Humor Study

What humor gives us? Respect Remembrance Reward MAP Theory Audience Material Performer The material must be appropriate to the interests of the audience, and each must also relate to the persona of the performer. The audience must complement both the material and the presentation style. How to think? For any situation, ask What if? Realignment of diverse elements into new and unexpected relationships. See what is logically illogical, the way no one else considers the situation/thing. Exercise the step above consistently; write down all creative/weird possibilities. Focus on a realistic action/logical thought and destroy it. The Notes on which humor is played, chords are formed 1. Double Entendres Playing on Words (Clich Reformation & Take offs) 2. Reverses Trick the audience by switching the point of view 3. Triples Build tension, lead to an exaggerated finale 4. Incongruity Pair two logical but unconventional ideas 5. Stupidity Encourage audience to feel superior to silly thoughts & actions 6. Paired Phrases Utilize the rhythms of antonyms, homonyms & synonyms 7. Physical Abuse Cater to the delight of someone elses misfortune Why people laugh? 1. Surprise a. Unintentionally done something foolish b. Having been tricked c. Surprise from misdirection d. Surprise from incongruity 2. Superiority a. Comparing themselves with others they consider inferior by ridiculing their intelligence, social standing and physical infirmities b. Insult Humor c. Social Criticism

3. Biological a. An attempt to vent hostility when physical aggression is not practical 4. Incongruity a. Unconventional pairing of speech, actions, character revelation and thoughts 5. Ambivalence a. Stress on conflicting emotions (love/hate relationships in families. e.g. Whatever happened to good ol days, when children worked in factories? 6. Release a. Embarassment & Innocent Errors b. They are anxious to participate in a shared social experience 7. Configuration a. When disjointedness falls into place b. e.g. I learned about sex the hard way-from books! 8. Psychoanalytical a. To socially accomplish childish regression without feeling foolish (Comic Strips) b. The kid inside who resents growing up Anatomy of Humor THREES formula 1. Target (Humor is criticism, cloaked as entertainment, directed at a specific target) a. People as Targets (physical characteristics, finances, intelligence, success, ideas, mannerisms, prejudices) i. Self deprecating humor, e.g. Im the most successful dropout Bill Gates ii. Celebrity Names (Tangy Gossips) b. Places as Targets (Countries, States, Cities, Local Spots in News) c. Things as Targets (Buildings, Automobiles, Sports Equipment, Jewelry, Junk food, etc.) d. Ideas as Targets (Controversial ideas that can be humor targets) e.g. Bisexuality 2. Hostility (Ridicule/Target Hostile Feelings) a. Sexual Frustration i. e.g. I satisfy my wife every night. We get into bed completely nude. Then I say, Darling, Im very tired and I think Ill go to sleep. And she says, Im satisfied. b. Intrusion of authority into our private lives (politicians, bosses, faculties, administration i. e.g. Artificial hearts are nothing new. Politicians have had them for years. c. Financial Concerns (personal, wages, taxes, investments, gambling, lottery awards, credit cards) i. e.g. I have a serious investment problem. I have no money. ii. Ive got all the money I need-if I die by four oclock. d. Family Problems (responsibilities, restrictions, competing interests) e. Angst and our Feelings of powerlessness in the wake of technology i. Angst (fear of death, coping with deformity, deprivations, paranoia, insecurity, narcissism, kinky sexual drives, etc.) e.g. God has Alzheimers disease. Hes forgotten we exist.

ii. Technology (Hopelessness coming from inability to control/understand the environment) e.g. high-tech machines, computers, gadgets, nuclear war, alien invasion, mutation, etc. f. Our insecurity about our own physical characteristics, which triggers prejudices & taunts against minorities (Physical Appearances, Ethnic Mannerisms, Colloquial speech, social attitudes drugs, sex, education, profession, music, literature, humor) 3. Realism (Fundamental basis of truth for audiences to associate) a. State some commonly accepted problem, frequently with a clich b. In the last word or two change the expected ending to a surprise e.g. People who lose sleep over the stock market are lucky. I lose money. Yesterday they told you, youd not go far. Last night you opened and-they were right! Incongruous humor Two or more realistic but contrasting circumstances united into one thought. E.g. What can you expect from a day that begins with getting up in the morning? Note: Facts of humor should be logical-the relationship between people clear and predictable, the time and locale of the story familiar, the hostility common to the audience and commensurate to the irritation. 4. Exaggeration follows from Realism (Utilize hyperbole, blatant distortion, overstated figures absurd subject matter cant possibly be true) e.g. A politician and a gorillas image got switched in a newspaper. The gorilla sued them. 5. Emotion (Building up anticipation, anxiety and tension in the audience requires voice, enthusiasm and action, when to pause, for how long, the rhythm of inflection, a gesture) Note: The personality/character is more important than the material/joke. Five ways to maximize emotion/increase audience tension i. The pregnant pause A pause just before the payoff word/words that increases tension, promises to deliver Relieved by surprise ending. E.g. Take my wife--Please!! ii. Ask the audience a question (encourages them to be involved) e.g. Remember how hot it was yesterday? Well a dog was chasing a cat, and they were both walking. Ask the question How many here have ever..? e.g. How many here paid to get in? How many here know what sex is? iii. Triples Discussed later iv. A Joke on the way to a joke v. Build emotional tension by working the audience Discussed later 6. Surprise (Absolute must. Sacrifice grammar, logic, if required, use keywords to set up/fool the audience, perform without giving any hint of the surprise ending.) e.g. My wife and I have many arguments, but she only wins half of them. My mother-in-law wins the other half. (Half keyword used to get the audience to assume the ending. Then misdirected and fooled.)

POW Play on Words

POW is a twist on familiar clichs, bromides, metaphors, aphorisms, book, movie, and song titles, famous quotes, national ad slogans-in fact any expressions widely known by public. Clichs A predictable expression/statement - a stereotype shortcut to comprehension when we are creatively lazy or mentally bankrupt. Can be used in photo and cartoon captions, greeting cards, news and ad headlines, bumper stickers, titles of books and articles, and monologues. Five basic techniques for using clichs 1. A Double Entendre (Two Meaning) An ambiguous word or phrase that allows for a double interpretation of words, images, and associations-the second of which is generally spicy. e.g. John, Goa Radiator Repair: A good place to take a leak. Process Take a clich -> Ask What if? -> Recast with surprise ending e.g. We call our maid a commercial cleaner, because she cleans only during commercials. The it formula used to mean different things, but mostly for intercourse E.g. Doctors do it with patience. /Elevator Operators do it going up and down. The in formula a sexual connection e.g. isnt it great to be in June? Yes, but her sister, was even better Note: Other great sources clichs from one activity that apply to another. e.g. The heart patient refused the transplant saying hed already had a change of heart. Language misunderstanding e.g. Girlfriend - I want you to know I dont go all the way. Boyfriend Ok, Ill drop you at the mall Irony Ironic figures of speech the exact opposite of whats being expressed. e.g. At a hospital, the doctor comes to the ailing patients and shouts Please dont get up! Oral Misunderstanding e.g. When I told my girlfriend I was bringing punjabi for brunch, she set an extra place. The Usage Blunder double entendres from spelling and grammatical mistakes e.g. For her birthday, she asked her boyfriend for designer genes. Malaprops twisted language innocently spoken by a dolt(fool) e.g. For your information, I would like to ask a question./ In two words: im-possible! If people dont want to come to the park, nobody can stop them. /Its dj vu all over again. I want to win 100 or 105 games this year-whichever comes first. Oxymorons A contradictory set of words. E.g. Friendly enemy/ Silent scream/ Friendly criticism 2. The Simple Truth By taking the literal meaning of a keyword, we surprise the audience, whos automatically interpreted the expression with its traditional reference. Make logic illogical. e.g. Call me a taxi. Okay, youre a taxi My wife went window shopping yesterday and came home with seven windows. I bet you I can say the capital of all fifty states in less than a minute. Impossible. Its a bet. Ready, set, go! Okay. The capital of all fifty states in less than a minute. I said it. You lose!

Whens your birthday? Oct, 17th What year? Every year! How the simple truth works Re examine every major word in the clich, reject its most common connotation and go back to Basic English. e.g. What would you say to a martini? Depends on what the martini said to me first! Will you join me? Why, are you coming apart? Note: Play with a view or word Basic Rules First part or first sentence is a clich. Second part (punch line) is an unexpected interpretation thats realistically literal. E.g. Wife: You never look out for me! Husband: Of course, I do. And when I see you coming, I run like hell. Research Reports/Statistics (excellent source) If a single dolphin has as many as two thousand babies, can you imagine how many shed have if she were married? The Non Sequitur An illogical statement which is humorous because of the juxtaposition of two elements. E.g. I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, Ill never know. / Store sign: Big Sale Last Week! On stage Examine words closely for incongruous variations. E.g. I woke up one morning and my girlfriend asked me if I slept good? I said, No, I made a few mistakes. 3. Reforming Three ways to reform clichs. a. Alter or transpose the words and create a new related thought (Juggle the words, Reverse the order) e.g. Im not as think as you stoned I am. b. Replacing one or two letters in a key word of the clich e.g. spite my race. (face) c. With a homonym, a similar sounding word with a double entendre interpretation The things my wife buys at shops are keeping me Baroque. (broke) The Oral Clich Using homonyms for puns Hair(here) yesterday, gone today./ Oh, my cod! With friends like you, who needs enemas? Definitions Gigolo? A fee male Note. Homonyms can be used to form an entire dialogue scene. How to do it 1. Take a word thats appropriate to the occasion 2. Put down as many sound-alikes as come to mind 3. Write the joke e.g. Word Hormone Like: Whore moan, her moan. E.g. How do you make a hormone? Dont pay her! Fractured clichs Another homonym device split reforming separating one word into two to get a surprise double meaning. E.g. Bedridden Bed + Ridden(Riding) Common category of splits words beginning with a alone, abreast, around, ahead, etc.) e.g Would you like to play around? Girlfriend: Are you asking as a lover or a golfer? Dont worry. Ive got a backup system. So everybody, back up! Words ending with er catcher, licker, player or start with the sound of her harass, words that invite him in work vitamin, Himalayan, hemisphere. Words can be reformed by adding, deleting or separating prefixes (such as a, an, I, pre, un or in) and by using suffixes as homonyms (such as ize) Plagiarism: the unoriginal sin Writing a reformed clich for print (Get a picture in front of you of the event find the keyword) 1. Write down all the homonyms associated with the sound of the word 2. Substitute the word in all the above expressions and determine if the caption syncs with the specific picture described above select the best one

Writing a reformed clich as a pun 1. Locate the important word or phrase write as many words as you can think of that rhyme with the word/phrase. E.g. loan 2. Select the words from your list that seem to have double entendre possibilities. E.g. moan, lone. 3. Start eliminating. E.g. moan has negative associations. Lone, own, phone probables 4. Write as many clichs with the word or homonym in it. E.g. Can you float a loan/The loan ranger 5. A little reforming. S.B Bank Phone the loan arranger and pronto (Lone Ranger and Tonto) Three prerequisites for a reformed clich to be funny 1. The take off cannot be obvious it must be a surprise 2. It must be, at least mildly outrageous 3. The original clich or title must be immediately familiar to the audience Note: Never do more than three jokes on one topic. 4. The Take off Idea behind take off clich is implicit it implies something more than whats explicitly stated. (Complete the clich with a bizarre reference) Note: The clich can either start the joke or be the punch line. e.g. My father never liked me. For Christmas he gave me a bat. The first time I tried to play ball with it, it flew away. Clich First, Then Take off If at first you dont succeed, try, try again-she expects you to. Clich is second Wife to friend: Im in trouble. I broke my husbands favorite golf club. What did he say? He said, What hit me? / If you dont want the dentist to hurt you, keep your mouth shut Note: Humor is written backwards. (Find the clich first, build story around it) Double pleasure More than once clich Give a man enough rope and hes tied up in the office 5. Associations Putting together two activities that havent been previously associated into a plausible but audacious scenario. / Combine two simple elements that are logical but impossible. 1. Clich with a celebrity name My opponent has done the work of two men: Laurel and Hardy! 2. Teaming two clichs I call Herbs salary a phallic symbol because it only rises once a year. 3. Teaming of verbs or adverbs with nouns Its a dogs life he muttered Associations as Warm-ups Warm up writing twenty five one liners inspired by the morning paper. (Funny captions to news photos, news stories) - Get to work. Associate puns on famous names Before she became Madonna, she was pre-madonna. Note: The more we combine realism and exaggeration, the more humorous it will be. Disrespectful association of the rich/famous with book/movie Elizabeth Taylor in Once is Not Enough Associate last names of two celebrities Isadora Duncan, Robert Donat Dunkin Donut!

Brainstorming POW Associations

1. Chart the subject on a piece of paper, divide the subject into different headings e.g golf a. Golf equipment b. Golf course c. Golf play d. Golf players Chart each heading with as many subheads as you can think of, keep adding to the list every time you have another brainstorm. e.g. Golf equipment flag, tees, cap, balls, ball washer, etc. Golf course 9-hole course, etc. 2. List as many clich expressions as possible associated with each entry. E.g. He lost his balls. 3. List double entendres, synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms that have a connection with the subject. E.g. Double Entendre hole, ball, etc. Homonym fore=foreplay, course=intercourse Final Come up with humorous material. Note: Final line of scenario must end in surprise Note: Four jokes a minute is maximum. 5 minutes=20 one liners. Write sixty. Test+Discard. Rewrite.

Reverses
Adding a contradictory tag line to the opening line of a clich. E.g. I couldnt wait for success, so I went ahead without it. A situation in which the outs take over from the ins e.g. I have a job at the local radio station. I get in my car at rush hour and report on helicopter traffic. Def: An unexpected switch in the audiences point of view. Catch the audience off guard because they cover their embarrassment with laughter. e.g. A man and woman are making passionate love in the bedroom. Suddenly the apartment door opens and a man comes in: Darling! Im home , my love. He walks into the bedroom, looks at the naked couple and says, What is she doing here? (Drop at least one clue to push the audience in a false direction. E.g. Man shouting: Darling!) I have a brother in Harvard Med School. Whats he studying? Nothing, theyre studying him. Is everybody having a good time? Well, well put an end to that right now! Retaliatory Humor Delivering an insult or a surprise compliment e.g. Howard Coswell is Americas greatest sportcaster. And thats not only my opinion, its his too! Changing the Point of View Offer a solution which is both logical and diametrically opposite to whats expected e.g. When Is young, I thought money was most important thing in life. Now I know it is. Note: Only one reverse is permissible in any one story or script. e.g. A man finds a chimp in the middle of the street. He asks the police: What do I do with him? Policeman: Take him to the zoo. Next day police notice the same man with chimp. Officer: I thought I told you to take it to the zoo. Man: I did, and we had so much fun, today Im taking him to Disneyland. Note: Dont telegraph the message, lay out the plot line of a story as realistically as possible and carefully set up for the surprise ending. e.g. Walking down the street, I saw a blind man being led by his dog. Suddenly, the dog pissed on the blind mans leg. His owner took a biscuit out of his pocket, bent down and gave it to the dog. I walked over and said to the man, Sir, I couldnt help noticing what you did. Its one of the greatest acts of kindness Ive ever seen. The man said, Kindness, hell, I just want to find where his head is so I can kick him in the ass.

Anecdote A tall tale told as a small story with a sudden climax. With the setup, we mean to confuse the audience. So we include just enough information in the body of the story to encourage them to proceed automatically in the direction well reverse at the end. e.g. Let me tell you about my big spending husband, one woman said to another. It was our anniversary, so he took me to the most famous restaurant in town and told me to order the most expensive dish on the menu. I did..a Big Mac. Note: One word clues are shuffled into anecdotes which, when combined with a reverse, prove to be the surprise detonator cap. E.g. A worker on a construction site would wait until the end of the day and then walk out past the guards with a wheelbarrow filled with dirt. Management was positive he was stealing supplies, but every check of the wheelbarrow accounted for nothing but plain sand. After the job was completed, the foreman walked up to the worker, who had his last paycheck, and said, Mike, I know you were stealing something. Tell me the truth, what were you taking? Mike said: Wheelbarrows! Other Benefits Reverses are excellent technique for speeches and essays. Also very practical for deflecting insults. e.g. Redneck: What did the doctor say about your big fat ass? Wife: Sorry, Your name never came up. Examples My boyfriend and I broke up, even though were still deeply in love. He wanted to get married and I didnt want him to. / They just took away the license of one of our doctors for having sex with his patients. And thats too bad, because hes the best veterinarian in town.

Triples
If peanut oil comes from peanuts, and olive oil comes from olives, where does baby oil come from? Humors PAP Test P Preparation (Situation setup) A Anticipation (triple) P Punch line Def: A sequence of three actions, comments, or categories that increase tension with longer buildup. e.g. P How many Delhiites does it take to change a light bulb? A A hundred and two: one to hold the ladder, one to screw the bulb, and P one hundred cops to make sure the first two arent mugged. / P If you want to be seen stand up! A If you want to be heard speak up! P If you want to be appreciated shut up! / P Waitress, in hoarse voice: For dessert, we got ice cream-vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. A Customer: You got laryngitis? P No, just vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. Dos and Donts for Triples 1. Never tell more than three jokes about one subject at any one time. 2. Dont spend more than three minutes on any one theme. 3. Three themes of about three minutes each are optimum for a ten minute stand-up monologue. 4. Three minutes is the best length for a skit. 5. Dont use more than three voices in a radio skit or commercial. Anecdote A small story (mentioned above) in the fewest possible words. (Weight loss Triples Story) Triple Takeoff Girl to marriage broker: Your prospect is old, his eyes squint, and he has no teeth. Broker: No need to whisper, he cant hear either! The Triple Reverse Start off with a triple, then switch to a reverse e.g. Any of you see Desperate Housewives on TV last night? Talk about plot, drama, great acting it had none of those things.

Harmony of Paired Elements: Synonyms, Homonyms, and Antonyms

There are four variations of paired elements a. Paired phrases They have a simple declarative statement thats craftily repeated by reversing the order of the last few words. E.g. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. /Better a witty fool than a foolish wit. e.g: Pilot over intercom to impatient passengers: Were having a short delay for engine repairs. Arent you glad youre down here wishing you were up there, rather than up there wishing you were down here? Note: Audience participation is an excellent technique for increasing appreciation. b. Paired Sentences Two paired phrases, but used in separate sentences, generally by two different people. Responders wit comes from the ability to reverse the order of words and toss them back in the originators face. E.g. Telegram from play producer to Bernard Shaw: Send manuscript. If good will send check. Shaw replied: Send check. If good will send manuscript. c. Paired Words Synonyms, Homonyms, and Antonyms Synonyms Different words that have the same meaning e.g. Women sweat but ladies perspire e.g. Its difficult to act youthful without acting childish. / (Double entendre) I call my girl friend candy because she makes my peanut brittle. / (Paired take off use synonym as the first statement and a surprise for punch line) Man doesnt live by bread alone, but by additives and preservatives as well. / A lot of motorists could afford to be a bit more superstitious like believing in signs! Technique Clich that focuses on a keyword. E.g. shes an earthy woman, so I treated her like dirt. Homonyms Words that have the same sound but are spelled differently. E.g. Ad for Honeywell Communications System: From high tech to hi, mom. Antonyms Opposite words - Simplest form of reverse. The first key word starts you in one direction; the antonym flips you in the opposite. (More d.entendre antonyms wider audience) e.g. Director, Girls who put up good front most likely to be called back. Opposite Words First line includes a simple declarative statement and employs a clich. Now the antonym pairing is added, but stated in a hostile manner. E.g. When we talk to God were said to be praying, but when god talks to us were said to be schizophrenic. / Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original and the part that is original is not good. Note: Antonym non sequiturs can get laughs. Lets get outf these wet clothes n into a dry martini. Prefix: (un)interesting interesting, (im)patience patience. E.g. I bought a humidifier and a dehumidifier. I put them in the same room and let em fight it out. Brainstorming Antonyms First step Listingevery idea and expression, every possible association Note: Use one meaning from one antonym pair and one meaning from another pair. e.g. (right & left) - direction, (right & wrong) decision example: A beautiful girl walked into my hotel room. She said, Oh, Im sorry. I must be in the wrong room. I said, No, youre in the right room. Youre just forty years too late. Antonym Doubles When were young we want to change the world. When were older we want to change the young. Antonym Triples The real meaning of movie ratings are: G=the hero gets the girl. R=the heavy gets the girl. X=everybody gets the girl.

Groupings Group two or more words loosely associated with a particular activity or profession. e.g. I come from New York, where men are men-and women are men too! d. Paired Statistics Save the surprise number for the very last, just if it were a word. e.g. Did you hear about the Polish race driver at Indianapolis who had to make sixty-two pit stops? Three for fuel, four to change tires, and fifty-five to ask directions. / MC at old age home: Were going to give a prize to the oldest person here. First Voice: Im 63. Second Voice: Im 73. Third Voice: Im 83. Fourth Voice: Im dead! Note: Humor is written backwards joke first!

Funny Words: Spark Plugs of Humor

To be categorized as funny, a word has to have one of the following characteristics a. A funny Sound Fanny, Cutlass, Throng, Hortense Powdermarker b. A double entendre Sandor Needleman. / The Open Kimono by Semour Hare c. An association with a famous person recently in news whose activities encourage ridicule, hostility, or derision Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, Madonna, Lady Gaga 1. Names Every ethnic group has funny names. E.g. Dick, Bunny, Fatso. 2. Cities and places(Cities, small towns, street names, local restaurants, bars, hotels, colleges, department stores) e.g. West Virginia, Tangra, midnapore. 3. Foods e.g. Peanut, Hot dog, Lollipop, Fruitcake, Meatball, garlic. 4. Household and Brand Names Jell-O, Mint-O,i-ball. 5. Ethnic Expressions e.g. Shaala, Hari bol, Sidhi baat, Jaane bhi do yaaron. 6. Exclamations e.g. wow, wham, bang bang, yuck, ugh, zonk. E.g. Customer: What have you got to eat? Waiter: Klochomoloppi. Also have lich lock, slop lom, stocklock, rishkosh, and flocklish. Customer: Yuck! Waiter: Weve got yuck, too. Boiled or braised? Double Entendres 1. Sex Objects Many products have features that can be associated with body parts. E.g. auto (headlights, cute tail, ball bearings, nuts, gear shift, push button, filter, belt, stiff rod). 2. Sex and Media Books, movies, song titles e.g. Moby Dick. 3. Soft-core and Hard-core When to avoid hard-cores a. Soft-core word can be just as funny e.g. Do you handle condoms? young man to drug store clerk. Yes, I do Well, wash your hands, I want a ham sandwich. b. Soft-core word is acceptable to a wider range of audiences. E.g. Once girl to another: This guys idea of oral sex is talking about himself. c. Soft-core may suggest the act and encourage the audience to fill in the missing word e.g. When we are told by doctors that our teens were our peak sexual period, we feel bad that we let so many good years slip between our fingers. Sexual Verbs blow/suck, coming/going, bang/screw, finger/feel 4. Bedpan Body functions and malfunctions. E.g. hernia, fart, pee, belly, diarrhea, zipper, diapers 5. The Wild Kingdom Pets convey funny images. Puppies, cats, etc. Girl with a cat: Would you like to pet my pussy? Guy: Sure, but first move the cat 6. Numbers sixty nine (69), a zillion, zero, a deuce. A billion here, a billion there. Lotsa money!!

To Tell the Truth: Exaggerated and Understated Realism

Realism is essential in order for the audience to approve of our hostility toward the target. On the other side of the scale, facts and conclusions are exaggerated to attract attention. Note: Find proper balance betwn realism and exaggeration. Humor comes when exaggeration is logical. Realism is frequently funniest when its exaggerated to the most extreme possibility. 1 + 1 = 11 This can be done by either overstatement (also known as hyperbole/exaggeration) or understatement Overstatement CEO to members of the board: There you have it, gentlemen. The upside potential is tremendous, but the downside risk is jail. / The scarecrow scared the crows so badly that they brought back the corn they had stolen two years before. Understatement He jumpd out d window. As room 18 was on the 5th floor, u can imagine his surprise. Note: The more your punch line exaggerates the introductory realism, the better the result. e.g. Girls are much more psychic than guys. Theyre the first to know if youre going to get laid. Realism The more realistic we make the humor piece seem, the more our audience indentifies with it. e.g. I gave up pastries, too many calories. I gave up red meat, too much cholesterol. I gave up Cokes, too much caffeine. Hey, thats great. How do you feel? Hungry! Note: We could find someone whose public reputation indicates limited intellectual abilities. Then, realism helps make it much stronger: e.g. Sylvester Stallones mother reported he learned to read by teething on a set of alphabet blocks, and hes been swallowing his letters ever since. Unrealistic Humor In show business, the key word is honesty. And once youve learned to fake that, youre in. Failed humor is a result of too little realism not too much exaggeration. Unrealistic but great - They threw me out of my hotel in L.A this spring break for pissing in the pool. How could they do that? Lots of kids piss in the pool. From the fourteenth floor? / The bushman remarked, Id like to get a new boomerang, but I cant get rid of the old one. Overstatement A transition from sense to nonsense (Cartoon and film animation provide endless examples of humor exaggeration: animals talk and take on human attributes.) e.g. When youre an only child, you never have anybody to blame. When I was 14 my father came into my room and asked me who had been smoking his cigarettes. I had to tell him the truth-it was the dog. Exaggerated Numbers Lapse in math logic ludicrous e.g. A graduating senior went to the board of health and asked for two thousand cockroaches. He said he promised his landlord he would leave his apartment exactly the way he found it. (Mental image of 2000 cockroaches is more graphic and therefore more hilarious. On the other hand 50000 creates a horrific image, may change fun to fear.) Note: Pick the right number; constantly ask if the humor is strengthened by altering the number. UnderstatementI dont believe in afterlife, but I am taking a change of underwear Note: An excellent technique for self deprecating humor. E.g. People ask me if I get stage fright. Believe me, its not the stage that frightens me; its the whole audience that scares the hell out of me. Understated numbers I have three children - one of each.

The Right Balance Take an incident that really happened and make it bigger than life. E.g. Prof to class: Good morning students. And to those of you on speed, good afternoon! / Wife: Well, your father is playing basketball again. Hes dribbling all over the house. (When personal comfort gets in the way of tender loving care, it creates great humor.) Note: Humor is most often written backwards. Once you have the punch line of the joke, its easy to write the opening. E.g. the aged father moved from New York to L.A to spend his last months with his son. As his father lay on his deathbed, the son whispered, Dad, I know you have a Masonic plot in Brooklyn and you know I have a family plot here. Tell me, which one would you like to be buried in? The old man looked at the son for a second and then said, Surprise me.

Surprise em or Shock em: Nihilistic Humor and Language

The perfect balance is a combination of surprise and shock. Unexpected and unfettered Vulgarity delights us. In TV today, you can say I pricked my finger, but you cant say it the other way around. Notes: 1. Use unexpurgated language and emphasize on bed to bidet humor. Use shock words to get attention especially obscenity (an important ingredient in humor.). 2. Have perceptive ear and insightful eye for incongruity of language, written or verbal. Edit the material down from short to small story. Finally, Shock first, surprise second. 3. Comedy may question anything thats said or done, nothing is off-limits, nothing is beyond criticism religion, politics, ethnicity, etc. e.g. If only God would give me a clear sign, like making a large deposit in my name at my Bank. 4. Most humor concentrate on negative aspects of life: drug & alcohol problems, sexual inadequacy, perversion and communicable diseases, family problems, etc. 5. While theres a difference between being rude and funny, obscenities are sometimes the perfect words. And when they are, they should be used. E.g. Two chickens are talking. Once says, My farmer gets sixty cents a dozen for my eggs. Laying eggs is easy. The other hen says, Not for me, it isnt. I grunt and groan, but my eggs a are bigger and my farmer gets sixty five cents a dozen. The first hen says to her companion, What! I should bust my ass for a nickel? Note: We laugh because of the language, not the joke. e.g. Im in a restaurant and Im eating and someone says, Mind if I smoke? and I say, Uh, no. Mind if I fart? Note: To be most effective, use the authentic colloquial language of its subject n the audience. e.g. A visitor to Harvard asks a prof, Excuse me, but would you be good enough to tell me where the Harvard Library is at? Sir, said the prof, at Harvard we do not end a sentence with a preposition. Well, in that case, forgive me, said the visitor. Permit me to rephrase my question. Would you be good enough to tell me where the Harvard Library is at, Jackass? Transposition The question is not whether shock words should be used, but when. If required, avoid words that might offend the audience. Use euphemisms for hard-core words e.g. penis-Vesuvius or Transpose One doctor to another: Ive got to get rid of my nurse. Shes constantly getting things balled up. Just then, with a blood curdling scream, one of the male patients ran wildly down the hall

pursued by a nurse holding pot of scalding water. See what I mean? said the doctor, I distinctly told her to prick his boil. Note: Comedic Axiom Insult only ugly people or ignoramuses. It should be appropriate for the specific audiences. Test the limits of the racier subjects by inserting trial material up front. Understatement Both understated realism and understated shock cater to the audiences imagination and intelligence. E.g. Doc, my girlfriend has a problem. She thinks shes a rabbit. Okay, bring her in. Ill talk to her. Thanks, doc, but whatever you do, dont cure her! / My mother said, Why dont you wear your grandfathers nice dress slacks? So I grabbed the shovel Outrageous Humor Neednt be Obscene Reforming words is an easy way to be shocking. Talent comes from suggesting hard-core humor, but never actually stating it. e.g. A sexually frustrated young girl sat on Pinocchios nose and said, Now lie to me. Now tell me the truth. Now lie to me. Now tell me the truth. The Shock Exchange Another way to achieve shock is to use names of celebrities-national or local-in your humor. E.g. How fat is Elizabeth Taylor? Well, she has more chins than a Chinese phone directory. Rules for Playing the VIP Game 1. The person must be well known 2. The person should be controversial. E.g. Mallika Sherawat, Rakhi Sawant. 3. The audience feels you personally know the individual, so ur humor has the ring of inside gossip. 4. The humor must be based upon a realistic premise. e.g. Oprah said its not that she eats too much, its just that she retains water. Right now, shes retaining Lake Michigan. 5. What you say should sound so impermissible that it will create tension. Last Tips on Performance - Humor comes out of a character. The performer is the joke. Develop at least one basic and memorable character. - Do your homework, which means performer research - Stand up A series of one-liners and short comments on the contemporary scene. - Aggressor Below the belt insults. E.g. Youre Italian, right? What the hell do we need Italians for? Oh, yeah, to keep the cops busy. - You can play insecure, timed, always seeking approval, confused by women, unable to get dates or make relationships work, king of guy. With self deprecating humor. Makes the audience comfortable. E.g. Im dating a girl nowwhos unaware of it, evidently. - Satire should reflect who and what is in the news at the very time a joke is being told. - The Story Teller The story line is confined to one unique theme, with, heavy use of strong critical comment strung out for as much as ten minutes. Eventually it has a point. Story Teller should chat with his audience about a common problem, a facsimile of his family life. He calls it building rapport. He creates stock situation first, then follows with exaggerations. He builds animated cartoons with words, not jokes. Performance Secrets 1. Establish an identifiable character and stay in character 2. To make the audience feel secure, the performer must eliminate any threat of intimidation 3. Make the audience care extract caring through a discourse on your misfortunes.