Dirty Window Theory & Stand-Up Comedy

Why Embracing Your Mess-Ups Is Key (Comedy Mindhacks #83)

I was scrolling Facebook some time ago and came across a post that caught my attention. At the top it said: The “Dirty Window Theory”: Why Clean Views Don’t Always Sell. I don’t know why, but it piqued my interest; so, I kept reading. The post went on to recount a story that went as follows.

In the 1990s, a small real estate office in Chicago couldn’t move a single high-rise unit. Perfect location. Great amenities. But months passed and every showing ended the same way: nothing. They added better photos, new staging, and lowered the price. Still, nothing. Then one day, a janitor pointed at the lobby windows and
said, “Maybe people can’t see what’s inside because the glass is too clean.” Everyone laughed until he explained. He said, “When windows are spotless, they reflect the outside world like a mirror. From the street, it looks dark inside, like nothing’s going on.” So, he took a rag, rubbed a little streak across the glass, and let the light hit it differently. Suddenly, people walking by could see movement inside from agents and clients. There was energy. Within a week, foot-traffic doubled. Within a month, sales took off.

The Lesson: Sometimes perfection hides the proof. But the human eye doesn’t trust perfection, it trusts evidence of life. That’s why restaurants with a little noise feel more alive, coaches who admit mistakes feel more relatable., and brands that show behind-the-scenes build more connection than those that only show highlight reels. If you remove all the fingerprints from your brand, people can’t see the human behind it. So before you scrub away every imperfection, ask yourself, “Am I polishing my window or blocking the view?”

This resonates well with my comedy philosophy that we should embraced our mess-ups and how messed-up we are. It doesn’t mean take a break and don’t work hard on your jokes or comedy. It doesn’t mean that we slack off and take it easy. This isn’t about the process. It’s about us as comedians and what people see and hear when we tell our jokes/stories. Do they see someone so polished they can’t relate to them? Do they see someone so professional they can’t connect? Or do they see a messed-up person that that can get on the same page with?

Chances are, if the audience can’t see the fingerprints of you and your brand, they won’t see the real you in your comedy. Are you so polished that you’re blocking the view of people seeing and hearing the real you? People love authenticity. People appreciate hearing a real human with fresh perspective, especially in the world of AI where everything’s fabricated. This is one of the reasons people love crowd work. It’s real and authentic, even if it is only semi-spontaneous. It’s also one of the reasons crowds often love when a comedian brings up their notebook, opens it, and tries out new material. That kinda thing pulls back the curtain on the more polished side of stand-up. It exudes “realness.”

At the end of the day, my point here is: Do people see the real you on stage? Or are you too polished? Ooze with authenticity. Let them see you through your dirty window so they can get a glimpse of the real you and, for the love of all that is good, don’t block their view!

JOKE WRITING COURSE: By the way, if you have any interest at all in learning about your persona, how to write some jokes, or doing stand-up comedy, check out my online joke writing course, “The Joke Writer’s Lab,” HERE.

JOKE MEMORY COURSE: My companion course to “The Joke Writer’s Lab” is now live: “The Comedian’s Memory Lab.” Learn how to conceptualize, organize, and memorize your entire comedy set. This method works for 10 jokes or 100, a set that’s 3 minutes of 1 hour. You can get it HERE.