What does 'Funny' Mean?

[Lightning Rod]

Some people think that anyone who laughs at all their jokes has a good sense of humor. This is a massive fallacy of course. Someone who laughs at all your jokes is either trying to get in your pants or is just a general lackey-type or a brown-noser. I don't trust anyone who laughs at ALL my jokes. But I sure appreciate someone who understands them.

Lenny Bruce was not a popular guy, but he gave us things to think about. Don Rickles made a career of insults that were usually very close to the mark. Maybe too close. Humor can't be afraid to insult.

One of the hallmarks of humor is discomfort. The best humor knocks the audience off center. It upsets their comfortable view of reality and gives them something new to think about. This is why slapstick works. It is a depiction of being in the pain of realization. (picture Moe slapping Curly in the forehead)

We laugh when we are uncomfortable. And we laugh when we feel the spark of a new idea in our brains.

But I suppose if everyone understood the nature of humor there would be many more comedians. Probably not a good thing. Comedians are a pain in the ass.

What do you think is funny?

[Dave The Dov]

Funny is what you make of it.
_________________
Mercedes Benz CLR

[Arcadia]

Interesting aswer dave!!!!!
I consider that something is funny when its paradoxicall nature is not felt by me as not too much heavy, or when something amazes me beyond comprehension and I don´t feel too much amenazada by it. It´s quite possible that you don´t have a complete idea of what people is laughing about... that´s also funny..... a text with highlited intention but with multiple receptors and multiple readings... I consider that you l-rod are funny most of the time!!!! and I don´t want to get into your pants (I´m too fat for it!!!! )

[bennie2]

LR, I think this is as much of a "big" subject to you as it is to me. Would that be right? I'm fascinated by it.

I watched a film called "the aristocrats", which could be viewed as being an illustration of one element of what is funny. I'm sure you're aware of the joke.

the premise or set up is that a guy walks into a booking agents and says, "hi, I have this act and I think you should sign me. It's a family act." and the agent replies, "tell me about the act." and then, the guy begins to tell the most disgusting, sexual, violent, depraved, incestuous tale. This is his description of the act the family perform on stage. the punchline being, "and what do you call an act like that?" and the man says, perhaps with jazz hands waving, "the aristocrats!"

some will tell you that that isn't funny, it's merely shock for the sake of shock. well, I think shock value is a HUGE element of what makes us laugh.

Most punchlines are based on subtle shock, or surprise. the answer isn't the standard or expected response, so it throw the listener and the automatic response is usually laughter. a good example of this is the old joke "what's worse than biting into an apple and finding a worm?" I don't know... "biting into an apple and finding half a worm." It isn't expected as the response and so the shock (and disgust of eating half a worm) causes laughter. I suppose that's uncomfortable laughter? Laughing to disguise fear/distress/a feeling of unease. Ha, as I was doing my mountain man bit a few weeks ago we did this really dangerous knife edge traverse on our hands and knees in the snow and jagged rocks. I couldn't help but laugh. it wasn't funny. I could have died. but I laughed.

One of my favurite modern comics, Jimmy Carr, does a retelling of that joke: "what's worse than biting into an apple and finding a worm?" I don't know... "being raped!"

that increases the shock value but it also increases the surprise element. Yes, it is true that being raped is worse than a shitty apple. but the two things aren't related in our minds and so, it's funny because of it.

You should check Jimmy Carr out on youtube. He is a great fan of the english language, it's nuances, it's ability to be fucked with. I think that's one of the main reasons I love comedy - that mutual appreciation for how words and meaning can be altered. comedy and poetry. the parallels.

there are other things too but I think the shock or surprise element leads to the best stuff. another example of that would be george carlin: "you know why they have a cock on a weather vane? cause if they had a cunt the wind would blow right through it..." or how about, while talking about something completly unrelated, "...that reminds me of something my grand father used to say to me, he'd say, 'I'm going upstairs to fuck your grandma'"

[bennie2]

jimmy carr (good clip from youtube. I love the "patronising" bit):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb87oedXV-4

[hester_prynne]

If it makes me laugh from my gut brain then that means it's funny.
H

[Lightning Rod]

nice expansions on the subject, bennie, hest, arcadia, dave

There is a scene in Stranger in a Strange land that speaks a great deal to the subject of why we laugh. Michael Valentine Smith didn't understand laughter. Oh, he could throw his head back and cackle like he was laughing but he really didn't understand it.

So, one day when he was on his break from his magic act in the carnival he wandered by the chimpanzee cage. As he watched the largest chimp slaps the next smaller chimp. That chimp then goes over and slaps the next smaller one. When the slapping order got to the smallest chimp, what did he do? He laughed a chimp laugh. That's when Michael got it.

What is laugher? It's what we do when it hurts too much to cry.

I suppose if we can cry for happy, we can laugh for sad.

[Arcadia]

I suppose if we can cry for happy, we can laugh for sad., sure!. But when it´s too sad and too near I tend more to cry than to laugh, but it´s just me!!! (I didn´t see that film).

[Lightning Rod]

I suppose if we can cry for happy, we can laugh for sad., sure!. But when it´s too sad and too near I tend more to cry than to laugh, but it´s just me!!! (I didn´t see that film).

I didn't see the film either, but I read the book about six times. I don't know if it's ever been make into a movie. The Man Who Fell to Earth was loosely based on Stranger in a Strange Land. I've never seen it either but I doubt if that scene was in there.

[Doreen Peri]

How long exactly have you been musing over what I am about to say? Have you studied what I will say thoroughly?

Did you know that statistics prove that every ten minutes or so someone will come to the conclusion that ten minutes have passed and then what? That's what I'd like to know.

But it's true. And truth is the one thing that isn't false and I can prove it to you. Here's a mirror. Look into it. What do you see? Correct. It's YOU! So there! Told ya. Now, put a handful of peanuts in your mouth and say this aloud, "Peanuts are the perfect food because they're like picayune party treats, perfect companions for beer."

Did you know they're planning to send a man to the sun? They're going at night.

If you saved a dollar a day, you'd be surprised how much money you'd have at the end of the year, my grandmother used to say but I'd be surprised if it was anything other than $365.

Did you hear the story about the ceiling? No? Well, it's over your head.
Did you hear the story about the three eggs? No? 2 bad.

......

Groucho was the funniest man who ever lived. Word play.

Everything is funny. Except when it's not.

[Lightning Rod]

doreen, you know what my attitude is on puns

Puns may be the lowest form of wit (and "therefore the foundation of all wit" according to Henry Erskine) but do they deserve the scorn that has been heaped upon them by their detractors down through the ages? Coleridge allowed that the pun was "harmless... because it never excites envy." Even Sigmund Freud waded in on the topic explaining the pun's lowly stature with the fact that they are "the cheapest- can be made with the least trouble." Leave it to Oscar Levant to astutely point out: "A pun is the lowest form of humor- if you didn't think of it first."

here is a joke based on puns, but it's also got story

Lost on a rainy night, a nun stumbles across a monastery and requests shelter there. Fortunately, she's just in time for dinner and was treated to the best fish and chips she's ever had.

After dinner, she goes into the kitchen to thank the chefs.

She is met by two brothers, "Hello, I'm Brother Michael, and this is Brother Charles."

"I'm very pleased to meet you. I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful dinner. The fish and chips were the best I've ever tasted. Out of curiosity, who cooked what?"

Brother Charles replied, "Well, I'm the fish friar."

She turns the other brother and says, "Then you must be...?"

"Yes, I'm the chip monk."

[bennie2]

bill hicks made a very good pun joke while talking about one of his favourite topics:

"I love talking about the kennedy assassination, it's one of my favourite topics...there's no way oswald shot kennedy. no way. i've been to the third floor of that book depository and you can't even see the road. there's just no way. not unless two pigeons flew oswald out the window by his feet, flew him over the motorcade... there's just no fucking way. although, there was talk of anti-castro pigeons seen drinking in bars in dallas the night before the assassination...someone overheard them say, "coo, coo..."

[Doreen Peri]

Yeah but did you laugh at my post?

No? Well then maybe you don't know what funny is.

Read it again.



....

and hey, Bennie, that was funny! I loved Bill Hicks.

And Lightning Rod? The chip monk joke cracked me up! I love puns!

When I mentioned Groucho and word play, I wasn't talking about puns, though he was a master of them.

Who are you quoting, btw?

[Lightning Rod]

no way. i've been to the third floor of that book depository and you can't even see the road.

Maybe that's because Oswald was on the Sixth floor of the book depository.
Was that the joke? Did I miss it?

Doreen, I probably didn't laugh too hard because I've heard all these so many times before. Another thing about jokes is that they work better when they are new. You know, like cars and lovers.

I don't know who wrote that because there was no credit.

[Doreen Peri]

How long exactly have you been musing over what I am about to say? Have you studied what I will say thoroughly?

Did you know that statistics prove that every ten minutes or so someone will come to the conclusion that ten minutes have passed and then what? That's what I'd like to know.

But it's true. And truth is the one thing that isn't false and I can prove it to you. Here's a mirror. Look into it. What do you see? Correct. It's YOU! So there! Told ya. Now, put a handful of peanuts in your mouth and say this aloud, "Peanuts are the perfect food because they're like picayune party treats, perfect companions for beer."

You never heard those words before.

There's no way you could have.

I just made them up. I wrote them right here and now just an hour or so ago.

I never spoke them before, I never wrote them before.

Sorry if you didn't get it.

LOL!

Oh well! I'm ROFL at me. I crack myself up! Now, THAT's the MOST important thing about humor. To make yourself laugh.