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Bill Murray on Comedy and Leadership: "You've Gotta Be Completely Unafraid to Die"

In the current edition of Esquire, Bill Murray comments on how to create comedy from his training at Second City in Chicago.  Notice how this can apply to leadership as well...

(You gotta) commit.  Like: "Don't walk out there with one hand in your pocket unless there's somethin' in there you're going to bring out."

You gotta commit. You've gotta go out there and improvise and you've gotta be completely unafraid to die. You've got to be able to take a chance to die. And you have to die lots. You have to die all the time.

You're goin' out there with just a whisper of an idea. The fear will make you clench up. That's the fear of dying. When you start and the first few lines don't grab and people are going like, "What's this? I'm not laughing and I'm not interested," then you just put your arms out like this and open way up and that allows your stuff to go out. Otherwise it's just stuck inside you.

The #1 Rule of Improv-Comedy

The first rule of improvisation is AGREE.  Always agree and SAY YES.  When you're improvising, this means you are required to agree with whatever your partner has created. 

So if we're improvising and I say, "Freeze, I have a gun," and you say, "That's not a gun.  It's your finger.  You're pointing your finger at me," our improvised scene has ground to a halt.

But if I say, "Freeze, I have a gun!" and you say, "The gun I gave you for Christmas!  You bastard!" then we have started a scene because we have AGREED that my finger is in fact a Christmas gun.

Now, obviously in real life you're not always going to agree with everything everyone says.  But the Rule of Agreement reminds you to "respect what your partner has created" and to at least start from an open-minded place. 

Start with a YES and see where it takes you. 

As an improviser, I always find it jarring when I meet someone in real life whose first answer is no. 

"No, we can't do that." 

"No, that's not in the budget." 

"No, I will not hold your hand for a dollar." 

What kind of way is that to live?

- TINA FEY

 

More Rules of Improv and How to Use Them in Church Leadership

 

Two things come to mind when I think of Van Halen:

1. Right Now
   
   
2. Crystal Pepsi

The lyrics to Right Now are great for both comedians and leaders:

Don't wanna wait 'til tomorrow
Why put it off another day?
One more walk through your problems,
Built up and stand in our way.

When you are improvising comedy in front of a live audience, you don't have the luxury of slowing things down, chewing it over, and thinking about what comes next.

There's only Right Now.

Del Close, one of the earliest improvisers at Chicago's Second City, was always pushing young comedians to make a choice.  Right Now.  One of my favorite quotes from Del is:

"Fall, then figure out what to do on the way down."

This is a fantastic principle for church leaders.  No, I'm not talking about using the Right Now principle for firing people up to reach the lost.  I'm talking about making a choice as a leader.

Church boards are more notorious than Biggie Smalls (yes, that's a 1990's rapper reference - go Google it!) for putting decisions off: "Let's pray about it and come back to it next month."  Listen, you don't have to pray about what God has already declared!!

Time after time I've seen Kingdom-sized opportunities choked out by timidity.  The Bible is clear: you don't have tomorrow guaranteed to you.  Just Right Now. 

So as leaders, pull up your big boy pants, swallow back the fear, and make a decision!  Right Now!

Improv*ing Leadership: Read Widely

When I was studying improv-comedy at The Second City in Chicago during the 90's, I can remember exactly who was on the mainstage:  actors like Scott Adsit (30 Rock), Kevin Dorff (writer for Tonight Show), and Tina Fey (SNL, 30 Rock). 

I looked up to them - night after night they were consistently working "from the top of their intelligence" as they say in the improv community, not going for the dumb sex jokes.

At the time I was reading Gilda Radner's autobiography, "It's Always Something," hoping to glean some wisdom from her life story.  I was reading in the lobby during a mainstage rehearsal for Paradigm Lost.  Suddenly it was break time and out poured all the comedians - as a college student, I was in awe.

Tina looked over and saw what I was reading and volunteered, "Wow, that's a great book.  It's such a sad story what happened to Gilda."  Honestly, I didn't really hear everything she said; I just thought it was cool that one of the actors was talking to me!

Then Kevin piped up from behind his cigarette: "If you want to succeed in improv, buddy, you need to give up reading autobiographies of comedians.  Instead read a breadth of history and current events.  Be ready for any suggestion the audience throws at ya, 'cause you won't have time to ask someone on stage in the heat of the moment, "What was the War of the Roses?

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It was said in the late 1990's to aspiring comedians across the country, "If you want to see the best improv actor who performs from the top of his intelligence, go to Chicago and watch Scott Adsit." 

I had the rare opportunity over the course of 18 months to observe Adsit in action nightly.  What made him so funny and quick-witted wasn't a storage of jokes, but instead that he read widely. 

Adsit was always devouring a newspaper, magazine, or novel.  He worked hard at possessing a breadth of knowledge.

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Going back to the break time in the lobby, Kevin Dorff went on to explain to me from behind his cigarette:  "Read history.  Always be learning about areas you're not interested in so that you're ready for anything on stage.  Grab the book 'An Incomplete Education' and memorize it."

And that's exactly the book this poor college kid asked for as a gift that Christmas.

Too often in Christian leadership we become short-sighted and don't stretch ourselves.  We just read stuff that validates our opinions.

Beware Information Cocoons; Read Widely.  I always want to maintain a posture of learning outside my scope of ministry. 

When we Read Widely, we work from a vast pool of resources - we work from the top of our intelligence.

When we Read Widely, we can make faster decisions on the spot.

And when we Read Widely, we know what the War of the Roses was all about.

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Improv*ing Leadership: Simplicity

Creating comedy isn't complex.  It's about simplicity.

Don't over-think it (that will paralyze you).

Just go with it.  The fun is always on the other side of Yes.

The Second City doesn't have a huge stage with props and elaborate staging.

Its been pretty bare for 50 years of comedy.

Just three chairs and actors.

 

Last week, the always-awesome Stephen Brewster left a comment here. 

He's a great guy who serves as a creative arts pastor.

Is his blog elaborate and complex?  No.  It's simple.

Creative leadership doesn't have to be fancy when simple will do. 

Improv is not anti-sophistication.

It just teaches that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

 

 

Improv*ing Leadership: Underpromise + Overdeliver

Hype that lives up to the hype is GREAT.  It builds a reputation and momentum.

But when you promise something great yet deliver a subpar product,
that stains your credibility and empties seats.

This happens a LOT in leadership circles and within church world.

A fundamental principle from improvisational-comedy is to Underpromise and Overdeliver.

In this classic 1995 scene from The Second City
featuring Adam McKay (SNL) and Scott Adsit (30 Rock), the premise is underpromised: a mundane job review.

 

No hype.  No huge promises about what the audience is to expect. 
Just a simple underpromise: this is a routine, run-of-the-mill job review.

Because the audience isn't expecting to have their minds blown,
the elements of surprise, discovery, and delight are in motion.

As the scene progresses, you see two skilled improvisers heighten the run-of-the-mill into the extraordinary.  In short, they overdeliver.

That's where the comedy is coming from:
the surprise overdelivery engages people's minds and takes them to a new place.  The laughter and applause is an acknowledgement that the improvisers wisely underpromised and overdelivered.

Which generates buzz and interest,
resulting in more people eventually experiencing the product.

Overpromise + Underdeliver = Reputation Stainer + Momentum Killer.

Underpromise + Overdeliver = Spontaneous Buzz + Authentic Growth.

Improv*ing Leadership: Just Do It

When you are creating comedy on-the-spot without a script, you don't have time to pause, think about things, wish you had more props to play with, or think deeply about what your next line will be.

Because the spotlight is hot, the audience is waiting, and crickets are death to comedians.

In improv-comedy, you Just Do It.  Take a risk.  Jump.  Fail harder.

When I was studying comedy at Second City, a documentary crew caught up with the current mainstage actors.  When the comedians asked for an audience suggestion and "Driver's Ed" was yelled back, they had to spring into action and just do it. 

No time for an actual car to sit in - just do it:

This same principle applies to leadership. 

Sometimes you don't have the car on-hand; you gotta lead forward and just do it. 

Paralysis kills forward movement.  Nobody is inspired by hand-wringing.

Don't stick your toe into the water... Cannonball!

Because that's where the fun and the magic is.

Now when I say comedian, what's one of the first images that pops in your noggin'? 

That's right - being a "star."  Famous.  Applauded.  Spotlight.

The thing is, there is no single spotlight when you're acting on-stage without a script.  Everybody's in the hot seat together.  And whether or not you support one another makes the escalator go up or down.

 

There's a famous story about the early days of The Second City.  Joan Rivers was on-stage and asked for an audience suggestion for a scene.  When "Marriage" was shouted back, Joan's fellow actor initiated the scene by saying, "Sweetheart, I love you so much." The reality created was that they were a married couple.  Rivers replied, "Who are you?!  I don't know you!" 

Rivers' cheap laugh set up her partner - and the scene - for failure.  She destroyed more than future possibilities in the scene; Rivers ripped apart trust between the partners.

 

During my time at Second City, I remember this salty-language scene improvised by Rachel Dratch (SNL) and Tina Fey (30 Rock).  Birthed without a script, Tina & Rachel brilliantly supported one another to create comedy genius.

You see, when you're out there on the edge, your instinct is to save yourself first.

But the rules of comedy teach you to save others first.

When you support your partner first, you build community and trust.

Community and trust create an environment for creativity and taking chances together.

Creativity & taking chances together leads to revolutionary change.

Revolutionary change is the goal of every great leader.

When you're moving forward without a roadmap, it always helps to make a bold choice!

When an improviser approaches the 2 empty chairs and bare stage to begin a scene from scratch, he must initiate with a bold choice.  If it's wimpy and neutered, nothing is ignited. 

What's true for improvisational-comedy is true for leadership: Nobody is inspired by mediocrity.

Here's a great example: Rich Talarico interrupts an ordinary scene by making the bold choice of being a bear. 
If he had walked in non-chalantly and normal, we would have missed out on the ensuing chaos (and comedy gold).

Whether you're leading a church start-up or leading off an improve scene, the people around you are following your lead.  Your people will only be as passionate as you are.

So make a bold choice. 
Bold conviction leads to construction. 
And if the potential choice makes you perspire, let it rip and inspire!

Everytime I look at heroes in the Bible, I see leaders with an "out there on the edge live or die" commitment to leadership.  Nobody ever changed the world by playing it safe!! 

As one of my Second City teachers once told me, "You have to make a choice.  Might as well make it bold."

Being a child of the 80's, I wasn't introduced to The Monkees until they appeared in 1986 on Disney World's 15th Anniversary tv special (I had tuned in to watch Emmanuel Lewis tap-dancing in front of Cinderella's Castle).  The bits with Micky, Davy, and Peter grabbed my imagination.  I taped it on our VCR and wore out that poor VHS tape watching it over and over again.  At recess during school, all my buddies would pretend to be The Monkees (I was always Micky). 

The Monkees popped back onto my radar in 1987 via Nickelodeon's must-see, not-quite-MTV-but-safe-for-elementary-eyes, Nick Rocks (right after Danger Mouse and before You Can't Do That on Television).  I was hooked, Heart and Soul.

In 1996, I took Amber on a romantic date to see The Monkees on tour (click my above left pic to see Davy Jones' mad tambourine skills).  It was a blast.  Well, for me it was a blast.  I think Amber was just tolerating my harmless little musical obsession.

In 1999, I took my Mom on a date to see Davy Jones do a solo gig on the riverboats in Davenport, Iowa (click my pic on the right).   Again, blast was had by all.

We followed that up with a 2001 Monkees concert in Cleveland, Ohio and a 2006 summer festival solo concert from Micky Dolenz in Akron:

So, to say I'm a Monkees fan is an understatement.  In a sense, they changed my life.  Sorta.

You see, they influenced me in 3 key ways:

1. With the exception of Martin & Lewis in 1950, The Monkees were the first to create television music and comedy through improvisation.  Yes, they had a script, but 1960's NBC was sharp and edgy enough to air the improvised bits created on the fly by the boys.  The Monkees were trained in improv-comedy by Second City vets, which led me to study there also during my college years.
2. The theme of the tv series was that they were Perpetual Underdogs.  They never got their big break on the tv show, just shlepping from one gig to another (along with the occasional haunted mansion).  Perseverance while keeping your sense of humor were the keys to the on-screen band.  And guess what - it's true for real-world creatives also.
3. The Monkees always had second chances.  Their 1987 reunion was the highest-grossing concert tour in the world, their 1996 reunion album received great reviews, and their 2011 reunion tour featured rave reviews from Rolling Stone Magazine.  Even though they were always getting written-off by critics, The Monkees would manage to reinvent themselves over the years and keep the magic rolling.

Davy Jones' passing is a bummer, but also an opportunity to reflect back.  It's a reminder of childhood innocence, bubblegum pop, and how little influences add up in one's life.

So cheer up, Sleepy Jean.  The Monkees sure did leave a mark on many a Daydream Believer.