5 ms·
I remember seeing this played and thinking it was small and cruel. As a standup comedian talking about his work, Joe Rogan once observed that all laughter is an
by motohagiography 4y ago
I remember seeing this played and thinking it was small and cruel. As a standup comedian talking about his work, Joe Rogan once observed that all laughter is an involuntary physical response, which was an acknowledgement of what comedy is and can be on a deeper level.
A lot of practical jokes (certain kinds of hazing, gotcha interview techniques, elaborate gaslighting, simple harassment) are to comedy what conceptual art is to craftsmanship, where the perpetrator is using art and humour as cover for what is really just propaganda, morbid fixations, and aggression. They're an impostors trope. Comedic genius is in the apprehension and expression of paradoxes, it's a kind of magic trick that creates a flash of insight from the setting up and collapsing expectations with reality, and necessarily, a comedians intelligence is inversely proportional to the stupidity he affects in the setup.
The very best comedy is an expression of magnanimity, where the comedian manages to elevate and forgive the butt of his joke while still taking them down. The audience is involuntarily given the sense of a shared absurd human experience, and not just pandered to. A great example of that difference is how Stephen Colbert ultimately became what John Stewart stepped back from to avoid becoming, which is unfunny.
"No soap, radio," isn't really an anti-joke or surreal, it's more like a kind of perfidy where someone is just being a PoS under the safety of a protected pretext (art, joke, injury, etc). Physical humour can be brilliant (Mr. Bean, Emo Phillips, etc) but that's not practical joking either. Anyway, maybe I've overthought it but I think it's courage and magnanimity (literally, the greatness of soul) that separates the comedians from the clowns.
- bobkazamakis 4y ago>A great example of that difference is how Stephen Colbert ultimately became what John Stewart stepped back from to avoid becoming, which is unfunny. This statement alone shows a real lack of understanding of comedy.
- hammock 4y agoHelp him understand better
- renewiltord 4y agoCan someone explain this exchange? I know who these people are but knowing how they changed (or didn't) over time requires listening to lots of their stuff. Also what's the lack of understanding. If this is a joke in the vein of the original idea, that's great!
- Cyberdog 4y ago> Can someone explain this exchange? I know who these people are but knowing how they changed (or didn't) over time requires listening to lots of their stuff. Both of them were comedians who performed on Comedy Central parodying television news and opinion broadcasters. Stewart's show was more straightforward where he presented the news while joking about the stories and the people featured therein, whereas Colbert's program was intended as an over-the-top parody of the shows of conservative talking heads like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly. Whereas Stewart somewhat maintained his ability to poke fun at both sides regardless of what his personal politics may be, Colbert turned out to be an ardent leftist who parlayed his parody show into a pretty unimaginative leftist late-night comedy show that is often more about activism and indignation than comedy. I have no idea what bobkazamakis meant by his remark, though. Perhaps he believes that comedy is funnier when it includes an element of political activism.
- renewiltord 4y agoSolid. Thanks. By the way did you ever play the game Cyberdogs back in the old days? My brother and I had a blast with it. An enjoyable classic.
- Cyberdog 4y agoNever heard of it. I plucked the name from Apple's Mac OS 8-era web browser which about seven people used.
- renewiltord 4y agoHaha, nice.
- xeromal 4y agoIf you have to "get" something for it to be funny, is it still funny? Does the intent matter? I know you said comedy, not funny, but I'm speaking as a layman not as an auteur of comedy.
- BizarroLand 4y agoI like Jimmy Carr's opinion on comedy, that comedy establishes an expectation or ideal and then pulls the rug on it, revealing a new truth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV5K3v0u1J8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV5K3v0u1J8