Ralphie was blunt, worked tenaciously, and always kept a pursuit of improvement and excellence to his craft. He had such a generosity of heart and a zest for life. Such a legend and this valuable footage shows viewers his incredible preparation and depth of character.
That was absolutely incredible. Cool to see the no nonsense side of comedy. I think the lessons taught here can actually apply across many different career landscapes.
I just learned a lifetime of knowledge from Ralphie. You are missed and may you rest in peace. Truly my loss for never seeing him in person. Godspeed...
Ron White White served in the United States Navy. According to his own account, White joined the service at age 17 and served on the auxiliary rescue and salvage ship USS Conserver near the end of the Vietnam War. From a young age his dream was to become a comedian. *He lived in Mexico for a brief period and bought a pottery factory there before returning to the U.S. to pursue comedy.*
The beauty of this is that a great deal of his class can be translated to any endeavor you are passionate about. Being availible when others don't show, overcoming fear, failing & learning from it,appreciating what you have & the value of time & money. Pearls of wisdom, RIP Ralphie
The point he makes around 14:00 about tightening the wording of your act by eliminating unnecessary words and simplifying things is an extremely good point. I first read of this in Jay Sankey's excellent book, "Zen and the Art of Standup Comedy". That's an excellent book on standup and I highly recommend it. It's inexpensive, too.
Glad I ran across this. As a lifetime comedy fan it’s good to hear about the business and art form from one of the best comics ever. Great to hear Louie Anderson’s voice in this video. Their legend live forever
I smoke weed for Jesus, sorry but going to have to borrow that one, but full credit to you Ralphie, you were a star that burned too bright for this world
@@john_Doe6578 your a real piece of shit now i haven't heard of this man until today but really? Aka he killed himself how low of a sack of shit must one be to post that?
Epic, this was an ACTUAL masterclass. What a legend, no corny bullshit, just straight up insights, facts, and actionable information. This dude is/was a God send. RIP to the legend.
For those who don't know, the "drunk who quit comedy for pottery in Mexico" was Ron White (it became publicly known after this was filmed). And the friends who brought him back? The Blue Collar Comedy Tour.
I was young at the peak of ralphies career. I find this very interesting when compared to the modern comedy landscape we hear about from podcasts. The guy was so bright.
This is the most invaluable info I’ve probably heard in years. As someone who has stage fright, this is legendary lesson. Just got to grab the cajones, grab a mic and get this stupid sickness out of my head. I hate how my mind just shuts down. It’s humiliating and not how I feel just happens. Miss out on moments and memories hate it.
As much as I like and respect Americans I’ve never got their humour and have never come across a comedian from across the pond that has made me laugh , but then I came across this fella and wow he’s absolutely hilarious. I continually watch his stand up shows on RU-vid and he cracks me up every time, he seems a really nice fella too , shame he was taken away at such a young age . RIP Ralphie . Ps love a bit of Bill Burr too .
This is so true I did my first stand up a week ago. Meaning first time in front of people I didn't know. I was a bartender and my crowd was friends and regulars that was easy. I learned making tricks and true life stories but stangers will judge you and I was scared but said fk it is like a girl out and she said no. RIP RM I love your stand up and I did well but gained confidence.
Just from watching this, I see there was so much more to Ralphie that met the eye. He knew his stuff. I remember seeing him at a hotel i was working at at the time. I recognized him, but didn't say anything. maybe i felt like i would be bothering him, or felt it inappropriate since i worked there. Anyway, i think about that a lot now that he's gone. RIP Ralphie. Sorry i didn't say hi.
What’s interesting is it sounds like he prefers to be around non-comedians: at least partially cos he said he wants to make sure he doesn’t steal their jokes.
This man was a genius. I hang on every damn word. Cuz he was a genuine , real , awesome human! I hope one day i can be as awesome as this beautiful soul was. RIP RALPHIE MAY❤
I'm a songwriter, and just began my journey to get my songs heard by an audience about a year ago; I can relate to every minute of this. Thanks for sharing! 🐰❤️🎸🎵✨🤝✌️
Class act. Ralphie was the real deal! Sad I never got to see him live. The fact that he did this and the way he did purely shows what an amazing human being he was. RIP Big Fella❤
I still to this day can't comprehend how Ralphie came in 2nd on The OG Last Comic Standing! On his worst day, Ralphie is funnier than Dat Phan ever could be! I watched Live & threw the remote, & it still urks me to this day!
This is the best talk I’ve ever heard on stand-up. I did stand-up for over 16 years and never made it past a feature act. Why? Because I did EVERYTHING he said NOT to do! I was funny…I'm still funny, but I spent more time getting high and trying to get laid than I did on comedy. I felt I was entitled to be great because I was funny. I felt I didn’t have to do the work because a magic wand was going to make me a star. I never knew Ralphie… I am familiar with him, I knew he was great and this is an eye opening talk that still holds up in 2023. Nowadays there are a lot of different venues to work on comedy like Instagram, TikTok, RU-vid… but the bottom line is, you have to do the work. This comic Matthew Rife was a middle of the road act until he blew up on TikToK. Now he’s one of the top draws in the country. You have to do the work. I am so happy I found this video. Thank you, Ralphie May. RIP….
Has anyone heard someone as honest and open as this guy, sharing his passion? The main lesson I heard? No matter what you want to do, to be successful you have to work for it. Saddens me he's no longer with us.
I do stand up myself. Just the open mic stuff mostly, just for fun, although I have had a few paying gigs and have been known to write for some comedians. With that being said, Ralphie scolded that comics shouldn't "hang out with other comics." I disagree! To be honest, it's the other comics I ONLY feel comfortable around. It's like the same mentality as cops only hanging with cops, if that makes sense.
We learn about life, truly, through windows like these. It doesn’t matter what the subject is about, it will teach you more about life than anyone can, when someone sits down, and gives you the straight dope.
you’ll never be real unless at sometime in your life you’ve been punched in the face and bought a lunch. Ralph is here is the realest real deal you’ll ever see. Brilliant!!! And generous with his wisdom! RIP!
Anyone can appreciate this level of honesty; a real heart to heart. Learning more about comedy from this than yrs upon yrs of podcasts from so called 'comedians' who forget theyre comedians. If you can't make me laugh, or secondarily, teach me something in an hr of podcast, why am i listening to you? I feel this way with far too many podcasts/specials. But dammit, not this vid. Rip R.M.
Thank you for posting this Jander. I discovered Ralphie May after his death. I lived in Los Angeles for the same years he was there and never knew of him then. Watching this, I can see he channeled the brilliance of painful accuracy & at the same time gave us permission to laugh at what today would be insulting. We laugh at the irony of our ethnic weirdness. He reminds me how fragile life is, and how freedom of speech once gave us permission to laugh together. RIP Ralphie May.
That was a very cool video. Honesty and work ethic got Ralphie to the upper reaches of comedy. I've heard he was a nice bloke, and this seminar just proves it.
This is actually incredibly insightful. As a musician I feel like I’ve been following some of these teachings but man is this a different world from musicianship. Ive been putting in so much time and effort but I guess I still gotta do more. This journey is brutal but fuck it, it’s all I got. Thanks for the upload
I have no interest in ever becoming a comedian, but watching this is incredibly fascinating! The world lost one helluva comedian when he went to tell jokes on the other side!!
You know he says comedy baboozles but I see literary techniques. Good educated advice. Oh how the english and literary teachers loved to tell us to "cut the fat" out of our iterations and dialogue.
The wisdom here was so appreciated thank you Ralphie may may you be upon Christ and heavens stage. You legacy carrys on beyond your death that proves that you where true to the buis.
I watched Ralphie May kill in the 90s as a kid. Really cool to see him talk about the biz and the craft. I am a comic stuck in the lower realms of open mics and a gig here and there and I gotta say. This has been truly inspiring and educational. Ty for the upload and Rest in Peace Ralphie.
