Finding the funny
A friend asked me, “Are people naturally funny, or can humor be taught?” I took the side that humor could be taught. I had to, mostly, because I taught a comedy writing class back in June. How would it look if I said, “Humor can’t be taught,” and then asked people to sign up for my class next year?
I do think some people are naturally funny and some are not. But I think anyone can learn to be funny. Some people are natural athletes and some are not. Just like you can build a better body, you can create a funnier person. You’re just exercising different muscles.
In the classroom, I taught the structure of jokes. I stood in front of a chalk board and said, “A joke is a very, very short story with a surprise ending.” The best jokes gave you clues that something funny was coming, but it should still surprise you.
It’s the incongruity. You have to lead people in one direction and then pull the rug out from under them (metaphorically). Though, it is funny to pull the rug out from someone, as long as they don’t break a hip on the way down. I do love a good pratfall.
But I digress. Many comedians call the very, very short story with a surprise ending “set-up and punch.” You set them up and then knock them down.
Take Henny Youngman, please.
Henny Youngman, the late king of one-liners, has the world’s shortest joke, “Women today love to shop for shoes. Take my wife … please!”
There it is. Set-up and punch. He’s leading you to think “Take my wife … for example …” but he zigs when we think he’s going to zag (Yes, the joke is incredibly sexist, but it was written in the ’40s).
Comedy is like math; once you know the formula, you can apply it, adapt it and use it for every occasion. Weddings, bar mitzvahs and funerals.
Okay. It’s a little more complex than that. But that’s the starting point. You have to run the marathon yourself.
I had a student who was struggling with the concept. She grimaced and said, “I don’t think I’m funny.”
I asked her to name one of her hobbies. She said she liked to play golf. Then, I asked, “What is your favorite thing about golf?” She turned to me and said, “I like to drive the cart.”
Funny!
She didn’t even know it. It was so funny that all of the other students thought we rehearsed it. We did not. That’s the beauty of spontaneous humor. If it’s done right, it looks like it was choreographed.
Get out there and tell a joke! Or better yet, share this column with friends and loved ones. If you think I’m an idiot, share it with your enemies. Make them really suffer.
If you need further examples of what jokes look like, come down to Lone Pine Country Club tonight, 2755 Park Avenue, right here in Washington. I will be there for an hour telling jokes … or torturing club members (depending on your point of view).