At 6 a.m. on a Monday last April, comedian Benny Elbows took to the stage in front of a sleepy crowd in Memphis, Tennessee, and told them about the first time he performed a joke that bombed.
Apparently at the time, he was just accompanying a friend to an Open-Mic night, but something about the awkward experience was exhilarating – and afterwards he started performing more regularly. He said it took six months for someone to finally laugh at the joke, but: “I’ve been chasing that high ever since.”
Benny smiling and performing
40 hours after he told that first anecdote, Benny was surrounded by a lively room of loud and enthusiastic fans… who came to see that very same novice comedian from years ago collect a new comedy world record.
To cheers of “BENNY! BENNY! BENNY!” and wild applause, Benny Elbows (USA) finished performing the longest stand-up comedy show by an individual after an exhausting and entertaining 40 hr 16 min 48 sec set that covered topics from Santa Claus to Yo Mama jokes in front of a rotating audience.
The experience at the Hi Tone Cafe in Memphis was “a blast” for the comedian, who was inspired to take on the record after participating in the longest stand-up comedy show - multiple comedians in Nashville in 2015.
Before the event, Benny had lots to prepare before he took the stage – he told local news Memphis 5: “Oh yeah. I’ve been doing all sorts of montages, you know, like chin ups, ‘Rocky,’ ‘Eye of the Tiger’ playing. I’m doing push-ups.”
He prepared a Word document with over 16,000 words and 26 pages of material, while also preparing bits he could use for crowd-work, such as having audience members write him questions about anything from hostage negotiations to relationships.